this is bbc news with the latest headlines. plans for a new multi billion pound nuclear power plant at sizewell are under review as the government tries to find savings. northern ireland secretary chris heaton harris has announced there will not be a stormont assembly election in december. keeping the lights on this winter — a new scheme launches which will see customers offered discounts on their energy bills if they agree to use less electricity at peak times. will you be changing you habits at peak times to save money? you have to have a smart meter to take part in this scheme. get in touch with me on twitter @annitabbc or use the hashtag bbc your questions. twitter says it will tell staff whether they still have a job,

today, following the firm's takeover by elon musk. prince william has announced the finalists for his global we are going to find a solution is to repair our planet. prince william has announced the finalists for his global environment awards, the �*earthshot prize�*. good morning and welcome to the bbc news channel. the government could delay or scrap major energy and transport projects as it tries to rein in public spending — a spokesperson said �*we are reviewing every major project'. the treasury is due to reveal its tax and spending plans under the new prime minister rishi sunak in the autumn statement on the 17th of november.

the bbc understands that plans for a new nuclear power plant called sizewell c in suffolk are under review — borisjohnson pledged £700 million for the project in september, with a call to �*go nuclear and go large�*. a high—speed rail line promised by liz truss for the north of england could also be scaled back. the government is also expected to try to raise more money through capital gains tax — that's a tax on the profit made when you sell something that has increased in value. it's trying to make savings of at least £50 billion to fill the current �*hole�* in the treasury�*s finances. here's our business editor, simonjack. major energy infrastructure and transport projects, including a new nuclear plant in suffolk, and a new rail line in the north of england, are under review and could be delayed, watered down or even scrapped, as the government tries to cut spending, the bbc understands.

the new business secretary, grant shapps, gave the clearest indication yet that recent commitments by former prime minister liz truss to a brand new line, eventually connecting northern towns and cities from hull to liverpool through bradford, were very likely to be scaled back. the line itself can deliver a 33 minute journey from manchester to leeds, quadruple nearly the capacity of that line, and do so without having to wait an extra 20 years beyond the delivery of what the upgrade can do. so we'll be able to provide all of that upgrade. there wasn't really much point in going and blasting new tunnels through the pennines. government officials also cast doubt on the future of sizewell c, a £25 billion project to build two new nuclear reactors at an existing site in suffolk, that promises to provide up to 7% of the uk's total electricity needs. "we are reviewing every major project, including sizewell c," said people familiar with the matter. new large scale nuclear plants has been a key part of the government's strategy to help reduce the uk's reliance on fossil fuels. borisjohnson, while pm, declared it was his intention

to build eight new reactors in the next eight years. a shift away from that position would represent a major change in uk energy policy, that some will lament, and some will celebrate. simon jack, bbc news. let's talk to henri murison, chief executive of the northern powerhouse partnership — he was also formerly a labour councillor in newcastle. good to have you witnessed today. how much do you think this might if this rail line doesn't go ahead or is scaled back? so this rail line doesn't go ahead or is scaled back?— this rail line doesn't go ahead or is scaled back? so the savings in this current _ is scaled back? so the savings in this current financial _ is scaled back? so the savings in this current financial period, - is scaled back? so the savings in this current financial period, will| this current financial period, will be negligible. most of it was due to be negligible. most of it was due to be built in the late 20 20s and early 30s, making cuts to a noun doesn't save any money at all for the chancellor's current spending challenge. i think what grant shapps was alluding to was the original business case or a new line all the

way across the pennines as was promised on the 2019 conservative manifesto. the select committee, was very clear that it was good value for money it was something that should be developed that in full. the integrated rail plan the boris johnson produced cut that in half and only took the line as far as manston. they only want to build it as far as manston and that is a missed opportunity but i think that i would say that the project even to marsden is still very important, along with hs2 will bring benefits. it won't bring anywhere near doing the full leg that was originally envisaged to deliver by george osborne a number of conservative 0sborne a number of conservative transport secretaries. i am disappointed that the government seems to be lacking ambition in this area but i welcome the fact that there is still going to be significant investment. we need to welcome the fact that there still

seems to be a priority butjust not as much of a priority and previous governments, notjust liz truss but up governments, notjust liz truss but up until borisjohnson he was one of its biggest fans. we have had a lot of support from the labour party. the question is whether this government will deliver the full project or not. why make you a very clear that any scaling back would be a false economy? , it is a false economy. i compare it to the energy package, if you can't size well you can still do small reactors, the question of the treasury is does it do small and big reactors or does it just to the small ones, which i suppose is the fullback position they are probably considering. the issueis they are probably considering. the issue is with if you want to raise productivity and the reason we have a low growth in this country there is no alternative than to improve connectivity. the other investment you do is make investment in skills

education. that weight have as much impact, they need to make it a place with more skill people are able to move around that will bring the returning significant investment that we need. a train line to marsden is better than nothing, but it was and that was promised on 29 manifesto or any other government. that represents cuts but making those cuts hasn't saved any money in the short—term. the government still has define other savings. because that 36 billion would have been spelt in future decades are not all right now and probably spent when borrowing rates are lower. so i think it does represent a false economy to cut future spending when interest rates may be much lower when the current problem is balancing the books in the next couple of years. 50 balancing the books in the next couple of years.— couple of years. so when the business _ couple of years. so when the business secretary _ couple of years. so when the business secretary grant - couple of years. so when the - business secretary grant shapps was talking about northern powerhouse

rail earlier and saying that is not true that we are not delivering on levelling up in the north, the government is very sensitive on any suggestion is not levelling up. what do you think this proposed scaling back does to levelling up? ? i5 do you think this proposed scaling back does to levelling up? ? is a roblem. back does to levelling up? ? is a problem- in _ back does to levelling up? ? i3 —. problem. in places like hull that were very cut off, it is absolutely the case that the 29 manifesto promised a lot more that was delivered in the integrated rail plan. the prime minister claims that he is going to stick to the spirit of the 2019 manifesto. it might be wanting to make changes to tax and spending in response to trusts and makes —— truss economics but is to unpick long—term plans that are not related to the current plans in the long term plans to infrastructure.

it is absolutely case we have spent far too little on infrastructure, particularly here in the north of england, pointed out by colleagues. i have done numerous bits of research for this area. i would say that the obvious challenge for the government as it wants to claim that it still has a mandate from 2019, what do i say to people like those a mandate from 2019, what do i say to people like those in whole one who i see this evening, what do i say to them off from that network? if they say, richey came and mayo's promises why are they not delivering? he promised business communities for the north of england, he was the one who said that northern powerhouse rail was such a good idea. if he is going to have such a lack of aspiration and continue cuts that were made when borisjohnson was prime minister does in the wrong condition partly because it doesn't do anything to fill their short—term spending gaps. we should focus on thoseissues spending gaps. we should focus on those issues not one that is

probably for future governments and parliaments to resolve.— parliaments to resolve. thank you very much- _ parliaments to resolve. thank you very much- the — parliaments to resolve. thank you very much. the chief _ parliaments to resolve. thank you very much. the chief executive i parliaments to resolve. thank you very much. the chief executive of| very much. the chief executive of the northern powerhouse partnership, thank you for your time. let's get more on this. let's get more from our political correspondent, iain watson. the government is trying to make more money through capital gains tax, what is it saying? what more money through capital gains tax, what is it saying?— tax, what is it saying? what the government _ tax, what is it saying? what the government is _ tax, what is it saying? what the government is saying _ tax, what is it saying? what the government is saying is - tax, what is it saying? what the government is saying is that. tax, what is it saying? what the | government is saying is that this time round, not like the austerity drive from george osborne, they're not going to simply cut public spending to make up this huge hole, perhaps a0 billion, £50 billion gap in public finances. they are going to share this between tax raising and spending cuts. it's not surprising that there is quite widespread speculation about which taxes may go up. there is a very strong hint indeed that the scope and the duration of the windfall tax

from the energy companies would be extended. the latest news that we have, certainly what the newspapers are recording that capital gains tax could be potentially increased. the lowest rate of capital gains tax is 10%, it could go up they say. what the bbc has been told is that the government would look at the allowances around capital gains tax, looking at that source of revenue without necessarily increasing the headline rate. these discussions going on ahead of this autumn statement, jeremy hunt's statement on november the 17th when he has to identify where the money is coming from. that is one side effect, be honest the honesty government's calculation there. if they are taking money from energy companies orfrom profits, that seems taking money from energy companies or from profits, that seems to taking money from energy companies orfrom profits, that seems to be more politically acceptable then rises in personal taxation. however, the downside of course is going to identify spending cuts are they

going to be far more controversial, for a —— for example scaling back or even cancelling big projects. if the even cancelling big pro'ects. if the government * even cancelling big pro'ects. if the government talks _ even cancelling big projects. if the government talks about _ even cancelling big projects. if the government talks about raising more money through capital gains tax we are likely to see fewer rumblings from the government backbenches on that compared to say, the open disagreement when the idea was mooted looking at the triple lock on pensions. mooted looking at the triple lock on ensions. . , mooted looking at the triple lock on ensions. ., , ., , , mooted looking at the triple lock on ensions. ., , , pensions. that is absolutely case, the still pensions. that is absolutely case, they still don't _ pensions. that is absolutely case, they still don't know _ pensions. that is absolutely case, they still don't know because - pensions. that is absolutely case, they still don't know because they won't tell us whether the triple lock is case but i think it is unlikely that they will not meet that commitment. that is in line with a commitment from the manifesto. what was a failed campaign at the time to be the leader of the conservative party was of course talking about the need to bear down on inflation, we have seen the consequences of having to do so now. equally he felt that given the

increase in benefits for example, and a temporary break in the triple lock was beneath inflation at the time. to some extent, people have to make up background. i think, yes it would be politically unpopular to go back on the triple lock, the government will be looking at alternatives to that. i think therefore, if they can argue that those where the shoulders are, paying the highest burdens, they could suggest it is coming from business without consequences. but nonetheless, they can say that companies are making huge profits, companies are making huge profits, companies are making huge profits, companies are making huge profits and capital games, if they are paying a bit more that takes a bit of pressure off the far less popular areas of government spending. thank ou ve areas of government spending. thank you very much- _ the northern ireland secretary has announced he will not call a fresh stormont assembly

election in december. chris heaton harris says he has listened to concerns about the impact and cost of an election and says he will make a statement to parliament next week. the deadline to restore the power—sharing executive at stormont passed last month following the election in may. more now from our ireland correspondent emma vardy: morning, i was looking at some reaction on social media to this news this morning. 0ne reaction on social media to this news this morning. one person saying this is kicking the can down the road while people starve. it is true that people badly want a functioning assembly making decisions on the issues that mattered to them, that affect their daily lives. given the political stalemate, did chris heaton—harris had any other choice than to say that the elections won't be happening in a few weeks? people of course want _ be happening in a few weeks? people of course want to _ be happening in a few weeks? people of course want to functioning - of course want to functioning assembly, there is a lot of frustration here about not having a government. the reality is, an election wasn't going to bring power—sharing back any sooner. if anything, it would make it even more

difficult to restore a functioning government here. what elections do in northern ireland, they can get very better, very divisive, they can polarise people even further and parties are even more dug into the trenches. i think chris heaton—harris's announcement today is a recognition that an election is going to cost a lot it is not something people relish over the festive period. the reason that power—sharing isn't functioning as the dup's opposition to the northern ireland protocol. in their eyes, that new irish sea border, getting goods over from gb and all the cheques involved in that, that affects northern ireland's position in the uk. an election isn't going to solve that. there was this great expectation that all these factors that they outlined that chris heaton—harris was really holding their party speak to the fire. he was being unequivocal and the

deadline saying that he would call the election at one minute past midnight. the midline deadline came and went last week and suddenly installed for more time. it started to look like he was preparing the ground for you to —— for a new turn. an announcement this morning saying there will be no pre—christmas selection. it is a release for the parties that make it as a relief for the parties and many voters. what next? it seems that he is dropping his and may have to pass emergency legislation to push the deadline back because by law at the moment he would be recalled to call an election by the 19th of january. it seems there has been some sort of outside intervention. rumours here is that rishi sunak made that intervention when he became the new prime minister. we'll have to wait and see what the minister does next week, the hints are here at the moment that he would may well pass

legislation to push that deadline back. , , , , legislation to push that deadline back. ,, , back. just briefly if you the fundamentals _ back. just briefly if you the fundamentals around - back. just briefly if you the fundamentals around this | back. just briefly if you the - fundamentals around this political stalemate, very much, much linked to the northern island protocol. is there any much movement on that? there won't be any power sharing unless the dup and sinn fein agreed to share power. and the dup is processing over the brexit arrangements, that is because they see this new irish sea border under minding ireland's place in the uk. under minding that affects their negotiation taking place between the eu and the uk. is there any progress there? behind the scenes, rishi sunak is hopeful there will be so he wants to allow more time to allow those to develop to take back to the parties. whether the uk can get

concessions from the eu far enough in advance that will satisfy the dup that remains to be seen but it is not something that can be resolved at stormont, that is something you have to resolve the eu.— have to resolve the eu. thank you very much- _ 0ur correspondent now. the headlines on bbc news... plans for a new multi billion pound nuclear power plant in suffolk are under review as part of government spending cuts. northern ireland secretary chris heaton harris says there will be no stormont elections before christmas. keeping the lights on this winter — a new scheme launches which will see customers offered discounts on their energy bills if they agree to use less electricity at peak times. let's stay with that last headline. we can tell you more about the plan to allow households to qualify for discounted electricity bills as part of national grid's efforts to avoid

blackouts this winter. the scheme, which requires a smart meter, is being trialled by energy suppliers who will pay customers to reduce their electricity use at peak times. although power outages are unlikely, it's part of national grid's contingency plan, as our business correspondent emma simpson reports. it's the time of day when many of us get home, put on the lights and all the appliances, as well. but millions of us could now earn money off our bills by using less electricity when demand is at its peak. julie in saffron walden is up for it. so what i've done is i've ditched the kettle and i've bought this water dispenser. and the reason i've done that is because i was finding that i was boiling the same piece of water time and time again. i hear you. she's already taken part in a small trial this year, and is signed up for the national grid's new scheme. if you've got enough notice — which normally may be the day before — you can plan around it, you can just sort of say, we're going to have dinner at this time. and i think it's a really good thing for everybody to try and do

if they are able to. i think it's something that i've found that i've actually enjoyed doing as part of our lives. and you've earned some money. earned a bit money out of it, yeah. so what's the deal with the national grid's demand flexibility scheme? there are 12 one—hour tests planned for this winter. they'll take place between apm and 7pm — peak time for energy use. national grid says a typical household could save £100 off their bills. but it all depends on how much energy you use, and your energy company. you need a smart meter to take part. most energy suppliers are in the process of signing up. to really reduce your electricity use, it's all about the big appliances — like the washing machine, the tumble dryer and the dishwasher — using them late in the evening, or even overnight. but is the financial incentive going to be big enough to get households and businesses to take part? here at national grid,

they have to balance supply and demand by the minute. they want to be able to save two gigawatts of electricity during peak hours if needed — the equivalent of powering a million homes. it's not just the financial incentive — that's really important, it's quite a lot of money for people at a time where everybody�*s really constrained and household budgets are really, really stretched — but also just being able to get behind and do our bit. so this is an insurance policy. yeah, absolutely. and we're running these things as trials to make sure that it works. we hope not to have to use them this winter in anger, but it's just really being ready for every contingency. it's something they've never tried on this scale before. they've got mothballed coal plants on standby, as well — all to help this control room keep the lights on this winter in these challenging times. emma simpson, bbc news, reading.

sharon has been in touch to say, too many issues with a smart metre, remember you need a smart metre to take part. so many people i speak to wish they had never bothered to get one, the time taken to get things fixed. no metres anyway, i don't get a choice. if you do have a smart metre are you going to try to take advantage of this scheme and try and save some money? you have any idea how much you might save? how will you change your habits to reduce your electricity use peak times? we would love to hear from you and we'll be to emma simpson late on this hour is that if you have any questions as well do get in touch and we will try and answer those for you. the immigration minister, robertjenrick, is due to visit dover today to meet the town's local tory mp along with residents and councillors. it follows the home secretary's tour of an overrun kent facility on thursday. over the course of the week, suella braverman has been

under increased criticism in her government role. let's remind ourselves how we got here: ms braverman faced pressure regarding overcrowding at manston, a migrant processing centre in kent, amid accusations she had turned down plans that would have prevented congestion at the centre. she promised to tackle what she called the "scourge" of illegal immigration, but was condemned after claiming there was an "invasion" across england's southern coast. taking particular aim at albanians. the albanian prime minster said his citizens were being used as scapegoats and that uk border issues were down to "failed policies". earlier the policing minister chris philp was asked about the overcrowding at manston migrant centre. we've made a very substantial effort in the last seven days to reduce the number of people in the manston camp. i believe about 1,000 people, or slightly over 1,000 people have come out of that camp in the course of the last week, so there has

been a very substantial reduction in numbers. in addition to that, there has been a lot of work done to improve the facilities and also build additional accommodation on that site. so, in the last seven days, we've seen, i think, a very dramatic improvement in the circumstances there. from dover, our correspondent simonjones dover has the latest. another day and another ministerial visit here in dover. yesterday suella braverman came here and spoke to border officers down there in the port. she wouldn't speak to the media though. today the immigration media though. today the immigration media robertjenrick is coming and also councillors and concerned residents. in terms of the crossing it has been pretty windy overnight, we are only around 50 people away from reaching the milestone of a0,000 people having made the journey by boat so far this year. so braverman said that she wants to make the route and viable, she is the latest home secretary to say

that. she says she wants innovative solutions to this problem but she hasn't given any details as to what she means by that. in the short term, the focus for the government is the migrant centre around 20 miles from here at manston. there have been huge problems that have overcrowding, reports the disease spreading. the site was designed to hold around 1600 people for 2a hours. at the weekend there were a000 people there. the government says since then the other people have been moved out to other hotel accommodation. that means the numbers are now down to around 2700 people this morning but that is still far over the capacity it should be on the site. the home office said that facilities are office said that facilities are being improved there, improve medicalfacilities, improve facilities —— might catering facilities —— might catering facilities and more activities for the migrants on the site. but there is still pressure there. the local

mp, sir roger gale after suella braverman's visit to manston said he thinks she now understands the grasp of the scale of the condition and that this site is unsuitable to hold people for any length of time. that may be challenged in the courts because the government is facing legal challenges, one of them is being brought by a group from detention action, a woman said she was there for 20 days. they are arguing that the site isn't suitable for the whole people, it is illegal to hold people for any length of time there. women and children were forced to sleep alongside men that they weren't related to and that people inside had no access to decent legal advice. the government said it won't comment on any legal challenge but it has said that it is faced with this dilemma of trying to get people out of manston quickly but also the issue that they can't leave people destitute. there is a lot of anger from mps about what is

happening, even conservative mps, the former conservative mp it was the former conservative mp it was the ashford mp. he says the government is too focused on trying to send people to zero under rather than focusing on what is happening day—to—day insights like manston. the weather has been pretty choppy head today so it is possible we won't see any more crossings but it is only a matter of time before we reach that a0,000 figure. prince william has announced the finalists for his global environment awards, the �*earthshot prize'. the aim is to find new and creative ideas that will help protect our planet for the future. five winners will each receive one—million—pounds to make their project a reality. 0ur climate editor, justin rowlatt, has been to revisit two of last year's winners. prince william launched his earthshot prize with a glamorous ceremony in london's alexandra palace last year. in the next ten years,

we are going to act. we are going to find the solutions to repair our planet. there was a galaxy of stars in attendance. david attenborough was one of the judges. we don't have eternity. we need to do this now. the aim — to inspire a new generation of innovators. and you can see the results in the fronds of coral here in the bahamas. earthshot winner coral vita has developed systems for growing heat resistant corals to help restore the world's dying coral reefs. the goal would be to have coral vitas around to go global with coral vita, because we've lost 50% of the world's reefs within the last decade. so this is a global issue, and reef restoration isn't something that's just exclusive to the bahamas. another winner aims to try and clear

the polluted air in india. takachar won for the burner they created, which converts leftover straw and other agricultural waste into fuel and fertiliser. the eartshot prize has really catapulted us from where we were and the resources that we had, and has given us access to so many networks and resources that can really enable us to scale up work, essentially, and increase the pace of our work. earthshot says it aims to build a library of solutions over the decade. the idea is others will be able to draw on the expertise winning project establish, to help us all tackle the planet's environmental problems. justin rowlatt, bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with matt taylor. good morning, how are you? morning. very well thank you hope you are too. bit of a crisp start to a november morning, probably like it should be compared to the very mild mornings we have hand. this was the view two hours ago in lancashire.

temperatures have been rising though in the last 20 minutes, we still have got a frost but temperature starting to creep up above freezing elsewhere. it will be a lovely day for the vast majority. just one or two showers dotted around. there are still flood warnings across parts of kent. abc radio have the latest on that. but one or two isolated showers today, for most of the day of sunshine from dawn to dusk. when is lighter, temperatures ten to 1a celsius, on par with where we should be at this stage in november. tonight will turnjelly be at this stage in november. tonight will turn jelly quite quickly, especially across eastern areas there will be a touch of frost. but to bring us into the weekend, that will head through all parts on the day on saturday. i buy. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: plans for a new multi billion

pound nuclear power plant in suffolk are under review as part of government spending cuts. northern ireland secretary chris heaton harris says there will be no stormont elections before christmas keeping the lights on this winter — a new scheme launches which will see customers offered discounts on their energy bills if they agree to use less electricity at peak times . twitter says it will tell staff whether they still have a job, a today, following the firm's takeover by elon musk. we are going to find the solution is repair our planet. prince william has announced the finalists for his global environment awards, the �*earthshot prize' sport and for a full round—up from the bbc sport centre, here's sarah. good morning. let's start with some live cricket at the t20 world cup in austalia, where we're closer to seeing if england will go through to the knockout stages. they play sri lanka tomorrow,

but underway today in group 1 is australia against afghanistan. the hosts, they need victory to give themselves any chance of reaching semi—finals, but even that might not be enough if england win tomorrow. afghanistan are already out. australia are batting first — and slipped to 86—a — which included david warner being bowled by naveen ul haq. steadied after that to get to 156 for 7 at the moment so narrowly getting to the end of their 20 overs. also in that group, new zealand are all but through to the semi—finals having beaten ireland earlier by 35 runs. captain kane williamson top scored with 61 as they reached 185 for 6. australia and england could take the top two spots in the group to progress, but it's unlikely with new zealand's net run rate being far superior.

so, another historic night for great britain, at the world gymnastics championships in liverpool. jessica gadirova made history, securing the nation's, first all—around final medal, in the women's artistic gymnastics. gadirova had been part of the british squad who claimed team silver, a couple of days ago, and the dublin—born18—year—old, followed that with a brilliant effort last night to take bronze, and she said she was over the moon. and gadirova's team—mate alice kinsella finished fourth. i don't think my brain is quite catching what's going on. and i'mjust... just... i still don't know what to say! it's so hard! it's such a dream come true to even just be on the podium and... i'm just so proud of my team—mates, the whole british gymnastics team. and my friends and family, the support, my coaches — i just want to thank everyone for all their support, i wouldn't have been able to do without them. fifa has written to all 32 nations competing in the world cup telling

them the time has come to "focus on the football", with just 16 days to go before the tournament begins. the world cup has been surrounded by controversy; with qatar criticised for its stance on same—sex relationships, human rights record, treatment of migrant workers and questions over it's climate claims. in response, peaceful protests have been planned by some players. qatar's world cup organisers state, "everyone is welcome" . arsenal ended up as group winners on the final night of europa league group matches. it came after a gritty win over zurich, which confirmed top spot. it wasn't their most fluid display, but kieran tierney�*s first—half strike, was enough, for a 1—0 victory at the emirates. but manchester united will have to go through a play—off round to reach the last 16 — they beat real sociedad 1—0 courtesy of a goal from alejandro garnacho, but they needed another, and so finish second in the group, behind the spanish side on goal difference.

next: to a night of heavy metal at the copper box in london, as england won their opening match of the wheelchair rugby league, world cup, against australia. in front of a world record crowd, for wheelchair rugby league of over 3,000, england, won 38—8. jack brown here, among the players scoring two tries. and look at this for a big hit on the captain tom halliwell — not for the faint hearted. but he picked himself up and carried on. and later said on social media, "safe to say i lost this battle". this is incredible. we've never had anything like this. it's a dream come true. it's something... when we were a 15—year—old kid playing this part for the first time, we never imagined anything like this before. we thought we were just having a little push around. but this is something really special. that's all the sport for now. the gap in gp care between

the richest and poorest parts of england has widened, according to research for bbc newsnight. whilst people in less affluent areas on average develop chronic health conditions at a younger age and die earlier, they have fewer gps and a worse experience. here's newsnight�*s chief correspondent, david grossman. blackpool is the poorest town in england. it has the lowest life expectancy in the country. and with that, multiple complex health needs. you might assume those challenges would mean more doctors and better care. but come to places like the revoe estate, and you'll hear the opposite. you're always encouraged — anything that you suspect may be cancer. so i found a lump my lower back. it was painful. i phoned up my gp to get an appointment and they suggested it might be better to go to the walk—in centre because i'd get seen quicker. they offered me an appointment, but it was in three weeks' time. so they were great, but they did just pack me off with some painkillers. er...

there was no access to a gp, there was no referral to anybody else. ijust sit there crying. i think, what's the point of trying to phone when no—one _ wants to help you? i rely on my volunteers... christina is a youth worker at the centre. she says local kids often come to her for medical advice. they come and tell us, like, "mum tried to make me a doctor's appointment for this, but we haven't been able to, so i don't know what it is, but it's worrying me. do you think it's this, this?" and they are quite worried about it, and that's kids... they ask you for a medical diagnosis? yeah. i've got kids that are from seven to 13 coming in and asking — going, "do you think i've got this? because i've got this rash on my arm, but mum can't get me into the doctors." the uk's clearly gripped by a crisis in gp care right now, but research for newsnight suggests that that crisis is being felt even more acutely in areas like this that are already struggling with multiple deprivations. the figures suggest that places like blackpool have far fewer gps per head of population, and far lower levels of satisfaction with their care.

this is typical of gp care in fewer areas. the poorer care as measured by the co areas. the poorer care as measured by the c0 see or care quality commission on average is of a lower standard. exclusive research suggests the quality of patients experience correlates with levels of deprivation, the pair are an area is, the lower patients rate their overall gp care. surgeries are harder to reach on the telephone and when they get an appointment, patients in poor areas rates experience lower than those in more affluent areas. newton drive health. centre, emily speaking. newton drive health centre in blackpool is rated as good by the care quality commission. knocking. come in! susan green is a gp and partner. she says criticism of gps — particularly the idea

that they are being lazy or uncaring — is hard to listen to. it is so devastating to be told that you're the problem. and you have to just say to yourself, "i know the reality of what i have done today. i know the reality that if i do crumble and i can't do this any more, that's another 80 appointments a week potentially lost." the pain of a struggling primary care sector isn't spread equally. places like blackpool have already suffered most. and what was really striking on our visit — no—one seemed to think that the stresses on the system were about to ease. david grossman, bbc news, blackpool. let's speak to drjohn ford, clinical lecturer in public health at the university of cambridge, who led the research team. good to have you with us this morning. when you set out on this piece of research, obviously, you keep an open mind. you must have had

a thought that there would be a broad direction of travel, and did the findings of your research bear up the findings of your research bear up any assumptions that you might have had? irate up any assumptions that you might have had? ~ ., , ., ., have had? we have been monitoring the distribution _ have had? we have been monitoring the distribution of— have had? we have been monitoring the distribution of gps _ have had? we have been monitoring the distribution of gps across - have had? we have been monitoring the distribution of gps across the . the distribution of gps across the country for a number of years now, and we have found that the spread of gps is not equal, the inequality has worsened over the years. to give you an example, in the past seven years, the average gp practice of 10,000 patients, in rich areas over the past seven years that average gp practice would have gained one day or one week of gp time whereas in the most deprived areas, they have a day and a half. there is a two 1/2—day in gp time per week on average gp practice. it may not sound a lot, when you multiply that up, a gp has 37 patient contacts per day, when you multiply it up, that

is 90 plus per week and over a000 per year. is 90 plus per week and over a000 peryear. so is 90 plus per week and over a000 per year. so it translates into a lot of a big difference in terms of patient contact time. when you look at the number of gps and how they are spread across the country. why are spread across the country. why are we seeing _ are spread across the country. why are we seeing this? _ are spread across the country. why are we seeing this? is it to do with recruitment issues, we know more gps are needed, if a gp is wanting to go into practice, are the less likely to gravitate towards a deprived area? is it to do with the funding model for gps? what are your thoughts?— model for gps? what are your thou~hts? , ., , , thoughts? there is no single cause do this. thoughts? there is no single cause do this- part _ thoughts? there is no single cause do this. part of _ thoughts? there is no single cause do this. part of the _ thoughts? there is no single cause do this. part of the problem - thoughts? there is no single cause do this. part of the problem as - thoughts? there is no single causej do this. part of the problem as you suggested is the gp workforce in a strange situation where the number of gps is increasing, there are more gps in training than we have ever had before, but when you look at the full—time equivalent, when you take into account part—time work and, of fully qualified gps, that has gone down over the past seven years. more and more full—time gps are retiring

or working part—time. so that is part of the another is demand. we have had a pandemic. there are some pent—up demand after the pandemic. gps are having to cope with collective care waiting lists. we are also using more health care than we have ever used before. there is demand, funding as part of that, there is a difference in how much funding practices get from the nhs, in rich areas versus poorer areas. there are multiple things going on here. , , , , ., there are multiple things going on here. , ., here. this is beyond the research of our -- here. this is beyond the research of your -- this — here. this is beyond the research of your -- this is _ here. this is beyond the research of your -- this is beyond _ here. this is beyond the research of your -- this is beyond the _ here. this is beyond the research of your -- this is beyond the remit - here. this is beyond the research of your -- this is beyond the remit of. your —— this is beyond the remit of your —— this is beyond the remit of your research but what needs to happen to correct the situation and balance at the level of gp care that people get irrespective of the area at the life and being affluent or less affluent?— at the life and being affluent or less affluent? rightly the nhs is

focusin: less affluent? rightly the nhs is focusing on _ less affluent? rightly the nhs is focusing on health _ less affluent? rightly the nhs is focusing on health inequalities i less affluent? rightly the nhs is l focusing on health inequalities and has a programme set out to try and address health inequality. the more we can shine like and understand the data behind it, the better. funding is part of that. there is more that we could do i rent we redistribute funding. a workforce strategy and plan for the nhs is also needed to show how we can redistribute staff across the country. we also need to shift our thinking, primary care is not only gps, there are other health professionals who do great work in primary care. and think about what other roles and jobs that professionals can do within primary care. . .., . ., care. the clinical director in ublic care. the clinical director in public health _ care. the clinical director in public health at _ care. the clinical director in public health at the - care. the clinical director in i public health at the university care. the clinical director in - public health at the university of cambridge. you can watch the full report on newsnight tonight at 10:30 on bbc two and iplayer.

twitter says it will tell staff on friday whether they still have a job. the social media company says the cuts are intended to put it on a "healthy path". twitter was taken over last week by the billionaire businessman, elon musk. but there are concerns about what it might mean for regulating hate speech. here's washington post's technology reporter taylor lorenz on what she knows of the downsizing so far... lay—offs have already begun. people in the uk office had been notified of their redundancies and already even people here in los angeles have seen access to their work e—mail and slack cut off even though lay—offs were not supposed to begin until 9am tomorrow. the work culture within the firm has traditionally been pretty positive and collaborative, people who work at twitter really love the creativity and scrappiness, it has been a really good place to work. they famously have a lot of good perks that come with a lot of tech company jobs. unlike facebook or google, twitter never really scaled that huge. it's still a pretty small company. however, in the past week since elon took over, things took a huge turn.

we saw office morale drop, a lot of people really uncertain about their future, not getting any kind of communication from the company. and pulling these all nighters, you saw photos of twitter staff are sleeping on the floorjust trying to basically prove their worth to elon. imran khan — the former prime minister of pakistan — is recovering in hospital after being shot in the leg at a rally. the pakistan government has condemned the shooting, but a senior aide to mr khan has accused it of being behind the attack. 0ur correspondent samira hussain is at the hospital where imran khan is being treated. i'm just outside the hospital where the former prime minister imran khan was taken. you can see just over on one side that there are flowers, people are leaving get well cards but at the same time you can see there is actually quite a bit of security which is understandable,

remember the context in which this has happened mr imran khan was participating in a demonstration when he came under attack. his political party is saying that this was an assassination attempt, remember that mr khan has been holding these demonstrations since he was pushed out of office in april this year, trying to force the government to call for new and fresh elections. the government has repeatedly said that it will not bow to his pressures. many are expecting quite a lot of people to take to the streets, notjust here where i am but in cities across the country to protest what has happened and keep campaigning for mr khan's movement. samira hussain, bbc news. the headlines on bbc news... plans for a new multi billion pound nuclear power plant in suffolk are under review as part of government spending cuts. northern ireland secretary chris heaton harris says there will be no stormont elections before christmas keeping the lights on this winter — a new scheme

launches which will see customers offered discounts on their energy bills if they agree to use less electricity at peak times . the bbc has heard evidence that albanian drug gangs are using the migrant camps of northern france as a recruitment ground, offering to pay the passage of those prepared to work in the uk drugs industry on arrival. albanians who've already travelled from their home country to mainland europe, account for almost a third of the 38,000 people who've crossed the channel to england so far this year. that's according to uk government figures. lucy williamson has been speaking to people in albania, france and the uk. for each boat, each migrant, there can be many smugglers. albanian fixers, uk guarantors, kurdish criminal gangs. one man who paid for a place on a kurdish boat this summer says

he was approached by recruiters for the uk drugs trade in a dunkirk migrant camp. translation: they offered me lots of things - - to pay for thejourney, to give me a job, but i wasn't interested. they asked me four or five times. this is where the albanian migrant trail begins. small towns like laknas marked by absence — the shuttered houses and empty cafes — leftovers of an exodus that's spiked this year. as the price of crossing to the uk has dropped, the suburbs around tirana are being drained of people. locals in this neighbourhood say 70% of the community has already left, and many of those living here now are thinking ofjoining them. adverts on albanian social media promise easy passage for about £3,000, with middlemen on hand to arrange transport from brussels, paris or dunkirk.

we contacted some of them, posing as an albanian client. within half an hour, we had two offers for crossings, different options for payment, and advice on claiming asylum in the uk. this system is one reason uk police say the networks are hard to break. whereas in drugs, firearms, you would see a hierarchical structure with a kingpin at the top, we don't see that with organised immigration crime. we see close associations, loose networks across that migration route. french officials say that albanians are acting as middlemen for the iraqi kurdish gangs that still control most boat crossings from france. this woman's son crossed from dunkirk last month without the help of fixers, or even the money to pay the smugglers. a relative in england acted as guarantor, she said, and got her son across.

his younger brother — just 1a years old — is already planning his own trip. each successful crossing, an invisible thread that tugs at the minds of albanians back home. lucy williamson, bbc news, dunkirk. the german chancellor, 0laf scholz, is in beijing — on a trip that's sparked controversy in germany and elsewhere in europe. he's the first western leader to have gone to china in over three years, and his visit comes as relations between beijing and the west have started to sour. tom brada has the latest. receiving the red carpet treatment in beijing, chancellor 0laf scholz is in china for a whistle—stop tour. travelling with several german business leaders, the chancellor commands no exception when it comes to china's strict covid rules. he cannot stay overnight, so will be in and out again on the very same day.

regardless, china is welcoming the first visit from a european leader in more than three years. translation: we hope that chancellor scholz�*s first visit to china is a success. china and germany are all—round strategic partners. that partnership was first established 50 years ago, when the then chancellor willy brandt established diplomatic channels with beijing. that same year, richard nixon met with chairman mao, becoming the first us president to ever visit mainland china. their meeting was a turning point for china and the west, and germany has been a major beneficiary. china has been germany's biggest trading partner for the past six years.

china saved the german economy a couple of times when we faced a crisis, like the financial crisis — everyone was in trouble but daimler sold more s—class mercedes than ever before in its history. 0laf scholz will hope his visit can deepen those economic ties but critics say he is making the exact mistakes of over—reliance on china as berlin previously made with russia. the united states, which is pursuing a policy of decoupling from china, has urged germany to be cautious. translation: pragmatic cooperation between china and germany is a matter for the two sovereign countries. the united states should not attack it without reason and has no right to meddle and interfere. china and its 1.a billion citizens wield immense economic power. to scholz�*s calculation, it is worth keeping president xi close, even if it draws criticism from germany's traditional allies.

tom brada, bbc news. donald trump has dropped one of his strongest hints yet that he may run for the white house again. he was speaking at a rally in sioux city, iowa — 0n the campaign trailfor 0n the campaign trail for the us elections next week. the election was rigged and stolen and our country is being destroyed. iran twice, i won twice, and did much better the second time than i did the first. getting millions more votes in 2020 than i got in 2016. and, likewise, getting more votes than any sitting president in the history of our country by far. and now, in order to make our country successful and safe and glorious, i will very, very, very probably do it again. 0k? very, very, very probably. very, very probably. >

king charles is to host a reception at buckingham palace this afternoon as part of preparations for the cop—27 climate conference in egypt. it was announced last month that the monarch would not be travelling to the summit, following discussions with the then prime minister, liz truss. 0ur royal correspondent, sarah campbell, reports. this time last year, glasgow hosted cop26, with the then prince of wales taking a leading role. key decision makers from nearly 200 countries spent two weeks trying to agree practical targets and measures to help alleviate the climate crisis. shortly afterwards, the royal couple visited egypt, and cop27 was very much on the agenda. the united kingdom will be with egypt as your friend and partner in this epic struggle to protect and restore our environment. the king has championed the fight against climate change for decades, and many had assumed he would want to travel to sharm el—sheikh in person. according to palace sources,

advice was sought from the government, then led by liz truss, and the decision taken that king charles should not go. that decision stands despite the change in prime minister, although a downing street spokeswoman indicated yesterday that had mr sunak been in post earlier, his majesty may have gone, after all. his majesty, of course, is a great supporter of this issue, has been for very many decades, almost a lifetime. and he's seen as a leader on this around the world. he was there in paris, he was there in glasgow. and this is a matter between the palace and the government. but whatever happens, his majesty will be there with us in spirit in egypt. so rather than travelling to sharm el—sheikh, a palace spokesperson said, the king's focus is on the pre—cop reception, where senior business leaders, experts and ngos can discuss the important work of the summit, and explore the ways in which public private partnership can help tackle climate change. among those due to attend the buckingham palace reception today, will be the us special

presidential envoy for climate, secretaryjohn kerry. 0n the agenda, the terra carta, the initiative founded by the king when he was prince of wales, and which aims to encourage the private sector to commit to sustainability. also making an appearance at the palace reception, the prime minister, rishi sunak. earlier this week, he reversed his decision not to attend cop27, and along with world leaders, including the presidents of the us and france, will now travel to egypt. sarah campbell, bbc news. we will have more on that event later in the day. now it's time for a look at the weather: lovely morning for many. they will be changes at the weekend. the cloud on the atlantic is a hurricane, hurricane martin, it will not bring

stormy weather but will throw rain on our way and miles air through the weekend and into next week. before that, clear skies, weekend and into next week. before that, clearskies, beautiful weekend and into next week. before that, clear skies, beautiful scene from our weather watcher in tadley in last half hour. a few showers dotted around, rain clearing from the south east, kent and sussex a few warnings out after the overnight rain, but for most, a dry day from dawn to dusk. showers in scotland, the western fringes of england and wales. very few in number. the driest brightest day of the week. not especially warm compared to what we have had, ten to 1a celsius on parfor the stage in november. we finish on a dry and fine note. in the evening, turning chilly, a few showers in the west, dry to begin with, through the night outbreaks of rain in ireland and western fringes. temperatures in the morning here,

easter scotland and england, a chilly night, a touch of frost to the start of the weekend. an early sunrise in the east, the cloud will spread, outbreaks of rain across many western areas, heavy types, light and patchy as it moves east. lingering in 0rkney and shetland for the end of the day, eastern england and the channel islands but much of england, scotland and northern ireland will finish on saturday with sunshine. clearskies ireland will finish on saturday with sunshine. clear skies to take you into bonfire night. the latest conditions in the south and south—east and the channel islands and a few showers and where scotland and a few showers and where scotland and northern ireland. low pressure bringing south—westerly winds, a weather front finishes on saturday in the south—east corner to develop a wave on it where the rainfall picks up and lingers across eastern areas. it will move through but sandy is going to be a day of sunshine and showers for the majority, the showers are heavy and

sundry, longerspells majority, the showers are heavy and sundry, longer spells of rain returning toward southern and eastern areas later on. temperatures similar, they will lift on monday and tuesday, but on monday night we will see very strong wind. that is how the weather is looking for now.

this is bbc news — these are the latest headlines in the uk and around the world. the bbc hears evidence that drug gangs are using migrant camps in northern france to recruit. we have a special report. twitter begins cutting jobs around the world following the firm's takeover by elon musk. a memo has gone out to staff detailing how they'll be sacked. people in the uk office have been notified of their redundancies and already people here in los angeles have seen access to their work e—mail and slack cut—off. plans for a new multi billion pound nuclear power plant in suffolk are under review as part of government spending cuts. northern ireland secretary chris heaton harris says there will be no stormont elections before christmas.

keeping the lights on this winter — a new scheme launches which will see