not to believe what urges serviceman not to believe what they read online about the war. meanwhile in england, wales, and northern ireland, nurses also set to strike for two days before christmas — the biggest walk—out in the history of the health service. you're watching bbc news. now it's time for newscast. chris, did you feel podcasting history surrounding you on monday? the weight of podcasting history was on my shoulders. because it was the 700th daily episode of newscast on bbc sounds, we marked it on monday and we will market here with one of our oldest friends, dr katya adler, who is in brussels. hello. hello, good evening. happy 700th daily newscast episode.

our centennial. it rolls off the tongue really well. —— our septet neil. thank you so much for being part of the journey and it started even more episodes ago than that with brexitcast. when we were talking about the brexit negotiations. and we will mention switzerland tonight. we might get your thoughts on that letter, but in those days we were never short of a cake, so we have managed to get one to celebrate our 704th episode tonight. the bad news is it doesn't have any eggs in it because there is a massive egg shortage at the moment, a combination of the supermarkets and farmers not getting on and avian flu. it is very red and then something gooey in the middle and on the top. we will see that how long that cakes remains uneaten. you should go into advertising, chris. we will see how long it goes uneaten

in this episode of newscast. newscast, from the bbc. hello, it is adam at the studio. and chris in the studio. and katya in the studio but the brussels one. that cake is still winking at me. also with us will be labour mp and former shadow home secretary jack diane abbott and the scottish conservative leader douglas ross. first today's big news story was the migration figures. this is the office of national statistics. they have a new way of measuring it so we shouldn't may be totally compared with old numbers, but they found there was 1.1 million people moved to the uk in the last year and if you have scrapped the number of people and uk depleted net migration figure of 504,000. huge number, bigger

than we have seen ever before. 0nly 200—ish thousand. there are factors that might mean this is a bit because of the one in advocates of those who have come from hong kong and from afghanistan but the number is by any comparison huge. —— because of the war in ukraine. it happens just as we have seen rishi sunak saying he wants to see immigration fall, a conserved promise for a long time even though it has been doing the opposite or numbers remain tight and keir starmer the other day at the cbi business leaders conference in birmingham saying there was an immigration dependency. i interviewed him and try to get him to say do you want to see it fall and he said i'm not getting into numbers and i said i am not asking you about that, i want... the clear thrust of what he was saying was an idea to adjust the concern of some that the numbers are too high. then you see the number at 500,000.

it is a bit of a head spinner because on the one hand it is kinda flattering to the uk that we are this magnet that lots of people are drawn to words, there are those who say you need immigration to help drive economic growth and yet you have political leaders saying one thing, the observable reality being the other, charges are on public services as the population swells, school places, doctor's appointment, ambulance waiting, all that kind of stuff, so it is really hard and what happens to those people who voted leave because they wanted to see immigration fall, now looking at the numbers, where do they go, what is the political consequences. and these are people who have got visas granted to them either because they were joining family members here who were here already, their employers were entitled to bring them into do a job in the uk early through a government scheme like ukraine or hong kong or afghanistan were lots of students coming in and spending lots of money and people coming over on the small boats on the channel illegally

as a government would say is a tiny number. the number we are looking at are people who are legally here and ultimately the government chose to allow to come, it was a political decision. katya, there has been talk in conservative circles about an upgraded version of the brexit deal that might look a little bit more like the many deals switzerland has with the eu which includes free movement of people so unlimited migration, those reports have been roundly denied by government figures but what is your take on that conversation and what is brussels take on the fact that seems to be happening? what is the swiss style deal? it is switzerland saying we don't want to be a member of the eu but we want to have a closer relationship where it suits us and then brussels says it has to suit us as well and that is how switzerland ended up with freedom of movement as part of the package

even though it absolutely didn't want it, has tried to stop it and it has been quite a tense relationship in brussels has been trying to pull switzerland into its close orbit since. it is not as easy as some paints because you can't have your cake and eat it, a relationship with the eu that is frictionless and not being part of the single market and the customs union but it was always expected amongst many british diplomats that overtime when word brexit have stopped being so politically explosive it might be logical on the uk side as well as the eu to explore some of those avenues where you could get rid of some of the friction without having a political dynamite. the eu would always like to have a closer relationship with the uk, its own advantage but they can't only be one sided, you can't have the cake and eat it scenario so at the moment arm folded and they are waiting to see.

stay with us because you will be talking about some actual explosions you have been covering at the bottom of the sea later on in this episode of newscast. making her triumphant return to thursday night light light political telly it gives me great pleasure to say, i have always wanted to say this, diane abbott. welcome. that was not a very good andrew neil impression. i imagine that you, andrew and micah meet for a chinwag in the pizza. we did it for seven years solidly, extraordinary. when i was first asked i thought andrew neil and michael portillo. but it did work out. there are loads of areas you have got experience and expertise on but one of the big news stories today is about and its migration figures, 504,000, and just by coincidence your party leader did a speech on immigration this

week, how do you think? his speech about the country can't rely on lots of immigration any more and then those numbers, what happens when you put things together. the problem with those numbers, they are largely due _ to what is happening in ukraine and afghanistan and general. instability in the world _ but they are going to upset people don't like immigration in principle, which in a way is good for care - summer because it was the speech was about, it wasn't about low- wages, because if you're really- concerned about low wages you put up the national minimum wage, simple, and you enforce it for people - who are casually employed. it was really a speech addressed to people who how can i put it . are not favourable to immigration. but with these figures, timing is everything. . would you care keir starmer was blowing the dog whistles, making a statement designed

to appeal to a certain person? it was dog whistle politics. how do you feel about that? he is 20 points ahead in the polls he can do what he likes. - but what i thought was remarkable was he has almost been boasting l about how our immigration policy is the same as the tories - and he sounded a bit— like suella braverman and the cbi speech, we can't have more immigrants, employ local. people and train them up. immigration dependency. that was the phrase _ until it was spun was to give a very deliberate impression. it sounds like suella braverman. the only thing where - she is different as the rwanda scheme but that isn'tl going to work anyway. let's have a little listen to keir starmer so people can make up their own minds. this was his speech to the cbi. chris was in the audience and interviewed him afterwards

this was on tuesday. 0ur common goal must be to help the british economy off its immigration dependency. the days when low pay and cheap labour are part of the british way on growth must end. you are talking about the figures and how a lot of them are from ukraine and hong kong and afghanistan and other trouble spots in the world. do you think britain pulls my generosity will make it harder to bring people in in the future because people willjust see this number and think it is too big irrespective of where people come from. when it comes to people seeking asylum it is notl about people feeling generous, international rules and treaties| applied, he just can't turn away ukrainians seeking asylum - because daily mail readers geti upset, that is not how it works. are there other aspects of keir starmer�*s growing policy platform you are unhappy with?

well, he is 20 points ahead in l the polls so i can't say anything. what i would say is he has been very resolute in refusing to back any - of the groups of workers on strike. i his argument is we are going to bel in government and we can take sides but back in the day, _ ministers in labour governments did go on picket lines and i know- john prescott went on picket lines, so there is no law says that - labour party even in government can't go on picket lines. but it being seen to be tough on immigration, do not stand on picket lines helps contribute to labour having a big opinion poll lead and who knows to the extent those things are factors is it worthwhile if it makes from your perspective a labour

government more likely even if aspects of that are not exactly how you would like to see? if he is 20 points ahead - in the polls you can't criticise really but on immigration the only thing i would say is there - i are people that are voters thatl would like to see an immigration policy based on facts, | because the daily mail and suella braverman would tell - you we are being overrun, we aren't, we actually take fewer. asylum seekers per head than germany and france. there is the question around asylum and small boat crossings and then do you still get that tonne of

abuse? we still get a tonne of abuse i but i tend not to read a lot of it. so on twitter, i don't i look at the comments. it would be bad for my mental health if i did. | apart from that, i don't do facebook anyway, i don't look— at my own correspondence, my staff go through it. - my staff would say it is as bad because it is a mix of. - people that don't like women, - and women get more abuse than men, and people who don't like black people. - so as far as i know, it's the same. it is depressing, isn't it? you are a pioneering mp, the first black woman mp, you have been in parliament for decades, and yet, and yet, despite all of that and all the different posts you have held within the labour party, this sort of torrent of horribleness. and to such an extent

that the only way you cope with it is by not going near it. you talked about the misogyny element and the racial element it is horrible or whatever is motivating people, but how does it break down? does it lean more heavily racial or misogynistic? i think it leans- more heavily racial. and there is something that upsets people about a black woman - who is confident and out there, you know and i think it - leans more heavily racial- but there is that misogynistic aspect, no question. and some of it is sexualised - because you are a woman politician. and with the stabbing of david ames, we had this man who was sending - horrible correspondence, - but he was fixated on david ames. someone told me they startedj to worry and when they looked

into it, they found, - well, they were worried because he was telling them when i got my cab to go- to westminster in the morning. basically you had a stalker almost? he lived five minutes away from me. in the end my staff had sectioned. i think all mps feel a bit _ vulnerable after what's happened. when you get this mass of online stuff written letters _ and so on with the threats behind lit, might staff insist on taking l taxis from westminster, they don't want me on public transport. - not so there's no more pictures of you with a gin in a tin? that as well! but i think it's not safe. and how should or does this change? it's about societal change, isn't it? many people will say that over

the last generation they have been big improvements as far as the whole questions around gender and race are concerned. just to interrupt, do you not get any public transport at all now? i do, but if it was down- to my staff, i wouldn't get any! but i do come into westminster and go home in a cab _ but at the weekend when i'm . in hackney, i can't resist getting on the bus because i don't drive and i've always - used public transport... but if you are doing mp�*s business, you take a taxi because you don't feel safe? yes, my staff don't think i'm safe and they do give a bit of finger. wagging when they hear i've been on a bus over the weekend! - how does it change? i remember when it did change. when i first became an mp, j if you want to dissent abuse to an mp, you had to write a letter, put in an envelope, put a stamp - on it and put it in the post box. excellent mining!

the people who don't know how to send letters! the non—sticky stamps! and you had to worry that possibly because you'd physically sent - a letter people could trace _ who you are but when online became think you just press a button - and you can use notjust one mp put a whole load. lovely to have you back. there was an important ruling at the supreme court about whether the scottish government has the power to call an advisory referendum on scottish independence next year. quite a simple answer, no. you can hear all about the background and impatient on wednesday's newscast which is available on bbc sounds and we can talk more about it now with douglas ross it was the leader of the conservative party in scotland. hello. hello, how are you? you are also famous as a football referee so we can ask you some world cup questions later! but in the world cup whether scotland gets to be

an independent nation, we are just in the heats of that, does it mean there's basically no way scotland can ever leave the union without the permission of the government in westminster? is that what this ruling fundamentally means? i think what the supreme court ruling shows is a very clear, unanimous outcome of that case, the five justices all agreed that the constitution is reserved to the uk parliament. that was always my view i think the view of the vast majority of legal experts, political experts and others i'm just a bit disappointed that nicola sturgeon took this to court, dragged both of scotland's government into the courtroom to debate this at the cost of cost of hundreds of thousands of pounds of taxpayer money when i think most of us knew this was the outcome and the result. but sadly, immediately after, although she said she respect the outcome if the court, she is now looking at how she can yet again circumvent that by making the next general election a de facto referendum for the snp and i think

that is wrong as well because it's not for politicians to dictate to the public what they should be focused on or interested in in an election campaign. on that specific point that adam put to you, can you take that on directly? the fundamental truth of the heart of what you're saying and what the supreme court was saying was that, yes, the power is preserved and lies with westminster but that means that for as long as westminster only political complexion says no, it doesn't matter what scottish voters say in any kind of election on the whole question of independence because it won't happen, and hence the argument from the first minister that this is about democracy and the sense, as she sees it, of a democracy denied. i think democracy is respecting the outcome of referendums and it isjust eight short years ago we had a very long campaign in scotland to decide if scotland should remain part of the uk or be separated.

and the people of scotland by a significant majority voted to remain. we were told at the time it would be respected by both sides, that they would follow the outcome of that referendum and adhere to it. since then, nicola sturgeon and the nationalists have never accepted that result and have always tried to have another referendum. we mentioned nicola sturgeon a few times, we can listen to her in the scottish parliament and on the internet this clip is called nicola sturgeon ridicules douglas ross! let me just reflect on the last few weeks on the life - of douglas ross, leader for now. of the scottish conservative party. he called in borisjohnson to resign then u—turned then called - on boris johnson to resign again and then u—turned again, - he demanded that i follow the mini budget, then applauded liz truss l for scrapping the mini budget, l he voted for fracking in england,

now i think he welcomes the fact that the fracking ban has been. reinstated in england. just last week or the week before i he said that liz truss would winl the next general election, - and days later he welcomed the resignation of liz truss. today he backs rishi sunak, who - knows what douglas ross's permission will be at this time next week?! did nicola sturgeon get anything wrong in that list? look, that was an answer to a question i posed about the nhs in scotland, about people waiting hours and sometimes days for an ambulance to take them to a&e to sit outside and not get a bed in a&e and a number of e—mails i had from people about that saying, fine, nicholas vision mixer political point, she had that scripted by her spin doctors of which we have record numbers in scotland but she couldn't even be bothered to answer the question about the health service point that she would rather make cheap political attacks on opponent rather than get to the bottom of the issues that

are affecting people day in, day out right across scotland in the health service that is fully devolved and fully under the remit of nicola sturgeon. and of course rishi sunak would never respond to a question from keir starmer by saying that you supported jeremy corbyn a few years ago. everyone does that point more often than not when i hav— to the prime minister, he tries to at least answer the substantive question, nicola sturgeon simply does not. let's talk about your other life outside politics and are famous having been a referee although it is interesting because of you in action were when you are a linesman so i don't want people complaining... when you are watching the world cup, are you watching the football or secretly watching the refereeing? there is no secret at all that i'm only watching the referees and there were some expletives in my office here the other day when the commentator was criticising the assistant referee, which is the correct terminology

for a late flight but actually the timing with outstanding. there was a playerjust offside over the halfway line, a clear opportunity to score, he didn't score and immediately the assistant referee put up the flag i thought it was great officiating and awful commentary i made that clear to the whole floor here at holyrood. that the whistle being blown because i think we are more than half time in this episode but thank you very much. good tojoin you. katya's back. you have been on quite a dramatic deployment at sea, tell us all about it. i had two see deployments which was great under my grandfather was in the merchant navy so that he was in his background and i love this. he ran away to sea when he was 16 with his dog! i didn't have a dog or anything but i did go to the baltic sea and the north sea and the reason we went to the baltic sea is you may

remember at the end of september there were those three explosions on two major gas pipelines which run between russia and europe and the gas pipelines were not in use at the time at act which has widely been called sabotage, there is a real whodunnit about it. western countries suspect russia, russia says it is the us, specifically laying the blame on the royal navy. the royal navy response was your only saying that because you're trying to deflect from your military failings. not much is known about the site because it has happened near the territorial waters of sweden and denmark, the pipeline makes landfall in germany so all those countries are doing their own investigation put at the russians have been carrying out their investigation as well but they have not been sharing much of the intelligence and there are loads of conspiracy theories because there are those who say it wasn't russia and it is the west blaming them

so we went to have a look for ourselves and send out some underwater drones ponder afterwards we went into the north sea with the norwegian navy because we are looking to doorway these days is the main supplier of natural gas. —— looking to norway. and europe as a whole is looking to norway very much since it has been weaning itself off russian energy. norway is trying to patrol all that underwater infrastructure and all those pipelines but something else, all of the data cables that keep us all connected together and also trillions of pounds worth of financial transactions are carried out using those cables each day and all of a sudden it seems that nato has woken up and gone, well, they are pretty vulnerable so we better do something. thank you so much for all your derring—do and for coming back onto newscast. have you seen this, adam, that the newscast have found, took about eight forever,

this is a tie this week cake tin. andrew, diane and michael. there we are. thursday evening vintage tv before the newscast era. i wonder if there is a cake in there. my mouth is watering so much for this cake, so let's dive in. the 700th episode of newscast. thank you for watching and listening, we'll talk again soon. hello there. it was dry and sunny earlier today across many parts of the country. but the weather will change this weekend. we've got all this cloud that's

coming in from the atlantic — that will bring some rain overnight into northwest scotland, and then later, heading towards northern ireland. some clearer skies possible for a while, and lighter winds in eastern england — so here it will be quite a chilly start to the weekend. but the winds are strengthening throughout saturday, we've got more cloud coming in. eastern england dry, maybe a little sunshine, but some rain setting in across wales, western england, moving northwards into scotland, and still some rain at times in northern ireland. and the winds are strengthening, maybe touching gale force around some western coastal areas. drawing in mild air, which will push its way northwards all the way into scotland. stays mild, wet, and windy overnight but, as we head into sunday, we've got more cloud left in east anglia, in the southeast, maybe in the far southeast, still some rain left into sunday. elsewhere, some sunshine and showers coming into these western coasts — those could be heavy and thundery. not as windy, but still mild.

this is bbc news this is bbc news with the headlines... with the headlines... england's footballers england's footballers are on the field against the usa are on the field against the usa at the world cup in qatar. at the world cup in qatar. england will secure their place england will secure their place in the knockout stages if they win. in the knockout stages if they win. 0-0 at 0-0 at 0—0 at half—time. a slightly nervy 0—0 at half—time. a slightly nervy start from england. what are the start from england. what are the fans make of it? will be finding out fans make of it? will be finding out in the few minutes' time. i'm in a in the few minutes' time. i'm in a packed out bar in washington, dc. it packed out bar in washington, dc. it is not quite going england's way. is not quite going england's way. the us is really testing them. we the us is really testing them. we

will check in with fans in a moment. will check in with fans in a moment. kherson under bombardment — now hospital patients are being evacuated from the recently liberated ukrainian city because of constant russian shelling. meanwhile in england, wales and northern ireland nurses