football world cup final. hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world. a number of people are feared to have died after an incident in the english channel involving a small boat off the coast of kent in the past few hours. life boats, coastguard rescue teams, and an air ambulance were sent to help with the search operation. fishing boat has also been helping. the authorities have not yet confirmed any deaths. britain's home secretary suella

braverman said on twitter: "i am aware of a distressing incident in the channel this morning and i am being kept constantly updated while agencies respond and urgently establish the full facts." our correspondent simonjones is in dover. are you able to confirm that sadly people have died as a result of this, simon? the authorities have not yet confirmed that, but i - this, simon? the authorities have not yet confirmed that, but i am | not yet confirmed that, but i am hearing we are talking about a number of people who have lost their lives out there at sea this morning. the emergency services were first alerted just after 3am to report that a boat carrying migrants was sinking. again, we haven't had it confirmed how many people were on board that boat but i am hearing around a0 to 50 people. a number of people have been brought back to shore. they are ok but we are hearing that sadly there are a number of people who have lost their lives. you get a sense of the scale

of this operation out there at sea, just off the coast of dungeness when you see the number of resources, said the lifeboat from dover to dungeness, from hastings to ramsgate, two helicopters from the uk were sent to the area to look for this boat that was sinking and also a french helicopterfrom the french navy was sent to the area. this has been a coordinated response between britain and france. we have also had coastguard teams here on the ground dealing with the people that have been brought back to show and also i understand with the bodies that have been brought back to shore. so a huge incident here and sadly it looks like we are talking about loss of life in the channel. find looks like we are talking about loss of life in the channel.— of life in the channel. and anyone auoin into of life in the channel. and anyone going into the _ of life in the channel. and anyone going into the water, _ of life in the channel. and anyone going into the water, very - of life in the channel. and anyone going into the water, very little i going into the water, very little chances of survival given the bitterly cold. it raises a constant

debate that the roots, the ways and the means by which people wanting to come to the uk can get here? yes. the means by which people wanting to come to the uk can get here?- come to the uk can get here? yes, i can tell you — come to the uk can get here? yes, i can tell you it _ come to the uk can get here? yes, i can tell you it is _ come to the uk can get here? yes, i can tell you it is really, _ come to the uk can get here? yes, i can tell you it is really, really - can tell you it is really, really cold this morning. and it would have been at 3am. cold this morning. and it would have been at sam. the boat would have set out at about midnight from the french coast. it has been pretty windy over the past couple of days but there was a small period of calm weather. it appears the smugglers who are organising these journeys decided to take advantage of the period of calm weather to launch these boats. they are dangerously overcrowded, on average we have seen a0 to 50 people per boat. the water would have been very, very cold so once a boat tipped over and start sinking and once people are in the water, the chances of them surviving diminishes by the minute. in terms of this operation, i am told it is

still ongoing. what the authorities want to be sure of his everyone is accounted for he was, in fact, on this boat. but a huge operation that really does bring to mind the incident we saw in november of last year when a boat capsized and at least 27 people lost their lives. that was largely in french waters, although there has been some dispute as to where that boat sank. this was very much a uk waters, off the coast of dungeness. it shows how dangerous this route can be. 0ut of dungeness. it shows how dangerous this route can be. out in the channel it is the world's busy shipping lane so there is the danger of collision is out in the channel but these boats are dangerously overloaded and it doesn't take much for something to go wrong. when things go wrong it can lead to some catastrophic consequences.- catastrophic consequences. simon, thank you- — catastrophic consequences. simon, thank you- we _ catastrophic consequences. simon, thank you. we will _ catastrophic consequences. simon, thank you. we will keep _ catastrophic consequences. simon, thank you. we will keep you - catastrophic consequences. simon, | thank you. we will keep you updated on that story.

russia has launched a new wave of airstikes on ukraine, targeting the capital kyiv. the mayor, vitali klitschko, said the emergency services had been sent to a district in the city centre. the authorities say air defence forces have shot down 13 drones and that fragments of them had hit four residential buildings and a government office. 0ur correspondent hugo bachega has the latest from kyiv. we heard three loud explosions near our hotel here in the city centre. now, it seems that air defence systems here in the capital shot down more than ten of those drones. and fragments of one of those drones hit two government buildings here in the city centre. as you said, there's no information on casualties and we've just had an update from the administration here in the capital saying that now 13 of those drones have been shot down. so, again, russia is using those iranian—made drones to attack ukraine. for weeks we've been talking about those attacks. russia targeting this country's civilian infrastructure,

leaving millions of people without electricity, heating and water as temperatures are below freezing. and earlier this week, president zelensky had warned of the possibility of more russian air strikes. so it seems that this morning we're seeing more attacks, but the authorities are saying that most of the drones that have been fired by russia have been intercepted. and it seems that a fragment of one of those drones hit a government building, but no casualties so far have been reported. the cost of buying goods and services in the uk has fallen slightly during november, according to latest figures from the office for national statistics. the latest data show that price rises are at 10.7% — meaning the cost of living is still close to a a0—year high. that inflation figure of 10.7% is slightly down from a high in october of ii.i%. but the latest number is still way above the bank

of england's target of 2%. food prices have continued to increase over the last 12 months, but fuel prices are rising by less over the past year. our business correspondent marc ashdown has more. let's track back and see what inflation really is. the office for national statistics analyser is a basket of goods, stuff we buy every day and some special items as well. they track the prices at which they are going up and they had been going up are going up and they had been going up at a huge rate, 11.1% in october. but that has pulled back a tiny bit to 10.7%. the hope is that we have reached some kind of peak and maybe those prices will start to come down. some experts remaining as inflation is still at a a0 year high, stuff is very expensive and it is too early to say whether we have peaked or not. and there are variations in that basket of goods, fuel prices have started to ease

off, as have the prices of second—hand cars because the supply chains have started for improve and the price of gas and oil has improved a bit. but if we go out to a restaurant, cafes and bars, the prices of food and alcohol have gone up prices of food and alcohol have gone up hugely, about 16%. so they put pressure on family budgets. we are not out of the woods yet but we are seeing a clearing in front of us and the path is starting to emerge. definitely a question over whether we are likely to see any noticeable impact on the cost of living crisis over role, is that what you are saying? i over role, is that what you are sa in: ? ~' ,., over role, is that what you are sa in? ~ �* ., over role, is that what you are sa in.? ~' ~ �* ., ., saying? i think so. we're not going to immediately _ saying? i think so. we're not going to immediately see _ saying? i think so. we're not going to immediately see big _ saying? i think so. we're not going to immediately see big difference. | to immediately see big difference. inflation is still going up, it is the place that prices are rising, so a drop in inflation is not necessarily a drop on things in the shops. if you take a tub of margarine for example, 18 months ago it would have cost £1, now it is about £2 because it has gone up a lot. it is not suddenly going to go

down to 1.80, it would just go down a tiny bit less. and the hope is wages will catch up. average wages going up by 6.1%, if you are in the public sector it is more like 2.7%. so inflation at 11% and wages going up so inflation at 11% and wages going up by 2.7%, it is a big difference. the hope is on the chancellor reacted today, and his plan is to be bringing inflation down by half to about six or 7% next year and if wages can catch up, things will be more affordable. prices won't suddenly start to go down, they might become more affordable. if you look at side, you cannot fail to notice it is very cold. the government support for energy bills will put pressure on inflation, as the increased problems in china with covid restrictions and supply chains. and pretty much half of the country is on strike at the moment and that hits gross domestic product and that hits gross domestic product and it costs working days and people

have less money. if people on strike to manage to get higher wages, higher wages also put pressure on inflation and we could end up in a big spiral. we inflation and we could end up in a bi siral. ~ ~' ., inflation and we could end up in a bi siral. ~ ~ ., 1, ~ inflation and we could end up in a bi siral. ~ ~ ., ~ ., big spiral. we know the bank of encland big spiral. we know the bank of england is _ big spiral. we know the bank of england is looking _ big spiral. we know the bank of england is looking at _ big spiral. we know the bank of england is looking at interest i big spiral. we know the bank of. england is looking at interest rates tomorrow as well, will it but the rate up again in response to this latest data? briefly, we hear a lot from the government about global pressures on the economy, how is the uk doing in terms of its rate in inflation, the rate at which prices go inflation, the rate at which prices 9° up inflation, the rate at which prices go up compared to other economies, say in the eurozone and elsewhere? we are broadly similar in europe, germany is about the same, france is a little bit lower. but you mention interest rates, america is the big yardstick. we are a day behind in our data. yesterday us inflation fell back more than analysts expected and the uk has done similar. now we look for interest rate rises. the us federal reserve is making a decision today and they are expected to put them up again, but by less than they have been. tomorrow we find out from the bank

of england how much they will put interest rates up by. we are expecting a rise, a lower rise but they could go up to 3.5%. we are looking at a peak to this and think starting to ease. but it is still very, very expensive out there for families trying to afford the basics. joining me now is jack leslie, senior economist at resolution foundation, a think tank focusing on people on lower incomes. thank you very much forjoining us. what difference is this going to make, is this going to make a difference to people on lower incomes, price is still going up but at a slower rate? i incomes, price is still going up but at a slower rate?— at a slower rate? i think that is aood at a slower rate? i think that is good news. — at a slower rate? i think that is good news. we _ at a slower rate? i think that is good news, we shouldn't - at a slower rate? i think that is| good news, we shouldn't ignore at a slower rate? i think that is - good news, we shouldn't ignore that. we need inflation rates to start coming down. it is going to start to happen. but inflation measures the rate at which prices are increasing, not the level of prices we see in the shops. we have seen a a0 year

high in inflation, that has cost all families across the uk a lot in terms of their spending power. it will not reverse when inflation comes back down. we need deflation as in inflation in negative space only need to see a big increase in wages, which we are not seeing at the moment for the living standard effects of this to go away. {guild effects of this to go away. could inflation have _ effects of this to go away. could inflation have peaked _ effects of this to go away. could inflation have peaked at - effects of this to go away. could inflation have peaked at this - effects of this to go away. could inflation have peaked at this point or is there a consent that actually we are going to see further rises? i think our best guess, this we cannot see the future exactly. we have seen global commodity prices around the world starting to fall, oil prices and things like that. that is starting to feed through into the uk economy. so i think the likelihood is we have reached the peak, yes. we are looking at the different components that make up inflation and one of those is food prices. but

actually food prices, there wasn't a drop that was there in the rate of increase? in fact, food prices continue to rise with annual inflation at 16.5%, the highest rate for a5 years. that is clearly a big concern for people on lower incomes because in proportion to the money they have they do spend more of their incomes on food, don't they? yes, this is a crucial point. food is important, but it is gas and electricity bills, the poorest tend to spend three times as much as a share of their income on those bills than the riches families do. we all know those are the area where we have the fastest pace of increases in prices, so those poorerfamilies are most affected. 0ur estimates are that the poorest families face an inflation rate of about 12% today in the latest data, compared to the riches, around 9%. that is huge,

everyone is facing the impact of higher inflation but it is worse for those on lower income because they spend more on those things that are rising the fastest.— rising the fastest. would you like to see more _ rising the fastest. would you like to see more targeted _ rising the fastest. would you like to see more targeted help, - rising the fastest. would you like to see more targeted help, you | rising the fastest. would you like l to see more targeted help, you are laying the gap of impact on poorer people, would you like to see more targeted help, especially around the issue of food, an extension of free school meals or in some other form? the broad answer is yes. we know there are millions of families who are struggling right now. it is good to recognise the government has done and put measures in place to target lower income families, as we saw in the most recent autumn statement. basically, the government needs to respond to the situation as it develops over time and we know there are millions of families struggling.

there is a strong case for doing more to support those families. jack lesle , more to support those families. jack lesley. thank _ more to support those families. jack lesley, thank you very much. within the next hour the greek mep eva kaili is due to appear in court over an alleged briberty scandal at the european parliament. she is one of four suspects charged after belgian investigators found 1.5 million euros in two homes and in a suitcase. the case is linked to lobbying by qatar which is currently hosting the world cup. on tuesday, ms kaili was stripped of her role as vice—president of the european parliament — as mep's voiced their shock at the allegations in an emergency debate. qatar denies wrongdoing — as does ms kaili — who spoke through her lawyer after the vote. translation: mrs kaili has broken her silence. | she's expressed complaints over her european parliament colleagues' stance against her. the decision to visit qatar was not her personal decision, it was a european parliament decision, with the agreement of the european commission and the representative of the union

for foreign affairs, mr borrell. our correspondent in brussels —jessica parker has been following events. it was back on friday where belgian prosecutors made this pretty bombshell announcement that they had been conducting a months—long investigation over suspicions that a gulf state, they didn't name qatar — they never have publicly — had been trying to influence proceedings in the european parliament through gifts and cash, and that they had raided numerous homes, seized large amounts of cash. and as you say, that cash turned out to be a fair amount of money in the end, including hundreds of thousands of euros, we're told, from a suitcase seized from a brussels hotel. they said six people had been arrested and then subsequently we heard that four people had been charged, and those four people now due in court here in brussels today. so that's been the kind of drip, drip of what we've been hearing from belgian prosecutors over

the last few days. and as you say, in terms of the reaction from the european parliament, people have been saying that they're pretty stunned by these allegations. and i think the parliament trying to do what it can to mitigate some of the damage to its reputation following these accusations. so as you were just alluding to, they stripped, for example, eva kaili of her vice presidential role. they did that yesterday. it was a near unanimous vote. and as well, they've also looked about their relationship with qatar. qatar has denied any misconduct, by the way, through its foreign ministry. but something they're doing is basically putting on the back burner, shelving plans to give qatar, or qataris, visa—free travel within the european union. the current wave of industrial action across the uk is continuing, with royal mail staffjoining rail workers on picket lines.

members of the communication workers union are beginning a two—day strike as part of a dispute about pay, jobs and working conditions. trains will be disrupted for a second consecutive day as a result of action by members of the rmt union. let's get more on the rail strikes — and the impact they are having on services. 0ur correspondent howard johnson is at london's euston station. howard, what proportion of trains are actually running? just howard, what proportion of trains are actually running?— are actually running? just one in five services _ are actually running? just one in five services running _ are actually running? just one in five services running from - are actually running? just one in | five services running from euston train station this morning. this is one of the busiest train stations in the uk. there is movement behind me, people are catching trains today but on the departures board inside, there are a lot of delays and sign saying there are cancellations on some services. businessmen making last—minute adjustments to try to catch flights out of the country. i have seen travellers looking perplexed talking to the staff, who

are helping inside. i also went to the picket line to meet the union workers, a0,000 striking today and i spoke to them about why they are doing this. they say it is because they are fifa jobs will be cut and they are fifa jobs will be cut and they said the jobs they do have, the conditions are in threat of being changed and pay is not keeping up with inflation. as we have heard, inflation going up all the time and if wages are not matching that, people are left out of pocket. members of the public you have spoken to, what have they said about the strike action and whether they are supportive of it or not? watching people walk past the strikers, they weren't overly concerned, they were not directing any anger towards the strikers themselves. the strikers told me they had received some flak at the beginning but as time has gone on, they believe they are getting some sympathy. i have heard over the last couple of days, i was here on

monday, people very angry because of their delayed travel. today i spoke to a lady who was concerned about getting back to her home in the north of england on time, because she is aware that as the day goes on services will come to an end around six o'clock. she is fearful she might get caught out. but tomorrow the strike will be lifted for 2a hours and then it will begin again on friday going into the weekend. people very concerned about getting back to their homes are getting on for business in the next a8 hours or so. for business in the next ab hours or so. ., . for business in the next ab hours or $0. ., ., ., " for business in the next ab hours or so. ., ., ., ~' , for business in the next ab hours or so. ., ., ., ~ , . government sources telling the bbc that a number of people have sadly been confirmed dead as a result of the incident with a boat carrying migrants across the english channel.

there were issues the boat got into difficulty around 3am gmt. a large rescue operation involving helicopters from both the uk and france, fishing boats, lifeboats were put in place. but we are hearing a person with knowledge of the situation says that a3 people have been rescued alive. more than 30 of whom had been taken from the water. the number of deaths hasn't been confirmed and could rise. a search and rescue operation is continuing. i think the key thing is, we are not clear how many people wear in the boat and whether or not they have all been accounted for. the search and rescue operation continuing clearly with the bitterly cold weather, the chances for anyone surviving for any great length of time if they fall into the water would be very small indeed. a3 people rescued alive. no number on

the number of fatalities. the precise number of fatalities. although a number of deaths have been confirmed and we are told a person with knowledge of the situation has said that sadly the death toll could rise. nurses will begin their first national walk—out across england, wales and northern ireland tomorrow. talks are continuing about which treatments will be provided during the walk—out. health leaders have written to the nurses' union, the royal college of nursing, to warn of the possible impact on urgent care in hospitals. the rcn said it was working closely with the nhs to ensure the strike was safe. professor sir stephen powis is the national medical director for nhs england. he says they are trying to minimise disruption. well, we all want to keep patients safe during the action. and we want to ensure, of course, that we continue to provide the very best services we can under the circumstances. we've been talking to representatives from the royal college of nursing now for a number of weeks, and the letter that you're referring

to is part of that ongoing dialogue so that we can agree together those key services that need to continue. so that, for instance, tomorrow includes kidney dialysis, it includes chemotherapy services. and further progress, i think, has been made. following that later, of course, the rcn will likely confirm that. but that dialogue but that dialogue will continue at national level today. and just as importantly, local hospitals are talking to local union representatives around very specific services and sometimes even on a patient—by—patient basis, because we do want to keep services safe and we do want to ensure that the very urgent cases continue. the uk government's emergency cobra committee is meeting this morning, to discuss how to minimise the impacts of these strikes. 0ur chief political correspondent nick eardley told us to what extent the government can actually provide contingencies. i think the honest answer is to a limited extent. there's not all that much the government can do. so this meeting of the emergency committee this morning

is about stress testing some of the plans they have to try and mitigate the worst of the disruption. but there's also a fairly regular acknowledgement in government that they're not going to be able to remove all of the disruption completely. as stephen powis was saying in the clip you just played, there's a lot of work going into figuring out exactly what that disruption is, but fundamentally it is going to happen. it's really interesting the context this morning, anita, the inflation figures you were talking about a few moments ago get to the heart of what is going on. the government is reacting to those figures by saying the absolute priority is to get inflation down. and the treasury believes if you have high pay increases that will make the job of reducing inflation harder. at the same time, unions are saying inflation is over 10%, we need pay rises that start to reflect that to make sure our members can keep up with the rising cost of living.

at the moment they are both pretty entrenched positions, as we have seen with rail workers, nurses and various other industries as well. there is a real struggle to find a compromise that would allow the strikes to get called off. so at the minute it looks like this disruption is going to be fairly medium term. and as we have been discussing, nick, it comes down in many ways to a battle of wills. i wonder, in terms of public support for the industrial action, where is that at the moment? because ministers might be hoping that that support lessons over time, some of the coverage in the newspapers suggests that the public mood for the strikes is not supportive. but if you talk to the unions they say they still have a huge amount of public support for the action they are taking? look, there is definitely

a hope in government that some of the positions on the strikes are hardening. speaking to people around government over the last few days, i think there is a hint that they think that they are winning the public over, particularly when it comes to train strikes over christmas. it's a much more complicated picture with nurses, where there is that acknowledgement that there's a lot more public sympathy. so that's the view of some people in government. i have got to say though, anita, i'm not sure it is borne out by much evidence at the moment. there's one poll the bbc has been carrying online this morning from savanta, which suggests that support has gone down, but not by much. that was nick eardley talking to me earlier. president biden has signed into law a bill which gives federal protection to same—sex and interracial marriages in the united states. democrats secured the passage of the legislation weeks before surrendering control of the house of representatives to their

republican opponents. speaking at the signing ceremony at the white house, the us president said it was an historic day. today is a good day! cheering and applause. a day america takes a vital step towards equality, towards liberty and justice. notjust for some, but for everyone, everyone. towards creating a nation where decency, dignity and love are recognised, honoured and protected. so, how significant is this legislation? here's our north america correspondent, peter bowes. it means in practice that there is now federal or countrywide recognition of same—sex and interracial marriages. it was prompted and it might seem there's been a bit of a rush to get this through congress before the end of the year, but it was prompted by the decision of the supreme court earlier this year to deny

the constitutional rights of women in this country to have an abortion. and there have been concerns that the supreme court, a conservative leaning supreme court, could, at some point in the future, make a similar decision that would essentially overturn a previous decision giving the rights of same—sex couples, interracial couples, to get married. it is interesting that there was bipartisan support for this bill, now a law, that is all of the democrats and enough republicans to get it passed as a law. in central africa, around 100 people are reported to have been killed in the democratic republic of congo, following the worst flooding in years in the capital kinshasa. major roads in the city centre were left under water as heavy rains continued for hours. several homes collapsed. the government's announced a three—day period of national mourning. tom brada reports. wading through filthy water

to see what, if anything, is still standing. heavy rains have left a trail of destruction across kinshasa, with homes destroyed and lives swept away. in some areas, landslides have torn chunks out of the earth, with vast holes where homes once stood. translation: it was at 5am when the earth collapsed - on the house. nine people from the same family have died. it is a similar picture across the capital. addressing the ongoing rescue efforts, the prime minister said that: but for many people, the government itself is partly to blame. translation: we have elected a government . that is unable to give its people what they need. this road has threatened to collapse for a long time. we've alerted the authorities to this situation but here is the pure

reality, they cannot even build a gutter! once a fishing village on the banks of the congo river, kinshasa has grown into one of africa's megacities, but the growth has not been matched by the right kind of investment, leaving the city and its residents increasingly vulnerable. translation: i find it hard to bear. i have no more strength to bury the dead bodies. climate change means that periods of intense rain are becoming more common. without better help from the government, residents of kinshasa will remain at the mercy of the destructive weather. tom brada, bbc news. we arejust we are just hearing the london fire brigade has been put into special measures by a watchdog after concerns of unacceptable behaviour, including discrimination and bullying. his majesty's inspectorate of constabulary and fire and rescue services said the london fire brigade would now face an enhanced level of monitoring by inspectors.

all of this comes after an independent review that was published last month which found that the london fire brigade had what it called "dangerous levels of ingrained prejudice against women, while colleagues from minority backgrounds were frequently the target of racist abuse." the london fire brigade has been put into special measures by that watchdog, and will be now subject to an enhanced level of monitoring by inspectors. power cuts in shetland have been declared a major incident after thousands of homes were left without power due to bad weather. energy supplier ssen continues to work on restoring supplies but has warned that disruption could continue until the end of this week. i spoke to our reporter in lerwick, adam guest, a little earlier for the latest there. there are 2800 homes that are still without power here in shetland. we do have many ssen engineers coming to shetland, around 70 of those.

a number of them coming off the ferry from aberdeen and arriving in lerwick this morning. there is also a helicopter which is arriving with additional engineers. locally, engineers have said this is the worst snow they have seen since 1995. more support is coming, there is more by the way of generators which are being brought up to shetland as well. it is also worth mentioning that in shetland we don't have mains gas, a lot of people have storage heaters, too, so this is causing real problems for people right across shetland. a real challenge and as we said in the introduction, a concern that the power might not be back on until the end of the week potentially. so what are people doing to try to keep warm in the meantime? we heard from people yesterday, some people are using lpg gas canisters to keep warm.

there is a real community effort, lots of community halls across shetland, and they have gas stoves with those canisters which have been providing warm spaces for people. they have been making soup. i spoke to a local councillor, andrea, in the north of shetland and they have a generator they have been using for the hotel. they have been offering a warm space and providing to the locals. it has been a real effort for the community to come together. but as you say it is looking like it could be towards the end of the week when power is fully restored here. adam guest. the former england cricket captain, andrew �*freddie' flintoff — who now presents the bbc�*s top gear — has been involved in a crash while filming the show. he's having treatment in hospital. it's understood that his injuries aren't life threatening. mark lobel has the latest for us. we know that the accident happened on tuesday morning at the dunsfold aerodrome in surrey — that's the top gear test track.

and the a5—year—old freddie flintoff, the father of four, was not travelling at high speed, we understand, at the time of the accident. and as you said, the injuries are not believed to be life—threatening. in fact, the bbc has released a statement. the producers of top gear. they say that there were crew medics attending the scene immediately and that further details will be released in due course. and on social media for this pioneer of diversity on the pitch, there were lots of messages for him to have a speedy recovery. there have been many accidents in the past, most famously, perhaps, richard hammond, one of the former presenters of top gear in 2006 at an airfield in york on a rocket car crash. i think he was traveling around 288mph. he ended up in a coma in leeds and very recently was describing the fact that he could remember what he was thinking during that coma. he remembered a dream, he said, when he was approaching a tree in the lake district by a part of the lake that he knows well.

and he was approaching this tree and it felt like he was a naughty teenager and he felt he could continue to walk around the tree and suddenly turned around, and it was at that moment that his wife believes that she told him — she'd asked permission to scream at him in the hospital room in leeds — she started screaming and that's when he came back. we arejust hearing, in relation we are just hearing, in relation to the news of a number of people on a small boat in the english channel, number of migrants have died after that boat got into difficulties in the early hours of today. we are told that the home secretary suella braverman is due to make a statement in parliament about the deaths after prime minister's questions at 12pm gmt. let me tell you the latest details on the incident we have. a government official has told the bbc

a small number of people have been confirmed dead, but that exact number has not been confirmed. we are told that a3 people had been rescued alive. more than 30 of whom had been taken from the water. and of course the water absolutely freezing at the moment. but the number of deaths not confirmed and could rise, said this government official. i am just being told that the government official is saying that three people have died, but a warning that number could rise and a search and rescue operation is continuing. so we do not have a precise confirmation as to how many people were on that boat originally. earlier the home secretary tweeted about this. she said she was aware of a distressing incident in the channel. that is a tweet from suella braverman. my that a tweet from the

uk home secretary suella braverman a little earlier. just 5% of black adults and 20% of black children in england are regular swimmers, according to recent figures. the black swimming association has been working to reverse that trend — and now it's picked up a national lottery award for project of the year. miriam walker—khan has been finding out more. only 5% of adults from african, caribbean and asian communities in england swim. the black swimming association was set up to change that and to make the sport more diverse. now, the work they are doing is award—winning. we started off as four strangers, essentially. who had one vision which was to diversify the aquatic sector and make sure that people like us are more water safe and know what to do when they are in an emergency the water. so to grow so quickly over the last two and a half years to receiving this award, is just fantastic. the aquatic sector wasn't doing

enough and we believe that there wasn't a space available for these types of conversations, these types of perspectives to be heard. so what are the conversations that need to be had and what are the barriers or stereotypes that mean there are so few black and asian people who swim? myths of bone density, of being better at running so stick to on—land sport. so stick to on—land sports. cultural modesty issues, particularly for south asian women. you know, these are serious and valid issues. it is not something we can go never mind that, just get in the water. they are things that we need to unpack and help people move past to get in the water. and although swimming competitively and for fun is a huge part of the bsa's work, there is also a more serious element. according to the world health organisation, the risk of drowning is higher in ethnic minority communities. learning how to swim and being safe in the water is a life—saving skill. knowing what to do if you or

a friend of yours are in water and in danger to save a life, knowing who to call, whether that is the coastguard or whether that is the fire service, depending on which part of the country are in can also contribute to saving a life. so all of this knowledge we are trying to raise awareness of can make a difference between somebody coming home and somebody not coming home. when we get adults in the water and learning to swim, and we are talking about people who have had serious trauma, like nearly drowning when they were younger, being too afraid to put their face in water whilst having a shower, it is just about water familiarisation, feeling comfortable in the environment and understanding what it feels like. and, eventually, they do end up in a place where they are learning to swim. it is clear that the bsa is changing people's lives, and the fact that the public voted for this award shows just how much their work is valued. miriam walker—khan, bbc news.

argentina are just one game away from winning their first world cup in more than 30 years. they knocked croatia out in the semi—finals in qatar, winning 3—0. lionel messi scored the opener, and was instrumental in setting up the second and third goals — sparking scenes ofjoy outside the stadium. argentina's opponents will be either france or morocco — who face each other later. the final takes place on sunday. live now to doha. 0ur football reporter alex howell is there. after that performance in the game yesterday, many people will feel that lionel messi and welcome victory are destined be together. that's definitely the way it feels and the way people are speaking. the way he has performed during this world cup has been really, really special. they had that slip—up in the first game against saudi arabia when they lost, but since then they

have gone from strength to strength, they came through penalties against they came through penalties against the netherlands, but for lionel messi it seems like everything is setup for him to add to the world cup to his legacy. many call him the greatest to ever play the game, and still the best player in the world, even though he is 35 years old. since he has been here the records keep tumbling. he's played his 1000th game of his career, he is joint top for the golden boot, so has scored the most goals in the tournament, and also laid on three assists, and a very special one last night. so it looks like if he's going to cement himself in the argentinian fans alongside diego maradona, it is all set for him to win the world cup on sunday. trying to stop argentina, either france or morocco, another tantalising prospect of a game later. what is our prospect of a game later. what is your assessment _ prospect of a game later. what is your assessment of _ prospect of a game later. what is your assessment of the _ prospect of a game later. what is your assessment of the two - prospect of a game later. what is i your assessment of the two teams? and do you think morocco, the underdogs in this, could do it? well, we have written them off,

haven't we, or they have been written awful the way through this tournament, but if you even look at the group stage, they managed to qualify top ahead of croatia who reached the other semifinal, and belgium who still had the players from the golden generation. then if you go to the knockout they knocked out portugal and spain. they keep defying the odds. their manager has said that they are aiming to do it again. he actually spoke to all of his players and said he didn't want any of the players in the squad who didn't believe that they could go past the group stages. and as you said, if you are only planning to be here for three games, i don't want you. the other side of the story is on france, they could be getting to a second successive world cup final, and that would be something quite incredible. they have kylian mbappe, somebody who looks like the heir to lionel messi's throne, so whoever makes the final from this side of the semifinal, the stories are everywhere. alex, enjoy the game

later, alex howell in doha. money is tight for millions of families at the moment but we can tell you the spirit of giving in the uk is still alive and kicking. we know this because of the incredible response to a bbc report about an eight—year—old girl — alishah — whose dad could only afford to buy her one hot lunch per week. alishah's school — in bradford — was inundated with donations and collected nearly £50,000. 0ur education editor branwenjeffreys has been back to see the difference that money will make. go! energy and joy filling the playground. this school is a safe haven in hard times. now it's wrapped in extra kindness. after we reported working parents like ali raza struggling to pay for school meals, which meant eight—year—old alishah got one hot lunch

a week shared with her family. in the office, hundreds of emails and calls started arriving. donations of money for the children's school food, a thrill of hope in a dark winter. everything seems depressing and money is becoming tighter and tighter. so i think that might be what maybe prompted people to try and help somebody who was struggling even more than than they are, really. just blown us away, really the generosity of people. it's absolutely amazing and we really, genuinely can't thank you enough. and that money will be going directly to families who really, genuinely need it. lunch costs £2.10 for each child. now, because of the money donated, every family has been offered free school meals until next summer. when we told the story ofjust one little girl at this school, i had no idea what the response would be. some of the messages i read moved me to tears. like the man who'd just lost his job but still wants to give money. and as a result of your generosity,

all of these children are going to get a free hot lunch through winter and beyond. i would like to offer a small piece of help over the festive time. "i would like to offer a small piece of help over the festive time." it was the messages that hit home. "yesterday, my nieces asked me not to buy them christmas presents this year." "in view of this, i'd like to donate £a2." "i am a widower and i know my wife would have wanted me to do that." "shocking to hear that not all schoolchildren have access to a hot meal every day, and we hope her contribution

will help towards alishah and her school friends." "and on the advice of my daughter who said, daddy, why don't you send the money to school so that alishah can have lunch every day?" one of the hundreds of donors told me connected to her childhood. i mean, i'm from a working class background and so is my partner. we know what it's like to have to struggle with the basics. i think the situation now with the cost of living crisis is even worse and you can be working, you know, in reasonably good job in terms of pay and yet still really struggle with the basics. and i think that is something that quite a lot of us can relate to. the breakfast club is going to expand too, with the help of business donations, giving more children a good start to the school day. for eight—year—old alishah, who spoke to us, free school meals until she leaves primary school. it's been an emotional few days for her and dad, ali. expenses are going up, right. so that's why it's very hard to manage a house expense like this. you know, the bills, everything is very, very expensive. just giving something like two kids, you know, just telling my kids it's every case. so everyone can earn free lunch

and save up money. i want everyone to eat free at school. so then they're happy and all the families are happy. the christmas story plays out in schools across england this week, even here, where children learn about many faiths different from their own. this winter, simple human kindness is lighting the way for this school. branwenjefferies, bbc news, bradford. it story. —— great story. budding spies are in for a treat today — because the intelligence agency gchq has released a set of codebreaking puzzles for youngsters to solve.the seven challenges are designed to test and develop the same skills that real—life agents use — and to encourage children from all backgrounds to consider a career in the intelligence services. tim muffett went to a school in london to see if the pupils

there could crack the code. we're going to see who actually makes it through. elm green school in south london. the students' mission, should they choose to accept it, try and solve the gchq christmas card puzzle. it's different to what we normally have to do in school. yeah, but that's how you get the three words. we don't do much, like, code breaking, so it's. something different. gchq is the uk's intelligence security and cyber agency. traditionally, each year it includes a brainteaser on the christmas cards it sends out. but this christmas, for the second year running, it's also set a festive, mind—bending challenge for school pupils. if two equals growth and six equals exist, then nine is what seven—letter word which describes what you'll be doing with your presents on christmas day?

information allows you to break the code. they're challenging, they're very challenging questions. but what i think they're doing is they're helping promote resilience and perseverance. if the students are going down a particular route and making a mistake, they're not giving up. how are you finding it? we're finding it quite exciting, actually. yeah, it's really fun, thinking outside the box and actually making your brain think a different way. i thought it would be quite maths orientated, but it's actually like quite a lot of codebreaking and puzzling and stuff like that. so this question here, what is this actually encouraging students to do, do you think? it's more about being spatially aware. and the twist of that is that whenever you touch the key, the direction changes. so they need to actually do some reverse operation. how can i get from point a to point b? so, these puzzles have been set by an actual intelligence officer who works for gchq. we can hearfrom him, but for obvious reasons we can't show his face. so he's going to appear in the form

of a cartoon character called colin. hi, tim. it's colin here. so, colin, what impact do you think these puzzles will have? so this year, the christmas card has puzzles covering different skill sets, including languages, engineering, analysis and codebreaking. what qualities are you looking out for? the qualities needed are ingenuity, analytical skills, perseverance and an inquiring mind. in a sense, solving the challenge replicates what we need to be able to do in gchq, but in a fun way. along with m15 and m16, gchq says it wants to widen its recruitment net. whilstjob candidates still need to be british citizens, as of last month, they no longer need to have british parents. the agency also wants more neurodiverse candidates to apply. people with conditions such as autism, adhd and dyslexia. gchq says different ways of thinking are key to keeping the uk safe.

what do you make of these puzzles? i think they're really good. many of our students wouldn't have heard of gchq prior to this challenge, and understanding that in actual fact they have the skill sets to be able to go into such areas is really good for them. has this made you think about a career in that world? definitely, yeah. i've always been into, like, problem solving, critical thinking, like, what you've got to do to solve things. that made me look at that side in much more detail. it is making me more interested in what this could lead to. hundreds of schools will be taking part in this challenge today. anyone initially bamboozled should take heart. in this classroom, what to many seemed mission impossible became mission accomplished. tim muffett, bbc news. well, we thought we'd try and have a go at one of the questions ourselves. here it is for you to try at home.

if a french ailurophile fancies a chat, what does a polish cynophile fancy? we won't give away the answer, but it will be on the gchq website, along with the other brain teasers for you to try. you might want to pause for a moment if you are eating — because we're going to talk about bovine burping. cows belch huge amounts of methane — which causes global warming — but the problem can be massively reduced with just a pinch of dried seaweed in their feed, as paul murphy reports. as they munch through their winter feed, these lincoln reds are blissfully unaware of the consequences. it is mainly when they burp that the planet gets more unwanted methane. a lot of people don't realise that methane is 85 times more harmful than c02, and a cow burps enough methane each year — equivalent to a car. methane levels in our atmosphere, seen here in red, are increasing by 1% every year.

the gas absorbs heat from the sun and that causes global warming. luke has been working with scientists in scotland to develop a special type of seaweed that reacts in a cow's stomach to reduce emissions. it is creating huge interest in an industry increasingly conscious of its impact on the planet. farming is probably responsible for around 30—plus percent of the global greenhouse emissions, so, therefore, anything we can do to tackle those emissions is really important. 0bviously, livestock is a big part of that. just a sprinkling is enough to make these burping cattle more eco friendly. that is what is amazing, something so small can have a massive impact. that is what is key, really. we don't want to have tonnes and tonnes of this because,

obviously, you want it to be scalable and sustainable in both ways. the idea is that we want to incorporate as minimal amount as possible to be able to reduce the emissions they burp. the former university of lincoln student is now trying to scale up his business. he is hoping to use what is called carbon offsetting to eventually offer the seaweed for free to livestock farmers. paul murphy, bbc news, lincoln. the prince and princess of wales have released their official christmas card image. prince william and catherine are pictured here walking with their children on a sunny day in norfolk this year. it has become an annual tradition for the royals to reveal which of their favourite photographs they have chosen for the cards. we just want to give you an update on the situation with regard to that small boat which got into difficulties in the channel, the english channel, the early hours of today. we are now hearing that the number of deaths sadly has increased, eight people now confirmed dead as a result of the boat running into difficulties, a

rescue operation still continuing, although clearly the conditions in the water bitterly cold. we will have more details on that for you throughout the rest of the day. for now, you're watching bbc news. hello again, it has been a bitterly cold start to the day once more and we are going to hang onto the cold weather as we go through the next few days. it is not until the weekend when we see a change. it is going to be frosty, widespread frosts, the risk of ice on untreated surfaces, less of an issue with freezing fog but we hang onto the snow showers. you can see the blue plume across our shores as we head on through the next few days until sunday when it looks like something a bit milder is represented by the yellow is moving across our shores as the atlantic influence takes

hold. what we have at the moment is still a lot of heavy snow showers coming in across the north of scotland, strong winds, the snow blowing and drifting with blizzards. snow showers coming down the east coast, some in northern ireland today, we might see the odd one in cornwall and a mixture of rain, sleet and snow in the channel islands, and in between a lot of dry weather and a fair bit of sunshine but feeling cold, and when you add the effects of the wind the wind chill will make it feel below freezing for most of us, look at it in aberdeen, it will feel more like “6, in aberdeen, it will feel more like —6, as it will too in newcastle. this evening and overnight, further heavy snow showers fall across northern scotland, the wind will ease a touch but it will still be strong, blustery with snow showers coming in across the east coast of england, few getting into the south east, west wales and northern ireland, but a widespread harsh frost in sheltered glens, where temperatures could fall as low as —8 or —10. tomorrow the wind slowly start easing, still snow showers coming in across the north and the east, we will see a few across west

wales is welcome and northern ireland, but a lot of dry weather and a fair bit of sunshine, but still we have that cold feel. as we head into friday, the most significant snow across scotland for a time and later some of it will get in towards northern ireland and also northern england. as we push further south for the rest of england and wales, it should be mostly dry with some sunshine, but you can see it are still going to feel cold. it is not until we get towards sunday that the atlantic air comes in and it's going to be bumping into the cold air, so on its leading edge we will see some snow. but it won't last because the mild air will follow on behind and transition back to rain. you can keep up—to—date with what is happening where you are wherever you are going on the bbc weather app.

this is bbc news. the headlines at 11: three people are believed to have died after a small migrant boat ran into difficulties in freezing waters in the english channel near kent. latest data shows prices are still going up but at a slower rate — the chancellor insists geting inflation down is the government's top priority. industrial action across the uk continues to escalate this morning, as royal mail staffjoin rail workers on picket lines. russia has launched a new wave of airstikes on ukraine, targeting the capital, kyiv. top gear presenter andrew "freddie" flintoff has been injured whilst filming for the show. the former england cricket captain

was airlifted to hospital. a primary school in bradford has received almost £50,000 in donations after a bbc report on working parents struggling to pay for school meals. the atlas lions, morocco, take on defending champions france tonight for a right to play argentina in sunday's world cup final. good morning and welcome to bbc news. three people people have died and a3 rescued after an incident in the english channel involving a small boat off the kent coast in the early hours of this morning. a government offical told the bbc that 30 people had been pulled from the water. it's feared the number of deaths could rise. life boats, coastguard rescue teams,

and an air ambulance were sent to help with the search operation. a fishing boat has also been helping. the home secretary, suella braverman, said on twitter: she'll make a statement to mp5 at 12.30. 0ur correspondent simonjones is in dover. iamat i am at the entrance of the lifeboat station in dover, and as you can see, there is a police presence here are stopping people coming and going. at the lifeboat station there is an ambulance, there are a lot of coastguard and lifeboat officials. we understand that over lifeboat is due to return to shore any time now, but what is clear is that this has been a major incident, and a tragic one, that we unfolding just after

3am this morning. the emergency services were alerted to the fact that a boat carrying around a0 to 50 migrants was sinking. that prompted a huge response four lifeboats were sent, one from dover, one from dungeness, ramsgate and also from hastings, two coastguard helicopters were sent from the uk side and the french authorities also sent a naval helicopter to this incident, which was unfolding off the coast of dungeness. we have had confirmed that at least three people have died, a3 people are known to have been rescued, some of those were rescued from the water. at this time of year, the water is of course very, very cold and overnight, it was freezing conditions in the channel. 0ver was freezing conditions in the channel. over the past couple of days it has been fairly windy and the channel, so there hasn't been the channel, so there hasn't been the opportunities for crossings, but overnight the wind dropped and despite the freezing temperatures, smugglers decided to launch this

boat carrying around 50 people, with all the dangers that involves, that we have seen played out. the local mp natalie elphicke has said she's very distressed and what's happened here in the news of these fatalities and that has been shared by the home secretary, suella braverman, who says she is being kept up—to—date with what's been happening. but people were warning it was only a matter of time before we saw more deaths in the channel. in november last year, at least 27 people drowned when their boat capsized. at the moment we are hearing three people have died in this latest incident although we are told that number could rise. 0bviously when things happen out there in the early hours, it's a confusing situation, so the search and rescue operation will be continuing throughout the rest of today to make sure that everyone is accounted for. thank ou, everyone is accounted for. thank you. simon- _ let's speak to natalie elphicke, the conservative mp for dover and deal.

welcome. so, how are you feeling about what's unfolding here? just so shocked and — about what's unfolding here? just so shocked and saddened. _ about what's unfolding here? just so shocked and saddened. this - about what's unfolding here? just so shocked and saddened. this is - about what's unfolding here? just so shocked and saddened. this is the i shocked and saddened. this is the news as the local mp that i fare every morning when there is a crossing, and all the more so in these wintry months. —— me that i fear. it is an incredibly dangerous and treacherous situation out on the channel this time of year. i mean, i'm just so shocked and saddened that we've had another incident, another loss of life in the channel. so, you want the crossings to stop? yes, and the crossings have to be brought to an end. this is criminal gangs, they are absolutely... they don't care about the lives of the people they are putting in these boats. i was speaking in parliament over the last week or so, talking about how they advertise on tiktok

saying, come on, it's safe, make the eight o'clock journey, saying, come on, it's safe, make the eight o'clockjourney, it is absolutely shocking and appalling criminality. we have to tackle those gangs, stop the boats getting in the water, and it really is time to bring this to an end.- water, and it really is time to bring this to an end. what should our immigration _ bring this to an end. what should our immigration policy _ bring this to an end. what should our immigration policy be? - bring this to an end. what should our immigration policy be? rishil bring this to an end. what should . our immigration policy be? rishi was talking about plans in the house of commons yesterday, talking about clearing the backlog of more than 100,000 by the end of next year of those seeking asylum here. the thing is, when people hear the message about stopping people coming into this country across the channel, there is a sense for some that it is inhumane, these are people who are desperate to get here, by focusing so much of the sort of police effort and legal effort in trying to stop that, there is not a focus on the humanity of what people need, what your perspective?—

your perspective? well, this is a crime, it your perspective? well, this is a crime. it is _ your perspective? well, this is a crime, it is people _ your perspective? well, this is a crime, it is people smuggling, i your perspective? well, this is a - crime, it is people smuggling, some of it is people trafficking, like drugs, and other serious organised. the national crime agency have been really clear about that. so it does need really firm response to make sure that we tackle these criminal gangs. but in relation to the humanitarian position, britain has issued more humanitarian basis since the second world war, the prime minister spoke about that in parliament yesterday. —— my humanitarian visas. we do have safe and legal roots, we a large number of people into this country, we are generous and compassionate as we should be but we need people to come in through safe routes, not through these forms of illegal entry. of course we should help people, we do help people and people should be seeking support from other countries who also can support them, like france. they absolutely should not be going into these boats. there has been a lot of— be going into these boats. there has been a lot of focus _ be going into these boats. there has been a lot of focus on _ be going into these boats. there has been a lot of focus on the _ be going into these boats. there has been a lot of focus on the more - be going into these boats. there has been a lot of focus on the more than j been a lot of focus on the more than a third of those coming on the boats

coming from albania, yesterday the minister said it is a safe country, other countries have effectively a 100% return record for albanians that go there and he wants to see the situation here changed to match that. but beyond that, the others coming from environments where they haven't found another way to be able to seek safe sanctuary in this country. to seek safe sanctuary in this count . , ., country. sadly, when we heard the very upsetting _ country. sadly, when we heard the very upsetting stories _ country. sadly, when we heard the very upsetting stories in _ country. sadly, when we heard the very upsetting stories in relation i very upsetting stories in relation to a number of people who died in november last year, a number of bereaved families explained that people coming from some of the countries you have in mind had paid people smugglers because they wanted to come to the uk and work. they wanted a better life. and i think what we have seen is this magnet magnet affect all people wanting to come to britain, wanted to come and

work, and that's why we have a very extensive work visa scheme that works globally in hundreds of —— and hundreds of thousands of people take that route. there are family reunion visas that can be applied for, on a computer by a family member here in the uk. there are student and educational visas and humanitarian visas, the highest level since the second world war, as well as those resettlement schemes we have had successfully in the past in relation to syria, more recently in relation to syria, more recently in relation to afghanistan, of course ukraine, and hong kong, chinese nationals as well. so there are a number of ways in which we help people globally. this is a global issue. i have called for a new un settlement to deal with the 100 million or so people who are displaced and britain plays a full part globally in the humanitarian effort. for me this is as important as cop27 and i really

would like us to see a new international migration settlement that will help displaced people globally and put a stop to this illegal migration activity organised crime. . ~' , . illegal migration activity organised crime. ., , . ., ., crime. thank you very much, natalie elhicke. the cost of buying goods and services in the uk has fallen slightly during november, according to latest figures from the office for national statistics. the latest official figures show that price rises are at 10.7% — meaning the cost of living is still close to a a0 year high. that inflation figure of 10.7% is slightly down from a high in october of 11.1%. but the latest number is still way above the bank of england's target of 2%. food prices have continued to increase over the last 12 months, but fuel prices are rising by less over the past year. with me for more analysis, our business correspondent marc ashdown. might inflation have peaked? good

morninu. i might inflation have peaked? good morning. ithink— might inflation have peaked? good morning. i think that _ might inflation have peaked? good morning. i think that is _ might inflation have peaked? (13mg. morning. i think that is the big hope. a lot of analysts are saying that yes, it has. talk a lot about the cost of living, how expensive everything is, well, inflation is the big driver of that. what the 0ns does is add up a basket of goods, typical things that we will buy on the look at how fast the prices are rising and give us the top figure we call inflation. the target as he safe is for a nice steady 2% growth but over the past or so it has been rocketing and in october, it reached 11.1%. it does now appear if we look at the november data, it has fallen to 10.7%, but it may have peaked, thatis to 10.7%, but it may have peaked, that is what analysts are hoping. but there are still big variations in that basket of goods, things like fuel prices, second—hand car prices, but the cost of food and alcohol, if we're lucky enough to be able to go and have a meal summer, we will be paying a lot more money but that still falter —— a meal summer. and

inflation is still double digits, still the highest for a0 years of service of the masses today is that we are still in the woods, we can just about see the path out of it. are we likely to see any noticeable impact on the cost of living? hat impact on the cost of living? not immediately _ impact on the cost of living? not immediately if _ impact on the cost of living? iirrt immediately if i'm honest. because this is still the pace that things are going up. if you take your typical shopping basket, are going up. if you take your typicalshopping basket, if are going up. if you take your typical shopping basket, if you are paying £100 that a year ago, in theory you are now paying £100 plus £10 so that will not suddenly go, he is to have to find that £110 instead of £100 but how is it will go up a bit slowerfrom now of £100 but how is it will go up a bit slower from now and that wages will catch up. the hope really, the bank of england's target is to keep inflation to 2% and keep which is going slowly and keep the whole thing and balance. the problem we had is inflation has got up to 11 point —— 11%, wages have been growing at a pace of about 6%. if you're in the public sector is more like so everything is not as

affordable. but as we move forward, if inflation starts to come down from hope for the government is it well, the chancellor said he wants wages to stretch further, his target is to halve inflation over the coming year, get it down to around 6% or 7% but we still have some big hurdles to clear. it's very cold outside, the government is providing money to support energy bills, that adds up to a lot, puts pressure on inflation. we have supply chain issues from places like china, that puts pressure. and half the country it feels like is on strike so that is last days of productivity, it hits gdp. and if the work you do manage to get big pay rises, the rights that leads to an inflation spiral and adds to that pressure. just briefly, what are the headline figures in other countries, how do we compare?— figures in other countries, how do we comare? ~ , ., we compare? about similar compared to euroe, we compare? about similar compared to europe, germany _ we compare? about similar compared to europe, germany is _ we compare? about similar compared to europe, germany is about - we compare? about similar compared to europe, germany is about the - to europe, germany is about the same, france a bit lower. the usa is the yardstick for that we are a day orso the yardstick for that we are a day or so behind in terms of data, yesterday they bought at their

official figures, yesterday they bought at their officialfigures, that fell, later today the us federal reserve will make a decision on interest rates, to mark the bank of england is expected to follow suit. there are still some difficult times ahead here families. thank you very much. you're watching bbc news. the current wave of industrial action across the uk is continuing, with royal mail staffjoining rail workers on picket lines. members of the communication workers union are beginning a two—day strike as part of a dispute about pay, jobs and working conditions. trains will be disrupted for a second consecutive day as a result of action by members of the rmt union. for more on the rail strikes and the impact they are having on services, our correspondent howard johnson is at london's euston station. howard come over to you. yes, this is the second _

howard come over to you. yes, this is the second day _ howard come over to you. yes, this is the second day of— howard come over to you. yes, this is the second day of a _ howard come over to you. yes, this is the second day of a 48-hour- is the second day of a a8—hour strike i havejust been inside the station to have a look and the departure board is still showing lots of delayed services, one in five are running today. i've been speaking to passengers, just met a woman approaches who said her train station in surrey was closed today, normally that's a disability access station, so she had to take a taxi to get down here for a medical appointment. that chimes with what the rmt union assigning, there ticketing here, they said they are concerned about not on the payee, the site is not keeping up with inflation and other workers are not receiving enough recompense for their work but also these conditions, they are saying that health and safety is at risk now, they are fearful that job cuts health and safety is at risk now, they are fearful thatjob cuts might bring about safety worker losses and that would impact people like the passage at earlier and who said she struggled to move around and get down onto the platform given that

she was on crutches. so there are a lot of concerns here. there is still loggerheads between the government, the rmt and the train operators, the 1a train operators of this country, thatis 1a train operators of this country, that is still in a deadlock as talks continue. . ~ that is still in a deadlock as talks continue. ., ,, , ., ., ., nurses will begin their first national walk—out across england, wales and northern ireland tomorrow. talks are continuing about which treatments will be provided during the walk—out. health leaders have written to the nurses' union, the royal college of nursing, to warn of the possible impact on urgent care in hospitals. the rcn said it was working closely with the nhs to ensure the strike was safe. professor sir stephen powis is the national medical director for nhs england. he says they are trying to minimise disruption. well, we all want to keep patients safe during the action. and we want to ensure, of course, that we continue to provide the very best services we can under the circumstances. we've been talking to representatives from the royal college of nursing now for a number of weeks, and the letter that you're referring

to is part of that ongoing dialogue so that we can agree together those key services that need to continue. so that, for instance, tomorrow includes kidney dialysis, it includes chemotherapy services. and further progress, i think, has been made. following that later, of course, the rcn will likely confirm that. but that dialogue but that dialogue will continue at national level today. and just as importantly, local hospitals are talking to local union representatives around very specific services and sometimes even on a patient—by—patient basis, because we do want to keep services safe and we do want to ensure that the very urgent cases continue. the uk government's emergency cobra committee met this morning, to discuss how to minimise the impacts of these strikes. 0ur chief political correspondent nick eardleyjoins me now. nick, what are they focusing on

specifically?— nick, what are they focusing on secificall ? ., _ , ., , , specifically? contingency plans is the answer- _ specifically? contingency plans is the answer. ways _ specifically? contingency plans is the answer. ways of _ specifically? contingency plans is the answer. ways of trying - specifically? contingency plans is the answer. ways of trying to - the answer. ways of trying to minimise some of the disruption, but to be honest, it doesn't feel like there is a huge amount that the government is going to do over the next couple of days or so that will have a big impact on the disruption we are all going to face in the next few days, with the rmt strike again today, with the postal workers on strike, and tomorrow with that unprecedented strike of nurses in england, wales and northern ireland. it's interesting because i think the inflation figures we were just talking about almost crystallise the issue here, you have the government saying inflation is far too high and we need to do everything we can to bring it down, and their argument is that if you had high pay offers, that if you had high pay offers, that would make inflation harder to bring down. not everybody agrees with that, it is debated, but the unions are saying, well, inflation being so high is exactly why pay rises need to be higher, because our

members need to keep up with the cost of living. those positions are so far —— might suffer a part of the moment that the various industries where we are seeing strikes this week and next, is quite hard to see where the solution is coming from. certainly on the strike you were just hearing about, the national strike tomorrow, the government isn't looking like at the moment it isn't looking like at the moment it is going to budge on pay, which is a fundamental ask of the royal college of nursing. in fundamental ask of the royal college of nursinr. , ., _ of nursing. in terms of contingency ”lannin , of nursing. in terms of contingency planning. there _ of nursing. in terms of contingency planning, there was _ of nursing. in terms of contingency planning, there was talk _ of nursing. in terms of contingency planning, there was talk about - of nursing. in terms of contingency planning, there was talk about the | planning, there was talk about the military getting involved, has that now gone away? ida. military getting involved, has that now gone away?— military getting involved, has that now gone away? no, there will be involved, there _ now gone away? no, there will be involved, there was _ now gone away? no, there will be involved, there was an _ now gone away? no, there will be involved, there was an official - involved, there was an official request content from the department of health to the ministry of defence, that is going to happen. i think it will be more obvious and we see ambulance strikes later this month, because we will see some military personnel being involved in actually driving the ambulances. the government is also looking at booking taxis for some people to get

to hospital instead of an ambulance. i should emphasise that would happen in less severe cases, so the more categories of emergency —— by the lower categories. but it's a sign of where things are at, the government is having to explore all these different avenues ahead of the various strikes that we are seeing across the system. i get the impression chatting to people in government that they think, perhaps hope, that some of the public opinion on this is starting to turn in theirfavour. opinion on this is starting to turn in their favour. certainly when it comes to the rail strikes, there is a view on certain parts of the uk government, they think people's attitudes are hardening because the strikes are happening over christmas, the unions say they don't recognise that and the polling is slightly conflicted, some saying it is steady, some say support has gone down a bit. it's obviously a lot more complicated when it comes to nurses as well. i think the government is a lot more nervous about the fact there is a high level of public support for nurses,

certainly higher than some other industries according to the polling we've seen. but i think the government is hoping to come for the moment, tough this out and try and win over the public and win over some of the striking workers to call off the strikes. will it work? we are not certain at the moment. certainly when comes to the rmt and the royal college of nursing,. power cuts in shetland have been declared a major incident after thousands of homes are left without power due to bad weather. energy supplier ssen continues to work on restoring supplies but has warned that disruption could continue until the end of this week. let's talk more about the impact felt on the ground with chief inspector and area commander for shetland, stuart clemenson. thank you forjoining us. 0nce thank you forjoining us. once the weather like, how cold is it? good morninu. weather like, how cold is it? good morning- it _ weather like, how cold is it? good morning- it is _ weather like, how cold is it? good morning. it is called! _ weather like, how cold is it? good morning. it is called! it— weather like, how cold is it? good morning. it is called! it is- morning. it is called! it is unprecedented weather here in shetland for this time of year. the

power outage is not really helping. it has improved, nearly 5500 customers were off supply yesterday and they have got that down to just under 3000 today. but really good response from electricity coming up onto the island, with over 60 resources of engineers arriving this morning, and another 50 or 60 arriving over the next 2a hours. it's looking good but the weather is the biggest challenge here, it's absolutely horrendous on the bouts this morning but we will get there. what is the temperature, is there is no? , ., ., ., what is the temperature, is there is no? ,., ., ., , ., what is the temperature, is there is no? ,..,.,,.,. ., what is the temperature, is there is no? ,..,.,,.,~ ., ., no? yes, a lot of snow. we have a ellow no? yes, a lot of snow. we have a yellow weather _ no? yes, a lot of snow. we have a yellow weather warning _ no? yes, a lot of snow. we have a yellow weather warning in - no? yes, a lot of snow. we have a yellow weather warning in place i no? yes, a lot of snow. we have a| yellow weather warning in place for snow and ice, which has caused the power lines to come down. but obviously, as of nine o'clock this morning, there is another yellow warning for wind. the wind in shetland is not that bad, we're to dealing with that come up to 70 or

80 mph, that is almost business as usual, but combining that with the snow on the road and the drifting of this now, then the additional capacity onto the electricity overhead lines, it's pulling more lines down. 50 overhead lines, it's pulling more lines down-— overhead lines, it's pulling more lines down. so pretty bleak if you have no power— lines down. so pretty bleak if you have no power in _ lines down. so pretty bleak if you have no power in those _ lines down. so pretty bleak if you| have no power in those conditions what's being done to help people get through this?— through this? there is a huge amount of work being — through this? there is a huge amount of work being done _ through this? there is a huge amount of work being done over _ through this? there is a huge amount of work being done over the - through this? there is a huge amount of work being done over the last - through this? there is a huge amount of work being done over the last 24, i of work being done over the last 2a, a8 hours, that will continue over the next few days, taking us to the end of the week and into the weekend. 0ur end of the week and into the weekend. our biggest priority is our vulnerable people in the community, so the local partnerships have all stood up, fire, ambulance, coastguard, the council, the health services, to make sure those who are in our communities and who are vulnerable are being looked after. how are they being looked after, are they going to central places, are people going to their homes? fiur people going to their homes? our main lea people going to their homes? our main plea at _ people going to their homes? oi" main plea at the moment is people going to their homes?

to make sure they look after their friends and family, neighbours and ultimately stay at home and stay warm. if they feel the need is so great that they have to go out, they only go out through exceptional circumstances. there is a huge support function in the background trying to deliver urgent medical supplies oxygen, insulin and ultimately simpler things like batteries for emergencies within the house to keep them running while the power is out. the electricity companies are working tirelessly in the background, as are all the emergency services day and night to get us back to a new norm as we go forward. ., ., ., ., :: :: forward. you mentioned around 5500 without power- _ forward. you mentioned around 5500 without power. now— forward. you mentioned around 5500 without power. now it's _ forward. you mentioned around 5500 without power. now it'sjust - forward. you mentioned around 5500 without power. now it'sjust under. without power. now it's just under 3000. how does that relate the size of the population?— of the population? shetland has a --oulation of the population? shetland has a population of— of the population? shetland has a population of around _ of the population? shetland has a population of around 20 _ of the population? shetland has a population of around 20 24,000 i population of around 20 2a,000 people, and about 50% of them stay in and around the lubbock area, which is about the middle of the

island. shetland is the most northerly island in the uk, approximately 85 miles from top to bottom and we are sitting in the middle, but the main outages are in the most northerly area of the island, the north—west. so the most northerly area of the island, the north-west. so difficult areas to get _ island, the north-west. so difficult areas to get to? _ island, the north-west. so difficult areas to get to? yes, _ island, the north-west. so difficult areas to get to? yes, very - areas to get to? yes, very difficult- _ areas to get to? yes, very difficult. very _ areas to get to? yes, very| difficult. very challenging. areas to get to? yes, very - difficult. very challenging. we have over 30 or so snowploughs out on the road trying to clear the roads, move people around as best we can. all the emergency services have come together from the council etc and are sharing axa vehicles, so they are sharing axa vehicles, so they are no bird up with people from the fire brigade and the coastguard etc. —— but they are partnered up. it's the only way to get around. -- but they are partnered up. it's the only way to get around. thank ou so the only way to get around. thank you so much _ the only way to get around. thank you so much for— the only way to get around. thank you so much forjoining _ the only way to get around. thank you so much forjoining us, - the only way to get around. thank you so much forjoining us, good. you so much forjoining us, good luck. i hope the power comes back on for everyone soon. just 5% of black adults and 20% of black children in england

are regular swimmers, according to recent figures. the black swimming association has been working hard to reverse that trend — and now it's picked up a national lottery award for project of the year. miriam walker—khan has been finding out more. only 5% of adults from african, caribbean and asian communities in england swim. the black swimming association was set up to change that and to make the sport more diverse. now, the work they are doing is award—winning. we started off as four strangers, essentially. who had one vision which was to diversify the aquatic sector and make sure that people like us are more water safe and know what to do when they are in an emergency the water. so to grow so quickly over the last two and a half years to receiving this award, is just fantastic. the aquatics sector wasn't doing enough and we believe that there wasn't a space available for these types of conversations, these types of perspectives to be heard. so what are the conversations

that need to be had and what are the barriers or stereotypes that mean there are so few black and asian people who swim? myths of bone density, of being better at running, so stick to on—land sport. cultural modesty issues, particularly for south asian women. you know, these are serious and valid issues. it is not something we can go never mind that, just get in the water. they are things that we need to unpack and help people move past to get in the water. and although swimming competitively and for fun is a huge part of the bsa's work, there is also a more serious element. according to the world health organization, the risk of drowning is higher in ethnic minority communities. learning how to swim and being safe in the water is a life—saving skill. knowing what to do if you or a friend of yours are in water and in danger to save a life, knowing who to call, whether that is the coastguard or whether that is the fire service,

depending on which part of the country are in can also contribute to saving a life. so all of this knowledge we are trying to raise awareness of can make a difference between somebody coming home and somebody not coming home. when we get adults in the water and learning to swim, and we are talking about people who have had serious trauma, like nearly drowning when they were younger, being too afraid to put their face in water whilst having a shower, it is just about water familiarisation, feeling comfortable in the environment and understanding what it feels like. and, eventually, they do end up in a place where they are learning to swim. it is clear that the bsa is changing people's lives, and the fact that the public voted for this award shows just how much their work is valued. miriam walker—khan, bbc news. a vigil will be held in jersey tonight for people to pay their respects to the victims of two tragedies which took place within two days of each other. it's been confirmed eight people

died after an explosion that destroyed a block of flats on saturday in st helier, with another feared dead. three fishermen remain missing after their vessel crashed on thursday. the event at town church in st helier will begin at s6pm now it's time for a look at the weather with carol. hello again. it's been another bitterly cold start to the day today. and we're going to continue in this theme for the rest of this week. icy stretches, frost, widespread frosts. there'll be less freezing fog as we pull in more of a northerly component to the weather. but we'll hang on to the snow showers, the most prolific of which will be across the north of scotland. and that certainly is the scenario today. with strong winds, the snow will be drifting and blowing with blizzards across the far north of scotland. some of those snow showers getting in across eastern parts of england, northern ireland, we could see one or two getting into cornwall.

and we've got a mixture of rain, sleet and snow in the channel islands, but a lot of dry weather in between. but it's going to feel cold when you add on the strength of the wind. this is what it will feel like. so for most of us, it will feel below freezing. tonight, we continue with the snow showers coming in across northern scotland. a few getting in along the east coast of england, the southeast, northern ireland, the west of wales, and it's going to be another bitterly cold night with a widespread frost and the risk of ice. hello this is bbc news. the headlines: at least two people are believed to have died, after a small migrant boat ran into difficulties in freezing waters in the english channel near kent. latest data shows prices are still going up but at a slower rate — the chancellor insists geting inflation down is the government's top priority. industrial action across the uk continues to escalate this morning, as royal mail staffjoin rail workers on picket lines.

russia has launched a new wave of airstikes on ukraine, targeting the capital, kyiv. a primary school in bradford has received almost—50 thousand pounds in donations after a bbc report on working parents struggling to pay for school meals. the atlas lions, morocco — take on defending champions france tonight for a right to play argentina, in sunday's world cup final. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre. good morning — argentina have booked their place in the world cup final on sunday following a 3—0 win over croatia. they'll find out later who they face in that game when france play morocco. everyone's talking about one man — lionel messi, after the game he suggested this will be his final world cup. having missed out on the chance to win the tournament in 201a he's hoping he can now win the silverware that's so far eluded him. 0ur reporter alex howell is out in doha — so now is the chance

for him to shine alex? it really is, and it does seem like momentum is gathering. it is set for lionel messi to add to his amazing career, it is the only real trophy thatis career, it is the only real trophy that is missing. after that first game when argentina lost to saudi arabia, they have been so good. they are so strong and progressing, and getting better with each game. he is really leading these young players in the game. he has passed his 1000th game in the career his career, he isjoint top 1000th game in the career his career, he is joint top with the golden boot. a lot of the comparisons around him as the number ten, and the argentina shirt. the one thing he is missing with diego maradona as the world cup. some a letter has been speaking about both

players. their the legacy of maradona is there, and messi doesn't need to win the world cup to prove that he has been one of the greatest players of all time. it would be so good to see a picture of messi with the world cup trophy. some people, not from my generation, let's save my dad, they have seen the best of maradona. i think kids these days in argentina, they all wear messy shirts. it would be so good to have the opportunity to have messy winning something with his national team. all eyes now turn to tonight and whether morocco can make history...

it isa it is a massive game in its own right. 0n the one side you have france in the current world champions, tried to make their second successive final. they have killian mbappe, who isjoint top goal—scorer with lionel messi, who many call the next greatest player in the world. he is all set to dominate football the next ten years. he is so young. they have and one griezmann, i was having a great tournament, and definitely one of the players of this world cup. he was instrumental in knocking england out. morocco are one of the big stories of this world cup. they have been underdogs all the way through. nobody really picked them to get out of the group. they won it, beating croatia, who made it to the semifinal, and belgium, who had the last few of their golden generation. in the knockout stages they have

beaten portugal and spain. their manager has really got these players together and galvanise them. the only better supported team in qatar, is argentina, but the manager has been speaking about how important the moroccan fans of the team, and the moroccan fans of the team, and the role they will play tonight. irate the role they will play tonight. we have the best fun in the world. maybe — have the best fun in the world. maybe with argentina fans. i am very happy— maybe with argentina fans. i am very happy because now the world will begin— happy because now the world will begin to — happy because now the world will begin to know what is a moroccan fact _ begin to know what is a moroccan fact you — begin to know what is a moroccan fact. you can come to support us, and i— fact. you can come to support us, and i am _ fact. you can come to support us, and i am very— fact. you can come to support us, and i am very happy we can give this picture of the fans of morocco. we know picture of the fans of morocco. know lionel picture of the fans of morocco. - know lionel messi will be in that world cup final with a chance to cement his legacy as one of the greats, but whatever happens in that

second semifinal between france and morocco, is going to be a big, big story, and a huge game on sunday. we shall await the outcome, thank you. reports today are really worrying,

and and our heartfelt sympathy goes out to those affected, and we'd love to pay tribute to the rescuers who are involved in saving the lives at sea. ., are involved in saving the lives at sea, ., , , are involved in saving the lives at sea. ., ,, , . sea. your focus is very much humanitarian, _ sea. your focus is very much humanitarian, and _ sea. your focus is very much humanitarian, and concern l sea. your focus is very much l humanitarian, and concern for sea. your focus is very much - humanitarian, and concern for those who are so desperate they pay to get on those boats. the government's focuses on the criminal gangs, and saying it is absolutely wrong that people are getting on these boats, that they are taking people's money in order to make them take these very dangerous crossings. 0bviously very dangerous crossings. obviously there is a crackdown on that with there is a crackdown on that with the force of government. what is your view? the force of government. what is yourview? should the force of government. what is your view? should these boats becoming across the channel at all? we at the refugee council don't agree that people smugglers should have any opportunity to take advantage of vulnerable people. ultimately the biggest issue with

the current approach from the government around this issue is that it is about deterrence and punishment, and fundamentally what today shows is that people who are desperately seeking safety, will take desperate measures, as we all would to keep our families safe. if we don't look at the reasons why people come to the uk, the reasons they are fleeing their countries of origin in the first place, and how we can get people here safely, i am really sorry to say i don't think this will be the last tragedy that we see involving small boats at sea. is there a difficulty in that it is a mixed picture? you talk about fleeing their countries, people seeking safety, and there are clearly many in that situation who are coming this way. there are others who are economic migrants, people government deliberately from albania. the government talks about a third of them being economic

migrants from albania. it's not a straightforward picture as you're describing, is it? you straightforward picture as you're describing, is it?— describing, is it? you are right there is a _ describing, is it? you are right there is a mixed _ describing, is it? you are right there is a mixed picture - describing, is it? you are right there is a mixed picture of - describing, is it? you are right. there is a mixed picture of people who are coming over. what is important to remember is the government's own data which shows 70 cents of people who claim asylum going to be granted asylum, which in effect means that those who ask for protection of given it. i think it is concerning if 100% on the narrative is focused on those people who didn't have a claim for protection, and at the refugee council, we agree that where is there a claim for protection, it should be heard, people should be given a fair hearing on uk soil to claim asylum. where there isn't a claim asylum. where there isn't a claim for asylum, where protection is not found and people should be returned with dignity and with

support and legal advice to the country where they came from. 70% percent, according to the government's own data, are people who are refugees.— let's go back to the news that the cost of buying goods and services in the uk has fallen slightly during november, according to latest figures from the office for national statistics. it is down to 10.7%, down point two down from 11.1%. it is down to 10.7%, down point two down from 11.1%. we can speak to our head of statistics robert cuffe. just run through what the inflation figures are, and what it means to people? figures are, and what it means to --eole? , ., figures are, and what it means to eo le? , ., , people? the first thing to remember is that even — people? the first thing to remember is that even though _ people? the first thing to remember is that even though inflation - people? the first thing to remember is that even though inflation is - is that even though inflation is falling, prices are still rising.

were going slower up the mountain, but the rate of increase is the fastest for 1a years. we think that some of the stuff behind the numbers are looking a bit more positive, for example the cost of fuel looks like it is coming down from the peak, the cost of buying petrol at the pump has come down as well. that has fed into the slight declines that we have seen in recent months. food prices are still going up. those things, are driven by the war, so to give a sense of how long this is going to be hanging around for, it helps to take them out of the figures. i think we can show what that looks like. as you take away

the food and fuel you come to what the food and fuel you come to what the comms core core inflation, it bounces around a lot less, and we see it hasn't reached those same heights. that is showing us that, because it has flattened out, we are not seeing the kind of wage price spiral that people worry about, it is not runaway inflation. it is still a long way from that 2% that we think is a nice target is to be aiming for. the worry may be starting to fall away about this rapid decline in inflation, but we are a long way from that. haifa rapid decline in inflation, but we are a long way from that. how do we com are are a long way from that. how do we compare with — are a long way from that. how do we compare with other— are a long way from that. how do we compare with other countries? - are a long way from that. how do we compare with other countries? of. are a long way from that. how do we compare with other countries? of a i compare with other countries? of a slew there are global factors that we are aware of in this? you slew there are global factors that we are aware of in this?- slew there are global factors that we are aware of in this? you can see how that is — we are aware of in this? you can see how that is played _ we are aware of in this? you can see how that is played out _ we are aware of in this? you can see how that is played out differently -

how that is played out differently and countries, and how responses are. countries measure things slightly differently, but you can see there is a clear difference so let's take them in turn. france has always had a low inflation through this crisis. the government intervened early there to limit the increase is that energy companies could pass onto consumers. the us is also running lower than the uk, but they have had a differentjourney. they were about uk levels but the central bank raised interest rates and tapped on the brakes earlier. they have started to see inflation fall already by that 2%. italy and germany, the levels are higher than us but they have seen the same pattern, sharp rises this year. there is a hint that we may be at a turning point. that is a difficult question for the central bank in the

uk, because do they go as hard as the central bank in america, did they tap the brakes as hard as they have, when there may be some evidence from france, italy and germany, that the rises in inflation may be starting to run out of steam. thank you. loud blasts were heard in the capital, kyiv this morning. air raid siren warning alerts were issued around 20 minutes before the attack and mayor vitali klitschko has told the reuters news agency that russian troops targeted the centre of the city. he also says that ukraine's air defence systems shot down 10 drones. 0ur correspondent hugo bachega has the latest from kyiv. we heard three loud explosions near our hotel here in the city centre. now, it seems that air defence systems here in the capital shot

down more than ten of those drones. and fragments of one of those drones hit two government buildings here in the city centre. as you said, there's no information on casualties and we've just had an update from the administration here in the capital saying that now 13 of those drones have been shot down. so, again, russia is using those iranian—made drones to attack ukraine. for weeks we've been talking about those attacks. russia targeting this country's civilian infrastructure, leaving millions of people without electricity, heating and water as temperatures are below freezing. and earlier this week, president zelensky had warned of the possibility of more russian air strikes. so it seems that this morning we're seeing more attacks, but the authorities are saying that most of the drones that have been fired by russia have been intercepted. and it seems that a fragment of one of those drones hit a government building, but no casualties so far have been reported.

i'm just bringing some news about an increased package of support for ukrainians that have come to the country as a result of the war in ukraine. the new package of support will mean that hosts housing ukrainians will now get £500 a month, that is up from £350 a month, as a thank you for ongoing support. there is also going to be a money for councils in england to acquire housing stock for those fleeing conflict from ukraine and afghanistan, to reduce homelessness. there is going to be this extra support, the government is saying, in recognition of the ongoing cost of living. all sponsors get that

increase in payment for guests who have been in the country for over a year, and the thank you payments was also be extended from 12 months to two years, so that guests who may not yet be ready to move into independent accommodation can stay independent accommodation can stay in sponsorship for longer, where sponsors are willing to extend arrangements. the royal college of nursing will hold its first strike in its 106—year history tomorrow. nurses in england, wales and northern ireland willjoin picket lines in a dispute over pay. they'll still provide emergency care, but patients will be affected. (am! 1 — let's take a look at the situation across the uk. in scotland, walkouts were averted after two nhs unions voted to accept an improved pay offer averaging at 7—point—5 percent — but ballots for other union members are ongoing. health workers from three of northern ireland's biggest unions will take part in the 2a—hour strike. rcn members did walk out over pay in northern ireland in 2019. 53 trusts or services

in england will take part in industrial action for 12 hours tomorrow. talks are continuing on which types of care will be provided after nhs england asked the unions to protect cancer services from strikes. and in wales, nurses in all but one health board will be on strike. as tomos morgan reports. we need to make a stand to preserve the nhs and to ensure the safety of patients. the job has completely changed in the three decades katherine davies has been a nurse and she believes the pressures of the role can't be healed without financial intervention. we are resuscitating patients, we are nursing patients after major surgery and £13 an hour does not reflect the responsibility that somebody has got. yesterday, members of the royal college of midwives in wales, as well as physiotherapy staff here, also voted for industrial action,

meaning more disruption to the health service is on its way. but pay is only one of the reasons behind tomorrow's strike. staff shortages are a key reason behind why industrial action is still taking place tomorrow. in england, there has been a 21% rise in unfilled posts since last year, but in wales, that figure has shot up — there has been a 70% rise since last year in nursing vacancies. the rurality of wales can make filling vacancies harder. but some have other views on why nurses are leaving the nhs. they have left because they don't want the burden and responsibility that was being imposed on them as nhs employees, working on wards that were short—staffed. so they have jumped ship. i honestly can't blame them for doing it. although health is devolved in wales, most welsh government funding for the nhs comes from the uk government. the welsh health minister said she won't raise taxes in order to increase salaries, and nurses' pay can't be

increased until more funds come from westminster. 0n recruitment, however, it's a complex picture. we do have vacancies, but that's an international problem... it's worse here. it has increased, it has got worse here. what we've got in wales is a situation where we work with our social partners, that we have recruited more than we have ever recruited before. as we head into the depths of winter, one that could mean the toughest demands yet on our health service, the future of our nhs here remains fractured and unresolved. tomos morgan, bbc news, cardiff. cows belch huge amounts of methane — which causes global warming — but the problem can be massively reduced with just a pinch of dried seaweed in their feed, as paul murphy reports. as they munch through their winter feed, these lincoln reds are blissfully unaware of the consequences.

it is mainly when they burp that the planet gets more unwanted methane. a lot of people don't realise that methane is 85 times more harmful than c02, and a cow burps enough methane each year — equivalent to a car. methane levels in our atmosphere, seen here in red, are increasing by 1% every year. the gas absorbs heat from the sun and that causes global warming. luke has been working with scientists in scotland to develop a special type of seaweed that reacts in a cow's stomach to reduce emissions. it is creating huge interest in an industry increasingly conscious of its impact on the planet. farming is probably responsible for around 30 plus percent of the global greenhouse emissions, so, therefore, anything we can do to tackle those emissions is really important. 0bviously, livestock is a big part of that. just a sprinkling is enough to make these burping cattle more eco friendly.

that is what is amazing, something so small can have a massive impact. that is what is key, really. we don't want to have tonnes and tonnes of this because, obviously, you want it to be sustainable in both ways. the idea is that we want to incorporate as minimal amount as possible to be able to reduce the emissions they burp. the former university of lincoln student is now trying to scale up his business. he is hoping to use what is called carbon offsetting to eventually offer the seaweed for free to livestock farmers. paul murphy, bbc news, lincoln. there is truth that what damien says, and there is truth that brexit has been poor for the says, and there is truth that brexit has been poorfor the economy, but as we walk onto the global stage, after the pandemic, you can see

internationally, the whole global economic system is in retreat because of what has happened. the fact that post covid, people see the perma crisis taking place, that those opportunities for global trade are shrinking. it is a reality now that trader is increasingly regional and localised, that is something we have to at. one of the reasons i was so against brexit, wasn't particular for any european ideological reasons, was that i knew what was coming. if they the massive tax giveaways they were going to give to the wealthy, that is what brexit was about. deregulation, the edinburgh agreement, which is about deregulation of bankers, that has been a big part of the problem for the last 50 years. you been a big part of the problem for

the last 50 years.— been a big part of the problem for the last 50 years. you might want to resond to the last 50 years. you might want to respond to that. _ the last 50 years. you might want to respond to that. it _ the last 50 years. you might want to respond to that. it was _ the last 50 years. you might want to respond to that. it was rejected... i respond to that. it was rejected... it was rejected by the conservative party itself in the end, liz truss and kwasi kwarteng. {lii party itself in the end, liz truss and kwasi kwarteng. of course, it didn't work— and kwasi kwarteng. of course, it didn't work through _ and kwasi kwarteng. of course, it didn't work through lack - and kwasi kwarteng. of course, it didn't work through lack of - didn't work through lack of communication, through trying to rush of— communication, through trying to rush of them through quickly. it freaked — rush of them through quickly. it freaked out the international markets. is freaked out the international markets. , . ., �* freaked out the international markets. , . . �* markets. is that what brexit was about? what _ markets. is that what brexit was about? what i'm _ markets. is that what brexit was about? what i'm hearing - markets. is that what brexit was about? what i'm hearing from i markets. is that what brexit was - about? what i'm hearing from people who are supporting — about? what i'm hearing from people who are supporting us, _ about? what i'm hearing from people who are supporting us, having - about? what i'm hearing from people who are supporting us, having a - who are supporting us, having a closer_ who are supporting us, having a closer relationship with the eu, pretending there was some sort of amazing _ pretending there was some sort of amazing halcyon days of when they were in _ amazing halcyon days of when they were in the eu, it wasn't, it was rubbish — were in the eu, it wasn't, it was rubbish my— were in the eu, it wasn't, it was rubbish my dad he was a lorry driver, — rubbish my dad he was a lorry driver, what we need to do like other_ driver, what we need to do like other countries who are growing enormously now, as have a long—term futuristic— enormously now, as have a long—term futuristic policy, not short—term thinking — futuristic policy, not short—term thinking and manage decline. that means, _ thinking and manage decline. that means, looking at the biggest economies by 2050, engaging with them, _ economies by 2050, engaging with them, and — economies by 2050, engaging with them, and not being part ofa protectionist system where we can't be fleet _ protectionist system where we can't be fleet of— protectionist system where we can't

be fleet of foot, we can't think for ourselves, — be fleet of foot, we can't think for ourselves, and we can't make policy for britain — ourselves, and we can't make policy for britain. we have given ourselves the tools _ for britain. we have given ourselves the tools to — for britain. we have given ourselves the tools to do it, we have no time to do— the tools to do it, we have no time to do anything with them. come and ask me _ to do anything with them. come and ask me how— to do anything with them. come and ask me how brexit is going in ten years' _ ask me how brexit is going in ten years' time _ ask me how brexit is going in ten years' time-— years' time. i'm still here in ten ears' years' time. i'm still here in ten years' time! _ years' time. i'm still here in ten years' time! let's _ years' time. i'm still here in ten years' time! let's talk _ years' time. i'm still here in ten years' time! let's talk about. years' time. i'm still here in ten| years' time! let's talk about the strikes. this _ years' time! let's talk about the strikes. this morning _ years' time! let's talk about the strikes. this morning there - years' time! let's talk about the strikes. this morning there has| years' time! let's talk about the - strikes. this morning there has been an emergency cobra meeting. this will be about mitigating the impact of strike impacts. this is going on strike, it is pretty historic tomorrow. it will public turn out to be a winter of disruption. let's have a look at the sun front page. talking to mick lynch after prime minister's questions. the mirror... let's have a look at public opinion. the latest poll from its source

shows public opinion is divided when it comes to the rail strikes, 30% in support, 36% opposed. will the current levels for support for the unions hold?— will the current levels for support for the unions hold? yes, i think it will hold, because _ for the unions hold? yes, i think it will hold, because i _ for the unions hold? yes, i think it will hold, because i think- for the unions hold? yes, i think it will hold, because i think people l will hold, because i think people understand they are notjust fighting for having a pay packet that will put food on the table and pay the energy bills which they're going to struggle with, but they are also protecting our public services. the nurses, we are doing it for you. the nurses, we are doing it for you. the strike is notjust about pay. there is the headline on nursing. they, for example train drivers and train staff. they know this will make our railways less safe. it will mean there will be no ticketing offices, it there will be driver only trains, which the government put back on the agenda. that will

mean that your public services, privately owned, will be less reliable, less safe. they are doing this for us as well.— this for us as well. let's have a look at inside _ this for us as well. let's have a look at inside the _ this for us as well. let's have a look at inside the chamber. - this for us as well. let's have a look at inside the chamber. isi this for us as well. let's have a | look at inside the chamber. is it this for us as well. let's have a i look at inside the chamber. is it a strategy by the government to tough it out? the latest inflation figures are slightly down. is it to tough it out until that inflation figure, do they think it has piqued? it is vital at the _ they think it has piqued? it is vital at the root _ they think it has piqued? it is vital at the root of _ they think it has piqued? it 3 vital at the root of this that we drive inflation down. for those who read history books, in the 1970s we accommodated high pay when we had a period of high inflation, because of the oil crisis, and because we did that, we then had ten years of high inflation. the people who suffer most from high inflation are the poon most from high inflation are the poor, so most from high inflation are the car, 5. . most from high inflation are the cor, si .,

most from high inflation are the i poor, s_ inflation poor, so cost of living... inflation has last peaked, _ poor, so cost of living... inflation has last peaked, we _ poor, so cost of living... inflation has last peaked, we hope - poor, so cost of living... inflation has last peaked, we hope so, - poor, so cost of living... inflation has last peaked, we hope so, but poor, so cost of living... inflation . has last peaked, we hope so, but we hope to get it down as fast as possible before it comes endemic. it is notjust about pay, clive is right, it is about conditions as well. exactly the point about driver only trains, there are driver only trains operating on a lot of the trains operating on a lot of the train companies, they are perfectly safe. it is old—fashioned, we keep everything the same. safe. it is old-fashioned, we keep everything the same.— safe. it is old-fashioned, we keep everything the same. let's take that rinci - le, everything the same. let's take that principle. which _ everything the same. let's take that principle, which is, _ everything the same. let's take that principle, which is, is _ everything the same. let's take that principle, which is, is it— everything the same. let's take that principle, which is, is it a _ everything the same. let's take that principle, which is, is it a trade - principle, which is, is it a trade off? if the rmt were to agree to reform, as you would broadly put it, then, do they deserve a better pay offer? i then, do they deserve a better pay offer? ~ then, do they deserve a better pay offer? ,, . ., then, do they deserve a better pay offer? ,, .., ., , ., then, do they deserve a better pay offer? «i .., ., , ., ., offer? i think we could afford a better pay _ offer? i think we could afford a better pay offer _ offer? i think we could afford a better pay offer because - offer? i think we could afford a better pay offer because it - offer? i think we could afford a l better pay offer because it would mean the rail operators were better in the future. the more people that use the trains, the more money we get into the rail system, and the more we can afford to pay the staff. it is relatively simple.— it is relatively simple. what about ublic it is relatively simple. what about public opinion? _ it is relatively simple. what about public opinion? at _ it is relatively simple. what about public opinion? at the _ it is relatively simple. what about public opinion? at the moment i

it is relatively simple. what about public opinion? at the moment it | public opinion? at the moment it looks fairly evenly divided about who they may support, and perhaps who they may support, and perhaps who they may blame for this. do you think that might change, once the disruption has set in for a few weeks? i disruption has set in for a few weeks? «i , , , . disruption has set in for a few weeks? «i ,« weeks? i think why public support has been strong _ weeks? i think why public support has been strong for _ weeks? i think why public support has been strong for these - weeks? i think why public supportj has been strong for these strikes, is because — has been strong for these strikes, is because people resonate with it. they have — is because people resonate with it. they have suffered a decade or more of stagnant _ they have suffered a decade or more of stagnant growth, low growth, and certainly— of stagnant growth, low growth, and certainly low wage growth and real terms _ certainly low wage growth and real terms cuts. they understand it, and they point— terms cuts. they understand it, and they point the finger firmly at the government, second—rate mismanagement, over more than a decade _ mismanagement, over more than a decade. that is where the sympathy is coming _ decade. that is where the sympathy is coming from. and it will be filled — is coming from. and it will be filled their own personal finances are in— filled their own personal finances are in a _ filled their own personal finances are in a better place they will have support _ are in a better place they will have support for— are in a better place they will have support for these people. many of them _ support for these people. many of them got — support for these people. many of them got us through an incredibly dark period over the last couple years _ dark period over the last couple years. queen in my problem with this debate _ years. queen in my problem with this debate about public opinion is that this is— debate about public opinion is that this is what seems to be recovered running _ this is what seems to be recovered running the — this is what seems to be recovered running the government of way too long _ running the government of way too long focus— running the government of way too long. focus groups, polling, the

inconstant — long. focus groups, polling, the inconstant campaign mode, wearing what the _ inconstant campaign mode, wearing what the going to say. nurses have been _ what the going to say. nurses have been chronically underpaid for a been chronically underpaid fora lon- been chronically underpaid for a long time, these talks should have happened — long time, these talks should have happened a long time ago when inflation — happened a long time ago when inflation was at this high. i do believe — inflation was at this high. i do believe that the government can afford _ believe that the government can afford a — believe that the government can afford a lot of these pay rises, the four figures they are putting out our disingenuous. i think the closed—door policy is wrong, it is not mature — closed—door policy is wrong, it is not mature politics. i think trying to curry— not mature politics. i think trying to curry favour with a certain sector— to curry favour with a certain sector of— to curry favour with a certain sector of the electorate is stupid. there _ sector of the electorate is stupid. there is— sector of the electorate is stupid. there is a — sector of the electorate is stupid. there is a big crisis happening now. nurses— there is a big crisis happening now. nurses are — there is a big crisis happening now. nurses are underpaid, people will miss hospital appointment and people can't go _ miss hospital appointment and people can't go home and see their families at christmas get around the table and get _ at christmas get around the table and get this sorted. what at christmas get around the table and get this sorted.— at christmas get around the table and get this sorted. what would be the solution? _ and get this sorted. what would be the solution? the _ and get this sorted. what would be the solution? the government - and get this sorted. what would be the solution? the government said j and get this sorted. what would be i the solution? the government said it is inflationary- _ the solution? the government said it is inflationary. if— the solution? the government said it is inflationary. if you _ the solution? the government said it is inflationary. if you take _ the solution? the government said it is inflationary. if you take that - is inflationary. if you take that money from people you have that money from people you have that money and have that wealth, you take some of that way, i want to tax wealth more, definitely. you take some of that wealth from the economy, either offshore accounts or

saving to a place it here, and then put it in the local economy. you can equalise anything. if you want... the government to talk about £28 billion. it wouldn't cost that much to pay nurses and train drivers. it would take less than that. that would take less than that. that would not be inflation. and train drivers. we are talking about 10 billion.— and train drivers. we are talking about 10 billion. iam sure i am sure the house will share my sorrow at the capsizing of a small boatin sorrow at the capsizing of a small boat in the channel this morning and tragic loss of human life. our hearts go out to those affected and tributes to those involved in the extensive rescue operation. this morning i had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others and in addition to my duties in this house including a visit from his majesty the king and i will have further such meetings.- further such meetings. prime minister. _ further such meetings. prime minister. a —

further such meetings. prime minister, a 3.5 _ further such meetings. prime minister, a 3.5 hour- further such meetings. prime minister, a 3.5 hourjourney i further such meetings. prime - minister, a 3.5 hourjourney takes six hours in a straightjourney ends up six hours in a straightjourney ends up with two changes and a diversion and a train is cancelled at short notice. this has become the experience of a west coast rail passenger. if avanti do not get their act together, will the government cancelled their franchise? abs, government cancelled their franchise?— government cancelled their franchise? , ., , ., franchise? a very popular question. mr speaker. — franchise? a very popular question. mr speaker. l _ franchise? a very popular question. mr speaker, i thank _ franchise? a very popular question. mr speaker, i thank him _ franchise? a very popular question. mr speaker, i thank him for- franchise? a very popular question. mr speaker, i thank him for raising | mr speaker, i thank him for raising this and i share the frustration this and i share the frustration this is causing too many of his and other communities. 0ur priority is to support the restoration of services before they make long—term decisions on the operation of the franchise but we will closely monitor avanti's roll—out of its recovery plan and holding them to account for delivering the passengers. keir starmer. thank you. can ijoin the prime minister. 0ur prayers go out to those who capsized in the

freezing waters of the channel last night. it is a reminder that the criminal gangs running those routes put the lives of the desperate at risk and profit from their misery. they must be broken up and brought tojustice. tomorrow they must be broken up and brought to justice. tomorrow will be the first nationwide nurses strike. all the prime minister has to do to stop thatis the prime minister has to do to stop that is to open the door and discuss pay with them. if you did, the country would breathe a sigh of relief. ~ , ., i ., «i relief. why will he not? mr speaker, we have consistently _ relief. why will he not? mr speaker, we have consistently spoken - relief. why will he not? mr speaker, we have consistently spoken to - relief. why will he not? mr speaker, we have consistently spoken to all. we have consistently spoken to all unions involved in all the pay disputes. i am glad he has raised nurses because they do incredible work. it is worth putting on record what exactly we have done for are nurses. last year, when everyone else in the public sector had a public sector pay freeze, nurses

received a 3% pay rise. when the rcn asked for more in work training we gave every nurse and midwife a £1000 training budget and when they asked for bursaries, we made sure every nursing student received the £5,000 grant, because we do work constructively and will continue to back our nurses.— back our nurses. nurses going on strike is a — back our nurses. nurses going on strike is a badge _ back our nurses. nurses going on strike is a badge of— back our nurses. nurses going on strike is a badge of shame - back our nurses. nurses going on strike is a badge of shame for - back our nurses. nurses going on| strike is a badge of shame for this government. instead of showing leadership he is playing games with people's health. there is a human cast. alex from chester has been waiting for a gall bladder operation almost six months. he is in so much pain he has been off school since then and his operation has already been cancelled twice. his mum is worried sick. when she heard that strikes could be called off, she was

massively relieved. she is desperate for the prime minister to resolve this. all he needs to do is meet the nurses. alex's mum is listening. she does not want to hear him blaming everybody else, she does not want his usual ducking of the question, she is tuned in now because she wants him to explain what he is going to do to resolve the nursing strike. it is not just strike. it is notjust alex, there are millions of others across the country who will have their health care disrupted because of the strike. the honourable gentleman says to get round the table but we know what that means. that is simply a politicalformula know what that means. that is simply a political formula for avoiding taking a position on this issue. if he thinks the strikes are wrong, he should say so. if he thinks it is

right that pay demands of 19% are met, he should say so. what is weak is he is not strong enough to stand up is he is not strong enough to stand up to the unions.— is he is not strong enough to stand up to the unions. order. we know it is christmas — up to the unions. order. we know it is christmas but _ up to the unions. order. we know it is christmas but the _ up to the unions. order. we know it is christmas but the party _ up to the unions. order. we know it is christmas but the party has - up to the unions. order. we know it is christmas but the party has not i is christmas but the party has not started _ is christmas but the party has not started yet. mr- started yet. mr speaker, mr speaker, in 12 started yet. — mr speaker, mr speaker, in 12 hours, there is a nurses strike. all he needs to do is meet the nurses. his inaction speaks volumes. as ever with this prime minister, it is tory politics first, patients second. we have never seen a nurses strike like this before. they have been forced into it because the government has broken the health system. ask anyone in the nhs. they will tell you they

do not have enough staff. 133,000 vacancies. there is an obvious solution. scrap the non—domicile status and use the money to bring through the next generation of doctors and nurses. that is what labour would do. why does he not have the guts to do it? we are already investing billions more in the nhs, we are hiring thousands more doctors and nurses. he asks about backlog and waiting times in the nhs. what he always fails to acknowledge is the impact that covid did. that is why we are facing pressures. we have a plan, notjust more money and doctors and nurses, new diagnostic centres carrying out millions of checks. surgical hubs delivering elective surgery. if we listen to him, the

backlog would still be growing and thatis backlog would still be growing and that is because we would still be in lockdown. abs that is because we would still be in lockdown. . , , . , that is because we would still be in lockdown. i , , ., , ., lockdown. as usual, he tries to blame everyone _ lockdown. as usual, he tries to blame everyone else. - lockdown. as usual, he tries to blame everyone else. his - lockdown. as usual, he tries to - blame everyone else. his department commissioned a report into the nhs that reported on monday. that report said, we have had ten years of managed decline. it was not covid. responsibility is sitting right there. the reason he cannot choose nurses over non—domiciles, a1012 years they have not frayed enough doctors and nurses. we have the absurd situation of the nhs spending billions on agency workers to fill the gap. why should the country have to put up with money that should be spent treating patients being wasted gaps instead? ga ps instead ? let gaps instead ? let me

gaps instead? let me tell him what we are doing. we are listening to the independent pay review bodies. we have offered a fair pay deal. they could not decide on a number amongst themselves. we are protecting the public, they are protecting paymasters. for working people, for working people in this country, it is labour's nightmare before christmas.— before christmas. there he goes aain before christmas. there he goes again pretending _ before christmas. there he goes again pretending everything - before christmas. there he goes again pretending everything is i before christmas. there he goes i again pretending everything is fine. try telling that to those on waiting lists and those who cannot afford to pay for a gp appointment. after 12 years of tory failure, winter has arrived for public services and we have a prime minister who has curled up have a prime minister who has curled up in a balland have a prime minister who has curled up in a ball and gone into hibernation. if he cannot act on behalf of patients, nurses and everyone who wants the strikes

called off, surely the whole country is entitled to ask what is the point of him and what is the point of the government he is supposed to be leading? he talks about covid not having an impact. ambulance waiting times for category one, in february 2020, were completely on target. covid has had an impact. this is why as the chief executive of the nhs has acknowledged, this government is serious about its commitment to prioritise the nhs. let's have a look at the nhs in labour run wales, shall we? the word a&e times in the country, mr speaker. —— the worst a&e times. country, mr speaker. -- the worst a&e times-— a&e times. under the last labour government _ a&e times. under the last labour government we — a&e times. under the last labour government we had _ a&e times. under the last labour government we had fair _ a&e times. under the last labour government we had fair pay - a&e times. under the last labour government we had fair pay for i government we had fair pay for nurses and no strikes. i will not be

taking lectures from him about that. 0rder. taking lectures from him about that. order. you promise to behave. mr speaker, this is the final pmqs of the year so i hope oh, really? what i was going to say was i hope you will pass on our thanks, at least on this side, to those who kept our house and our democracy working. i want to finish this year thinking about our friends in ukraine. as a result of putin's barbaric assault on their freedom, millions will spend christmas in sub zero temperatures without heating, electricity, hot water. their suffering is unimaginable, but their bravery is awe—inspiring. will the prime ministerjoined me in saying whatever difficulties and disagreements we have, we are and

will remain united in our unwavering support for ukraine's freedom, liberty and its victory? can ijoin with the honourable gentleman in thanking and paying tribute to the staff of the house for the fantastic work they do to supporters and i appreciate his comments on ukraine. there has been a point of incredible unity in this house and across the country, something we can all be proud of, that we have stood behind ukraine in its hour of need. and this christmas many families will lay an extra place at their christmas table which speaks to the generosity and compassion of our nation and long may it continue. the a3 connects london to portsmouth through guildford and i was delighted to see the solent freeport announced which will increase traffic. as the road narrows through guildford, the most polluted road in the strategic road network, sticking plasters like pocketing up air

pollution barriers which will entrench divisions in guildford is not acceptable. does he agree with me it is time to think big, time to think long—term and time to tunnel the a3 under guildford? i thank herfor the the a3 under guildford? i thank her for the question. the a3 under guildford? i thank herfor the question. i know this is an issue she has long championed. i am told national highways are developing a range of possibilities and solutions for the a3 through guildford and the department for transport will consider the case that it plans its future infrastructure investments. i wish to join with the prime minister and leader of the opposition in extending my party's thoughts to those involved in the terrible tragedy in the channel this morning. thanks to positive and proactive negotiations between the scottish government and unite and

unison union is, a pay settlement has been reached and strike action averted. by stark contrast, the uk health secretary appears unwilling to negotiate with unions on pay and strike action is very much on the table. may i ask him when he will see the error of his ways and follow the scottish government's lead? i am glad the uk government was able to provide £1.5 billion in extra funding to the scottish government for public services. the health secretary, having engaged fully not just with unions but with an independent pay setting process, which takes the politics out of the process, and ensures we meet those independent requirements with a fair pay deal. independent requirements with a fair -a deal. .,, independent requirements with a fair -a deal. ., , pay deal. those words will ring hollow in the _ pay deal. those words will ring hollow in the ears _ pay deal. those words will ring hollow in the ears of _ pay deal. those words will ring hollow in the ears of those - pay deal. those words will ring i hollow in the ears of those people who unlike the prime minister, going

to waitrose to shop, cannot turn on heating at this moment which is particularly true for people in scotland. average energy bills in scotland. average energy bills in scotland are not anticipated to be £2500 per year but £3300 per year. people are genuinely terrified despite the fact scotland produces six times more gas than we consume with some 80% of electricity coming from low carbon sources. decades of failed uk energy and regulatory policy coming home to roost. is it not the case that scotland has the energy, wejust not the case that scotland has the energy, we just need the power? iam glad i am glad the honourable gentleman raised a question of energy support and it is because of the actions of this government that we are providing every household in this country with around £900 of support with their energy bills this winter, £55 billion worth of support. and on

top of that next year, there will be extra cost of living payments worth up extra cost of living payments worth up to £1,200 for the most vulnerable, whether that is those on mea ns—tested vulnerable, whether that is those on means—tested benefits, pensioners or disabled, this is a government that will always look after the most vulnerable in our society. thank ou, mr vulnerable in our society. thank you, mr speaker. _ vulnerable in our society. thank you, mr speaker. as _ vulnerable in our society. thank you, mr speaker. as my - vulnerable in our society. thank you, mr speaker. as my right i you, mr speaker. as my right honourable friend will know, the mayor of london, despite objections, has decided to expand the ulez zones across boroughs, which will effect my constituents. will he speak to the transport secretary and encourage him to use the powers at his disposal to reverse this disastrous decision?- his disposal to reverse this disastrous decision? well, my honourable — disastrous decision? well, my honourable friend _ disastrous decision? well, my honourable friend will - disastrous decision? well, my honourable friend will know i honourable friend will know transport in london is devolved to the labour mayor of london, but it is disappointing that the mayor, backed by the leader of the opposition, is choosing not to listen to the public. zone is being

expanded against the overwhelming views of residents and businesses, and i urgently consider the mayor and i urgently consider the mayor and the gentleman opposite to be on the side of hard—working londoners. can i share our thoughts and prayers are with the families and victims of those who in the channel? a0% of cancer patients now wait more than two months for treatments, after an urgent referral from a two months for treatments, after an urgent referralfrom a gp. that two months for treatments, after an urgent referral from a gp. that is the highest proportion on record and way above the government's bone cancer waiting target. i lost both my parents to answer as a child —— own cancer. like many people across the country and in this house, i know the devastating impact of treatment delays in cancer patients and their families. treatment delays in cancer patients and theirfamilies. so i would like to ask the prime minister two questions. first, can he give a cast—iron guarantee that the

dreadful cancer backlog won't get any worse? and second, when will the government meet its own cancer target? mr government meet its own cancer taret? i ., «i government meet its own cancer tariet? i ., «i government meet its own cancer tar et? i ,, ., «i ., , government meet its own cancer tariet? i ., , target? mr speaker, i am very sorry to hear about — target? mr speaker, i am very sorry to hear about the _ target? mr speaker, i am very sorry to hear about the right _ target? mr speaker, i am very sorry to hear about the right honourable i to hear about the right honourable gentleman's parents, i am sure many others across this house, our families have been tragically affected by what cancer does and he is right to raise the importance of meeting our targets. what i am able to tell him is we are experiencing very high numbers of cancer referrals following the pandemic, he will be aware of that. but thanks to the billy work of our nhs staff, cancer treatment rates in the most recent work for which we have data are now back at pre—pandemic levels —— the brilliant work. with a plan for them to increase further. and the nhs recently announced plans to fast—track patients direct to answer tests rather than waiting for specialist consultation firstly these measures will make a difference and i look forward to updating on them in the new year.

with the closure of the last bank in cheadle, yet another of my local communities has been left totally bereft of a high street banking service so i was pleased when i heard the announcement cheadle was to get a banking hub. unfortunately, that delight was short—lived, on close inspection, i saw it was in staffordshire, cheadle. would my right honourable friend agree with me my constituents also need access to money and banking facilities to protect businesses and support our high street? and will he support our local calls for post office banking hubs? mi; local calls for post office banking hubs? i, .,., ., local calls for post office banking hubs? i, ., ., ., , , ., hubs? my honourable friend is a fantastic champion _ hubs? my honourable friend is a fantastic champion for _ hubs? my honourable friend is a fantastic champion for cheadle i hubs? my honourable friend is a | fantastic champion for cheadle in greater manchester. she will know that the financial services and markets bill will establish a legislative framework for protecting access to money and firms are already working to provide shared

services like bank cards. but what i would encourage my honourable friend to do is encourage her to contact link, to undertake an independent survey and determine if shared facilities are appropriate. mr facilities are appropriate. ii speaker, my constituents sharon has an 11—year—old daughter who suffers from eating disorders and severe anorexia. she was forced to spend a yearin anorexia. she was forced to spend a year in hospital in sheffield a0 miles away because there were no beds in leeds for children with those eating disorders. this, mr speaker, is completely unacceptable. so will the prime minister now, to ensuring that nhs mental health provision for young people is dramatically improved, so that no other family has to ever again suffer similar trauma? flan other family has to ever again suffer similar trauma?- other family has to ever again suffer similar trauma? can i say to sharon and — suffer similar trauma? can i say to sharon and her _ suffer similar trauma? can i say to sharon and her family _ suffer similar trauma? can i say to sharon and her family i _ suffer similar trauma? can i say to sharon and her family i am - suffer similar trauma? can i say to sharon and her family i am sorry i sharon and herfamily i am sorry about what she has experienced, the

honourable gentleman takes an excellent point, mental health funding is increasing to ensure parity of service and he is right to raise the issue of eating disorders, provision is expanding for this, 2,000 more children were given the treatment and advice and support they needed last year and there are plans to go further because it is an issue that needs tackling.- issue that needs tackling. thank ou, mr issue that needs tackling. thank you, mr speaker. _ issue that needs tackling. thank you, mr speaker. police - issue that needs tackling. thank i you, mr speaker. police constable nicola hughes and pc fiona bone were savagely murdered in manchester on duty a decade ago. nicola's dad brain is my constituents who lives in marsden, he was in parliament again last week —— dad brynn is my constituents. continuing his campaign for emergency workers and police officers who die on duty to be awarded the elizabeth medal posthumously. does my right honourable friend agree with me and brynn that now is the time to

commemorate and to honour our brave police officers and emergency service workers who make the ultimate sacrifice by awarding posthumously the elizabeth medal? i thank my honourable friend for his question and i think his constituent brynn for his campaigning. every life lost in the line of duty is a tragedy and we remember the lives and service of pcs nicola hughes and fiona bone. we are determined to ensure the sacrifice of police officers and other public service officers and other public service officers make is recognised and we are carefully considering the best and most appropriate ways to do this. i . .,, , , and most appropriate ways to do this. across these islands, people are suffering _ this. across these islands, people are suffering because _ this. across these islands, people are suffering because of _ this. across these islands, people are suffering because of the - are suffering because of the woefully inadequate policies of this uk tory government. they have crashed the economy, left millions in fear of the cold this winter and they are stoking division of the striking workers rather than negotiating their pay deals. why is it that the only people that can

rely on this prime minister are questionable ppe suppliers in the house of lords, bankers and people getting taxpayers hand—outs to defend their party through covid? mr speaker, the only people stoking division in our united kingdom are the party opposite. division in our united kingdom are the party opposite-— the party opposite. question 12, sir. mr speaker, _ the party opposite. question 12, sir. mr speaker, our _ the party opposite. question 12, sir. mr speaker, our priorities i the party opposite. question 12, i sir. mr speaker, our priorities are irowth, sir. mr speaker, our priorities are growth, investing _ sir. mr speaker, our priorities are growth, investing in _ sir. mr speaker, our priorities are growth, investing in public- sir. mr speaker, our priorities are i growth, investing in public services and giving businesses the confidence they need to invest, i look forward to discussing this with the mayor of the west midlands. mr to discussing this with the mayor of the west midlands.— to discussing this with the mayor of the west midlands. mr speaker, when m riiht the west midlands. mr speaker, when my right honourable _ the west midlands. mr speaker, when my right honourable friend _ the west midlands. mr speaker, when my right honourable friend the - the west midlands. mr speaker, when my right honourable friend the prime minister recently visited the national mum or an arboretum, he was slightly late. but i don't blame him because he had to come by road —— national memorial. my friend the mayor of the west midlands is supporting an extension of the cross

city line from birmingham using an existing freight line to make it into a rail service to the national memorial arboretum and beyond. so may i ask my right honourable friend, would he revisit the national mall arboretum again, see the armed forces memorial and also come to lichfield and see why we need a leisure centre? —— national memorial arboretum. need a leisure centre? —— national memorialarboretum. i need a leisure centre? -- national memorial arboretum.— memorial arboretum. i would be deli i hted memorial arboretum. i would be delighted to _ memorial arboretum. i would be delighted to come _ memorial arboretum. i would be delighted to come and _ memorial arboretum. i would be delighted to come and visit - memorial arboretum. i would be delighted to come and visit the i delighted to come and visit the national memorial arboretum again, see my friend and the fantastic mayor of the west midlands andy street to discuss his plans for growth and opportunity in the region. mr growth and opportunity in the reiion. i ., «i , growth and opportunity in the reiion. i , ., region. mr speaker, it is now well over three — region. mr speaker, it is now well over three years _ region. mr speaker, it is now well over three years since _ region. mr speaker, it is now well over three years since the - over three years since the conservatives promised the end of no—fault evictions. enfield has the highest rate of section 21 evictions in london. 30 families in my

constituency in the last month alone were made homeless as a result of section 21. i have families sat in my office trying to keep warm as we try to find them emergency accommodation. will the prime minister scrap this shameful legislation? if so, when? mr speaker. — legislation? if so, when? mr speaker, the honourable lady will know we have announced plans to do that and we await parliamentary time. it is not the only thing we are doing to protect renters, we have passed legislation already to protect tenants from rip—off these and we have capped holding deposits because we want to make sure renters do have the protections they require and they have decent homes to rent. small modular reactors are hugely part of ourfuture small modular reactors are hugely part of our future energy needs and this conservative government realises that when it awarded rolls—royce nuclear section based on

my constituency a grant of 210 thousand pounds for development, but there is no clarity plan for moving from development to deployment, will the prime minister come with me to meet rolls—royce to discuss how to move things forward and ensure the uk benefits from this exciting opportunity?— uk benefits from this exciting o-iortuni ?~ , ., ., .,, opportunity? well, my honourable friend makes _ opportunity? well, my honourable friend makes an _ opportunity? well, my honourable friend makes an excellent - opportunity? well, my honourable friend makes an excellent point, i opportunity? well, my honourable i friend makes an excellent point, i'm delighted government has awarded £210 million to rolls—royce as a mark last year for research and development, this does have the potential to benefit the uk and support our energy and climate goals and i look forward to updates and working with my honourable friend to see this fantastic new technology to coming life. see this fantastic new technology to comini life. ~ , see this fantastic new technology to coming life-— see this fantastic new technology to comini life. ~ , .., , ., coming life. when my constituent who has dementia — coming life. when my constituent who has dementia was _ coming life. when my constituent who has dementia was taken _ coming life. when my constituent who has dementia was taken ill _ coming life. when my constituent who has dementia was taken ill recently, i has dementia was taken ill recently, it took three hours for an ambulance to arrive. he then spent ten hours in the back of an ambulance outside a&e queueing to get in and the doctor said, a&e queueing to get in and the doctorsaid, i a&e queueing to get in and the doctor said, i am so sorry we are treating you out of the back of a

truck. as we have heard, king's fund has said the government has presided over a decade of neglect, of managed decline in the nhs, so is it not the prime minister are not that doctor who should be apologising? mr speaker, that same king's fund report also acknowledged there was a0% more funding going into the nhs under this conservative government —— and not the doctor, who should be apologising. that funding needs to make a difference so this winter, half £1 billion is being deployed to move people out of hospital beds into social care to speed up those discharges, specifically so ambulances will not be queueing as much as they currently are and that money is already making a difference on the ground. money is already making a difference on the ground-— on the ground. thank you, mr speaker. _ on the ground. thank you, mr speaker. the _ on the ground. thank you, mr speaker, the community - on the ground. thank you, mr speaker, the community in i on the ground. thank you, mr i speaker, the community in kings hurst i represent has suffered an unimaginable tragedy earlier this week with four children falling through that ice. three of the children sadly did not survive and a six—year—old is fighting for his life. they and their families are in my thoughts and prayers. will my

right honourable friend pay tribute to the community in kings hurst which has come together and supporting each other to get through this tragedy and will he recognise the heroic effort of the emergency services including the police officer used his bare hand to break through the ayes and jumped into the water, risking their own lives to save the young children? i water, risking their own lives to save the young children? i thank my honourable friend _ save the young children? i thank my honourable friend and _ save the young children? i thank my honourable friend and can _ save the young children? i thank my honourable friend and can i - save the young children? i thank my honourable friend and can i send i save the young children? i thank my honourable friend and can i send my condolences to the family and friends of all of those who lost their lives. they also join friends of all of those who lost their lives. they alsojoin him in paying tribute to our emergency services for their incredibly selfless actions. this event has completely shocked the local community and i know my honourable friend will continue to do all he can to support his constituents at this difficult time. this can to support his constituents at this difficult time.— this difficult time. this year, the tory party _ this difficult time. this year, the tory party has — this difficult time. this year, the tory party has given _ this difficult time. this year, the tory party has given us - this difficult time. this year, the tory party has given us five i tory party has given us five education secretaries, four chancellors, three prime ministers, two leadership coups. and mr

speaker, the partridge has had to sell the pear tree to pay the gas bill. so mr speaker, is it not the case that after a year of tory chaos, incompetence and self—indulgence, the best christmas present the prime minister could give to the british people is a general election? mr give to the british people is a general election? give to the british people is a ieneral election? i ,,, ., «i , general election? mr speaker... they are ha- iier general election? mr speaker... they are happier with _ general election? mr speaker... they are happier with that _ general election? mr speaker... they are happier with that than _ general election? mr speaker... they are happier with that than before, i are happier with that than before, mr speaker. all i would say, when it comes to what the british people need this christmas, mr speaker, in order to ease the disruption on their lives, the best thing that the party opposite could do is tell their union bosses to call off these damaging strikes.

after the second world war, winston churchill sent british conservative lawyers to help to draft the european convention on human rights, which we can be proud of in this country. in an age of mass migration echr is now limiting liability to control our borders. in light of the tragedy in the channel this morning, does he agree he should do as churchill did and draft a new framework for refugees and human rights, including legal roots. we must be prepared to leave the echr one way or another. mr speaker, as i told the house yesterday, _ one way or another. mr speaker, as i told the house yesterday, the i one way or another. mr speaker, as i told the house yesterday, the new. told the house yesterday, the new legislation will deliver a system whereby a person who comes here illegally will have no right to stay and will be removed to their own

country or a safe third country alternative. that is the system the british people want and that is the system we will deliver and i look forward to hearing whether the party opposite will support it. ibss opposite will support it. 35.3 temperatures opposite will support it. ”; temperatures are opposite will support it. ji; temperatures are plummeting and opposite will support it. 3; temperatures are plummeting and the cost—of—living crisis deepening, ordinary families face a dickensian nightmare this christmas. mortgage bills are soaring, repossessions are up bills are soaring, repossessions are up and almost half a million tenants face the threat of eviction after falling behind on rent. too many people are worrying about where they and their children will wake up on christmas morning. will he agreed to a temporary ban over the festive period on repossessions and evictions so that no one has to live in fear of losing their home this christmas? we provide a range of support to homeowners and tenants in difficulty. the most important thing we are doing to support them through winter is by providing almost £900

of support with energy bills on top of support with energy bills on top of all the additional support for those most vulnerable including pensioners. that demonstrates the actions of the government to help the country get through a challenging time. the country get through a challenauintime. ., ., ., . ',':ii challenging time. tomorrow, at 9.30, ou will challenging time. tomorrow, at 9.30, you will need — challenging time. tomorrow, at 9.30, you will need the _ challenging time. tomorrow, at 9.30, you will need the house _ challenging time. tomorrow, at 9.30, you will need the house and _ challenging time. tomorrow, at 9.30, you will need the house and a - you will need the house and a one—minute silence to mark 80 years since the british government recognised that the holocaust was taking place in nazi occupied europe. as we mark the moment, will hejoin me in praising the holocaust educational trust and the extraordinary survivors who continue to do amazing work ensuring the next generation understand and learn lessons from the past? bf} generation understand and learn lessons from the past?— generation understand and learn lessons from the past? 80 years ago, parliament listened _ lessons from the past? 80 years ago, parliament listened in _ lessons from the past? 80 years ago, parliament listened in stunned - parliament listened in stunned silence as the truth of the holocaust was spoken in this house for the first time so it is right that you, mr speaker, leader moment of silence where we stand together

to reaffirm that truth. ijoin my honourable friend in paying tribute to the holocaust educational trust and it cannot be more fitting that britain's holocaust memorial and learning centre should be built next to parliament. we should never forget the holocaust and we will stamp out anti—semitism and prejudice in all its forms. fiur prejudice in all its forms. our county borough _ prejudice in all its forms. oi" county borough council launched a hardship fund to help those most in need in our borough. does he think it right that local authorities are forced to cover the costs of 12 years of economic mismanagement by the tory government? what years of economic mismanagement by the tory government?— the tory government? what he fails to acknowledge _ the tory government? what he fails to acknowledge is _ the tory government? what he fails to acknowledge is because - the tory government? what he fails to acknowledge is because of- the tory government? what he fails to acknowledge is because of the i to acknowledge is because of the actions of this uk government, not only are we supporting people in wales and across the uk with help with energy bills, we have provided £i.2 with energy bills, we have provided £1.2 billion of extra funding for

the welsh government to give to local authorities support constituents and he would do well to acknowledge the benefits of the uk and actions of the uk government. we have a record 4000 newly qualified doctors training to bgps which is excellent but we have an issue with retention, which is made worse in areas like mine that have high housing growth. as the son of a gb, what will the prime minister do to fix this? i know this is an issue my honourable friend has championed for a long time and he is right to do so. we have record numbers of gps in training and we are making sure we support primary care appointments and access and i know the health secretary and chancellor are looking at how best to increase retention particularly with regard to pensions.

in a written response from the dwp it was confirmed an unpaid carers are earning more than £132 a week in theirjob are classed as being in gainful employment and as a result loses the carer�*s allowance of £69 a week. caring never stops. loses the carer�*s allowance of £69 a week. caring neverstops. can loses the carer�*s allowance of £69 a week. caring never stops. can he explain the rationale behind the decision given we are trying to get economically inactive people back to work? and can he explain why it is the government position £132 a week is enough to live on? can i first start by paying tribute to those who give up so much of their time to care for others. i am delighted the government is supporting the honourable member's build that will give a week of flexible paid leave to those carers and i am grateful she is taking it forward. it is a means tested benefit part of many benefits to

support people and right now there is support in place for people through christmas with the energy us that brings us to the final pmg is a 2022, dominated by the issue of strikes. we can welcome our guests for this part of the programme. for the government, the a search and rescue operation is continuing. we expect to hear from the home secretary shortly on that. yesterday the prime minister spoke about immigration in the commons. it is of course the remit of the home secretary to speak about that. rishi sunak made that speech because it is

an area that he has said is one of his top priorities, getting a grip on the number of asylum claims, the back love of asylum claims, well over 100,000 waiting to have their claims processed. parties were familiar. rishi sunak making his argument you have to have independent pay review bodies and if they have value you have to honour what they say. and teasing keir starmer about what he precisely is saying and what tragedy there have been four fatalities. there saying and what tragedy there have been fourfatalities. there is saying and what tragedy there have been four fatalities. there is a multi—agency response to this terrible tragedy. his majesty's coastguard, rnli, southeast ambulance, ministry of defence, police and border force, together with french vessels, commercial

fishing vessels and contractors have responded. this morning, i have spoken to border force officials based at dover, manston, involved in the search and rescue effort. i have also spoken to my french counterpart, the interior minister. a full statement will be provided to the house in due course, once the facts have been fully established, and the necessary investigative work completed. i know that everyone in the house and across this country willjoin in expressing our profound sadness and deepest sympathies for everyone affected by this terrible event. i know they will also join me in offering our profound gratitude to those working on the search and rescue operation. that very much includes those who are responding to

the incident, the team is working tirelessly with military colleagues and other partners, day in, day out, to try to prevent this type of tragedy. they are undertaking immensely difficult work, and we should be extremely grateful to them. mr speaker, these are the days that we dread. crossing the channel in unseaworthy vessels, is a lethally dangerous endeavour. it is for this reason, above all, that we are working so hard to destroy the business model of the people smugglers. evil, organised criminals, who treat human beings as cargo. as the prime minister told house only yesterday, it is not cruel or unkind, to want to break the stranglehold of the criminal gangs who trade in human misery, and

to exploit our system and laws. he was right. this morning's tragedy, like the loss of 27 people on one november day last year, is the most sobering reminder possible of why we have to end these crossings. we recently agreed the largest ever small boats deal with france, with more patrolling the beaches, uk and french officers working together in both countries. the calais group of northern european nations, works to disrupt trafficking and smuggling all along the migration route, and has set an ambition for an eads kick klima uk eu, we welcomed 450,000 people from all across the world by safe and legal route, making these dangerous crossings totally unnecessary. it was evident we had

to go much further, which is why the prime minister announced a new package yesterday. it includes a new, permanent, unified small boats operational command, bringing together the military, civilian capabilities, and the national crime agency. it will coordinate intelligence, interception, processing and enforcement, using advanced technology including drones. we are adding more than 700 new staff and doubling the funding for the nca to tackle organised immigration crime. the prime minister announced yesterday a new agreement with albania. for the first time, border force officers will be embedded in tirana airport, helping to disrupt organised crime groups. early next year we will introduce new legislation to make it unambiguously clear that if someone

comes to the uk illegally, they should not be able to remain here. instead they can expect to be detained and swiftly returned, either to their home country, or to a safe country, where their claim for asylum will be considered. late or spurious claims at appeals will not be possible, and once someone has been removed, they will have no right to re—entry, settlement or citizenship. this will act as a deterrent, and it will save lives. as we grip illegal migration, we will create more safe and legal groups, working with the unhrcr, and introducing a national quota, to determine capacity. mr speaker, it isn't true that our capacity is

limitless. we are already spending millions on hotels every day. people do not need to seek asylum if they are already in a safe country. it is vital, literally vital, that we end the illegal crossings in the channel. i commend the statement to the house. this is distressing news, and all of our thoughts and prayers would be those _ our thoughts and prayers would be those who — our thoughts and prayers would be those who have lost their lives, and their families and friends, who have lost loved _ their families and friends, who have lost loved ones in the icy waters of the channel. i think in two of those who are _ the channel. i think in two of those who are receiving support and medical— who are receiving support and medical assistants, who may have been _ medical assistants, who may have been rescued as well. all of this

will give — been rescued as well. all of this will give our thanks to the brave responders and rescuers in the border— responders and rescuers in the border force, and the rnli, responders and rescuers in the borderforce, and the rnli, and in the french— borderforce, and the rnli, and in the french authorities. mnd, emergency services and in french authorities. responding not just a to this awful, awful tragedy, but also who do such heroic work every single day. it is only because of their brave work that more lives have not been lost. it was barely more than a year ago that 27 lives were lost. that was when a boat went down. all of us have warned, feared that it was just a matter of time before more lives were lost. it is of course why the uk and france both need to act, to stop these dangerous boat crossing. the brutal truth as well as a criminal gangs have made money from the lives lost today.

they have profited as people have drowned. day after day, week after week, criminal gangs are putting lives at risk for money. the other brutal truth is that far from stopping those criminal gangs, those gangs have grown and grown. the uk and french governments and authorities have failed to stop the criminal and smuggling gangs proliferating around the channel. they have created a multi—million billion pounds industry would lives at state and the action against the gangs has been too weak. i have been barely any prosecutions or convictions and barely any inroads into the smuggler gangs. just three convictions for people smuggling, a month at a time when tens of thousands of lives are being put at risk each month. which is why we

have long called for a long time for a major boost to the national crime agency, because we do need major action and yesterday, the prime minister announced an increase for the national crime agency. i am glad that he has made progress on this, but can be home secretary clarify what does it mean in practice? how much additionalfunding what does it mean in practice? how much additional funding will there be in practice for the national crime agency? how much specifically for the action on the smuggler gangs? how many additional full—time staff will there be? and what is the sense of scale on this? because i fear still that this is too low and this is too little, given the scale of the problem we face. yesterday the prime minister offered a small book command. how is this the command that has been in operation for some time? will it be

led by commander dan cumani, will it be the office or mod in charge? is it correct that people have been told there will be standing down on the 31st of january? has the 40% promised increase in patrol started yet and when will it? was this approach picked up as a result of increased surveillance benchmark if it was not, what was the reason for that? the home secretary has also referred to two safety boots and shoes pressed select committee on a lack of safe routes for children trying to unite with family in the uk. when will she be taking action to address that to prevent children seeking to rejoin family in the uk, making desperate journeys? seeking to rejoin family in the uk, making desperatejourneys? and she referred to the prime minister's statement yesterday. can she clarify, we have also called for a

fast track to save countries and for the backdrop to be cleared. the prime minister said they set a personal target of 117,000 cases to be cleared by the end of next year. number ten later said that target was 92,000. could she again confirm which of those it is? the responsibility for their lives that have been lost in the channel lies with the criminal gangs. they need to be caught, they need to be prosecuted, they need to be jailed for the loss of life in the cold sea and for a comprehensive action. we gathered in this housejust and for a comprehensive action. we gathered in this house just over a year ago to lament the loss of 27 lives. none of us want to do so again, none of us want to be here again, none of us want to be here again, that is why we need action before more lives are lost in peril on the sea. before more lives are lost in peril on the sea-— before more lives are lost in peril on the sea. . ~ ~ .~ on the sea. thank you, mr speaker. to date this —

on the sea. thank you, mr speaker. to date this data _ on the sea. thank you, mr speaker. to date this data demonstrates - on the sea. thank you, mr speaker. to date this data demonstrates our| to date this data demonstrates our sympathy for the victims and the families of this deadly and tragic incident. it is a day to express gratitude to our hard—working emergency services, border force and search and rescue and colleagues at this moment are conducting an operation in the channel in very difficult and challenging circumstances. the right honourable lady thatcher a few points and i want to respond to some of those in detail. the small boats operational command is going to be a new operational command that the prime minister announced yesterday as part of our plan to go further as part of our action to take to stop the boats crossing the channel. this means we are setting up a new ho. small boats operational command border force will bring our channel and processing operations under a single home office, and with military

support, with specialist planning and operational advice. as part of this who will bring in the air and maritime capabilities, including drones, land—based radar, fixed wing aircraft and we will be more than doubling our current permanent staffing levels with 100 new staff at hq and over 600 new operational staff based at dover. that is a sign that we are strengthening our resolve, we are strengthening our world and we are strengthening our efforts to do whatever it takes, as the prime minister has pledged, to stop the boats crossing the channel. it will improve our intelligence and information sharing with the french, it will improve and build on the cooperation that we have with partners in france. the deal that was signed last month with colleagues in france is a big step forward in our cross—channel cooperation, because we share a

common challenge. and that arrangement will see more dangerous and unnecessary crossings being prevented. last year, ourjoint efforts prevented over 23,000 unnecessary journeys. efforts prevented over 23,000 unnecessaryjourneys. to date this year, that number is 31,000. that in itself is insufficient, but it is a step in the right direction and the agreement that we have struck afresh with the french will go further to enhance ourjoint working. she mentions safe and routes. since 2015, we have made it possible for 450,000 people to come here via safe and routes. that is a record of which i am immensely proud. those are people who have come from countries like ukraine, syria, afghanistan. they are people who have come from all over the world directly from cases of danger,

including via the uk resettlement scheme, where people have been selected by the un refugee agency is from countries, including ethiopia, iraq, sudan, eritrea, somalia, south sudan and yemen. so we will extend safe and legal response we have dealt with the appalling people smuggling gangs risking people's lives, as we have seen this morning. and lastly, she talks about our track record on this issue. this government will not stop until we have seen progress, until people understand that taking this journey is not safe, it is not lawful and it will not give them to a better life in the united kingdom. there are millions of people around the world who are free conflict and poverty and who seek a better life

elsewhere. our capacity in this country is not infinite. we cannot accept everybody who wishes to come to this country. that is a reality of the world and it is a reality of life. the other party would suggest otherwise. i hope that she willjoin us in our strength and resolve to stop this problem by supporting our measures and supporting our legislation next year. i measures and supporting our legislation next year.- measures and supporting our legislation next year. i echo the sympathies _ legislation next year. i echo the sympathies of _ legislation next year. i echo the sympathies of the _ legislation next year. i echo the sympathies of the home - legislation next year. i echo the i sympathies of the home secretary legislation next year. i echo the - sympathies of the home secretary and the tribute to the rescue services and frankly it is a miracle that no lives have been lost in british territorial waters and that is a tribute to the professionalism of the border force and the rnli and the border force and the rnli and the coast and coastguard and others. the dow, the blood is on the criminal gangs responsible for this tragedy. the best thing would be for those pros not to leave shaw in the first place. can she update the house about any progress she is having discussions with her french

counterpart which will persuade them either to intercept those boats if they get into the water and bring they get into the water and bring the passengers back to french land for when they started? or when they do intercept people on the beach is about to get into boats, that they are arrested and detained rather than set and allowed to try again the following night? that is the only thing that is going to stop this immediately, as we need it to happen. mt; this immediately, as we need it to ha en. y this immediately, as we need it to hauen. y ., ., happen. my right honourable friend is riaht happen. my right honourable friend is ri . ht and happen. my right honourable friend is right and i— happen. my right honourable friend is right and i am _ happen. my right honourable friend is right and i am very _ happen. my right honourable friend is right and i am very proud - happen. my right honourable friend is right and i am very proud of - happen. my right honourable friend is right and i am very proud of the l is right and i am very proud of the new agreement that we have struck with our french colleagues in this regard and already there has been progress. in the last few weeks there have been the initial deployments of embedded officers under the deal, with a first for the primers for christmas. the joint headquarters function is up and running regular operational planning meetings between the uk and french law enforcement and intelligence agencies. we are working together with french partners to achieve a

calais group agreement that was struck last week to deepen our intelligence cooperation with near neighbours. intelligence cooperation with near neighbours— intelligence cooperation with near neiuhbours. . ~' , . neighbours. thank you very much, much of deputy — neighbours. thank you very much, much of deputy speaker. - neighbours. thank you very much, much of deputy speaker. i - neighbours. thank you very much, much of deputy speaker. i want i neighbours. thank you very much, much of deputy speaker. i want to pay tribute to my honourable friend from cumbernauld because he fulfilled this role before me. deputy speaker, i am my snp colleagues send our condolences to the families and friends of those four reported to have died in the early hours of this morning and hope it will be possible for those wretched dude to make a full recovery. we give thanks to all those involved in such perishing legal conditions and those still searching in the channel. we want to end these crosses, everybody does, but the reality is, that while safe and do not exist, and 4p people wait

there to hear about the incident with the — there to hear about the incident with the boat sinking in the channel _ with the boat sinking in the channel. four have died, 43 people have been— channel. four have died, 43 people have been rescued. like another cold day for us today, still some clout in southern parts but has been more sunshine around elsewhere. over the next few days we will continue to see some sunshine. it is going to be cold, frosty, and potentially icy. most of those snow showers will continue to pile in a northern parts of scotland, where at the moment we still have strong winds. significant falls over the hills. a few wintry showers coming in to northern ireland, may be running into north—eastern parts of england. this is where we like to find some icy conditions. mist and fog for a while in the midlands, likely clearing by the end of the night, and with clear skies, temperatures will be down to —7 in glasgow. some winter sunshine though for many others, and a dry day as

well, but a few wintry showers keep going in northern ireland, north—east england, down towards lincolnshire. most of the snow continues to fall in northern parts of scotland. it may not be as windy on thursday, but it is still going to be cold, those temperatures struggling to get to around two or three degrees. the northerly wind is easing, and into the cold air, we have this feature coming in from the atlantic. that is going to bring some disruptive weather to scotland. there will be quite a bit of snow, especially over hills and the central belt, and it will be quite icy as well. for northern ireland, for the rest of england and wales, there will be some sunshine, may be a few wintry showers, but also those temperatures struggling up to around 24 degrees. in that snow it will be treacherous in some parts of scotland. heading into the weekend and we are still in cold air, but signs of change as the goes on. we start to see a southerly wind picking up ahead of this weather system pushing in from the atlantic.

it is reaching into colder air, so for a while there could be some snow overnight which should then turn back to rain. get a south—westerly wind that will pick up, that brings in much milder air, and pushes away all that cold weather as well. quite all that cold weather as well. quite a change in temperatures from saturday to sunday, but for a while there could be some snow before it turns terrain, and by the time we are into monday, temperatures could be as high as 14 degrees. it is a change from what we have seen over the past couple of weeks. you can keep up—to—date by looking at our bbc weather app. goodbye.

today at one — four people have died today at one — four people have died and 43 others have been rescued and 43 others have been rescued after a boat carrying migrants got after a boat carrying migrants got into difficulties in the channel. into difficulties in the channel. some of those rescued had to be some of those rescued had to be pulled from the water pulled from the water just off the kent coast. just off the kent coast. these are the days that we dread. these are the days that we dread. crossing the channel in unseaworthy crossing the channel in unseaworthy vessels is a lethally dangerous vessels is a lethally dangerous endeavour. endeavour. we'll have the very latest. we'll have the very latest. also this lunchtime. also this lunchtime. inflation falls slightly, inflation falls slightly, but the cost of living still remains but the cost of living still remains close to a 40—year high. close to a 40—year high. a second day of strike action a second day of strike action by rail workers sees by rail workers sees travellers, stay at home. travellers, stay at home.

at the world cup, high hopes for morocco's fans as their team