today at six: tens of thousands of nurses across england, wales and northern ireland take strike action in a dispute over pay. what we want? fair pay! braving the cold to make their case — members of the royal college of nursing say right now it's hard to attract and retain nurses better pay, better staffing. just simple improvements to quality of life would be nice for nurses. we feel so strongly that nurses coming through the ranks, and qualifying, just coming through with so much debt that they are then leaving the profession in droves. but the government says the union's pay demands are unaffordable.

we'll have the latest. also on the programme... interest rates rise again by another 0.5% to 3.5% — as the bank of england says rising prices may have peaked. two young brothers and their cousin are named as three of the four boys who died after falling into an icy lake in the west midlands. and he says he was screamed at by his brother, she says she considered taking her own life — the latest revelations from harry and meghan�*s netflix series and coming up in sportsday later in the hour on the bbc news channel... we will be live in qatar. after france's win last night against morocco, we have the dream final. they will be facing argentina. good evening. tens of thousands of nurses in england are on strike for the first time in the history

of the nhs in a dispute about pay. there are also strikes in wales and northern ireland — with members of the royal college of nursing union wanting a i9% payrise. the government has called this demand unaffordable. emergency care, and critical services such as chemotherapy and kidney dialysis, are being maintained. and not everywhere is being affected by strike action. in england, 44 of 219 trusts saw nurses on strike today. large swathes of the country, seen here in the dark grey, including kent, sussex, surrey, east yorkshire, norfolk and suffolk are not affected by today's industrial action. but nurses across the whole of wales — apart from at one health board — have been on strike. and nurses from across the whole of northern ireland also joined picket lines today. nurses in scotland aren't striking, after two health unions accepted a revised pay offer from the scottish government. our health editor hugh pym has this report from reading on the day's events.

cheering a moment of history. nurses on a picket line in liverpool. part of the biggest strike ever staged by the royal college of nursing. what we want? fair pay! and in leeds, nurses made plain their anger at the pay settlement they've been given. in sub—zero temperatures, they gathered early in reading. nurses here argued that the strike was about stressful working conditions, as well as pay. nothing changes. things just get tighter and tighter. and we're expected to just keep putting up with things, keep finding... i'm getting emotional now. keep finding reserves. and enough is enough. we have to make a stand to get the government to at least enter into some discussion. because, at the moment, they are not even entertaining that. and it is for the future of nursing. and the future of the nhs. it's notjust nurses. there aren't enough doctors, there aren't enough physios.

and it's for patient safety. it's just after ten in the morning, the head of the royal college of nursing has just arrived at royal berkshire hospital, as part of a tour of different hospitals in england and wales, to encourage and show support for striking nurses. nurses in emergency care continued working. the union responded to accusations it was putting some other urgent treatment at risk. these nurses will do nothing reckless. they will make sure that patients are looked after. and, indeed, if there were any emergencies to arrive today in relation to cancer services or any other services, the clinicians that are working with us at local level will make sure that we work with them to ensure that those patients are looked after, and their care is delivered. average nurses�* pay is around £35,000. the rcn say wages have fallen after taking account of inflation. ministers said they recognised the contribution of nurses, but there were other factors to consider. we've got to balance that

against what is affordable to the wider economy. and asking for a i9% pay rise, way above what most viewers themselves are receiving, is not affordable, given the many other economic pressures that we face. nonurgent nhs work was postponed because of the strikes. ruth has a lung condition and her appointment today didn't go ahead. i knew as soon as i heard about the nurses off strike, i was surprised not to receive a cancellation. i did then get a text message saying my appointment has, understandably, been cancelled. because without the nurses the nhs just doesn't work. oi, oi, oi! striking nurses were making their voices heard in cardiff, and in belfast too picket lines were busy. in england, there were strikes at about a quarter of trusts. but several more voted in favour and the union says the walk—outs could be extended in the new year if the dispute isn't resolved. hugh pym, bbc news, reading. in a moment we'll speak

to emma vardy in dundonald but first hywel griffith in cardiff, is there likely to be any movement from the welsh government on this? no, no sign of a settlement at the moment. nurses pay in wales is decided by the welsh labour govern. ministers have been signalling all week that they understand the frustration that these nurses are giving voice to. they think that maybe nurses should get more money, but they simply can't afford to do it themselves. they claim that it must be the uk government, the treasury, that hands down the extra money to wales if they are going to give a pay rise for nurses here. the welsh government can come of course, bring in its own extra money. it has tax—raising powers, as we have seen in scotland. varying income tax raising powers does maybe give you the ability to settle with the nurses. they say they won't do that. the first minister, mark drakeford, saying that this is not the time to

ask the public to reach even deeper into their pockets. what about those members of the public? we have had strikes at six of the seven health boards around wales. so thousands of patients are being impacted today. so, having pacemaker operations cancelled. some cancer operations cancelled. some cancer operations cancelled. even those patients saying that they support these nurses, who they say will go on strike and even beyond the 20th if they have to do. emma, nurses have been on strike in northern ireland today. what hope is there of this pay dispute being resolved there? this is the second time that nurses have gone on strike in northern ireland, twice in three years. last time round, 2019, the issues were much the same, over pay and staff shortages. this time, nurses say that there are some 3000 nurse vacancies in northern ireland, helping to pile pressure on those that are working already in understaffed departments and causing a risk to patient safety as well.

one factor in northern ireland that is making the dispute more difficult to resolve is that there is still currently no functioning government in northern ireland. it would be the devolved government at stormont that would implement any pay rise for nurses, so that situation is still making life more difficult to resolve this dispute, while the dup continues to remain out of power sharing over its protest over its opposition to the brexit arrangements. as for this strike today, the department of health here says it has created an impact on already fragile services. lots of patient appointments were cancelled. last time round, i have to say, the nurses strike on 2019 did help get the parties back together at stormont. but there is little optimism of that happening again yet at this time round because of the deadlock over brexit.— deadlock over brexit. thank you very much. deadlock over brexit. thank you very much- emma — deadlock over brexit. thank you very much. emma vardy _ deadlock over brexit. thank you very much. emma vardy in _ deadlock over brexit. thank you very much. emma vardy in dundonald - deadlock over brexit. thank you very| much. emma vardy in dundonald and hywel griffith in cardiff. the thousand of nurses who are on strike are part of a wave

of industrial action in different sectors across the country. nurses in england, wales and northern ireland go on strike again next week, on the 20th. among the others on strike are postal workers, who took action today, with another two strike days planned for the 23rd and 24th december. industrial action by rail workers continues tomorrow into the weekend, with more days scheduled for christmas eve to the 27th december and also in early january. our special correspondent ed thomas has been speaking to three people who work in different parts of the economy who've taken the decision to go on strike. what we want? fair pay! when do we want it? now! these are the lives behind the picket lines. it's time that nurses say that enough is enough. it's not getting any better. it's only getting worse. like danielle, a nurse in liverpool. there are people in the nursing profession that cannot stay in nursing because they're not getting the pay they need

to be able to live. they're not being able to care for patients the way they want to, because there isn't enough staff. and then they're going home and they're stressed because they can't pay their bills and they can't look after their own families. so, yes, it feels wrong. but it's really important that it happens. because that's the only way we get listened to. does it feel wrong to you to walk out? you do worry, how is it going to affect patient care? but we have been assured that patients are being cared for. the government says the royal college of nursing's19% pay demand is unaffordable, and it has met independent recommendations on pay. we're in a crisis. but we're caring people. we get people where they need to go, every day. we have to take the hope forward. in leeds, we met katy. we've got to all squeezing together. because we've got kittens on the loose. oh, wow. mummy, feeling a bit sorry for herself. she's just been done.

once a carer, now a train attendant. i love myjob. you know what, ijust want to be loved back. like many families with children, right now, money is tight. we've got a scheme in leeds called surplus to purpose, where you can get a really big box of food which would otherwise go to waste for £12. when all the bills are paid, what have you got left? there is minus left at the end of the month. katy fears her role as a train attendant is under threat. what has brought you out to the picket line? why are you doing this? it feels like a fight for a railway service to be proud of. it's about people feeling safe. rail industry bosses say changes need to be agreed to afford pay increases and modernise the railway. it's the worst time i've ever known, the last 20 years of working here. what is the future going

to be for royal mail? so, how long have you been a postie for? 21! years. was it yourfirstjob? my first everjob, yes. a postal worker in bolton. the onlyjob craig has known. when i firstjoined, my dad said it's a job for life. i don't think you can say that now to anybody on the job now. on what are your fears for the future? members of my union losing theirjobs. it's going to be all the drivers, it's going to be agency workers, it's going to be casual staff. do you think people in the rest of the country understand your concerns? i think the working class people should understand. all the costs are going up, and the wages are not moving. it's disrupting's peoples lives. it's disrupting peoples lives, it's disrupting our lives, as such. what can we do? we have to stand together. royal mail has offered a pay deal it says is worth up to 9%, over 18 months. what do you want? fair pay! when do we want it? now! for some, this is just the start.

more walk—outs, and more disruption will come. ed thomas, bbc news. 0ur political editor chris masonjoins me now. what is the government's attitude to this wave of strike action? well, this has been the biggest day yet, in this winter of disputes. within government, they are trying to measure the impact of today. they think, preliminary indications suggest it is in line with the excitations, the impact on hospitals, estimates of around 70,000 is appointments. it will be another 21! hours before they have a broader picture. but how do they move on from this? clearly, nurses are desperate. there is some concern i pick up in the wider union movement, that the royal college of nursing asking for 19% was too much, that has allowed the government and the labour party to throw that back and say that is unrealistic. but how

is the government now going to manage this dispute and the other disputes as they move on? there was one suggestion today from a senior conservative mp that perhaps those sectors where there are pay review bodies, at arms length from the government, can look at the situation again. i don't pick up a huge appetite within government for that to happen. plenty are saying and out right now. 0thers that to happen. plenty are saying and out right now. others are not quite rejecting it. and then, of course, there is the broader wave of industrial action still to come, the prospect of teachers and civil servants, and firefighters in different parts of the uk, potentially, walking out in the first few months of next year. as things stand, no resolutions inside. the bank of england has announced another rise in interest rates, taking them to their highest level for 11! years. they've increased to 3.5% from the previous level of 3%. the rise will mean higher mortgage payments for some homeowners and people with loans, at a time when many are struggling with the cost of living. the bank is hoping the rise will help bring down the rate of inflation.

0ur economics editor, faisal islam, has the details. it's absolutely mega—stressful. because i'm trying to work, but then you're looking at the news, it's, like, interest rates, you know, going up, inflation coming up, it's, like, what can i do? in pudsey in west yorkshire, homeowner clive turner is one of the four million owner occupiers facing significant rises in mortgage costs after a year of bank of england rate rises and that is on top of the hike and energy bills. it is about £120 difference because 5.76. so it is a lot more money out of our disposable income. plus, our energy costs are going up as well as everybody�*s are. it is going to be a struggle. this is the challenge. the bank of england aims to keep price rises inflation at 2%, but look at this. it is still close to a four decade high, but on the bank's

projections, it has now peaked and should fall. in fact, it will fall a bit quicker because of the extra support offered by the government on energy bills. it is not only beginning to come down, it is a little bit lower than we thought it would be and that is obviously very good news, but we have a long way to go. and we expect that to happen, by the way. we expect inflation to start falling more rapidly probably from the late spring onwards. but there is a risk that it won't happen in that way. so interest rates were again put up today by governor bailey and colleagues. the latest of nine rate rises that have taken rates up to 3.5%. what is interesting here is that this latest rise was smaller, a smaller dose of medicine than last month and some of the bank's experts thought it should not have gone up at all. so where are rates going next year? well, higher still for starters, but perhaps not much higher than 4%. this is also a trend around the world as rates have been going up sharply to combat the global energy shock and inflation surge.

including today in the euro zone and yesterday in the usa. but also around the world, signs that the cycle of rising rates may be starting to slow. now, expectations of where bank interest rates go feed into the cost of mortgage borrowing. these are average fixed two—year mortgages, which surge to about 6.5% in the aftermath of the mini budget and they have come down to about 5.8%. but still well above where they were during the summer. that, the bank says, has already hit the housing market. so, the bank still expect a prolonged recession as cost of living pressures eat into incomes. but some signs that might not be quite as deep as feared. faisal islam, bbc news. two young brothers and their cousin have been named as three of the four boys who died after falling into an icy lake in the west midlands on sunday. eight—year old finlay butler,

his six—year old brother samuel, their 11—year old cousin thomas stewart along with 10—year old jackjohnson fell into the lake at babbs mill park near solihull as duncan kennedy reports. the four boys who simply went out to play and who tonight are seen for the first time in their youthful innocence. two were brothers, finlay and samuel butler were aged eight and six years old. their cousin thomas stewart was an 11—year—old boy. while jackjohnson, a friend, was aged just ten. in their statement, the parents of finlay and samuel said, as a family, we are devastated at the loss of our beautiful boys, finn and tom, sam. we would like to think the emergency services for all they did in rescuing the boys and to the community

for their support. it has been overwhelming. they went on to say, we would like to pass on our condolences to jack's family at this very sad time and asked for privacy from the media as we begin to grieve. in his own statement, jack's elder brother said, i love you, tom, big bro will take care of the family and i will see you soon. make sure you keep practising war zone and get a win, will you? tonight at the scene, local people have spoken of their devastation. it is just a complete tragedy and having boys myself, it is just... the community are devastated. we will never understand. we can only dare to think what the pair of families are going through. but yes, it just felt important to be here, it means something to be here today. the poignant tributes from the family have come at the end of a traumatic week as they have endured their personal grief, the community have come together in collective mourning. staff from jackjohnson�*s school

paid their own tribute today. just one more poignant moment in a week that has seen the devastating loss of young life. duncan kennedy, bbc news in solihull. our top story this evening... tens of thousands of nurses across england, wales and northern ireland take strike action over pay. coming up... fixing the power in the big freeze for thousands of homes on shetland. and on bbc london... coming up in sports day on the bbc news channel... the scottish premiership returns tonight. rangers host hibernian in michael beale's first competitive game in charge of the ibrox club. the final three episodes of the netflix series about harry and meghan, co—produced by them, have been released. in them, meghan talks about wanting

to take her own life as the couple struggled with their role in the royal family and with a barrage of negative press. prince harry describes being terrified when his brother screamed at him during a meeting at sandringham in 2020 to discuss the couple's wish to be half—in, half—out of the royal family. there's been no comment from buckingham palace. here's our royal correspondent, nicholas witchell. westminster abbey, ten days to christmas, the king and queen consort arriving for a festive celebration with community groups. cheering. also there, the prince and princess of wales with george and charlotte, the british royal family doing what it does on a day of furtherfamily doing what it does on a day of further family turbulence. from netflix, the latest episodes of the harry and meghan story, their account of why they left royal life, account of why they left royal life, a tale of rivalry and intrigue which

came to a head at sandringham in january 2020 when harry tried to discuss his and meghan�*s exit with his father and brother. it discuss his and meghan's exit with his father and brother.— his father and brother. it was terrifying to _ his father and brother. it was terrifying to have _ his father and brother. it was terrifying to have my - his father and brother. it was terrifying to have my brother| his father and brother. it was - terrifying to have my brother scream and shout at me and my father say things we simply were not true and my grandmother quietly sit there and take it all in. but you have to understand that, from a family perspective, especially from hers, there are ways of doing things and her ultimate mission goal and responsibility is institution. according to harry, protecting the institution meant doing down him and his wife is an example, as he left the central meeting, the palace issued a statement in william and harry's name to deny a story that william had bullied the sussexes to live. i william had bullied the sussexes to live. .., �* , william had bullied the sussexes to live. _, �* , .,, william had bullied the sussexes to live. �* , , live. i couldn't believe it was up no one had _ live. i couldn't believe it was up no one had asked _ live. i couldn't believe it was up no one had asked me _ live. i couldn't believe it was up no one had asked me nobody i live. i couldn't believe it was up - no one had asked me nobody asked my permission to put my name to a

statement like that in four hours, they were happy to lie to protect my brother and yet for three years they were never willing to tell the truth to protect us. were never willing to tell the truth to protect ne— to protect us. according to harriet mechan, to protect us. according to harriet meghan. the _ to protect us. according to harriet meghan, the root _ to protect us. according to harriet meghan, the root of— to protect us. according to harriet meghan, the root of the _ to protect us. according to harriet meghan, the root of the problem | to protect us. according to harriet. meghan, the root of the problem was jealousy. the meghan, the root of the problem was 'ealous . , , , jealousy. the issue is when, somebody — jealousy. the issue is when, somebody should _ jealousy. the issue is when, somebody should be - jealousy. the issue is when, somebody should be a - jealousy. the issue is when, - somebody should be a supporting act, is then stealing the limelight or doing thejob better than is then stealing the limelight or doing the job better than the is then stealing the limelight or doing thejob better than the person who is born to do this that upsets people. it shifts the balance. in their version of events, meghan had become too popular so stories were planted in the media to damage her foot up meghan felt completely overwhelmed. nature it's like, all of this if i'm not here. find overwhelmed. nature it's like, all of this if i'm not here.— of this if i'm not here. and that was the scariest _ of this if i'm not here. and that was the scariest thing - of this if i'm not here. and that was the scariest thing about. of this if i'm not here. and that was the scariest thing about it. | of this if i'm not here. and that i was the scariest thing about it. it was the scariest thing about it. it was such— was the scariest thing about it. it was such clear thinking. i remember her tellin:

was such clear thinking. i remember her telling me _ was such clear thinking. i remember her telling me that _ was such clear thinking. i remember her telling me that she _ was such clear thinking. i remember her telling me that she had - was such clear thinking. i remember her telling me that she had wanted | her telling me that she had wanted to take _ her telling me that she had wanted to take her— her telling me that she had wanted to take her own _ her telling me that she had wanted to take her own life _ her telling me that she had wanted to take her own life and _ her telling me that she had wanted to take her own life and that - her telling me that she had wanted to take her own life and that really| to take her own life and that really broke _ to take her own life and that really broke my— to take her own life and that really broke my heart _ to take her own life and that really broke my heart. the— to take her own life and that really broke my heart-— broke my heart. the present troubling _ broke my heart. the present troubling insights _ broke my heart. the present troubling insights into - broke my heart. the present troubling insights into what. broke my heart. the present i troubling insights into what the couple couple at meghan in particular went through there without any attempt to examine whether their own behaviour on occasions of anticipated matters. at one point, harry says, it never needed to be this way. that may be one of the few points on which all members of the family can agree. higher earners in scotland will pay more tax from next year under plans announced in the scottish government's budget. the rise means a greater disparity between tax rates in scotland and those in the rest of the uk. the government said the changes would raise money for the health service, but the conservatives said they risked undermining the potential for economic growth. the budget was delayed by half an hour because details were leaked in advance. here's our scotland editor, james cook.

i'm gordon barclay and i'm just driving home from work. i work for the nhs. for gordon and his family, the backdrop to this budget is bleak. a cost of living crisis, fuelled by high inflation. far from festive. what are you noticing in the shops, in terms of prices? well, stuff is going up, it's not even 10p or 20p, it's like, 50p or 60p for some things. so you've obviously got to go to all the different shops to see where you can get the cheapest stuff now. what do you think about the idea of them putting up tax to get more money for, say, the nhs? i don't mind paying for something as long as i can see result. but when i'm paying for something and i don't see a result, where it's going, i got an issue. i've got no more money to give, but they are raising my taxes. but when i ask for a wee bit of a pay rise, they say there is no more money there. it works both ways. that is what is happening, at least where everyone are more than £43,000 per year. they already pay more in scotland. 41p in the pound. now that goes up to 42p. the top rate also rises, from 46p, to 47p in the pound.

and more people will pay that, with a threshold coming down from £150,000, to £125,000. but, said the deputy first minister, the majority of taxpayers would actually pay less in scotland. within the powers available to us, we will choose a different path. a path which sees the scottish government commit substantial resources to protect the most vulnerable people of scotland from the impact of decisions and policies made by the united kingdom government. we choose the path where people are asked to pay their fair share, in the knowledge that, in so doing, they help create a fairer society in which we all want to live. labour said voters would not accept tax rises if public services declined. the conservatives made the same point. and if you widen the tax gap for middle and higher earners in scotland, in comparison with their uk counterparts, you risk undermining the potential for economic growth that this country

so desperately needs. so, scotland is moving further away from the rest of the uk, setting its own tax rates, striking its own pay deals. this is devolution in action. but a string of recent polls suggests that a majority of voters here want to go even further and become fully independent. already, this statement is becoming part of that debate. james cook, bbc news, edinburgh. boris becker has been freed from prison after serving eight months of his sentence and deported from the uk as he is not a british citizen. the three—times wimbledon champion, who is german, was jailed in april for two and a half years for hiding assets and loans in order to avoid paying debts. the former world number one and bbc commentator was declared bankrupt in 2017, owing nearly £50 million. freezing conditions across the uk this week have brought many challenges for communities — and today, more than 100 schools

in aberdeenshire had to close because of snow and ice. further north, in shetland, electricity companies are still working to reconnect thousands of homes and businesses which lost power four days ago. 0ur correspondent kevin keane is in lerwick on shetland for us and we canjoin him now. when the power was first lost here, half the population of these islands was without electricity and it's been a slow and painstaking process to try and get them reconnected. what happened was a fairly unusual weather phenomenon where the snow landed on power lines. 0ver weather phenomenon where the snow landed on power lines. over a short space of time, that's no prose, thought and froze again, leaving a vast amount of really heavy ice attached to those power lines which then cause them to sack and that pulled over the poles that they were strung from. that happened on

monday. today, four days later, many people here, particularly in the west mainland area of shetland, are being told it could still be the end of the weekend before their supplies are reconnected. reinforcements have been sent here from aberdeen, from inverness and beyond to join local engineers to try and tackle some of these issues, but you just have to drive around here in the daylight to see the scale of the task that lies ahead. there are many of these at the side of the road toppled. shetland sits where the north atlantic. shetland people are not prone to exaggeration but many here have described this event is presented. time for a look at the weather. and more snow there? yes, add more to come across scotland particularly. a beautiful scene here from a weather watcher today in aberdeenshire, but we have seen the problem is the snow has been causing

and, as i said, there is more to come. it's also turning cold out there right now, with temperatures in some spots at —8 or minus nine celsius. a weather system pushing into western scotland with no for some by the end of the night, some ice and a low of —12. scotland tomorrow, as this weather system pushes income initially over high ground we will see snow falling but, as it turns heavier, even to low levels, through the central lowlands, we could see five to ten centimetres of snow, 20 centimetres over high ground, before it tends to weaken and fizzle by the afternoon. that could cause some travel headaches. elsewhere, a slightly more straightforward today. some wintry showers in northern ireland for the early fog in south—east england will slowly clear and then there will be a lot of sunshine, that it's cold day for most of us. through friday night, this band of rain with some hill snow will work its way south, getting stuck across

northern england and wales. still some snow over high ground through