this is bbc news with the latest headlines. gps say they're facing growing pressure as patients turn away from hospitals for help. we don't want to be seeing patients in corridors, we don't want to be breaking bad news in cupboards, doing that sort of thing. a plan for all students in england to study some form of maths until the age of 18 — prime minister rishi sunak sets out his priorities for the year ahead. let me know what you think of this idea. is learning more maths the right way to go? and what's the best way to improve numeracy? get in touch with me on twitter. uk food prices soared to a record rate in december as the british retail consortium warn high inflation will continue into 2023.

russia blames a ukrainian rocket strike that killed dozens of servicemen on russian troops using their mobile phones. for the first time in a century, the us house of representatives fails to elect a speaker in its opening session. and a mountain and a ski—lift, but where's the snow? the record mild temperatures affecting europe's winter sports. and coming up this hour, has the pandemic changing our working habits for good? the people turning their backs on city life in favour of the zoom towns. a 30—hour wait for an ambulance and 12 hours sitting outside a&e —

more distressing stories are emerging this morning of the nhs under pressure this winter. the government is blaming high numbers of flu and covid cases and fears of strep a infections. nhs england says there are several contributing factors. these include 18% more people coming into a&e in the last six weeks compared to the same period last year, and there are nearly 10,000 nhs staff absent at the moment due to covid. there are still a significant number of covid patients in hospitals, too. in england the number has more than doubled 9,500 from a few weeks ago. delayed discharges of medically fit patients, who could leave if there was provision in the community, is also causing bed—blocking in hospital. 0ur correspondent graham satchell reports. these are all the ambulances outside king's lynn hospital, waiting to take patients in.

this phone footage was taken by sarahjones at the queen elizabeth hospital in norfolk. she was with her 84—year—old dad, mervyn. so it's 8:50 and we just got out of the ambulance. 8:50pm. and paramedics came to the house at 8:30am this morning. so we've been almost 12 hours in an ambulance, and we're going now up to the ward. sarah's dad on the stretcher, struggling to breathe with heart failure. we had the doctors team come and look at dad in the ambulance. we had to take him out in the rain, right out on the stretcher, into the hospital to have the x—ray and then bring him back into the ambulance. i've never seen anything like it. the system seems completely broken, and one thing backs up another thing, you know, which leads to an ambulance sitting there for 12 hours when they could be out.

maybe somebody else is going to not make it to the hospital because of that. the royal cornwall hospital, and again a queue of ambulances. 0n the ward, 82—year—old marie grubb. she fell in her kitchen and broke her pelvis. marie waited on the floor for 31 hours for an ambulance. it was agony. i was like, "i can't turn over, just too sore to turn." i was on my side, facing away, facing the windows. and itjust was agony. how did you manage to keep going for 31 hours? well, you do, i think. willpower, i suppose, isn't it? winter pressure is nothing new in the nhs, but the combination of flu, covid, staff shortages and delays discharging patients to social care means for many, this is the worst winter they can remember. we don't want to be seeing patients in corridors. we don't want to be breaking bad news in cupboards. we don't want to be doing

that sort of thing. and it's quite hard to keep doing that. we know we shouldn't be doing it. it'sjust the only thing we can do to keep the system going. the government in westminster says the nhs is its top priority and it's providing an extra £14 billion over the next couple of years. we've seen significant pressure on the nhs, particularly over this period through a combination of very high rates of flu, persistent and high levels of covid, continuing concerns, particularly amongst many parents, around strep a. and that has combined over that period with a time when primary care services and community services overall are so much more limited. what do we want? fair pay. when do we want it? now! _ more strikes are planned by nhs staff later this month. the labour party has accused the government of 12 years of mismanagement, saying there is now a sense ofjeopardy surrounding the nhs, which is frightening people across the country. graham satchell, bbc news.

let's get an update on the situation in the nhs right around the uk. let's get an update on the situation in the nhs right around the- in the nhs right around the uk, we have mark hutchings _ in the nhs right around the uk, we have mark hutchings in _ in the nhs right around the uk, we have mark hutchings in cardiff, - in the nhs right around the uk, we i have mark hutchings in cardiff, emma vardy in dundonald, and also lorna gordon in glasgow. mark, in cardiff, tell us more about the picture there. ~ ., ., there. well, another day getting under way here _ there. well, another day getting under way here at _ there. well, another day getting under way here at the _ there. well, another day getting under way here at the wales' - there. well, another day getting - under way here at the wales' biggest hospital, multiple hospitals under the most enormous of pressures, the welsh government say these are unprecedented times. if you look at the picture across wales, at the last count, about 500 patients were in hospital with covid, there is a flu outbreak and staff shortages, and just before christmas we were told that i'd any one time more than half of the welsh ambulance fleet was actually waiting outside ambulances like this one simply to hand over patients, and playing into thatis hand over patients, and playing into that is the fact that one in nine

hospital beds is occupied across wales by someone who no longer needs social care. senior medical officials are urging health bodies to look at, wherever appropriate, discharging such patients, even if there isn't a social care package in place in order to free up beds for those who need them most acutely. the nhs confederation, representing the bodies across wales, say there is a blame game going on between cardiff and westminster. now for the picture in northern ireland, over to emma vardy. picture in northern ireland, over to emma vardy-— picture in northern ireland, over to emma vard . ~ ., , emma vardy. well, hospitals here say the pressures — emma vardy. well, hospitals here say the pressures have _ emma vardy. well, hospitals here say the pressures have just _ emma vardy. well, hospitals here say the pressures have just been - emma vardy. well, hospitals here say the pressures have just been ramping| the pressures havejust been ramping up the pressures havejust been ramping up week after week, and at times the situation in emergency departments has been compared to the intensity of war zone hospitals. now, in recent weeks, hospitals have been issuing appeals at the busiest times for off duty nursing staff to come in and work extra shifts, because the pressures have just got so extreme. 0ne trust here is your four

urgent appeals on social media over the last seven days. health executives have been trying to set new targets to ease the pressures, including a maximum three hour wait for ambulances to hand over patients, but that is just not sustainable, staff say, the situation as a whole is critical, and something else needs to happen. an added complication in northern ireland is that we do not have a functioning government here at the moment, because of a separate row over brexit and the dup refusing to go back into power sharing over that. but doctors here say that without a political leadership, it is even more difficult to address the current problems.— is even more difficult to address the current problems. lorna gordon is in glasgow _ the current problems. lorna gordon is in glasgow. the _ the current problems. lorna gordon is in glasgow. the scottish - the current problems. lorna gordon is in glasgow. the scottish national| is in glasgow. the scottish national clinical directorjason leitch has been speaking this morning, describing a&e in hospital as the canary in the coal mine, he said it is not the only place that is under immense pressure, not the only area of the nhs under immense pressure,

community pharmacies and gp practices are also struggling with this winter crisis, but none a&e is the most evident and obvious place where the services are struggling. a&e services in scotland recorded their worst ever waiting times, two health boards here in scotland have asked staff to cut leaves short to come in and help out. doctors in the largest health board here in greater glasgow and clyde have requested a declaration of a major incident, a major emergency due to concerns over patient safety and what they described as an overwhelmed a&e department at the queen elizabeth university hospital here in glasgow. their request was denied. well, the conservatives are calling for a debate in parliament, they are asking nicola sturgeon to intervene, the first minister says the challenges are not unique to

scotland, and that the government is continuing to support the service with record investment and reform. the government says it is providing £14 billion in additional funding for health and social care over the next two years. earlier this morning, labour's minister for mental health, dr rosena allin—khan, told bbc breakfast the proposals were a small sticking plaster over a gaping wound. it is really, really heartbreaking for staff like myself to go to work and feel as though we have one arm tied behind our backs. we are having to perform intimate examinations, for example, on people who are coming in where they might have bowel cancer, in cupboards. patients sleeping on floors while nurses are trying to hold up sheets so that they can be examined. and we have a government that are asleep at the wheel and trying to blame

covid and the flu. and when i woke in a&e, and i do paediatric shifts and i see a waiting room full of patients and parents desperate to get antibiotics, the government knew that strep a and invasive strep a was on the rise — where was the planning for getting the antibiotics? let's hear now from daisy cooper, she's the deputy leader of the liberal democrats in parliament and the party's spokesperson on health and social care. if you very much forjoining us morning up —— thank you very much. before we talk about broader point is, is the situation like with your local nhs trust?— is, is the situation like with your local nhs trust? well, i am waiting for an update _ local nhs trust? well, i am waiting for an update from _ local nhs trust? well, i am waiting for an update from the _ local nhs trust? well, i am waiting for an update from the hospital - local nhs trust? well, i am waiting for an update from the hospital thisj for an update from the hospital this morning, but my local ambulance trust has declared a critical incident, like many other hospital and ambulance trusts across the country, and what really concerns me is that the government seems to be nowhere to be seen. liberal democrats have been saying for two

or three days now that parliament should have been recalled and that the government should declare a national critical incident, because we are hearing heartbreaking stories of patients dying in corridors and ambulances, and the government really needs to act.— really needs to act. what would declarin: really needs to act. what would declaring a _ really needs to act. what would declaring a national— really needs to act. what would declaring a national critical - declaring a national critical incident do? what difference would it make? fist incident do? what difference would it make? �* ., ., it make? at the moment, individual trusts can declare _ it make? at the moment, individual trusts can declare a _ it make? at the moment, individual trusts can declare a critical- trusts can declare a critical incident, meaning they can work with neighbouring trusts to provide mutual aid and free up resources, but if we can declare a national critical incident, you could look at capacity right across the system, across all four nations, you could mobilise every resource across the nhs towards dealing with this immediate problem, and that is what i think we need to see happen. £31 i think we need to see happen. of course, when we always talk about health stories and the health ecosystem, we know that social care is a key to unlocking all of this, if we can get people out of hospitals who do not need to be

there and free up the beds for those who do, that would help enormously. what is the key to unlocking that? well, the first thing is, the government provided some money for discharging people back into social care if they are medically fit to leave hospital, but a lot of the money hasn't been disbursed yet, and thatis money hasn't been disbursed yet, and that is because it needs to be sped up, quite frankly. the other thing is that social care has been neglected for so long by this government that there are not the facilities or staff, so the government needs to look urgently at bringing social care workers back into the sector, many of whom have been leaving to work in hospitality or even the nhs, so the government must bolster social care so we can discharge people are medically fit to leave hospital back into social care, relieving pressure on ambulances who could then discharge their patients into a&e. the whole system has been backed up because

the cut has been running these services into the ground for years and years and years. the government sa s it is and years and years. the government says it is providing _ and years and years. the government says it is providing £14 _ and years and years. the government says it is providing £14 billion - says it is providing £14 billion over the next two years, rishi sunak is due to set out its priorities for the year ahead later today. what would you like to hear from the year ahead later today. what would you like to hearfrom him on health and social care? the would you like to hear from him on health and social care?— health and social care? the very first thing i _ health and social care? the very first thing i would _ health and social care? the very first thing i would like _ health and social care? the very first thing i would like to - health and social care? the very first thing i would like to hear i health and social care? the very first thing i would like to hear is | first thing i would like to hear is that he is going to declare a national critical incident so that we can mobilise all the resources in the nhs towards dealing with the enormous pressure that is facing a&e right now, but beyond that, we need to invest in social care to get these discharges into social care, give more prescribing rights to pharmacists to double down on the booster programme, and for flu jabs, so people can get that protection, to put air purifiers in schools and public buildings. there are so many things that the prime minister could do today, but it looks like he is covering his ears and hoping that it

all goes away, but it is just going to get worse. all goes away, but it is 'ust going to get wet all goes away, but it is 'ust going to get worse. rosie cooper, thank ou ve to get worse. rosie cooper, thank you very much- — we arejust we are just hearing from chris mason a little bit more about the speech from rishi sunak later, as i was just mentioning, due to set out his priorities for the year ahead, and according to what chris was saying, we understand he will talk about the importance of dealing with backlogs in the health service, problems getting an ambulance, waiting times for planned operations, and indeed a social care, we are told, or likely to be referred to by rishi sunak later. and of course we will be bringing you full details of that speech when it happens. rosie cooper was also mentioning the role for pharmacists, and later this hour i will be talking to the head of the royal pharmaceutical society, pharmacists are getting a busier because people are perhaps not wanting to go to a&e all to their

doctors, so we will talk to the chair of the royal pharmaceutical society later this hour, stay with us for that. the new general secretary of the tuc has called for an urgent meeting with the prime minister to try to resolve the escalating strikes in the public service. paul nowak wants a change in government direction, saying ministers should open pay negotiations with unions. it comes as rail workers continue a 48—hour strike, with more planned this month in transport, nhs and civil service. my diary is clear, the diaries of our senior union leaders will be clear. we want to sit down with rishi sunak and jeremy hunt and have a meaningful discussion about how we improve the pay of public sector workers. and crucially, the prime minister needs to empower his ministers to go into meaningful talks with unions on pay now. the chancellor, jeremy hunt, will meet business groups today to discuss what support they'll get for their energy bills this year. firms are expecting government help to be halved after march, when the existing package ends. allies of the chancellor said the support would be reduced, to help protect the public finances.

eight million people who are on benefits or have low incomes will get their next cost—of—living payment in april. charities are calling on the government to do more to help, claiming that support hasn't improved for those already struggling. here's our cost of living correspondent colletta smith. at this community centre, like so many across the country, they have been working hard to help people afford basic living costs. the government gave extra money to people in certain types of benefit last year, and today they have made the announcement of who they are helping and how much they are giving for this coming financial year. anyone on means tested benefits should receive three payments straight into their bank accounts. the first one will be arriving this spring and it will be £301. the next one will be arriving in the autumn of this year, £300, and the final installment will arrive in spring of 202a.

just like this winter, pensioners are due another £300 next winter, 2023 into 2024, and there's £150 payment due to anyone with a disability that should be arriving at some point this summer. and, as expected, this announcement means that that £400 every household has been receiving as a discount on your energy bills looks like it is coming to an end when we get to the end of march. that's exactly the moment that the energy price guarantee goes up by £500, making a typical bill worth £3,000 a year. so the vast majority of households will have to find an extra £900 a yearjust to cover their energy bills from the start of april. in the midst of the crisis in the nhs, the wave of strike action and calls for more help with rising energy bills and increases in the cost of living, the prime minister will make

a speech later today outlining his priorities for the year ahead. among the proposals he's expected to talk about, he'll set out plans to ensure all pupils in england study some form of maths until they're 18. but no new qualifications are immediately planned and there are no plans to make a—levels compulsory. labour has criticised the plans as an "empty pledge". let's talk to our political correspondent damian grammaticas, who's at westminster. we are going to talk about maths in a minute, but first of all, on the broader point, do you think it is surprising that the government seems to be focusing on this, or it is one of its key focus points when there are so many other crises happening at the moment? it isa it is a tricky balance, rishi sunak is making the speech, and labour say it has been rushed out because keir

starmer is making a big speech tomorrow, but what rishi sunak is wanting to do today is lay out his priorities for the year ahead, and we have at the downing street communications department putting out advance lines from the speech, and a topic they have chosen is this idea about extending maths teaching, but as you say, that's it's a little awkwardly with the fact that we have all of these pressing issues facing the government right now, all the things you have been talking about in the last 15 or 20 minutes, the pressure is on the nhs, pressures and cost of living, the strikes that are disrupting lives right across many different sectors. but downing street are saying this is something that will feature in the speech because it is close to rishi sunak�*s hard, because he believes in the value of education and that his education was crucial to what he has

been able to do, and wants to point out that students in this country drop maths, more than half of students do not do any maths after the age of 16, which is different to countries like germany, france, australia and the usa, and that it should be changed. {lin australia and the usa, and that it should be changed.— australia and the usa, and that it should be changed. on the sub'ect of maths, is should be changed. on the sub'ect of maths. is this— should be changed. on the sub'ect of maths, is this simply * should be changed. on the sub'ect of maths, is this simply an * should be changed. on the sub'ect of maths, is this simply an idea, _ maths, is this simply an idea, rather than a plan at the moment? because we have heard a lot, haven't we, about how recruitment of maths teachers to teach children up to 16 hasn't been keeping pace with demand, let alone ambition is to teach pupils up to the age of 18. can you hear me? oh, apologies, we seem to have lost that feed to damian grammaticas. damian but seem to have lost that feed to damian but it is a question i will put to my next guest. i'm nowjoined by dr nira chamberlain 0be, the president—elect of the mathematical association, a learners' society that represents

maths teachers in the uk. to have you with us. before i ask you that particular question, what do you say to the point that some people have been making this morning that talking about all pupils in england is to 18 is a deflection by the government from some other issues that have to be dealt with, such as the crisis in the uss? yes. such as the crisis in the uss? yes, i do such as the crisis in the uss? yes, i do recognise _ such as the crisis in the uss? yes, i do recognise what _ such as the crisis in the uss? yes, i do recognise what we _ such as the crisis in the uss? yes, i do recognise what we are - such as the crisis in the uss? yes i do recognise what we are going through as a country right now. however, what i do believe that rishi sunak is doing is a positive step forward, and we have to address theissues step forward, and we have to address the issues about mathematical education and prepare the country for the near future right education and prepare the country for the nearfuture right now, so i do believe it is a positive step forward, and it has to be done as soon as possible. but forward, and it has to be done as soon as possible.— soon as possible. but are there enou:h soon as possible. but are there enough qualified _ soon as possible. but are there enough qualified maths - soon as possible. but are there i enough qualified maths teachers? that is, again, a challenge, but, again, it is something that needs to be addressed. we want to address resourcing to get more maths

teachers to deliver this initiative, so i believe it is, again, a positive step forward. 50 so i believe it is, again, a positive step forward. so no, there are not enough _ positive step forward. so no, there are not enough maths _ positive step forward. so no, there are not enough maths teachers - positive step forward. so no, there are not enough maths teachers at. positive step forward. so no, there i are not enough maths teachers at the moment, just to confirm that point? we could do with more, there are many great initiatives out there to employ more maths teachers, that is an initiative that is going on at the moment, and it will continue to create more maths teachers, but i do believe this is a positive step forward, we need to equip the country for the future, because the world is turning much more data driven, and we need to keep up with other countries such as the americans and chinese, which are years ahead of us. 50 americans and chinese, which are years ahead of us.— americans and chinese, which are years ahead of us. so when we look at the phrase _ years ahead of us. so when we look at the phrase all _ years ahead of us. so when we look at the phrase all pupils _ years ahead of us. so when we look at the phrase all pupils learning - at the phrase all pupils learning some form of maths up to 18, what does that mean, some form of maths? i mean, 0k, everybody can be more financially savvy, so we could all be financially savvy, but also recognising we have to learn more

about statistics, more about probability, more about data, so getting the country more new merit savvy, that is what is means. i am sawy, that is what is means. i am sure educators — sawy, that is what is means. i am sure educators will _ sawy, that is what is means. i am sure educators will be _ savvy, that is what is means. i am sure educators will be hugely enthusiastic about the idea of children getting more engaged with maths, they may have questions about the practicality of how they do that and how they have the resources to do that, but what you think is the best way to get children engaged with maths? if it is not a subject they already enjoy, how do you do that? i they already en'oy, how do you do that? ., , , , that? i mean, first things first, one thing _ that? i mean, first things first, one thing is — that? i mean, first things first, one thing is that _ that? i mean, first things first, one thing is that is _ that? i mean, first things first, | one thing is that is indisputable that? i mean, first things first, i one thing is that is indisputable is that mathematics is the greatest subject in the world, it is very creative, and it is important for science, technology and engineering, and it relates to the arts and, as i say, strategy and thinking, it is essential in the modern day. there

are so many ways of teaching mathematics and showing the beauty of mathematics, and that is how we can get pupils more engaged in the subject of mathematics.— can get pupils more engaged in the subject of mathematics. sub'ect of mathematics. really good to subject of mathematics. really good to hear from — subject of mathematics. really good to hear from you _ subject of mathematics. really good to hear from you today, _ subject of mathematics. really good to hear from you today, thank- subject of mathematics. really good to hear from you today, thank you i to hear from you today, thank you very much. let mejust to hear from you today, thank you very much. let me just bring to hear from you today, thank you very much. let mejust bring in a couple of your tweets about the subject of pupils learning some form of maths until the england, steve says he is totally with that happening, but he believes it should apply to the real world in reference to more money management, mortgages, measurements, currency, so that financial numeracy, literacy and numeracy idea. this is from andrew, rishi loves maths, so do i, it doesn't mean everyone does. do i use any of the maths i studied at a level? very little. allow people to choose their passion. keep your comments coming into me on the subject, do you think it is a good

idea for all pupils to learn some form of maths until the age of 18? russia says a ukrainian rocket strike that killed dozens of servicemen was caused by the unauthorised use of mobile phones by russian troops. moscow says 89 servicemen were killed in the ukrainian attack on makiivka. the mobile phone signals meant ukraine's military were able to determine the soliders' location. let's speak to our correspondent hugo bachega, who's in kyiv. tell us more about this. yeah, good morning from a rainy kyiv, it has just started raining here. yesterday we had a statement from the russian defence ministry is saying that the use of mobile phones by soldiers was the obvious reason behind this attack, an attack that hit this facility in the occupied town of makiivka on new year's day, and this was a school that had been turned into a base by russian soldiers,

apparently the soldiers had recently been mobilised, so they had just joined the army, were waiting to be deployed when this attack happened. but is is interesting that this morning we are hearing reaction from russian military bloggers who have become influential in this war, and they have criticised this russian statement, they say this is apparently an attempt to shift responsibility onto the victims themselves, ratherthan responsibility onto the victims themselves, rather than the commanders who authorised this deployment, and commanders that kept a large number of soldiers in a single location. now, the russians are saying that ukraine carried out this attack using those long—range missiles provided by the americans to ukraine, and they have been vital in the ukrainian offensive against the russians. here in kyiv, the authorities have been silent, this

is part of the strategy, they rarely give details about their operations against the russians, but earlier this week they said that up to 400 russian soldiers had been killed as a result of this attack, so devastating impact, an attack that happened in the eastern part of the country, the deadliest attack on russian troops ever admitted by russian troops ever admitted by russia in this war.— russian troops ever admitted by russia in this war. thank you very much, russia in this war. thank you very much. hugo _ russia in this war. thank you very much, hugo brechet_ russia in this war. thank you very much, hugo brechet get - russia in this war. thank you very much, hugo brechet get in - russia in this war. thank you very much, hugo brechet get in the i much, hugo brechet get in the ukrainian capital. —— hugo bachega. temperatures forjanuary have reached an all—time high in a number of nations across europe. records have been broken in poland, the netherlands, the czech republic and several other countries. tim allman reports. salzburg injanuary is normally a winter wonderland. but this year something is missing — namely, snow. there's not been much of it, and what there has been has mostly melted, which makes skiing something of a challenge. translation: it is really weird - when you ski down the white slope,

and on the left and right it is all green. it is a similar story in the swiss alps, where high temperatures are taking a toll on seasonal sport. translation: look, the snow is really wet. it is no longer constant, it's like in spring. the snow actually has to bind, and that does not work with a lot of water. this is just part of a larger phenomenon taking place all over europe. in many places, january, often the coldest of the months, is currently among the mildest. here in the czech republic, it's practically short—sleeve weather — a surprise for locals and tourists alike. in my country, it is freezing cold and snowy, and that is why i bring a thickjacket, because i expected similar, the weather, but apparently this morning it's really, really warm. unseasonably warm weather has been felt across much of the continent. in belarus, they saw a record

temperature of 16.4 degrees celsius, 4.5 degrees higher than the previous record. it was a similar story in poland, where it hit 18.9 degrees, four degrees higher than the previous record forjanuary. and in the spanish city of bilbao, the temperature reached more than 25 degrees, 10 degrees higher than they've ever seen at this time of year. contrast that with what america has been experiencing in recent days, freezing cold temperatures and a blanket of snow, with more severe weather on the way. if, as many suggest, this is down to climate change, then it seems that that can take many different forms. tim allman, bbc news. joining us now is our climate correspondentjonah fisher. hello to you. those are really extraordinary pictures at the beginning of that report, the md ski

lifts, no snow on the slopes in salzburg. climate scientists look for patterns. is that what we are seeing, a pattern of milder winters, or is it possible to say that yet? what climate scientists like to look at is not specifically events by themselves, because there are many contributing factors that can lead to weather events like the remarkable one we just saw across continental europe. that event is superficially due to a huge mass of warm air moving from the coast of west africa, across europe. it has warmed up, basically, europe, from the west to the east, as far as ukraine. 0f the west to the east, as far as ukraine. of course, the big question is, how is this linked to climate change? scientists will be looking at that question. the way they look at that question. the way they look at this, the climate scientists, is that they try to calculate probabilities. they look at how likely this sort of extreme weather event would be if there hadn't been any human interference, and then they run their models with the

current levels of increased greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide. so they will be looking at that in relation to this specific event. what we can say with some conviction is that with the climate warming, we know that the temperature around the world has raised by more than1 degrees since pre—industrial times. that does lead to more heat waves. this is a winter heatwave, which europe has been experiencing. and of those heatwaves will be more intense when they do happen. effectively, what scientists will be trying to crunch with their numbers and models over the next few days is just how much more extreme, how much hotter this winter heatwave has been because of climate change. qm. this winter heatwave has been because of climate change. ok, thank ou ve because of climate change. ok, thank you very much- _ now it's time for a look at the weather with carol kirkwood. asi as i was just saying, really extraordinary pictures. he is saying

this is a a winter heatwave, not a phrase we hear very often. it certainly isn't. temperatures in the uk from the central lowlands of south were no lower than 10 degrees. now, the morning temperatures are more representative of morning temperatures injune. what we have todayis temperatures injune. what we have today is cloud continuing to break up, rain moving away and we are going to be left with a day of sunshine and showers. most of the showers will be across northern ireland, southern scotland and also northern england. it's going to be windy wherever you are, especially so in the west. we have thick cloud coming in across the south—west, with some spots of rain. these temperatures, seven to 14 degrees. this evening and overnight, the cloud drifts further east in the south—west. some spots of rain before it clears away. a ridge of high pressure builds in. many of the showers will fade and then we have the next weather front coming in from the west. it's going to be a mild night, not as mild as it was last night but we could see a little bit of frost across the north—east.

as we head through tomorrow, this rain pushes northwards, turns heavy in scotland and northern ireland, where there will be some gales. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines... gps say they're facing growing pressure as patients turn away from hospitals for help. we don't want to be seeing patients in corridors, we don't want to be breaking bad news in cupboards, doing that sort of thing. the prime minister sets out a plan for all students in england to study some form of maths until the age of 18. uk food prices soared to a record rate in december, as the british retail consortium warn high inflation will continue into 2023. for the first time in a century the us house of representatives fails to elect a speaker in its opening session. sport — and for a full round—up, from the bbc sport centre,

here'sjohn watson. good morning. there is a new world darts champion in the shape of michael smith, who produced the sport's perfect nine dart finish on his way to lifting the famous sid waddell trophy last night, a leg labelled the greatest of all time as he beat the three time winner michael van gerwen 7—4 at alexandra palace. rebecca wood reports. third time lucky for michael smith, who is now champion of the world. he has made the final twice before, but after double disappointment, this was his moment in the spotlight. it wasn't going to be easy though. he had three—time world champion michael van gerwen to tackle first. this was a game where one missed opportunity can make all the difference, where holding your nerve is essential. there haven't been any nine dart finishes in this world championship. so where better to see the first in the final? in what's being called the greatest ever leg of darts, michael smith handled the pressure

to put on the perfect display. commentator: i can't speak! i can't speak! despite trailing, he went on to take four consecutive sets to lead a 6—3. but the dutchman wasn't going down without a fight, pushing the 32—year—old from st helen's all the way. he held on, though. a new title for the new year. world champion and world number one. rebecca wood, bbc news. very different atmosphere at goodison park, everton manager frank lampard booed off last night 4—1 they lost to brighton and you wonder where the everton defence was at times. it means everton could drop into the relegation zone if results go against them later, and questions over the manager's job in today's papers. the period where we conceded three goals, i think it was six— minutes in the game, - and it finished the game.

i think the first - half was pretty even. brighton are a good possession team. i think we had some more possession than them in the first half, _ but we know they're going to have | good ball and play through lines. | we made a mistake that gave them a goal, which obviously gives - them their noses in front and probably made us. a bit more edgy. so i think our game showed that. not urgent, not quick enough with the ball. j that was the message at half time. but when they score three goals, it obviously kills the game. - not often you think of a goalless draw being entertaining, it was at the emirates. arsenal held against newcastle. eddie nketiah came closest for the gunners, with arsenal eight points clear at the top of the league over manchester city, newcastle remain third. manchester united remain fourth after a 3—0 win over bournemouth. goals from casemiro, luke shaw and marcus rashford sealed a sixth straight win for erik ten hag's side in all competitions, with united opening up a five—point gap over tottenham in fifth. while fulham are up to seventh after beating leicester 1—0 thanks to aleksandar mitrovic�*s

first—half goal. cristiano ronaldo says he wont ever play in europe again after meeting players and fans for the first time since signing for saudi arabian club side al—nassr. it was handshakes all round in the dressing room, before the fireworks started, as he was presented to the fans following his £175 million pound a year move. he described himself as a unique player, revealing he had offers from europe, brazil, australia, the us and portugal before accepting the offer to move to the middle east — rejecting any suggestion his career is in decline. the latest shake up in the tennis calendar, the inagurual united cup, is well under way — great britain remain in with a chance of making the semi—finals of the mixed event in australia, with their best of five matches clash against the usa currently tied at one game each.

it wasn't the best start for britain, maddison keys coming from a set down to defeat katie swan, but british number one cameron norrie levelled the tie as he got the better of taylor fritz in three sets. harriet dart is currently taking onjessica pegula in the third match of the contest. dan evans and then the fifth and final match, the doubles still to come. that's all the sport for now. let's return to our top story and the pressures on the health service. we're going to talk about how gp practices and pharamacies are coping with the unprecedented demand. thorrun govind is chair of the royal pharmaceutical society in england and a community pharmacist in manchester. good to have you with us. my first question to you is how much of the pressure that we are seeing in hospitals and gp surgeries, which we have been reporting on, is filtering through to pharmacies? it is

relentless _ through to pharmacies? it is relentless for _ through to pharmacies? it 3 relentless for pharmacy teens. they are under immense pressure. in common with the other nhs services, they are working extremely hard with their health service colleagues, ensuring that patients get the right care. but it's really tough. we are experiencing greater numbers through our doors because patients are perhaps seeing what is going on elsewhere in the health service and deciding to come into pharmacies. pharmacies are really accessible, normally a 20 minute walk away from most people. unfortunately, we are hampered by the government being unable to sometimes realise the benefits of community pharmacy. we are really calling for government action to support us, and there are some quick wins for the government that can really help patients. before you tell me about that, i just want to take you back a step. because this was discussed during the height of the pandemic, wasn't it? giving community pharmacy more

powers to dispense, to help patients. is that what you mean by quick wins? for patients. is that what you mean by quick wins?— patients. is that what you mean by ruick wins? ., ., , , ., quick wins? for example, if you need an alteration — quick wins? for example, if you need an alteration to _ quick wins? for example, if you need an alteration to your— quick wins? for example, if you need an alteration to your prescription, - an alteration to your prescription, normally we need to go back to the prescriber. we were wanting the government to allow community pharmacies to make minor alterations to prescriptions, for instance, if you need tablets, we could give you capsules. but then ordinarily we would have to refer you back to the prescriber. it is ridiculous we cannot do that, when we have five years of masters training, including formulations, it is scientific and specific, ourtraining. formulations, it is scientific and specific, our training. another quick win would be the pharmacy first scheme we are calling for, meaning community pharmacists would be able to assist patients with minor ailments. the problem at the moment is the lack of funding for community pharmacists. we need a sustainable model where we are able to offer these services, and we are funded to do so. at the moment, we

are struggling because of the funding cuts. there have been staffing cuts, staff shortages. it really is a dire situation in community pharmacy. we have also seen a lot of community pharmacy closures. ii seen a lot of community pharmacy closures. , ., , , ., closures. if summary comes to you with a minor _ closures. if summary comes to you with a minor ailment, _ closures. if summary comes to you with a minor ailment, which - closures. if summary comes to you with a minor ailment, which lots i closures. if summary comes to you with a minor ailment, which lots ofj with a minor ailment, which lots of people will do, they will turn to their community pharmacist first of all. are you saying that pharmacies are not able to help all of those people who turn up? we are not able to help all of those people who turn up?— are not able to help all of those people who turn up? we are able to hel those people who turn up? we are able to help those patients _ people who turn up? we are able to help those patients and _ people who turn up? we are able to help those patients and we - people who turn up? we are able to help those patients and we are - people who turn up? we are able to | help those patients and we are doing our best. but it is relentless. unfortunately, for some of those patients, because they need a prescription, we need to refer them to a prescriber. so, they have to go to a prescriber. so, they have to go to their gp. we think that is a waste of gp time, a waste of prescriber time, and that time, if the government works well with pharmacists, we could do better in community pharmacies to support patients. community pharmacies to support atients. ~ ., ., , community pharmacies to support atients. ~ . ., , patients. what has the government actually said _ patients. what has the government actually said to _ patients. what has the government actually said to you _ patients. what has the government actually said to you about _ patients. what has the government actually said to you about these - actually said to you about these proposals that you have? they make common sense, you are saying use our expertise. so what is the government

saying to you? me expertise. so what is the government saying to you?— saying to you? we heard from said javid, who was i saying to you? we heard from said javid, who was a d saying to you? we heard from said javid, who was a fewd saying to you? we heard from said javid, who was a few health i saying to you? we heard from said javid, who was a few health and i javid, who was a few health and social care secretaries back. he was keen for a pharmacy first scheme. but we need less talk and more action by the government on this. with the minor script alterations, in recent weeks you have been hearing about antibiotic shortages, for example. in the early stages of that, we were having to refer patients back to their prescriber for that antibiotic to be changed. 0ur suggestion is that we are able to change those in a community pharmacy, because we are working under the same protocols that other pharmacists, for example in hospital, are working under, in gp surgeries are working under. there's also another aspect to include here. in scotland and wales, the situation is very different for patients. they can access some of the services that we can't offer in community pharmacy in england because we are not able

to do so because of the government. good to talk to you. new figures show british households spent more than £12 billon on groceries over christmas, the highest amount on record. however, market researcher kantar says grocery price inflation is the real driving factor behind the figure, as opposed to increased purchasing. joining me now is fraser mckevitt, kantar�*s head of retail and consumer insight. with all the discussion of the cost of living, it is no surprise that it is inflation that is driving this figure, ratherthan is inflation that is driving this figure, rather than people deciding to splash out more this christmas? yes, i think for the supermarket industry, these record numbers for december will be bittersweet. because it is all out of people having to spend an awful lot more on groceries. that, of course, is not making anything comfortable for anybody. and it's notjust food prices going up. energy prices and virtually everything else in our life is getting more expensive, too.

because of that, people having to spend on food, but they are choosing to economise when they do so. they are looking for ways to save money. are they looking more for supermarket own brands, rather than other branded, more expensive products? other branded, more expensive roducts? , , . ., , ., products? yes, they certainly are. own label products _ products? yes, they certainly are. own label products are _ products? yes, they certainly are. own label products are up - products? yes, they certainly are. own label products are up more i products? yes, they certainly are. i own label products are up more than 0wn label products are up more than 13% in sales, year on year, well ahead of brands that are only growing about 4%. that shift to the supermarket own label, that is saving some people money. it's not just a simple story of people going cheap. if you delve deeper into that, doing pretty well are the most expensive supermarket own label lines. so, the premium ones, the likes of sainsbury�*s take the difference, tesco finest, they are growing at double—digit as well. people i wanted to save money, but it is christmas and they still want to treat themselves. more than £700 million was spent on the most expensive products.—

million was spent on the most expensive products. perhaps some --eole expensive products. perhaps some people see — expensive products. perhaps some people see not _ expensive products. perhaps some people see not as _ expensive products. perhaps some people see not as unaffordable - people see not as unaffordable treat, ratherthan people see not as unaffordable treat, rather than other purchases. what does this sort of data, given the cost of living continues, what is this sort of data doing to how the big supermarkets approach their plans for the year? the decisions they are making, the price deals they are making, the price deals they make with their providers? it is a very competitive market in the uk. in some senses, it isjust business as usual. but there is a heightened pressure on pricing. going into the new year, we normally see a raft or price announcements coming out or all of the supermarkets. and they will be looking to offer notjust cheapness, but what they call value. some people do want the cheapest lines in a particular category, they want the cheapest bread, for instance, but in another category they might want to buy something more expensive and treat themselves. they will be looking to modify their lines to offer all of those. we have seen in the last year a lot more very cheap,

price matched towards the discount retailers, a lot of cheaper lines appearing on the shells. i think we will see that in the new year, until hopefully, at some point, inflation starts to fall in a meaningful way. who is being squeezed the hardest the producers who provide the meat, or the the producers who provide the meat, orthe grains, orthe the producers who provide the meat, or the grains, or the fruit and vegetables to the supermarkets? wear down the line as the squeeze being felt the most? i down the line as the squeeze being felt the most?— felt the most? i think the squeeze is bein: felt the most? i think the squeeze is being felt _ felt the most? i think the squeeze is being felt across _ felt the most? i think the squeeze is being felt across the _ felt the most? i think the squeeze is being felt across the supply - is being felt across the supply chain, right up to the supermarkets themselves. although there have been record sales, they will not be celebrating record profits off the back of this, because their own costs have come up. the fundamentals are fairly simple. energy prices have gone up, we know about labour prices going up, and the cost of all of the agricultural inputs, the price of fertiliser on the war in ukraine has not helped any of this. fraser, thank you very much for your

time. there's political disarray in the us, where the house of representatives — the lower house of congress — has had to adjourn without electing a new leader. kevin mccarthy, the head of the republicans in the house, was expected to be chosen as speaker after his party won a majority in the house at elections in november. but about 20 hardline members of his own party rejected him in three separate votes. it's the first time in a century that the leader of the majority party has failed to get selected as speaker at the first attempt. 0ur north america correspondent peter bowes has more. the heart of us government deadlocked because its members can't agree on who'll be the next speaker. the house of representatives is meeting for the first time at the start of the new congress, with the republicans in charge. pursuant to law and precedent, the next order of business is the election of the speaker of the house of representatives for the 118th congress.

with a slim majority, the republicans have the votes to select the next speaker — but only if most of them agree. kevin mccarthy is the front runner. the republican leader enjoys wide support and has been campaigning for the role for months. and i think kevin mccarthy's the right guy to lead us, i really do, or i wouldn't be standing up here, giving this speech. i came in with kevin, we came in the same time, 16 years ago. we haven't always agreed on everything, but i like his fight, i like his tenacity and i like the... i remember kevin told me, i actually wrote about this in a book. i remember kevin told me, he said, "the toughest times in life are when you get knocked down." "the question is — can you come back?" and i have always seen him be able to do that. but this could be a knockdown from which there is no comeback. mr mccarthy is a polarising figure and not universally popular in his party. and that was obvious when the voting started — round after round, three times, he failed to win the majority needed to be declared the new speaker.

it was down to a small group on the right of the party who voted instead forjimjordan, who'd earlier said kevin mccarthy was the right person for the job. he was opposed by 19 members during the first two rounds, and then 20 in the third round. no persons having received a majority of the whole number of votes cast by surname, a speaker has not been elected. it leaves the house in disarray, unable to move on with the business of running the country. but differences in political ideology also lie at the centre of this impasse with disagreement over the future direction of the republicans. there had been indications that there was going to be this fight going back weeks. obviously, this is not the way the republicans in the house wanted to start their majority, but there had been these indications, and both sides have dug in, and there is no indication yet of when this is going to end.

so far, kevin mccarthy has doggedly refused to drop out of the race. it is the first time in 100 years that a speaker has not been elected in the opening round of voting. on that occasion, it took several days. history could be about to repeat itself. peter bowes, bbc news. millions of people are starting work again this week after the christmas break — but how many will actually make it into the office? new research shows that, as more people work from home, many city centres are quieter than before the pandemic while small towns and neighbourhoods are considerably busier. david sillito reports. welcome to budleigh salterton in devon. this is the longboat cafe on the waterfront, and for the first time, it's planning to stay open through the winter. last year we were open for the week after christmas and it was just as busy as it was in the height of summer.

the high street... there isn't a single empty shop. how's business? yeah, we're doing very well, thank you. i would say 20% up on what we were pre—covid. and the housing market is what estate agents describe as buoyant. it's just been crazy down here during covid — crazy. in what way? well, people were gazumping people — 60,000 80,000, 100 grand a house. a town that used to be a place to retire is changing. i met two of the more recent arrivals, adam and mark. so we moved into budleigh 2021 - june 2021. so you arrived during covid here? we were very, very lucky to find our dream home in budleigh during covid. how often do you have to go to the office? um, twice a week, probably now. and the rest of it i just do from home. has it made a difference? oh, it's fabulous. look at it! i mean, it'sjust stunning, isn't it? it's just beautiful.

and have you noticed a difference since you arrived here and the people moving into budleigh? there's sort of ten, 20 families in our area that have all moved in. i know a lot of people as well that are sort of waiting to move into budleigh. it's become quite a family—friendly area. all of which is backed up by new data, which shows the number of people in and around the town centre is up by nearly 60%. however, many city centres, most notably the city of london, have gone the other way. it is just after five o'clock. this is the bank of england, the city of london, and what used to be called the rush hour. this was a rush hour on london bridge in 2018. this is what friday rush hour now looks like. the big property companies now accept there's a new pattern to the week in big city centre offices.

what we see is tuesdays, wednesdays, thursdays, incredibly busy. mondays, 50% to 60% of those days, friday is almost like another weekend day. do you think it will ever go back to what it was before in 2018, 2019? we certainly believe that there are going to be fewer people in offices for the longer term, and we're planning accordingly. the office industry sees a future of fewer desks, more space for meeting, chatting, collaborating. the option to be more flexible, i think that's here with us now forever. and i think most people would agree that that's a good thing. indeed, who really misses doing this every day? and there is also an upside. i think local residential neighbourhoods is one area where you really can see both the permanent shift and where we're reverting back, because the pandemic has been a great catalyst for you to discover if you have a fantastic neighbourhood restaurant.

places like the volunteer inn here in 0ttery st mary back in devon. the lunch trade has been doing very well recently. so compare 2019 with now. there is no comparison, i don't think. we're so much busier. yeah. massively busy. thank god. there are winners and losers. but for many of us a bit more time where we live, a bit less commuting, things could be worse. david sillito, bbc news, devon. time for more of your tweets about maths. this plan from rishi sunak for pupils up to the age of 18 to learn some form of maths. 0ne says in a world driven by finance, it shocking the triangular measurements

are in the curriculum, when financial measurements are nowhere to be seen. it has no bearing on real life. alison power, maths is a very valuable skill, but focus on early years would lead to greater long—term educational outcomes. we must be mindful that the most successful businesses and organisations are those that actually have a diverse workforce. 0ne actually have a diverse workforce. one more, maths is good for a healthy brain, it helps everybody think logically. 18 as a minimum age is not even enough. whatever your passion, maths will be relevant, if you want to work in a brewery or trade bitcoin. keep your comments coming in on that story or any of the other stories we are covering today. now time for a look at the weather and carol is back. this morning it was a very mild start to the day, unseasonably so. as we go through today we will continue on that my old dean. it will also be windy. after this morning's rain, we are looking at

sunshine and showers. you can see the rain we have had pushing away from the north—east of scotland, and also the south—east of england. we have had some fairly heavy showers across central and southern scotland and northern ireland through the course of the morning. the showers are set to stay with us through the day. we will see a fuel getting in across northern ireland. some will be sharp, blowing along quite quickly on the brisk wind. the cloud is breaking up, more sunshine today than there was yesterday. by the end of the afternoon, the cloud will be coming into the south—west and that will introduce one or two spots of rain as well. we remain in the mild theme. you can see the temperatures, eight in lerwick and about 14 or 15 across parts of the south—east. through this evening and overnight, you can see the cloud moves across southern counties, the odd spot of rain before it pulls away, then we will see more coming in from the west before the end of the night. with a transient ridge of high pressure across us, many of the showers will fade. these are the overnight lows. blowing enough in sheltered parts of north—east scotland for a touch of frost. for

most of us we are looking at four or 11. for most, another mild night, just not as mild as last night. this is the weather front coming in tomorrow. bumping into this transient ridge of high pressure. not particularly strong. the low pressure comes in later, introducing heavier rain and also stronger wind. we start off on a dry and bright note. a week where the front coming in introduces this cloud and some splashes of rain. as the low pressure pushes and we will see some heavier rain across northern ireland and western scotland, with the wind picking up in the west as well. the risk of gales across north—west scotland later. these are the temperatures, seven to about 13 degrees. still mild for the time of year. as we head through thursday evening and overnight, we follow the track of this area of low pressure. it is coming across us. look at the isobars, telling you it is going to be windy, especially so across western scotland, where we have gusts of 70 mph. again, up to the north of england, we are looking

strong wind. the rain clears and then we are looking at some drier conditions, some sunshine and a bit of a respite for the next weather front coming in from the west later on. for most of us, we will still be mild. temperatures down a notch. looking at eight or 12 degrees.

this is bbc news. these are the latest headlines in the uk and around the world. russia blames a ukrainian rocket strike that killed dozens of servicemen on russian troops using their mobile phones. doctors across the uk say they're facing growing pressure as patients turn away from hospitals for help. the uk prime minister sets out a plan for all students in england to study some form of maths until the age of 18. let me know what you think of the plan, what sort of maths should be taught? we would love to hearfrom viewers right around the world about how maths was taught where you are. you can get in touch on twitter. for the first time in a century,

the us house of representatives fails to elect a speaker in its opening session.