beyond what has been trailed afraid, beyond what has been trailed and that is the announcement that mr sunak once all pupils in england to study maths in england up to the age of 18 but he accepts it cannot be achieved quickly and while the government will start work on it in this parliament, it will not be able to finish thejob this parliament, it will not be able to finish the job and implement that policy until after the next election, should the conservatives find themselves in power then, but of course the context in which the happening means rishi sunak will have to address the state of the nhs, the strikes in various sectors of the economy, the rising cost of living and small boat crossing is in the channel and more. those are simply issues he cannot be seen to duck, so he will have to set out what he plans to do and how exactly he plans to achieve it at a time of such turmoil and we expect questions after the speech from journalists to the prime minister, so expect all of the prime minister, so expect all of

theissues the prime minister, so expect all of the issues to come up then as well. and also there is the concern about inflation, about debt, about strikes where many people across the country, union members, are calling for pay increases that the government says are unaffordable. yes, and i don't think we will get anything from the prime minister thatis anything from the prime minister that is a sweeping change of policy oran that is a sweeping change of policy or an about turn on the government approach to negotiations or lack of with trade unions about the strikes. time and again rishi sunak and the health secretary, steve barclay, has said the nhs is getting the funding it needs to meet the union demands would simply be unaffordable. so, the prime minister may well repeat those messages today. he may well go further in talking about the government's approach to the current crises as many have described it. thank you, jonathan. i will cut you off. we havejust seen rishi sunak arrive at the venue in east london at the olympic park. let's listening.

at the olympic park. let's listening-— at the olympic park. let's listening. at the olympic park. let's listeninu. ., , ., , ., listening. new year should be a time of optimism — listening. new year should be a time of optimism and _ listening. new year should be a time of optimism and excitement, - listening. new year should be a time of optimism and excitement, yet - listening. new year should be a time of optimism and excitement, yet i i of optimism and excitement, yet i know many of you look ahead to 2023 with apprehension. i want you to know that as your prime minister, i will work night and day to change that, and quickly. notjust by providing relief and peace of mind for the months to come, although we will. but also by changing our country and are building a better future for our children and grandchildren. a future that restores optimism, hope and pride in britain. let me first address two issues i know that are at the forefront of everyone's's mines. i know there are challenges in a&e. people are understandably anxious when they see ambulances queueing outside hospitals. you should know we are taking urgent action,

increasing bed capacity by 7000 more hospital beds and more people cared at home. providing new funding to discharge people into social care in the community, freeing up beds, and the community, freeing up beds, and the nhs are working urgently on future plans for a&e and ambulances. and on strikes, there is a lot of misinformation out there, so i want people to clearly understand the government's position. we usually value public sector workers like nurses. they do incredibly important work and that is why we want a reasonable dialogue with the unions about what is responsible and fair for our country. and in the coming days we will update you on the government's next steps. today i want to make a simple commitment. this government will always reflect the people's priorities. people

don't want politicians who promise the earth and then fail to deliver. they want government to focus less on politics and more on the things that they care about. the cost of living is too high. waiting times in the nhs, too long. illegal migration, far too much. i think people do accept that many of these challenges are at least in part the legacy of covid and impacted by the war in ukraine, but that is not an excuse. we need to address these problems, notjust talk excuse. we need to address these problems, not just talk about them, and since i became prime minister we have made progress. stabilise the economy and peoples mortgage rates and provided £26 million of support for the cost of living and invested billions more schools, in the nhs and social care. deepened ties with allies around the world on everything from ukraine to our collective economic security.

continued our unwavering support for the armed forces and their efforts to keep us safe. and set out a concrete plan to stop the boats and tackle the unfairness of illegal migration. but, of course, we need to do more. so i want to make five promises to you today. five pledges to deliver peace of mind. five foundations on which to build a better future for our children and grandchildren. first, we will halve inflation this year to ease the cost of living and give people financial security. second, we will grow the economy, creating better paid jobs and opportunity right across the country. third, we will make sure our national debt is falling so we can secure the future of public

services. fourth, nhs waiting lists will fall, and people will get the care they need more quickly. fifth, we will pass new laws to stop small boats, making sure that if you come to this country illegally, you are detained and swiftly removed. so, five promises. we will halve inflation, grow the economy, reduce debt, cut waiting lists and stop the boats. those are the people's priorities. they are your government's priorities and we will either have achieved them or not. no tricks, no ambiguity, we are either delivering for you or we are not. we will rebuild trust in politics through action or not at all. so i ask you tojudge

through action or not at all. so i ask you to judge us on the effort we put in on the results we achieve. these five promises are the people's priorities, so they are my immediate priorities, so they are my immediate priorities too. but they are not the limit of my ambitions for our country. they are the foundation. my aim is to build a betterfuture for our children and grandchildren, a future where they feel optimism, hope and pride, and to realise that vision we need to change our mindset. politicians talk a lot about change, but the truth is no government, no prime minister can change a country by force of will or diktats alone. real change isn't provided, it is created. it is not given, it is demanded, not granted, but invented. the choices we make as individuals as workers, business owners, parents all add up to

something far greater. and if we are honest change also requires sacrifice and hard work. it is a big risk for a politician to say that, but the stakes are too high and the rewards are too great not to level with you. so changes hard and it takes time, but it is possible. and we know that because we have done it before. during covid we protected millions of peoples jobs and businesses, a record i am proud of, and we know it is possible because you can see change happening. you can feel it. just look at our state schools, empowered by reform in some of the most deprived parts of the country producing some of the best results. those teachers and pupils work hard and make sacrifices, because they know that what they are

doing is bigger than themselves. they demand, inspire and deliver excellence. and their ethos of excellence. and their ethos of excellence can become the animating spirit of our nation. inspired by them, together, we can change our country's character and reverse the creeping acceptance of a narrative decline. reject pessimism and fatalism and refuse limits on our aspirations, and to do that, we need to have the imagination and confidence to do things differently and better. the vision to do today what is needed for tomorrow. in other words, we need to change the way our country works. and that requires a change in mindset. what does that mean in practice? it means a more innovative economy, stronger

communities and safer streets. a world—class education system. an nhs built around patients and a society that truly values the family. in all of these areas and more we must have the courage to change, to think bigger, strive for excellence, not give up when things get tough. and if we can do that, then we really can build a betterfuture. in the coming months i will set out our plans in each of these areas, but let me set the direction today. a better future is one where our economy is growing faster, so everybody, everywhere across our union has new opportunities for better paying, good jobs. and the change we need is to put innovation at the heart of everything we do. an

ethos embodied by so many of the fantastic businesses right here. some people think innovation is about gadgets and geek ore, and nice to have, peripheral to growth compared to the traditional levers of tax and spend, but that is exactly the mindset that we need to change. let me tell you why innovation is so important. 0ver change. let me tell you why innovation is so important. over the last 50 years it was responsible for around half of the uk's productivity increase. newjobs are created by innovation. peoples wages increased by innovation and the cost of goods and services reduced by innovation and services reduced by innovation and major challenges like energy security and a net zero will be solved by innovation. the more we innovate, the more we grow. and the world is seeing an incredible wave of scientific and technological change, so right now, the most

powerful way to achieve higher growth is to make sure the uk is the most innovative economy in the world and that is why we are increasing public funding in r and d to £20 billion, to enhance our world leading strengths in al, life sciences, quantum and green technology. seizing the opportunities of brexit to ensure our regulatory system is agile and pro—innovation, making sure entrepreneurial and fast—growing companies get the finance they need to expand, spreading a culture of creative thinking and doing things differently across every part of the uk. if we are going to deliver this better future, uk. if we are going to deliver this betterfuture, people uk. if we are going to deliver this better future, people will have to work hard, but i believe that good, well—paid jobs are about more than just financial security. they give people purpose, confidence, dignity,

the chance to build a better life for themselves. the chance to build a better life forthemselves. but the chance to build a better life for themselves. but i also believe that if you work hard and play by the rules, you should be rewarded. which is why, as soon as we can, the government will reduce the burden of taxation on working people. and it is staggering that at a time when businesses are crying out for workers, a quarter of our labour force is inactive, so our growth plan will look at how we can support those who can to move back into work, including through the welfare system. all of this will make this country a beacon of science, technology and enterprise and lift our productivity, raise our growth rate and create jobs the decades to come. goodjobs rate and create jobs the decades to come. good jobs give people pride in

their own lives, but a better future also needs reinforcing people's pride in the places they call home. and the change we need is to do away with the idea that it is inevitable that some communities and some places can never and will never get better. i love my local community, and it's not right that too many, for far too long have and it's not right that too many, forfar too long have not and it's not right that too many, for far too long have not felt that same sense of meaning and belonging. the government cannot create it. it is something we build together. but the state does provide the foundations, so we will deliver on our promise to level up with greater investment in local areas, to boost growth, createjobs investment in local areas, to boost growth, create jobs and investment in local areas, to boost growth, createjobs and reinvigorate our high streets and town centres. but all the regeneration of the world will not mean anything unless people feel safe in their communities. so by the spring we

will have an extra 20,000 police officers patrolling the streets answering the call for health and catching criminals. we have got to stop violence against women and girls. and let's be frank, that means men taking responsibility for creating a culture and society where women are safe in their communities and at home. we have got to reduce reoffending because a small number of career criminals account for disproportionate amount of crime and we have got to beat addiction, because heroin and crack addicts account for almost half of all robberies. strong communities are also built on values, on the golden rule that you treat others as you would like to be treated yourself, but too often a small minority break the golden rule. a spray graffiti on wall memorials. they discarded

needles and nitrous oxide canisters in children's playgrounds. they gang together and cause disorder and disruption. anti—social behaviour is not inevitable or a minor crime. it makes life miserable for so many and it can be a gateway to more extreme crimes. so this government will work tirelessly to crack down on anti—social behaviour giving police forces, mayors and local authorities the tools they need and giving communities confidence that these crimes will be quickly and visibly punished. wherever you live in our united kingdom, you should be able to feel proud of your community, and thatis to feel proud of your community, and that is how and what we will work together to achieve. so we will create a better future by changing our economy and strengthening our communities. we also need greater

socialjustice. and the way we achieve that is education. this is personalfor me. every achieve that is education. this is personal for me. every opportunity i had in life began with the education i was so fortunate to receive. and it's the single most important reason why i came into politics, to give every child the highest possible standard of education. thanks to the reforms we have introduced since 2010, and the hard work of so many excellent teachers, we have made incredible progress. but with the right plan in the right commitment to excellence, i cannot see any reason why we cannot rival the best education systems in the world. to do that, yes, we will need to fix the damage of covid, especially for our youngest pupils, and yes, it will require more investment, which is whyjust a few

weeks ago in the autumn statement we provided £2 billion of extra funding for schools but that's not the limit of our ambitions. we are not content withjust of our ambitions. we are not content with just catching of our ambitions. we are not content withjust catching up. of our ambitions. we are not content with just catching up. first we of our ambitions. we are not content withjust catching up. first we need to support good teaching and spread best practice with a plan to improve attainment in primary schools next, we need to stop seeing education is something that ends aged 18 or sees university as the only option. with more technical education and lifelong learning is an pensions and one of the biggest challenges in mindset is that we need an education today to reimagine our approach to numeracy. as chancellor, i introduced multiply, a programme to give hundreds of thousands of adults an opportunity to get the basic numerical skills they need. but we are one of the few countries not to require our children to study some

form of maths up to the age of 18. right nowjust half of all 16 to 19—year—olds study any maths at all. yet in a world where data is everywhere and statistics underpin everywhere and statistics underpin everyjob, letting our children out into that world without those skills is letting our children down. so we need to go further. i am now making numeracy a central objective of our education system. that doesn't have to mean a compulsory a—level in mass for everyone, but we will work with the sector to move towards all children studying some form of maths to 18. just imagine what greater numeracy will unlock four people. the skills to feel confidence with your finances, the skills to feel confidence with yourfinances, to the skills to feel confidence with your finances, to find the best mortgage deal savings rate. the ability to do yourjob better and get paid more and greater

self—confidence to navigate a changing world. improving education is the closest thing to a silver bullet there is. it's the best economic policy, the best social policy, the best moral policy and thatis policy, the best moral policy and that is why it is this government's policy. as we build this better future for our children and grandchildren i feel a deep responsibility to pass on a health service that will be there for them, just as it was for our parents and grandparents. when i talk about the nhs i'm notjust talking about a prized public service, i'm talking about my family's light calling. my dad was a doctor. i grew up working in my mum's pharmacy. i saw day in, day out, the devotion they gave to their patients. my record demonstrates how those memories are to me. we have significantly

increased funding for health and social care, recruited thousands more doctors and nurses, upgradable hospitals with cutting—edge technology, but covid has imposed massive new pressures and people are waiting too long for the care they need. and we are fixing that, but we need. and we are fixing that, but we need to do more. at a time when we are putting record sums into the nhs and recruiting record numbers of doctors and nurses, health care professionals are still unable to deliver the care they want and patients are not receiving the care they deserve. so we need to recognise that something has to change. now, it doesn't mean structural reforms to the nhs. we will always protect the founding principles of an nhs free at the point of use, but what it does mean is that it is an nhs where patients are in control with as much choice

as possible. where we are comfortable with the nhs using more independent capacity, if that's what it takes, to get patients quicker and better care. where patients can access more information and data, allowing them to make more informed choices and whole services to account and where we will no longer accept unwarranted variation in performance between trusts because high quality health care should be there for you wherever you live. and as the nhs works with professions to develop a workforce strategy early this year, i have asked them to consider how we can best support doctors, nurses and other health care professionals like pharmacists to work more flexibly. we all share the same objective when it comes to the same objective when it comes to the nhs. to continue providing high quality responsive health care for generations to come, and that is

what we are going to deliver. 0ur what we are going to deliver. our vision for change will revitalise every aspect of our lives, better jobs, stronger communities and world—class education and an nhs built around patients. but family is something politicians struggle to talk about, because you kernel —— all too readily be pilloried for being out of touch or worse, hostile. to those who don't conform to some idealised form. we live in a world today where family can and does take many forms, but whatever your family looks like, it doesn't matter as long as the common bond is love. we should not be shy about it. we cannot not talk about the thing thatis we cannot not talk about the thing that is most important in most of our lives. not when the evidence is clear that strong, supportive families make formal stable communities and happier individuals. i would not be where i am today

without the love of my family, the kindness they gave me, the sacrifices they made for me, the values they taught me. i learn from them the virtues of hard work and self—improvement, the importance of treating others with respect and the value of service, of how a community relies on people going above and beyond what they are required to do. today, it is the love of my wife and children that sustains me in the most difficult moments in this job. family matters. we need to support parents, to manage the demands of modern workplaces without weakening the irreplaceable bonds of family life. and we are going to roller family hubs to offer parents the support they need to raise a child, because i believe deeply that family, notjust government, can help us answer the profound questions we face as a country. when it comes to health, family cares for

us when we are sick and old, families teaching as values in education. when it comes to community, family guides us in right and wrong. and that is why family runs right through our vision of a better future. runs right through our vision of a betterfuture. when i runs right through our vision of a better future. when i first runs right through our vision of a betterfuture. when i first spoke runs right through our vision of a better future. when i first spoke to you as prime minister i stressed the trust was not given, but earned. i hope that in these first few weeks in the job i hope that in these first few weeks in thejob i have begun to earn your trust. and i've made five promises to date to deliver peace of mind. we will halve inflation, grow the economy, reduce debt, cut waiting times and stop the boats. but i know this is just the start of what we need to do to build a better britain together. as well as peace of mind today, this afternoon i've also set out a vision for a better future for

our children and grandchildren. we are not going to get there overnight, or even in this parliament, but this is the journey we are on, and despite all of the challenges we face and all of the anxieties that people feel, i know we can get there. 0thers anxieties that people feel, i know we can get there. others may talk about change will stop i will deliver it. i won't offer you false hope or quick fixes, but meaningful, lasting change. i want people to feel something that they do not always feel today, a belief that public services work for them and knowledge that if you work hard in the good times, the state will be there for you during the bad. i hope that the world will be better for their children than it was for them, a sense of belonging in the place they call home. i guarantee that your priorities will be my priorities. i pledge that i will be

honest about the challenges we face and i will take the tough but necessary decisions to ensure our great country achieves its enormous potential. i will only promise what i can deliver. and i will deliver what i promise. thank you. applause. thank you. i think we have got a good amount of time to take some questions from the media. i will kick off with chris mason from the bbc. , ~ ., , ., kick off with chris mason from the bbc. , “ , bbc. chris mason, bbc news, the health service _ bbc. chris mason, bbc news, the health service is _ bbc. chris mason, bbc news, the health service is under _ health service is under extraordinary pressure right now and some _ extraordinary pressure right now and some people watching this afternoon

might— some people watching this afternoon might say, _ some people watching this afternoon might say, is that it? how soon will things— might say, is that it? how soon will things improve in the nhs this winter? — things improve in the nhs this winter? ., , things improve in the nhs this winter? . , ~ , winter? thanks, chris. as i acknowledged _ winter? thanks, chris. as i acknowledged at _ winter? thanks, chris. as i acknowledged at the - winter? thanks, chris. as i - acknowledged at the beginning of winter? thanks, chris. as i _ acknowledged at the beginning of the speech, that is the thing that people are most worried about and it's why when i talked about my five priorities, the five promises i made the country, making sure we reduce waiting times and the nhs was one of them and it's something i've been working on a lot since i was pm and that's what i want the country to hold me to account for. there are lots of things we are doing. this winter, the most acute pressure we haveis winter, the most acute pressure we have is in a&e and we can see that and what i want the country to know is there a range of things we doing that will make a difference. the biggest problem we have is that there are around 13,000 people in hospital beds who ideally should be backin hospital beds who ideally should be back in their communities or social care and that is what is making hospitals full and is slowing the flow of people from ambulances to a&e and through, so what are we

doing to address that? we put half £1 billion into what is called early discharge to help move people into their communities this winter. we are rolling out something called virtual wards where people who have acute respiratory infections can be treated at home with medicine that will free up capacity on the nhs and we are rolling out a new full service so we can save about 55,000 ambulance call—outs a year by treating people with falls at home and we need to do a betterjob in preventative medicine. so many people with undiagnosed high blood pressure who end up ultimately having a cardiac issue that requires an ambulance call—outs. those are some of the things we are doing this winter that i'm confident we'll make a difference. we also have a plan in place to get nhs waiting times, when it comes to elective surgery, down and that is something i'm confident we can do and i believe that in just a few months practically eliminating waiting times for those waiting a year and a half. we've already eliminated those waiting two years

and by next spring i think we will have eliminated those waiting a year and that's because we have a clear plan in place. what i want the country to know is that this is an apsley priority for me. i made five promises to take in making sure that people can get the care as quickly as they need is right there as one of those priorities in the country should hold me to account for delivering it and i'm confident we will. ., ., on that point about having fewer people _ on that point about having fewer people in— on that point about having fewer people in hospital, _ on that point about having fewer people in hospital, paramedics. on that point about having fewer. people in hospital, paramedics say you might — people in hospital, paramedics say you might even— people in hospital, paramedics say you might even have _ people in hospital, paramedics say you might even have to _ people in hospital, paramedics say you might even have to consider. you might even have to consider causing — you might even have to consider causing elective _ you might even have to consider causing elective procedures- you might even have to consider causing elective procedures in. you might even have to consider- causing elective procedures in order to allow— causing elective procedures in order to allow them — causing elective procedures in order to allow them to _ causing elective procedures in order to allow them to get _ causing elective procedures in order to allow them to get people - causing elective procedures in order to allow them to get people in - causing elective procedures in order to allow them to get people in the l to allow them to get people in the front door— to allow them to get people in the front door as — to allow them to get people in the front door as it _ to allow them to get people in the front door as it were _ to allow them to get people in the front door as it were of— to allow them to get people in the front door as it were of hospitals, | front door as it were of hospitals, is this— front door as it were of hospitals, is this the — front door as it were of hospitals, is this the wrong _ front door as it were of hospitals, is this the wrong time _ front door as it were of hospitals, is this the wrong time to - front door as it were of hospitals, is this the wrong time to be - is this the wrong time to be concentrating _ is this the wrong time to be concentrating on— is this the wrong time to be concentrating on waiting. is this the wrong time to be i concentrating on waiting lists is this the wrong time to be - concentrating on waiting lists when there _ concentrating on waiting lists when there are _ concentrating on waiting lists when there are queues _ concentrating on waiting lists when there are queues of— concentrating on waiting lists when there are queues of ambulances i there are queues of ambulances trying _ there are queues of ambulances trying to— there are queues of ambulances trying to get _ there are queues of ambulances trying to get people _ there are queues of ambulances trying to get people who - there are queues of ambulances trying to get people who need . there are queues of ambulances - trying to get people who need urgent care into _ trying to get people who need urgent care into hospital? _ trying to get people who need urgent care into hospital? the— trying to get people who need urgent care into hospital?— care into hospital? the simple answer is _ care into hospital? the simple answer is we _ care into hospital? the simple answer is we need _ care into hospital? the simple answer is we need to - care into hospital? the simple answer is we need to do - care into hospital? the simple answer is we need to do both. j care into hospital? the simple - answer is we need to do both. you heard my answer before, there is a

range of things we are doing to make the most difference in the short term to a&e and urgent care and the priority is to move people into social care and in the community, which will mean we can get ambulances flowing as fast as we would like and make sure people are moving into a&e as fast as we would like, but your point highlights the issue. that is what happened during covid, we stop doing elective surgery, the amount of elective activity in the nhs was down to about half of what it normally does so the reason we have a huge waiting list is because we are having to catch up with that. one of our initiatives to stop that from happening again is to create elective surgical hobs and diagnostic centres where people can get the test they need —— surgical hubs. an routine elective surgery like cataracts and hip replacement surgery away from hospital, because if you do that you increase our

ability to treat people because you do not have doctors disrupted by doing routine appointments and then having to rush to deal with an emergency, that is the model that works well. we are rolling out 300 surgical hubs around the country and that will allow us to do both, to treat our parents and grandparents who are waiting for one of those surgeries they need but also allow us to treat people in hospital need that urgent care. my priority is to do both and the plans will deliver that and that is why we have put more funding into the nhs, you cannot forget that. in the autumn statement we made some difficult decisions to get the debt under control to make sure we control inflation but despite that, we put extra money into the nhs and social care, £14 billion over the next two years, and there we need to make sure we deliver that money in the way that i have described so people feel the benefit in the care they receive. we have a clear plan and my job is to deliver it and then i want people to hold me to account beth

rigby now from sky news. we people to hold me to account beth rigby now from sky news. we expect a reassurin: rigby now from sky news. we expect a reassuring performance _ rigby now from sky news. we expect a reassuring performance from _ rigby now from sky news. we expect a reassuring performance from you - rigby now from sky news. we expect a reassuring performance from you but . reassuring performance from you but in the _ reassuring performance from you but in the real— reassuring performance from you but in the real world _ reassuring performance from you but in the real world you _ reassuring performance from you but in the real world you can't _ reassuring performance from you but in the real world you can't get - reassuring performance from you but in the real world you can't get a - in the real world you can't get a train _ in the real world you can't get a train and — in the real world you can't get a train and people _ in the real world you can't get a train and people are _ in the real world you can't get a train and people are going - in the real world you can't get a train and people are going to i in the real world you can't get a i train and people are going to food banks— train and people are going to food banks and — train and people are going to food banks and when _ train and people are going to food banks and when you _ train and people are going to food banks and when you dial - train and people are going to food banks and when you dial 999 i train and people are going to food banks and when you dial 999 youl banks and when you dial 999 you cannot— banks and when you dial 999 you cannot be — banks and when you dial 999 you cannot be sure _ banks and when you dial 999 you cannot be sure that— banks and when you dial 999 you cannot be sure that an _ banks and when you dial 999 youl cannot be sure that an ambulance banks and when you dial 999 you i cannot be sure that an ambulance is going _ cannot be sure that an ambulance is going to _ cannot be sure that an ambulance is going to get — cannot be sure that an ambulance is going to get there _ cannot be sure that an ambulance is going to get there in— cannot be sure that an ambulance is going to get there in time _ cannot be sure that an ambulance is going to get there in time to - cannot be sure that an ambulance is going to get there in time to save i going to get there in time to save your loved — going to get there in time to save your loved one. _ going to get there in time to save your loved one, that— going to get there in time to save your loved one, that is— going to get there in time to save your loved one, that is the - going to get there in time to save your loved one, that is the reality of the _ your loved one, that is the reality of the uk — your loved one, that is the reality of the uk in — your loved one, that is the reality ofthe uk in 2023, _ your loved one, that is the reality of the uk in 2023, and _ your loved one, that is the reality of the uk in 2023, and now- your loved one, that is the reality of the uk in 2023, and now you . your loved one, that is the reality. of the uk in 2023, and now you are here— of the uk in 2023, and now you are here giving— of the uk in 2023, and now you are here giving people _ of the uk in 2023, and now you are here giving people more _ of the uk in 2023, and now you are here giving people more promisesl here giving people more promises about— here giving people more promises about how— here giving people more promises about how you _ here giving people more promises about how you might _ here giving people more promises about how you might change i here giving people more promises about how you might change the i about how you might change the country — about how you might change the country that _ about how you might change the country that they _ about how you might change the country that they have _ about how you might change the country that they have heard i about how you might change the . country that they have heard many times— country that they have heard many times before — country that they have heard many times before during _ country that they have heard many times before during 13 _ country that they have heard many times before during 13 years - country that they have heard many times before during 13 years of. times before during 13 years of conservative _ times before during 13 years of conservative rule, _ times before during13 years of conservative rule, my- times before during 13 years of| conservative rule, my question times before during 13 years of. conservative rule, my question is, why should — conservative rule, my question is, why should the _ conservative rule, my question is, why should the public _ conservative rule, my question is, why should the public believe i conservative rule, my question is, why should the public believe youi why should the public believe you are any— why should the public believe you are any different _ why should the public believe you are any different to _ why should the public believe you are any different to any— why should the public believe you are any different to any of- why should the public believe you are any different to any of your i are any different to any of your predecessors? _ are any different to any of your predecessors? the— are any different to any of your predecessors?— are any different to any of your predecessors? are any different to any of your redecessors? . ., , ., , predecessors? the country have seen me before through _ predecessors? the country have seen me before through difficult _ predecessors? the country have seen me before through difficult times i me before through difficult times and they saw me as the chancellor during covid and most of them

probably did not know who i was until i appeared on the press conference on their tv screens and i'm proud of the record i had as chancellor. we moved at enormous speed and with competence to deliver interventions that made a difference to the lives of people that save theirjobs and protected businesses so people can trust that when i say i'm going to do something i am going to do it. i have also been very clear, unambiguous, made five simple promises that the priorities of the country are mine and i want to be held accountable for them, there is no ambiguity, no tricks. people will know whether i'm delivering on these things and i'm confident that we can. i really am. you talk about the record, and i'm not going to say the nhs wasn't under pressure before covid, of course it was, but there were places where it was improving, ambulance times, category two, we were at target before covid hit so that has had an impact, and i talked

about the fact elective surgery was paused during covid at the same with cancer referrals, they were down by about two thirds during covid and now there are four more the normal —— far more. so covid has had an impact, although that is not an excuse. this is one of my five promises, and this is why i'm here today being very clear about what i'm going to deliverfor them and the country as prime minister and i'm confident we can do that but people will hold me to account for doing so. now olivia from gb news. inaudible inaudible i was very clear about the importance of family to me and it is good that we talk about family because it is a wonderful thing to talk about. i specifically talked

about part of modern families today, making sure we can balance between work life and family life and childcare is an important part of that. the government and myself are committed to making sure good availability and affordability and flexibility of childcare which is what we are always looking to deliver and improve on the office we have, and there's a consultation at the moment and we are in the process of considering some reforms and it would not be right for me to comment but the fact i have spent time talking about family hopefully gives people confidence that it is important to us and that we want to support families in all of their forms to have happy fulfilling lives which are nurturing for their children in the same way i was benefit to —— i was fortunate to benefit to —— i was fortunate to benefit from. in benefit to -- i was fortunate to benefit from.— benefit from. in the interest of clearin: benefit from. in the interest of clearing op _ benefit from. in the interest of clearing op any _ benefit from. in the interest of clearing up any ambiguity, i benefit from. in the interest of l clearing up any ambiguity, which pledges — clearing up any ambiguity, which pledges are _ clearing up any ambiguity, which pledges are for— clearing up any ambiguity, which pledges are for this _ clearing up any ambiguity, which pledges are for this year? - clearing up any ambiguity, whichl pledges are for this year? halving inflation _ pledges are for this year? halving inflation this— pledges are for this year? halving inflation this year, _ pledges are for this year? halving inflation this year, you _ pledges are for this year? halving inflation this year, you said. - pledges are for this year? halving inflation this year, you said. what

about— inflation this year, you said. what about the — inflation this year, you said. what about the others, _ inflation this year, you said. what about the others, growing - inflation this year, you said. what about the others, growing the i about the others, growing the economy, _ about the others, growing the economy, this _ about the others, growing the economy, this year? - about the others, growing the economy, this year? nhs i about the others, growing the i economy, this year? nhs waiting lists falling — economy, this year? nhs waiting lists falling this _ economy, this year? nhs waiting lists falling this year? _ economy, this year? nhs waiting lists falling this year? new- economy, this year? nhs waiting lists falling this year? new laws i economy, this year? nhs waiting. lists falling this year? new laws to stop small— lists falling this year? new laws to stop small boats? _ lists falling this year? new laws to stop small boats? would - lists falling this year? new laws to stop small boats? would you i lists falling this year? new laws to stop small boats? would you stop| stop small boats? would you stop small— stop small boats? would you stop small boats — stop small boats? would you stop small boats this _ stop small boats? would you stop small boats this year? _ stop small boats? would you stop small boats this year? can - stop small boats? would you stop small boats this year? can i - stop small boats? would you stop small boats this year? can i ask. small boats this year? can i ask another— small boats this year? can i ask another question, _ small boats this year? can i ask another question, in— small boats this year? can i ask another question, in recent i small boats this year? can i ask. another question, in recent years, the uk _ another question, in recent years, the uk has — another question, in recent years, the uk has often _ another question, in recent years, the uk has often been _ another question, in recent years, the uk has often been compared i another question, in recent years, i the uk has often been compared with italy and _ the uk has often been compared with italy and the — the uk has often been compared with italy and the political— the uk has often been compared with italy and the political and _ the uk has often been compared with italy and the political and economic . italy and the political and economic crises _ italy and the political and economic crises that— italy and the political and economic crises that happened _ italy and the political and economic crises that happened there. - italy and the political and economic crises that happened there. they. crises that happened there. they have _ crises that happened there. they have occasionally _ crises that happened there. they have occasionally had _ crises that happened there. they have occasionally had to - crises that happened there. they have occasionally had to restore i have occasionally had to restore calm, _ have occasionally had to restore calm. a — have occasionally had to restore calm, a technocrat _ have occasionally had to restore calm, a technocrat has - have occasionally had to restore calm, a technocrat has taken i have occasionally had to restore i calm, a technocrat has taken over, are you _ calm, a technocrat has taken over, are you our— calm, a technocrat has taken over, are you our technocrat? _ calm, a technocrat has taken over, are you our technocrat? on - calm, a technocrat has taken over, are you our technocrat?— calm, a technocrat has taken over, are you our technocrat? on the five romises are you our technocrat? on the five promises i — are you our technocrat? on the five promises i made, _ are you our technocrat? on the five promises i made, inflation, - are you our technocrat? on the five promises i made, inflation, the i are you our technocrat? on the five | promises i made, inflation, the plan is very much in my expectation is we will halve the rate of inflation by the end of this year. on our path to restoring inflation back to where it belongs which is 2% inflation target that we set the bank of england that i'm keen to deliver on the plans we have set out, to see inflation

halving. and i would like the economy to be growing by then. those goals are for this year. in terms of the debt falling we have already got plans in place to make sure the debt falls in the medium term, and we have got to make sure we have the discipline to do so because that is not always easy but that is the right thing to do to secure the future of public services and combat inflation. in terms of nhs waiting times, last year we practically eliminated people waiting over two years either because of the plans we put in place that increase the amount of elective activity, which i talked about, we were on track to eliminate the weights for 1.5 years by about april of this year and by spring of next year we will have eliminated those waiting over a year with the overall waiting list falling and then lastly, we are keen to introduce legislation as soon as practically possible, and parliament will decide how long it takes to pass legislation ultimately but in

all these things i have not put a specific month on each of them because i don't think that is responsible or the right thing to do with such complex goals and a lot of things are out of my control, we have seen that in the past year. but what i'm being very clear about is what i'm being very clear about is what i'm being very clear about is what i am prioritising and keen to deliverfor what i am prioritising and keen to deliver for the country in terms that i think are easy to understand and unambiguous and ifully that i think are easy to understand and unambiguous and i fully expect the country to hold me on the government to account for how much effort we are putting in to working on those priorities which are their priorities and then ultimately how we deliver them and that is why i'm being crystal clear about what we are doing and why. in the interests of time, i think has a very clear set of priorities that they want the government to focus on, those of the five policies i made, halving

inflation, growing the economy, reducing debt, cutting waiting times and stopping the boats, those are the five immediate priorities but i will also say today that i sketched out a better future for our children and grandchildren that i want to create, which is confident we can make progress on that as well. in the interests of getting as many questions in as possible i will ask people to limit themselves to one question. now we have ben from the daily telegraph. one question, your plan for growth, you suggested — one question, your plan for growth, you suggested the _ one question, your plan for growth, you suggested the tax _ one question, your plan for growth, you suggested the tax burden, i one question, your plan for growth, you suggested the tax burden, howl you suggested the tax burden, how likely— you suggested the tax burden, how likely is— you suggested the tax burden, how likely is it _ you suggested the tax burden, how likely is it that _ you suggested the tax burden, how likely is it that you _ you suggested the tax burden, how likely is it that you might _ you suggested the tax burden, how likely is it that you might be - you suggested the tax burden, how likely is it that you might be able i likely is it that you might be able to reduce — likely is it that you might be able to reduce the _ likely is it that you might be able to reduce the tax _ likely is it that you might be able to reduce the tax burden - likely is it that you might be able to reduce the tax burden in - likely is it that you might be able to reduce the tax burden in the l to reduce the tax burden in the spring — to reduce the tax burden in the spring budget? _ to reduce the tax burden in the spring budget? you _ to reduce the tax burden in the spring budget? you talked i to reduce the tax burden in the i spring budget? you talked about getting _ spring budget? you talked about getting people _ spring budget? you talked about getting people back— spring budget? you talked about getting people back into - spring budget? you talked about getting people back into work, i spring budget? you talked about i getting people back into work, can you give _ getting people back into work, can you give me — getting people back into work, can you give me one _ getting people back into work, can you give me one specific— getting people back into work, can you give me one specific policy- you give me one specific policy idea? — you give me one specific policy idea? ,., ., .,, you give me one specific policy idea? ., �* ., idea? on both of those, i'm not auoin to idea? on both of those, i'm not going to pre-empt_ idea? on both of those, i'm not going to pre-empt what - idea? on both of those, i'm not going to pre-empt what the i going to pre—empt what the chancellor does in the spring budget

and i preferred it when i had his job that the prime minister did not do that and i will try to stick by that. i will repeat what i said in the speech, work is important not just because it provides financial security, but i think work provides people with purpose and dignity and confidence and it is something to be celebrated and rewarded which is why as soon as we are able i want to cut taxes on working people, something the chancellor is also aligned on, but right now we have a set of challenges we are grappling with that as a priority as i have outlined. regarding inactivity, there's a range of things we are looking at that the chancellor is working on together with work and pensions secretary and there is no one thing that will make the difference as with all these things but as i mentioned before, we need to look at how the welfare system is operating and is it operating in a

way that we would like to make sure that we are supporting and incentivising people who can work work? we have started this but there are more things we can look at and the budget is a time for these type of things and the chancellor will make those announcements in due course. now steve from the times newspaper. course. now steve from the times newspaper-— course. now steve from the times news-naer. ., ., ,., , ., ., course. now steve from the times newsuaer. ., ., ., ., newspaper. you have said you want to sto the newspaper. you have said you want to step the boats. _ newspaper. you have said you want to stop the boats, what _ newspaper. you have said you want to stop the boats, what exactly - newspaper. you have said you want to stop the boats, what exactly do i newspaper. you have said you want to stop the boats, what exactly do you i stop the boats, what exactly do you mean _ stop the boats, what exactly do you mean by _ stop the boats, what exactly do you mean by that? _ stop the boats, what exactly do you mean by that? there _ stop the boats, what exactly do you mean by that? there will— stop the boats, what exactly do you mean by that? there will be - stop the boats, what exactly do you mean by that? there will be no i stop the boats, what exactly do you i mean by that? there will be no small boat crossing — mean by that? there will be no small boat crossing is — mean by that? there will be no small boat crossing is by _ mean by that? there will be no small boat crossing is by the _ mean by that? there will be no small boat crossing is by the time - mean by that? there will be no small boat crossing is by the time of the i boat crossing is by the time of the next election? _ boat crossing is by the time of the next election? we _ boat crossing is by the time of the next election? we want _ boat crossing is by the time of the next election? we want some i next election? we want some definition_ next election? we want some definition around _ next election? we want some definition around the - next election? we want some definition around the target. next election? we want some i definition around the target. the country will _ definition around the target. country willjudge of definition around the target. country will judge of whether definition around the target.- country will judge of whether we definition around the target- country willjudge of whether we as country will judge of whether we as a government are straining every sin you to focus on their priorities and deliver on them and when i made a statement in parliament last month about small boats, i went out of my way to say this is not an easy

problem to fix, and it's not one we can fix overnight. it requires a lot of different things to be changed. we made progress on that already, the new deal with france means there are 40% more patrols happening in france which is making a difference and the new deal with albania will enable us to return a more illegal migrants who have come here from that country back to where they are from. they accounted for a third of all small boat crossings in the latter part of last year so that could make a real difference but the most important thing is to pass new legislation and we want to make sure that legislation means that if you come here illegally to our country, you will not be able to stay. you will be detained and removed and returned to another country or your own country if that is appropriate, and that is common sense, people will think that's the kind of system we should have but as we have seen already, with the rwanda policy, there are people who will try to

stop that from happening, but i am working day and night to deliver that system and the next step is to introduce new laws that will allow us to put the system in place but that will not happen overnight but that will not happen overnight but thatis that will not happen overnight but that is what people will see us working very hard on in the coming weeks and months. nojason from the daily mail. —— nowjason. weeks and months. no jason from the daily mail. -- nowjason._ daily mail. -- nowjason. don't you have to resolve _ daily mail. -- nowjason. don't you have to resolve the _ daily mail. -- nowjason. don't you have to resolve the strikes - daily mail. -- nowjason. don't you have to resolve the strikes that - daily mail. -- nowjason. don't you have to resolve the strikes that are | have to resolve the strikes that are going _ have to resolve the strikes that are going on— have to resolve the strikes that are going on if— have to resolve the strikes that are going on if you _ have to resolve the strikes that are going on if you are _ have to resolve the strikes that are going on if you are going _ have to resolve the strikes that are going on if you are going to- have to resolve the strikes that are going on if you are going to get- going on if you are going to get peace _ going on if you are going to get peace of— going on if you are going to get peace of mind _ going on if you are going to get peace of mind and _ going on if you are going to get peace of mind and get - going on if you are going to get peace of mind and get the - going on if you are going to get. peace of mind and get the growth that you _ peace of mind and get the growth that you want? _ peace of mind and get the growth that you want? how _ peace of mind and get the growth that you want? how will - peace of mind and get the growth that you want? how will you - peace of mind and get the growth that you want? how will you do i peace of mind and get the growth . that you want? how will you do that without _ that you want? how will you do that without paying — that you want? how will you do that without paying people _ that you want? how will you do that without paying people more? - that you want? how will you do that without paying people more? can i that you want? how will you do that i without paying people more? can you legislate _ without paying people more? can you legislate your — without paying people more? can you legislate your way _ without paying people more? can you legislate your way out _ without paying people more? can you legislate your way out of _ without paying people more? can you legislate your way out of this - legislate your way out of this problem? _ legislate your way out of this problem? 0" _ legislate your way out of this problem?— legislate your way out of this roblem? , ~ , ., ., problem? on the strikes i want to make sure — problem? on the strikes i want to make sure the — problem? on the strikes i want to make sure the country _ problem? on the strikes i want to make sure the country and - problem? on the strikes i want to i make sure the country and everyone understands our position and that is that we hugely respect and value the work done by public sector workers across the board, nurses are part of that as well and a special part of that, and i want everyone to know that, and i want everyone to know that we are keen on dialogue. the door is always open at the transport

secretary's door is always open and they were keen to have constructive dialogue which is open and honest so we can talk about the challenges everyone is facing and see what we can do to find a resolution to the strikes. i have always been clear about that and i want to repeat that today. you will hear more from the government in the coming days about our approach but my view is that people should always behave reasonably unfairly and make sure that what we are doing is centred around what is affordable for the country —— reasonably and fairly. i hope we can have that dialogue but i have also said, as much as i celebrate and value of the work of unions in our society, they play an important role and people should have the right to strike, there has to be balance with the right of the british public to go about their lives without suffering completely undue disruption in a way that we have seen recently and that is why we will introduce new legislation

that restores the balance and crucially protects people's lives as well as their livelihoods you will hear more from the government in the coming days on that. now ryan from the sun newspaper. you coming days on that. now ryan from the sun newspaper.— coming days on that. now ryan from the sun newspaper. you recently said ou have the sun newspaper. you recently said you have had — the sun newspaper. you recently said you have had two _ the sun newspaper. you recently said you have had two years _ the sun newspaper. you recently said you have had two years to _ the sun newspaper. you recently said you have had two years to turn - you have had two years to turn things — you have had two years to turn things around _ you have had two years to turn things around and _ you have had two years to turn things around and today - you have had two years to turn things around and today you i you have had two years to turn . things around and today you said judge _ things around and today you said judge me. — things around and today you said judge me. if— things around and today you said judge me. if you _ things around and today you said judge me, if you don't— things around and today you said judge me, if you don't get- things around and today you said judge me, if you don't get your. judge me, if you don't get your priorities— judge me, if you don't get your priorities right _ judge me, if you don't get your priorities right and _ judge me, if you don't get your priorities right and get - judge me, if you don't get your priorities right and get things l priorities right and get things done, — priorities right and get things done, will— priorities right and get things done, will the _ priorities right and get things done, will the public- priorities right and get things done, will the public have - priorities right and get things i done, will the public have every right— done, will the public have every right to — done, will the public have every right to send _ done, will the public have every right to send you _ done, will the public have every right to send you packing? - done, will the public have every right to send you packing? thel right to send you packing? the british public _ right to send you packing? british public will make their decision. myjob is to deliverfor them. myjob is to deliverfor them on their priorities and i believe the country has five priorities and thatis the country has five priorities and that is why i have made five promises. five very simple things which everyone can understand, halve inflation, grow the economy, reduce debt, cut waiting lists and stop the boats. five promises i have made and five things which the government will focus relentlessly on to make a difference to the lives of people but also those things are the foundation of the better future that

i want to create for our children and grandchildren. they are not the end of my ambition but the start and that is why today i have sketched out what the better future looks like and although we are not going to get there overnight, things i talked about are the immediate priorities and i'm confident we can make progress towards the better as well and i'm not focused on the politics or anything else but i'm just focused on delivering on the things i think are important to people and that is what i do every day and that is what the government does as well. now george parker from the financial times. you does as well. now george parker from the financial times.— the financial times. you said you wanted to bring _ the financial times. you said you wanted to bring peace _ the financial times. you said you wanted to bring peace of - the financial times. you said you wanted to bring peace of mind i the financial times. you said you wanted to bring peace of mind at| the financial times. you said you . wanted to bring peace of mind at the outset _ wanted to bring peace of mind at the outset and _ wanted to bring peace of mind at the outset and i— wanted to bring peace of mind at the outset and i think— wanted to bring peace of mind at the outset and i think you _ wanted to bring peace of mind at the outset and i think you are _ wanted to bring peace of mind at the outset and i think you are aware - outset and i think you are aware that in— outset and i think you are aware that in one _ outset and i think you are aware that in one area _ outset and i think you are aware that in one area at— outset and i think you are aware that in one area at least - outset and i think you are aware that in one area at least you - outset and i think you are aware that in one area at least you arej that in one area at least you are creating — that in one area at least you are creating more _ that in one area at least you are creating more uncertainty- that in one area at least you are creating more uncertainty and l creating more uncertainty and distress — creating more uncertainty and distress and _ creating more uncertainty and distress and that _ creating more uncertainty and distress and that is _ creating more uncertainty and distress and that is in- creating more uncertainty and distress and that is in the - creating more uncertainty and| distress and that is in the area creating more uncertainty and i distress and that is in the area of revoking — distress and that is in the area of revoking up — distress and that is in the area of revoking up to _ distress and that is in the area of revoking up to 4000 _ distress and that is in the area of revoking up to 4000 pieces - distress and that is in the area of revoking up to 4000 pieces of i distress and that is in the area of| revoking up to 4000 pieces of eu legislation— revoking up to 4000 pieces of eu legislation lry— revoking up to 4000 pieces of eu legislation by the _ revoking up to 4000 pieces of eu legislation by the end _ revoking up to 4000 pieces of eu legislation by the end of- revoking up to 4000 pieces of eu legislation by the end of the - revoking up to 4000 pieces of eu| legislation by the end of the year, and 12_ legislation by the end of the year, and 12 organisations _ legislation by the end of the year, and 12 organisations from - legislation by the end of the year, and 12 organisations from the - legislation by the end of the year, and 12 organisations from the tucj and 12 organisations from the tuc pleaded _ and 12 organisations from the tuc pleaded with _ and 12 organisations from the tuc pleaded with you _ and 12 organisations from the tuc pleaded with you last _ and 12 organisations from the tuc pleaded with you last year - and 12 organisations from the tuc pleaded with you last year to - pleaded with you last year to abandon— pleaded with you last year to abandon the _ pleaded with you last year to abandon the end _ pleaded with you last year to abandon the end of - pleaded with you last year to abandon the end of 2023 - pleaded with you last year to - abandon the end of 2023 deadline, will you _ abandon the end of 2023 deadline, will you give —

abandon the end of 2023 deadline, will you give reassurance _ abandon the end of 2023 deadline, will you give reassurance that - abandon the end of 2023 deadline, | will you give reassurance that there won't _ will you give reassurance that there won't be _ will you give reassurance that there won't be huge — will you give reassurance that there won't be huge upheaval— will you give reassurance that there won't be huge upheaval at- will you give reassurance that there won't be huge upheaval at the - will you give reassurance that there won't be huge upheaval at the endi will you give reassurance that there i won't be huge upheaval at the end of the year? _ won't be huge upheaval at the end of the year? in— won't be huge upheaval at the end of the ear? , , , . ., ~ the year? in my speech i talked about the _ the year? in my speech i talked about the future _ the year? in my speech i talked about the future economy thatl the year? in my speech i talked i about the future economy that we need to build and it is an economy thatis need to build and it is an economy that is built on innovation, that is the best way for us to raise growth which is what everyone wants to see. part of that is making sure that we do seize the opportunities of brexit and make sure that our regulations are agile and they support innovation and do so especially in the growth industries of the future and that is why the chancellor has talked about delivering that whether it is in al or quantum or life sciences, and i think that is important. if we do, that is how we create jobs in every part of our country and that is how we make sure the living standards of people rise in how we spread prosperity and that was how we are competitive around the world. it is an important part of delivering on making sure that the uk is the most innovative place in the world and we have new opportunities to do that and we are absolutely going to seize them to

deliver for the country. paper from the guardian newspaper. —— paper. you say nurses and nhs staff are special— you say nurses and nhs staff are special but — you say nurses and nhs staff are special but the _ you say nurses and nhs staff are special but the public _ special but the public overwhelmingly - special but the public i overwhelmingly agrees special but the public - overwhelmingly agrees with special but the public _ overwhelmingly agrees with that and they also— overwhelmingly agrees with that and they also support _ overwhelmingly agrees with that and they also support the _ overwhelmingly agrees with that and they also support the strike - overwhelmingly agrees with that and they also support the strike action i they also support the strike action being _ they also support the strike action being taken— they also support the strike action being taken by— they also support the strike action being taken by nurses _ they also support the strike action being taken by nurses and - they also support the strike action| being taken by nurses and hospital workers. _ being taken by nurses and hospital workers. you — being taken by nurses and hospital workers, you also _ being taken by nurses and hospital workers, you also say— being taken by nurses and hospital workers, you also say you - being taken by nurses and hospital workers, you also say you are i being taken by nurses and hospital| workers, you also say you are keen on dialogue — workers, you also say you are keen on dialogue with _ workers, you also say you are keen on dialogue with the _ workers, you also say you are keen on dialogue with the unions - workers, you also say you are keen on dialogue with the unions so i workers, you also say you are keen on dialogue with the unions so can| on dialogue with the unions so can you explain— on dialogue with the unions so can you explain why— on dialogue with the unions so can you explain why you _ on dialogue with the unions so can you explain why you are _ on dialogue with the unions so can you explain why you are not - on dialogue with the unions so can| you explain why you are not willing to negotiate — you explain why you are not willing to negotiate their _ you explain why you are not willing to negotiate their pay _ you explain why you are not willing to negotiate their pay and - you explain why you are not willing to negotiate their pay and would i you explain why you are not willing i to negotiate their pay and would you look again— to negotiate their pay and would you look again at— to negotiate their pay and would you look again at pensions _ to negotiate their pay and would you look again at pensions and _ to negotiate their pay and would you look again at pensions and bonuses i look again at pensions and bonuses and holiday— look again at pensions and bonuses and holiday pay— look again at pensions and bonuses and holiday pay for— look again at pensions and bonuses and holiday pay for nurses - look again at pensions and bonuses and holiday pay for nurses instead? and can _ and holiday pay for nurses instead? and can you — and holiday pay for nurses instead? and can you rule _ and holiday pay for nurses instead? and can you rule out— and holiday pay for nurses instead? and can you rule out raising - and holiday pay for nurses instead? and can you rule out raising nhs i and can you rule out raising nhs staff salaries— and can you rule out raising nhs staff salaries by— and can you rule out raising nhs staff salaries by 2% _ and can you rule out raising nhs staff salaries by 2% next - and can you rule out raising nhs staff salaries by 2% next year i and can you rule out raising nhs staff salaries by 2% next year as| staff salaries by 2% next year as you are — staff salaries by 2% next year as you are reportedly _ staff salaries by 2% next year as you are reportedly planning? i staff salaries by 2% next year as you are reportedly planning? ij you are reportedly planning? tilt course you are reportedly planning? course the nhs is special and you are reportedly planning?m course the nhs is special and it you are reportedly planning?“ course the nhs is special and it is special to me because of the family that i grew up in an special to everyone because of the care it provides at times when we really need it and i'm grateful to our nurses and everyone else in the nhs for the incrediblejob nurses and everyone else in the nhs

for the incredible job they do especially in the last couple of years which has been trying for them because of covid. when it comes to dialogue, i repeat what i said, the door is always open, the health secretary was out this morning talking to health care workers, the rail minister is sitting down with transport unions early next week, and we are wanting to have good open conversations but they have to be rooted in what is reasonable and affordable and responsible for the country. i'm keen to have those conversations and there are many things we can talk about and i'm hopeful, well, conversations need to be based on what is affordable, and a i9% be based on what is affordable, and a 19% pay rise is not affordable and i don't think anyone thinks that is affordable. but that doesn't mean we shouldn't have dialogue and you talk about next year, we are about to start a new process for pay for this year and that is the kind of thing that we should be sitting down and talking to the unions about before

everyone submits evidence to the independent process to understand where we are coming from and we will set out more of our plans in this regard in the coming days. kate mccann from talk tv.— regard in the coming days. kate mccann from talk tv. you have made five promises — mccann from talk tv. you have made five promises to _ mccann from talk tv. you have made five promises to date _ mccann from talk tv. you have made five promises to date but _ mccann from talk tv. you have made five promises to date but your - five promises to date but your predecessors— five promises to date but your predecessors also— five promises to date but your predecessors also made - five promises to date but your predecessors also made a i five promises to date but your i predecessors also made a promise five promises to date but your - predecessors also made a promise to reform _ predecessors also made a promise to reform social— predecessors also made a promise to reform social care _ predecessors also made a promise to reform social care and _ predecessors also made a promise to reform social care and you _ predecessors also made a promise to reform social care and you were i predecessors also made a promise to reform social care and you were parti reform social care and you were part of the _ reform social care and you were part of the government— reform social care and you were part of the government that _ reform social care and you were part of the government that was - reform social care and you were part. of the government that was supposed to deliver— of the government that was supposed to deliver on — of the government that was supposed to deliver on that. _ of the government that was supposed to deliver on that. they— of the government that was supposed to deliver on that. they rowed - of the government that was supposed to deliver on that. they rowed back i to deliver on that. they rowed back and you _ to deliver on that. they rowed back and you are — to deliver on that. they rowed back and you are accused _ to deliver on that. they rowed back and you are accused of _ to deliver on that. they rowed back and you are accused of doing - to deliver on that. they rowed back and you are accused of doing the i and you are accused of doing the same _ and you are accused of doing the same so — and you are accused of doing the same so you _ and you are accused of doing the same so you have _ and you are accused of doing the same so you have just _ and you are accused of doing the same so you have just acceptedl and you are accused of doing the i same so you have just accepted that one of— same so you have just accepted that one of the _ same so you have just accepted that one of the biggest _ same so you have just accepted that one of the biggest challenges - same so you have just accepted that one of the biggest challenges the i one of the biggest challenges the nhs faces— one of the biggest challenges the nhs faces is— one of the biggest challenges the nhs faces is social _ one of the biggest challenges the nhs faces is social care _ one of the biggest challenges the nhs faces is social care and - one of the biggest challenges the nhs faces is social care and have | nhs faces is social care and have also promised _ nhs faces is social care and have also promised big _ nhs faces is social care and have also promised big thinking - nhs faces is social care and have also promised big thinking are i nhs faces is social care and have | also promised big thinking are no quick— also promised big thinking are no quick fixes— also promised big thinking are no quick fixes but— also promised big thinking are no quick fixes but there _ also promised big thinking are no quick fixes but there is _ also promised big thinking are no quick fixes but there is still - also promised big thinking are no quick fixes but there is still no i quick fixes but there is still no plan _ quick fixes but there is still no plan to— quick fixes but there is still no plan to deal— quick fixes but there is still no plan to deal with _ quick fixes but there is still no plan to deal with the - quick fixes but there is still no plan to deal with the social- quick fixes but there is still no. plan to deal with the social care problem — plan to deal with the social care problem how— plan to deal with the social care problem. how can _ plan to deal with the social care problem. how can people - plan to deal with the social care problem. how can people trust| plan to deal with the social care i problem. how can people trust you plan to deal with the social care - problem. how can people trust you to deliver— problem. how can people trust you to deliver on— problem. how can people trust you to deliver on five — problem. how can people trust you to deliver on five more _ problem. how can people trust you to deliver on five more pledges - problem. how can people trust you to deliver on five more pledges today i deliver on five more pledges today when _ deliver on five more pledges today when you — deliver on five more pledges today when you are — deliver on five more pledges today when you are yet _ deliver on five more pledges today when you are yet to _ deliver on five more pledges today when you are yet to deliver - deliver on five more pledges today when you are yet to deliver on i deliver on five more pledges today when you are yet to deliver on thisj when you are yet to deliver on this one and _ when you are yet to deliver on this one and will— when you are yet to deliver on this one and will you _ when you are yet to deliver on this one and will you resign— when you are yet to deliver on this one and will you resign if- when you are yet to deliver on this one and will you resign if you i one and will you resign if you don't? — one and will you resign if you don't? ~ , ., ., ~' one and will you resign if you don't? ~ ., ~ ., ., don't? when you talk about social care, 'ust don't? when you talk about social care, just announced _ don't? when you talk about social care, just announced billions i don't? when you talk about social care, just announced billions of. care, just announced billions of pounds more funding for social care,

on top of the money i announced as the chancellor, so no one can say we are not prioritising social care, it has never had more investment, and the reason it is so important is because not only do people deserve high quality social care but it is the cause of many of the delays we are seeing in the urgent care departments and the a&e departments because if you have 13,000 people occupying hospital beds that should be back in the community settings, it is a big part of how we actually improve emergency waiting times, thatis improve emergency waiting times, that is how we have prioritised it and that is why we have a discharge fund to do exactly that and that is why we are investing in the social care workforce which they have been crying out for four years. care workforce which they have been crying out forfour years. now care workforce which they have been crying out for four years. now we are doing it. we are introducing a sense of career progression, qualifications and training, the things which were not there previously which have led to some of the, the low retention rates we have

seenin the, the low retention rates we have seen in the sector, and a big part of that is people not feeling valued and that is notjust about pay but the other things, so the investment we are putting in will deliver that and people will see the change but what you are talking about is something slightly different which is about the caps on care and that has been delayed. because right now we have got an enormous priority and thatis we have got an enormous priority and that is important that we fix the priority and as many in local government called on us to do was to delay those reforms so we could focus the same money which is still going into social care but is now being used to deal with the immediate pressures that we are facing, which is the right thing to do. everyone agrees that is the right thing to do because we can't do everything and right nowjust creating more social care capacity and making sure the social care work is valued and workers have the respect they deserved and the career progression they want, if we do that, we will improve social care and also improve the experience people are having with ambulances

and a&e and i'm sure we can do that. andy bell, channel five.— andy bell, channel five. thank you. to those people _ andy bell, channel five. thank you. to those people who _ andy bell, channel five. thank you. to those people who are _ andy bell, channel five. thank you. to those people who are worried i to those people who are worried about _ to those people who are worried about the — to those people who are worried about the nhs— to those people who are worried about the nhs and _ to those people who are worried about the nhs and to _ to those people who are worried about the nhs and to those i to those people who are worried i about the nhs and to those working who won _ about the nhs and to those working who won the — about the nhs and to those working who won the -- _ about the nhs and to those working who won the —— to _ about the nhs and to those working who won the —— to those _ about the nhs and to those working who won the —— to those working i about the nhs and to those working who won the —— to those working in| who won the —— to those working in the nhs _ who won the —— to those working in the nhs who— who won the —— to those working in the nhs who wonder _ who won the —— to those working in the nhs who wonder if _ who won the —— to those working in the nhs who wonder if they- who won the —— to those working in the nhs who wonder if they can i who won the —— to those working in i the nhs who wonder if they can keep going. _ the nhs who wonder if they can keep going. is— the nhs who wonder if they can keep going. is there — the nhs who wonder if they can keep going. is there any— the nhs who wonder if they can keep going, is there any more _ the nhs who wonder if they can keep going, is there any more money? i the nhs who wonder if they can keepj going, is there any more money? i’m“ going, is there any more money? i'm sa in: a going, is there any more money? saying a couple of things, first of all, thank you for the incredible job they do, and i though that in the past two years, we know that, and i also grew up in an nhs family, sol and i also grew up in an nhs family, so i know how important quality health care is to people because my parents did it over decades and it is also right that we find the nhs well and we are. and in spite of the difficult decisions we have to make elsewhere we have found extra money for the nhs and social care and i think that was recognised by many independent people at the time of

the autumn statement, that we have prioritised the nhs and we have listened and put more funding in. how the funding is split up and how much is for pay versus having more nurses and how much should be going on more diagnostic equipment, these are the conversations we are making with the nhs and that is why we have an independent process on pay, rightly, and it was called for in the 80s by the rcn, to have a independent review pay process and we have respected those decisions. they make recommendation to the government, often higher than what the government initially suggested, and higher than what many people in the private sector are receiving, but we have accepted them in full because that is the right thing and as i said to others, we are happy to have a dialogue and the door is always open. we are talking about the process for next year which is what we should be sitting down and talking through and it is notjust about pay, when you are talking to anne boleyn is workers and others,

it is about how the job is working —— when you are talking to ambulance workers and others. they want to see more support for their professional development and we instituted a £1000 training budget which the rcn really wanted, it was about supporting nurses when they qualified to be upscaled and to learn more and to train more so we put £1000 training budget for every nurse and midwife. they wanted nurse's bursary reintroduced and we did that, that is £5,000 per year for a nurse in training. did that, that is £5,000 per year fora nurse in training. we did that, that is £5,000 per year for a nurse in training. we should be talking about all of these things and the door is always open for more dialogue. martin brown from the daily express. dialogue. martin brown from the daily express-— studio: we are going to leave east london where the prime minister has been talking. he has been speaking for about an hour, outlining his five promises. we can speak to

jonathan blake who has been listening in westminster. talk us through the five pledges. that was the heart of _ through the five pledges. that was the heart of the _ through the five pledges. that was the heart of the speech _ through the five pledges. that was the heart of the speech this - the heart of the speech this afternoon, there were pledges to halve inflation this year and to grow the economy, to bring national debt down, to cut nhs waiting lists and to implement new laws to stop small boat crossing is in the english channel. rishi sunak setting up english channel. rishi sunak setting up five promises which he said the government could be judged up five promises which he said the government could bejudged on up five promises which he said the government could be judged on and up five promises which he said the government could bejudged on and he promised to deliver on and there would be no ambiguity and no tricks, he said. we will be either delivering for you or we are not, he said. some of those will be easier to deliver on than others. nhs waiting lists is perhaps the hardest given the forecast for how long it will take to clear the backlog caused by the pandemic and the other pressures on the nhs which we are seeing so acutely at the moment. those regarding the economy, it will

depend largely on which measures rishi sunak and the government used to claim on whether they are able to achieve those goals but inflation forecast to come down, economy forecast to come down, economy forecast to come down, economy forecast to start growing again as it comes out of recession, and then debt forecast to come down eventually as well and that is already an overall aim of the government.— already an overall aim of the government. already an overall aim of the rovernment. , ., ., government. everyone will look at what is rrot _ government. everyone will look at what is rrot on _ government. everyone will look at what is not on the _ government. everyone will look at what is not on the list, _ government. everyone will look at what is not on the list, not - government. everyone will look at what is not on the list, not much i what is not on the list, not much mentioned about how education will benefit and what extra money is there and one of the questions at there and one of the questions at the end was, it looks like they are rowing back on social care which is of course connected to what is going on in the nhs. he of course connected to what is going on in the nhs-— on in the nhs. he talked about the importance — on in the nhs. he talked about the importance of— on in the nhs. he talked about the importance of social _ on in the nhs. he talked about the importance of social care _ on in the nhs. he talked about the importance of social care but i on in the nhs. he talked about the importance of social care but we i on in the nhs. he talked about the| importance of social care but we did not hear anything about any new overall policy and it is the tricky area which has dogged his premiership but many previous ones, prime ministers have pledged to get a grip of that and reform it once and for all, social care, a grip of that and reform it once and forall, social care, in

england, to ease pressure on the nhs, but itjust hasn't happened. that is something which critics of the prime minister will look to and we'll see as being missing from the speech and you mentioned education, as well, the closest thing to a silver bullet for improving life in the future, he said, but beyond that promise to help pupils in england study maths until the age of 18 there was not much in the way of specific funding and policy. 50 broad pledges but not much on the detail. , ., . ., ., ., detail. jonathan, for the moment, thanks forjoining _ detail. jonathan, for the moment, thanks forjoining us. _ detail. jonathan, for the moment, thanks forjoining us. we - detail. jonathan, for the moment, thanks forjoining us. we will- detail. jonathan, for the moment, thanks forjoining us. we will be i thanks forjoining us. we will be looking over that speech throughout the afternoon. delivering it and i'm confident we will. ., .,

this is bbc news. i'm martine croxall. the headlines. the prime minister has delivered a speech outlining the government's key priorities over the next year. a speech outlining the government's he a speech outlining the government's says he will rs politics he says he will rebuild trust in politics through action. 50. he says he will rebuild trust in politics through action. so, five promises- _ politics through action. so, five promises- we _ politics through action. so, five promises. we will _ politics through action. so, five promises. we will halve - politics through action. so, five i promises. we will halve inflation, grow the economy, reduce debt, cut waiting lists and stop the boats. his speech comes as some leading doctors have claimed the nhs is in crisis, with delays and backlogs costing lives. gps are on the frontline — as the health service struggles to cope with covid and flu. asa gp, as a gp, our days are quite decision focused, so there's lots of

decisions to be made on some of those are really important decision and that can be quite draining, actually. so, the pressure is huge. russia says dozens of its troops died in a ukrainian rocket attack because they used their mobile phones when they weren't supposed to and gave away their position. how the pandemic has changed our working week. new research says it's no longer monday to friday in the office but tuesday to thursday. # you know it's not the same as it was... and british stars rule the british charts — with a clean sweep of last year's top ten — and that's a record! the prime minister, rishi sunak, has set out his programme for the year ahead, saying his five priorities are halving inflation, grow the economy, ensure national

debt is falling, cut nhs waiting lists, and pass new laws to stop small boats crossing the channel. he asked voters to judge his premiership on whether the goals were achieved. referring to the continuing wave of strikes in britain, he said he hugely valued public service employees and wanted a reasonable discussion on what was "fair for the country". he also said that �*we need to change the way our country works' amd create a more innovate economy and a society that truly values the family. this is what he said in the last hour. i want to make five promises to you today. five pledges to deliver peace of mind. five foundations on which to build a betterfuture of mind. five foundations on which to build a better future for our children and grandchildren. first, we will halve inflation this year to ease the cost of living and to give people financial security. second,

we will grow the economy, creating better paid jobs and opportunity right across the country. third, we will make sure our national debt is falling so we can secure the future of public services. fourth. nhs waiting lists will fall, and people get the care they need more quickly. fifth, we will pass new laws to stop small boats making sure that if you come to this country illegally, you are detained and swiftly removed. so, five promises. we will halve inflation, grow the economy, reduce debt, cut waiting lists and stop the boats. those are the people's priorities. they are your government's priorities, and we will either have achieved them or not. no tricks, no ambiguity. we are either

delivering for you or we're not. we will real build trust in politics through action —— rebuild. or, not at all. so i ask you to judge us through action —— rebuild. or, not at all. so i ask you tojudge us on the effort we put in and the results that we achieve. the prime minister took questions from journalists following his address and the matter of strikes was raised by the daily mail's political editor, jason groves. asked if he thought he could legislate his way out of the problem, this is what the prime minister had to say. on the strikes, i want to make sure the country and everyone understands the country and everyone understands the government position, and we hugely respect and value the work done by our public sector workers across the board. but obviously nurses are a part of that as well and a special part of that. and i also want everyone to know that we are very keen on dialogue. the government's door is always open and the transport secretary's door, the health secretary's door, keen to

have constructive two—way dialogue that is honest and open and talk about the challenges everyone faces and see what we can do to find a resolution to the strikes. i've always been clear about that and i want to reiterate that today. i've said in this that you will hear more from the government in the coming days about our approach but my view is that people should always behave reasonably and fairly and make sure that what we are doing is centred around what is responsible for the country on what is affordable for the country. i think that is the right dialogue to be having and i hope we can have that dialogue. i've also said that i celebrate and value the work of unions in our society and they play an important role and people should have the right to strike and that has to be balanced with the right of the british public to go about their lives without suffering completely undue disruption in the way we've seen recently and that is why we will introduce new legislation that restores that balance and crucially protects peoples lives as well as their livelihoods, but you will hear more from the government in the

coming days on that. with me now is bridget phillipson, she is is a labour politician and a member of parliment, serving as a shadow education secretary. broadly it's about the economy, the cost of living, what is happening in the nhs. ., ., ., cost of living, what is happening in the nhs. ., c, i, , , i, the nhs. hard to argue, surely, that these are not — the nhs. hard to argue, surely, that these are not the _ the nhs. hard to argue, surely, that these are not the priority _ the nhs. hard to argue, surely, that these are not the priority is - the nhs. hard to argue, surely, that these are not the priority is that - these are not the priority is that these are not the priority is that the electorate want to see tackles. what we saw today from rishi sunak was a total failure to set out how he intends to be building a better britain and there was no plan on any of that. and if you try and get an appointment to see your doctor or your waiting for an ambulance, you are waiting a very long time if one ever comes and victims of crime who don't getjustice, this was and this was out of touch. and we are not seeing and after 13 years they've been responsible for creating and tomorrow keir starmer will set out the labour plan about how we will make sure that we will see a more optimistic future for britain as the

best they should be under us, but under the conservatives life is only getting tougher for working families. it getting tougher for working families. , �* ., , , families. it isn't it agreed broadly that the cost _ families. it isn't it agreed broadly that the cost of _ families. it isn't it agreed broadly that the cost of living _ families. it isn't it agreed broadly that the cost of living crisis - families. it isn't it agreed broadly that the cost of living crisis we i that the cost of living crisis we are seeing, this high rate of inflation, is not home—grown. it is because of global pressures that if you will you would not have control over. at you will you would not have control over. . ., , ., you will you would not have control over. _, , ., ., over. of course there are global factors that _ over. of course there are global factors that the _ over. of course there are global factors that the conservatives . over. of course there are global- factors that the conservatives crash the economy and people pay more and more on their mortgages, and the conservative mortgage premium they will play because of the reckless mismanagement of the economy that the conservatives have delivered. but they have been in charge now for nearly 13 years and what we have to show for it? public services that are getting worse, completely stretched and people not able to access vital health care when they are urgently need it. it's completely out of touch for the prime minister to talk about more maths lessons or set out plans where it comes to areas where there will already be progress. that is no

vision for a better britain. i will come back _ vision for a better britain. i will come back to — vision for a better britain. i will come back to mass _ vision for a better britain. i will come back to mass and - vision for a better britain. i will come back to mass and education in a minute, if i may. on the nhs, what we are facing at the moment is this aftermath of the pandemic and we are still seeing covid in society and it is coupled with flu. they are not of the conservative party market was making either. the conservative party market was making either-— making either. they've been in government — making either. they've been in government for _ making either. they've been in government for 13 _ making either. they've been in government for 13 years - making either. they've been in government for 13 years now, | making either. they've been in i government for 13 years now, so making either. they've been in - government for 13 years now, so when it comes to the pressure at the nhs is facing comes directly back to decisions taken over the course of that last decade. of course covid created additional pressures but we know we face a massive workforce challenging our nhs and the government have nothing to say about that. labour, however, we are clear we want to deliver massive expansion of medical training places and make sure we have more nurses coming through and we pay for that by ending the non—dom tax status. that would deliver the kind of expansion and staffing to the nhs that would make the biggest difference in making sure we allow patients to be seen quickly and reform too. because we know we have to make sure that the nhs is there for everyone when

they need it, but also that we see change that services are more accessible and more care is delivered more closely to people in their own homes and communities. indie their own homes and communities. we know one of the five priorities is growing the economy. how critical, in your view, it is your portfolio, is education? because it was not very evident and certainly not in one of the five promises. education is absolutely _ one of the five promises. education is absolutely central _ one of the five promises. education is absolutely central and _ one of the five promises. education is absolutely central and i - one of the five promises. education is absolutely central and i think- is absolutely central and i think childcare is a big part of that because we know more and more parents are being forced to give up jobs they love or cut back on their hours at work because childcare is all too often very expensive or not available for them when they needed. that is why labour would make sure we deliver a modern childcare system that provides support for parents from the end of parental leave right to the end of primary school and breakfast clubs, free universal breakfast clubs, free universal breakfast for all primary school children in england is the first step towards that. growth is going to be absolutely essential. labour recognises it. we've got a plan to grow our economy and we are on the

side of working people. we've heard nothing serious today from the prime minister about how the conservatives plan to deal with their lamentable record on growth in recent years. bridget phillipson, thank you very much. i'm nowjoined by pauljohnson, he is the director of the institute for fiscal studies— an independent economics research institute based in the uk. good to see you. are these the right priorities from an economist �*s point of view? priorities from an economist 's point of view?— point of view? well, obviously urowth point of view? well, obviously growth and — point of view? well, obviously growth and getting _ point of view? well, obviously growth and getting inflation i point of view? well, obviously i growth and getting inflation down and getting wages up our the right priorities and they are important priorities. it's not obvious what the government is going to do to achieve them. we are not going to get growth this year and we will be lucky to be growing by 2024, so there's not much specific in that. what the prime minister said about inflation is reallyjust repeating the bank of england's own forecast about inflation and we all expect inflation to halve by the end of the

year, so it's not really a pledge, it's just a restatement of a forecast. and what he said about getting the national debt down, well, it's certainly not going to be falling in the next year or two and on the office for budget responsibility projections, it might be lucky to go down in four or five years' time. 50 be lucky to go down in four or five years" time-— be lucky to go down in four or five years' time. so he's pick stuff that has lacked — years' time. so he's pick stuff that has lacked ambition _ years' time. so he's pick stuff that has lacked ambition and _ years' time. so he's pick stuff that has lacked ambition and lacked i has lacked ambition and lacked ambition, so what could he have suggested that would have made more of an impact?— of an impact? there are specific thins of an impact? there are specific things that _ of an impact? there are specific things that governments - of an impact? there are specific things that governments can i of an impact? there are specific| things that governments can do. of an impact? there are specific. things that governments can do. it could have said he was going to reform the tax system or reform the planning system or is going to invest more money in education or going to invest more money in infrastructure. in other words he could have said he's going to do some of those things that will make a difference at least in the longer run, or he could have said, if he really wants to get national debt down, i'm going to increase taxes or cut spending, although i don't suppose those things he wants to put in to a new year's message. he could

have had something more positive to say about things like childcare. the problem with making these promises about the economy as a whole is that there is not an enormous amount in truth the government can do about the economy in six or 12 months. they can do a lot about it in the long run but that is the longer run, and the longer run is now after the next election, and it was very notable that apart from the inflation promise which he said would be halved by the end of this year, and that is simply restating the bank of england forecast, he didn't put any timescales on any of the other promises and just said we will get the economy growing. we will get the economy growing. we will get the economy growing. we will get debt down. at some point that will be true. the question is when. in that will be true. the question is when. , ., ., , , when. in terms of addressing the issue of strikes, _ when. in terms of addressing the issue of strikes, how _ when. in terms of addressing the issue of strikes, how damaging i when. in terms of addressing the i issue of strikes, how damaging are the strikes in the wider economy at the strikes in the wider economy at the moment? it’s the strikes in the wider economy at the moment?— the strikes in the wider economy at the moment? it's very hard to 'udge that in any real i the moment? it's very hard to 'udge that in any real sense, i the moment? it's very hard to 'udge that in any real sense, and i i that in any real sense, and i certainly wouldn't put a lot of weight by some of the numbers people

have been talking about, but they clearly do harm, and they do harm in different ways. the rail strikes are doing harm in the sense that people are getting to meetings or to work and it's obviously affecting the hospitality industry, significantly and it's making people worse off in terms of their well—being. strikes in the health service, and the general problems of the health service and performance are parts of the problem, economically as well as in terms of peoples health, and socially because it means people aren't able to work because they are sick and if we have strikes in education, that clearly hates young people in the longer run and means that some parents have to stay home, so these two will have an impact on the economy, and this is a hard one that government and unions take that this is a stand—off under negotiation in some sense in the technical sense in that it is a

game, in the technical sense. who blinks first and the government is taking thejudgment is blinks first and the government is taking the judgment is taking blinks first and the government is taking thejudgment is taking up blinks first and the government is taking the judgment is taking up the short run cost is taking longer than the long run costs of giving in, particularly if it results in higher wages across the sector. the unions are taking the bet that the cost to them and their members in the short run is worth bearing because it will result in higher wage growth longer term. they seem to be very difficult to recognise at the moment —— reconcile at the moment while this is going on is suffering as a result. �* , . , , is going on is suffering as a result. �* , ., , , ., result. it's a slightly unfair question — result. it's a slightly unfair question of— result. it's a slightly unfair question of me _ result. it's a slightly unfair question of me but - result. it's a slightly unfair question of me but i'm i result. it's a slightly unfair. question of me but i'm going result. it's a slightly unfair- question of me but i'm going to ask you anyway but the idea of studying maths until 18. what economic advantage would that bring to britain? you might not know the answer, of course. i britain? you might not know the answer, of course.— britain? you might not know the answer, of course. i would like to ut a answer, of course. i would like to put a number _ answer, of course. i would like to put a number on _ answer, of course. i would like to put a number on it _ answer, of course. i would like to put a number on it but _ answer, of course. i would like to put a number on it but it - answer, of course. i would like to put a number on it but it is i put a number on it but it is focusing on a real problem. it is extraordinary that we are literally the only country in the oecd where

young people in england in their early 20s are no more numerate, and no more literate than people in their early 605. that's not true in any other country in the oecd countries and that's down to a culmination of things, one party is the narrow curriculum people follow at a—level. only a minority of those doing a—levels do maths, and anyone who is not doing a—levels will very often be following a specific and not very high quality curriculum in other parts and most other countries do have a 16 up to 18 curriculum that includes maths but also includes the language of their country and quite often involves a foreign language and a science, so i certainly welcome, i really do welcome a focus on having more maths between 16 and 19, but i think that ought to be part of a wider overall of the curriculum amongst 16 to

19—year—olds and should be put in the context that this is the part of the context that this is the part of the education system where we talk about schools a lot and early years about schools a lot and early years a lot and universities a lot, but this is the part of the education system that has had the biggest cuts in funding in the last ten or 15 years and where we don't even provide funding for anything like full time education. i provide funding for anything like full time education.— provide funding for anything like full time education. i didn't think ou'd had full time education. i didn't think you'd had an _ full time education. i didn't think you'd had an answer _ full time education. i didn't think you'd had an answer to _ full time education. i didn't think you'd had an answer to that, i full time education. i didn't think you'd had an answer to that, so l full time education. i didn't think. you'd had an answer to that, so i'm really glad i asked you. paul johnson, i will know better than that for next time. if you don't ask, you don't find out. the headlines on bbc news... the prime minister has delivered a speech outlining the government's key priorities over the next year saying he will rebuild trust in politics through action his speech comes as some leading doctors have claimed the nhs is in crisis, with delays and backlogs costing lives.

how the pandemic has changed our working week: new research says it's no longer monday to friday in the office but tuesday to thursday with the nhs under so much pressure this winter, gps surgeries are often on the frontline — facing high levels of demand, after the christmas break, with high levels of flu and covid. our health correspondent dominic hughes has been to one surgery in doncaster it's 7:00am and the bentley surgery in doncaster is opening up. within an hour, the phone lines are busy, with patients seeking help and advice. good morning, health care. by midday, more than 140 calls have been answered. it's copd, so i booked a face to face this morning, is that all right? yeah. thank you. morning. downstairs on reception, sue is managing a constant flow of patients. yeah, yeah. that's fine. pre—booked gp appointments, blood tests, physiotherapy. you're seeing denise, just take a seat. - there's barely a second to draw breath. there's no two ways about it.

you've just got to deal- with people that are coming in. they need us, and ijust do it. because it's nonstop. it's nonstop. you've not stopped for a second. yeah. keep your cool. be nice. be nice to people. talk to them nice. that's my motto. that's how i work. in the corner of the office, gp karen forshaw is also consulting over the phone. ok, what's been happening? the surgery does offer face to face appointments, but telephone consultations are one way of reaching more patients more efficiently. and karen says that demand is simply growing all the time, notjust in gp surgeries, but across the health service. the pressure is huge all the way through the system at the moment and that's no different in general practice. so we have patients ringing constantly throughout the day. we are here, you've seen today, we're here early, we finish late, we see as many patients as we can through the day. and as a gp, our days are quite decision focused. so there's lots of decisions to be

made and some of those are really important decisions and that can be quite draining actually. so the pressure is huge, definitely. and in the midst of an already busy day, suddenly a medical emergency. i don't know if it's angina... sue has raised the alarm. an elderly man in reception feels unwell. it could be an issue with his heart. staff are quick to respond and after treatment, the patient is able to head home. we don't mess about. i don't know what's. happening with him. i'm not messing about. i'm not clinical and we've got teams i on site, so it'sjust panic button. i and i know i'm going i to get i'm going to get a response straightaway. gp surgeries, like the rest of the health service, are struggling as they see more patients with more complex health issues. problems in accident and emergency as well as social care are adding to the pressures.

it all means that busy, nonstop days like this one are now the new normal. dominic hughes, bbc news, doncaster. the chancellor, jeremy hunt, has been meeting business groups today to discuss what help they'll get with their energy bills when the current support scheme ends at the end of march. our business editor simonjack is here in the studio. you were up until a few seconds ago on the phone checking out what had been going on in the meeting this afternoon and we won't say he was talking to, i don't even know, but tell us what has been happening. like households, businesses have had some of their energy bills subsidised and that runs until the end of march of this year. that is estimated to have cost the government, just for businesses and all nondomestic users, local authorities and charities, £18 billion in six months and what the chancellor said today is that level of support is unsustainable and no

government can protect business in the long term from the volatile energy market, so what we are expecting next week we get the detail is the level of support will be significantly lower than that and they have an option to roll over some support for six months or do it for a full 12 months. i am hearing that the hunch is that they will go for a 12 month extension but at a much lower rate of generosity. a5 for a 12 month extension but at a much lower rate of generosity. as it happens the government doesn't have to be that generous because energy prices have fallen sharply, so the gap they need to make up has fallen and wholesale prices are back where they were before the ukraine war, still three or four times higher than the long—term average, so make no mistake business costs are going up no mistake business costs are going up to energy bills and this will happen at the same time as support for households begins to wear off going from 2500 to 3000 a year for a

typical household so you have higher costs and less disposable income for the end customers and that makes for a challenging 2023.— a challenging 2023. businesses have been waiting — a challenging 2023. businesses have been waiting some _ a challenging 2023. businesses have been waiting some time _ a challenging 2023. businesses have been waiting some time because i a challenging 2023. businesses have| been waiting some time because this announcement got delayed. but they cannot plan. yes, i've spoken to people who own pubs and they say they do not want the energy bill will be on their being asked to sign a new two—year lease so do i say let's go over or hang back the keys saying the risk is too great. next week we will get some detail on that but it has been a massive worry and it's been corrosive to business confidence as one person put it and i think what we don't know is whether some businesses are going to get more help than others. generally speaking they said they would give universal support for all but there could be some bells and whistles that are heavy users like the steel and glass industries. simon, thank you very much. there's more disruption

on the railways again today. members of the rmt rail union are striking for a second day, and then again for 48 hours from friday the 6th. things are likely to be even worse tomorrow — with just one in ten trains running as the drivers' union, aslef, also stages industrial action. let's get the latest with our transport correspondent katy austin who's at king's cross station in london. that's right. the first working week of january is well under way and so is another week of disruption on the railway. today, like yesterday much fewer services than a normal day running and some areas have no brainstorm and where trains are running they will finish earlier than usual, so if you need to travel this afternoon or earlier this evening, check rose last train times before you set off. tomorrow, the knock—on impact of the rmt strike means services will start later than usual but there is also that day of action by train drivers with the

aslef union working for a 12 train companies are more than 12,000 drivers are expected to walk out and that will have a really big impact meaning train companies will run no trains at all or a very limited service. the rail delivery group which speaks for the train companies says strikes threat in the industry's long sustainability but the union, aslef, says the pay rises well overdue and says no offer has been made to them. early next week we expect there will be new meetings between the rail minister and unions and rail employees to try and work out a way forward in the dispute because without a breakthrough, we could see more strikes for months to come. for more information on the strikes you can read 'how wednesday's action will affect you' on the bbc news website. new figures suggest fresh food prices rose at a record rate in december, when many families would have been stocking up for christmas.

fresh food inflation hit 15 per cent in december, up from just over 14 per cent in november, according to the british retail consortium. it marks the highest monthly inflation rate for fresh food since records began in 2005. russia says the reason ukraine could hit and destroy a barracks and kill dozens of troops was because its soldiers there used their mobile phones even though they weren't allowed to — and gave away their position. russia says 89 of its troops died in the attack — the largest single number of fatalities its admitted to in the war. ukraine claims hundreds of soldiers were killed. our correspondent hugo bachega sent us this update from the ukrainian capital, kyiv. first we had this rare admission of battlefield casualties by russia and now a rare announcement that the attack is being investigated. perhaps an admission that mistakes had been made. the russian defence ministry said the use of mobile phones by soldiers allowed ukrainian forces to determine the location of these facilities. this is a school that had been

turned into a base for russian soldiers in the eastern donetsk region of ukraine. there has been strong reaction from russian military bloggers who say this is an attempt to shift responsibility to the victims themselves rather than mistakes by commanders. here are the ukrainian authorities have not given details of what happened. they initially said 400 soldiers had been killed. president zelensky did not talk about the attack in his address yesterday but did repeat a warning that russia could be planning a new offensive and could launch a new mobilisation of conscripts. he said moscow would throw everything and everyone it had left to try to turn the tide of the war.

the culture secretary michelle donnelan has written to the prime minister recommending that the government drops its plans to privatise channel 4. the plans had originally been drawn up by her predecessor nadine dorries under boris johnson's premiership. our entertainment correspondent lizo mzimba is here. it was last year the nadine dorries said she was minded to sell up and privatise travel in order to guarantee its future. the argument from her then was at an age where linear television watching was declining and for someone like channel 4 is unique because it doesn't make any of its own programmes, gogglebox, dramas like it's a sin and even its news are made by other production companies because linear advertising revenue is slowly falling year by year but something had to be done to guarantee its future and her view was to sell off channel 4 and privatise it so it had a guaranteed income from a private source rather than being owned by the state, by

the government. mira; than being owned by the state, by the government.— than being owned by the state, by the government. why this u-turn by her successor? _ the government. why this u-turn by her successor? her _ the government. why this u-turn by her successor? her success - the government. why this u-turn by her successor? her success has i the government. why this u-turn by. her successor? her success has come in and there — her successor? her success has come in and there was _ her successor? her success has come in and there was a — her successor? her success has come in and there was a public— in and there was a public consultation last year which was overwhelmingly against privatisation but the government seemed minded to push ahead but now we have a new prime minister and a new culture secretary and in this letter which was leaked to the newsagents pod cast initially, she said her view, looking at the business model, particularly in the current economic climate, that was the best way to guarantee channel 4's future but not to sell it off but to make changes to sell it off but to make changes to the way it exists at the moment. perhaps allowing it to make some of its own programmes or programmes for other broadcasters to get income that way as well as an increased emphasis on activity outside the capital where it has been moving staff to cities like leeds, so this came out this afternoon and we expect to see something officially announced in the next few days. you

sa it has announced in the next few days. you say it has been _ announced in the next few days. you say it has been leaked, but what has been the reaction so far?— been the reaction so far? positive from people _ been the reaction so far? positive from people in — been the reaction so far? positive from people in the _ been the reaction so far? positive from people in the media - been the reaction so far? positivel from people in the media industry. independent production companies, huge part of the economy, £1 billion industry, multi—billion pound industry, multi—billion pound industry have said they think this is the right decision, as they've said, consistently against privatisation and they hope that this is going to be officially confirmed in the next few days and that they can see channel 4 existing in the way that they think is best for them. ., ., ., ,, i. for them. for the moment, thank you very much- — now it's time for a look at the weather with louise lear expect a cloudy, mild, messy mixture of weather as we go through the afternoon. the winds are a feature and these are the gust we can expect and these are the gust we can expect and there will be rain across the scottish borders and northern ireland and showers along the western fringes —— fringes and the clouds on the channel coast they can offer drizzle, so the best of the sunshine is in the east but as we go through the evening hours the showers will fade away and skies

will stay a little clearer, so it will stay a little clearer, so it will be a slightly cooler night but still pretty mild for the time of year but temperatures will form any dip down into single figures. we start off with early morning sunshine, may be a touch of sheltered frost in the far north—east of scotland where it will be coldest. clouding overfrom north—east of scotland where it will be coldest. clouding over from the west quite quickly on thursday and there will be more rain arriving into the end of the afternoon. in terms of the feel of the way that they are likely to pick between seven and 13 celsius and it turns wet and windy through the west overnight. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: the prime minister has delivered a speech outlining the government's key priorities over the next year — saying he will rebuild trust in politics through action. five promises, we will halve

inflation, grow the economy, reduce debt, cut waiting lists and stop the boats. his speech comes as some leading doctors have claimed the nhs is in crisis, with delays and backlogs costing lives. gps are on the frontline — as the health service struggles to cope with covid and flu. as a gp, our days are quite decision focused. so there are a lot of decisions to be made. and some of those are really important decisions. and that can be quite draining, actually. so, the pressure is huge. russia says dozens of its troops died in a ukrainian rocket attack because they used their mobile phones when they weren't supposed to and gave away their position. how the pandemic has changed our working week: new research says it's no longer monday to friday in the office but tuesday to thursday. # you know it's not i the same as it was...# and british stars rule the british charts — with a clean sweep of last year's

top ten — and that's a record! sport now and a full round up from the bbc sport centre. good afternoon. from the bbc sport centre. we start with some sad news — west ham joint chairman david gold has died at the age of 86 following a short illness. gold, who was a lifelong west ham fan, passed away peacefully this morning — according to a statement from the club. he becamejoint chairman in 2010 — alongside david sullivan, having previously been the chairman and co—owner of birmingham city. there have been numerous tributes to david gold — from those that have worked with him.

it's another busy night of premier league action — with pressure turning to the bottom of the table. five of the seven lowest—ranked teams are in action. bottom club southampton face nottingham forest — who are also in the bottom three — west ham are just outside the relegation zone and they travel to leeds, who sitjust two points above them. tonight's fixtures mean it could be a nervous night for frank lampard and his everton side. if results go against them — they would end the night in the relegation zone. the toffees are without a league win in six matches — so is lampard worried about losing hisjob? since i've been here we have been in the situation of relegation battle, last year, through this season, really, so it is not a case of beer butjust keep working and i can't

control the talk —— it is not a case of fear. if you lose a game like this, i understand any reaction. i don't listen to too much of it because if you do it becomes your focal point. so i don't focus on it. newly crowned world darts champion michael smith says he wants to "dominate the sport for years" after winning the trophy for the first time. smith beat michael van gerwen 7—4 at alexandra palace after two previous defeats in the final. the 32 year old from st helens had the crowd on their feet with a brilliant nine dart finish during the match in a leg labelled one of the greatest of all time. it was unreal last night, when the nine darter went in, the crowd just erupted and it lasted through the match. i felt last night i handled the pressure shots perfectly. the double tops were flying in. i finally got what i have been

working so hard for, the world championship and to be world no 1. i left about 12:30am, hotel bar was shut, ijust went straight to my room and i literally opened the cabinet and the trophy and just stared at it for seven hours. to tennis where there's been disappointment for great britain in the united cup. they've been knocked out of the tournament — beaten 4—1 by the usa. gb lost the first match of five — but cameron norrie drew the tie level when he beat taylor fritz to give his side hope. but that was shortlived — as harriett dart and dan evans lost their singles matches — and usa also came out on top in the mixed doubles — to reach the semi finals. some breaking news, the national stadium is to be renamed after pele in brazil. the ground will now be

known as the pele stadium. the prime minister has been setting out his government's priorities in a major speech. rishi sunak made five promises he says he wants the public tojudge his premiership on. let's talk about those promises with one of the pm's government colleagues — alex chalk is a defence minister and he's been at the event in east london where his boss has been speaking. hejoins me now from there. a lot of this is already happening, like inflation is coming down, so why wasn't he more ambitious? i thought it was very ambitious actually because he was talking about inflation which is the greatest destroyer of everything if you don't get on top of it, because it damages lives and livelihoods for everyone but he also talked about growing the economy, notjust for jobs but also to raise the tax

revenue so we can pay for public services and he talked about bringing debt down and reducing nhs waiting list and also stopping the small boats so there was some stuff on inflation but there was also a range of other visionary and important things. the range of other visionary and important things.— range of other visionary and important things. range of other visionary and im ortant thins. , , _, important things. the debt is coming down already — important things. the debt is coming down already and _ important things. the debt is coming down already and inflation _ important things. the debt is coming down already and inflation is - down already and inflation is predicted to drop and there was no real timescale on when we are going to see the economy growing and when any law about stopping small boats would actually have an effect? hat would actually have an effect? not so. in would actually have an effect? not so- in respect _ would actually have an effect? iifrit so. in respect of the economy growing he said that this year he wants the economy to grow, so that is the first point, and in respect of small boats he said that he would... , ., ., , would... sorry to leave him but he said he wants _ would... sorry to leave him but he said he wants the _ would... sorry to leave him but he said he wants the economy - would... sorry to leave him but he said he wants the economy to i would... sorry to leave him but he| said he wants the economy to grow but he has not set out how —— sorry to leap in. he but he has not set out how -- sorry to leap in— to leap in. he has set out how and the second — to leap in. he has set out how and the second part — to leap in. he has set out how and the second part of _ to leap in. he has set out how and the second part of his _ to leap in. he has set out how and the second part of his speeches i to leap in. he has set out how and i the second part of his speeches when he was talking about the uk becoming an innovation nation because our

country is up against notjust the likes of france and germany but also growing economies in the far east and he was talking very powerfully i thought about how we have got to innovate and improve our skills and become a more productive and competitive as a nation and that was encouraging. on the point about small boats i was going to make, he said he will grasp the nettle and introduce legislation which will mean that if you come to the uk illegally and if you jump the queue for those people who come here lawfully, then do not expect to be able to stay, and that is a tough policy but a fair policy and he was very clear about that. i think it was clear, these are his priority is that the british people have and he was setting clear metrics about how he wants to be measured and held to account for them and i think that was the right approach. we could talk about these _ was the right approach. we could talk about these issues _ was the right approach. we could talk about these issues all i talk about these issues all afternoon because they are complex matters but let's have a look at the nhs because that is in the news this week and he said he wants to see

waiting lists falling by next spring. but how? 133,000 vacancies across the health care sector and that was before we even look at social care and 50,000 of those vacancies are nurses. there was no detail about how to fill those jobs. a couple of things, it is important to note that the number of people working in the nhs is higher than it has ever been and i'm not suggesting that there are enough, because there are vacancies and we need more people but we are spending more than ever and we have got more people than ever in the nhs but the powerful point he was making, he said, we have got to make sure that those waiting lists for elective, planned care, comes down, because that stop during the pandemic and that stop during the pandemic and that created the wave of demand which is one of the reasons why the nhs is under real pressure. you have got to make sure that you keep going through the elected care, so where i

live in gloucestershire, we want to make sure the elective recovery happens really well, so you don't create problems further down the line. he was very clear because he was asked a specific question, someone said, don't you want to stop elective care so you can focus purely on accident and emergency and he said no, you have got to do both, and he was right about that. he referenced the £14 billion over two years for health and social care and said there needed to be a focus on that but then seemed to row back from it without giving any idea of how social care is going to be funded. we hear all the time that discharging homes and into the community is part of the problem. over 12,000 people in hospital who cannot get out of hospital even though they do not need to be in hospital, so when is the government going to grasp that? you are absolutely right, that is a keyissue, you are absolutely right, that is a key issue, so one of the reasons why ambulances cannot get in is because

people can't get out the back door and that little something we have got to address. but what he said is that at the time of the autumn statement, even though we had to get on top of finances and make difficult decisions, more money went into health and social care, so billions more, and it means we are spending as a nation in terms of day—to—day expenditure something like 40% of everything we spend is on the nhs, higher than a decade ago, so he is putting additional money to increase capacity because although there are those who say, what about the cap on floor system, thatis what about the cap on floor system, that is right and that will have to come in due course, but before you get to that you have got to increase capacity and have more people working in social care and that money, even at a time of difficulties in finances is going in, including by the way an additional half a billion to tackle the precise issue you referred to of delayed discharges into social care so he is clear that building capacity is essential and it is the

first step before you complete the reform of social care. aha, first step before you complete the reform of social care.— reform of social care. a lot of the vacancies — reform of social care. a lot of the vacancies are _ reform of social care. a lot of the vacancies are there _ reform of social care. a lot of the vacancies are there because i reform of social care. a lot of the i vacancies are there because people do not feel that the conditions and the pay are worth it so let me move on to education, that was rather missing. that is a bit of a surprise for people that education was missing, so how can you have growth if you do not have money for education after a pandemic of a couple of years in which children's attainment fell behind? you couple of years in which children's attainment fell behind?— attainment fell behind? you are riuht. the attainment fell behind? you are right. the greatest _ attainment fell behind? you are right. the greatest growth i attainment fell behind? you are | right. the greatest growth policy you can have for a nation like ours is to improve education and that is because we are in a global competition with the likes of other peer nations who are investing in education and it was so encouraging that at the autumn statement he put an additional £2 billion into education which surprised a lot of people, because people thought we would not do that because of the frailty of finances but he

delivered. what he also said in a policy some have been talking about, he wants to increase financial, mathematical education until the age of 18, it happens in the us, germany, france, canada, australia, and if we want to get fit for the future we have got to improve our financial abilities amongst young people and where i live in chatham we have gchq and a cyber economy and those are greatjobs —— where i live in cheltenham. if we don't live on the skills we will not be able to compete but i thought his speech was novel and visionary and the right speech. novel and visionary and the right seech. ., ., , , speech. you have teed it up very nicely because _ speech. you have teed it up very nicely because we _ speech. you have teed it up very nicely because we are _ speech. you have teed it up very nicely because we are now- speech. you have teed it up very nicely because we are now going j speech. you have teed it up very i nicely because we are now going to talk to a professor of mathematics in just a second but for now, alex chalke, mp, thanks forjoining us. so that is where we are going. more now on the prime minister's pledge to improve numeracy among 16—18 year—olds in england. i'm nowjoined by professor ulrike tillmann, the president of the london mathematical society

and a professor of mathematics at the university of oxford. professor, maths is in the limelight, are you pleased? izierr; limelight, are you pleased? very leased. limelight, are you pleased? very pleased- it _ limelight, are you pleased? very pleased- it is _ limelight, are you pleased? very pleased. it is about _ limelight, are you pleased? - pleased. it is about time that we do something about improving mathematics and really stressing the importance for society and the economy in general.— importance for society and the economy in general. what is the evidence that _ economy in general. what is the evidence that it _ economy in general. what is the evidence that it will _ economy in general. what is the evidence that it will benefit i economy in general. what is the evidence that it will benefit the l evidence that it will benefit the economy? we evidence that it will benefit the econom ? ~ . evidence that it will benefit the econom 7~ ., , ., evidence that it will benefit the econom ? ~ ., , ., , , ., economy? we had several studies done on this and there _ economy? we had several studies done on this and there are _ economy? we had several studies done on this and there are studies _ economy? we had several studies done on this and there are studies that i on this and there are studies that suggested 10% of the economy is actually due to mathematics and it is also underpinning the industry like ai, quantum technology, life sciences, fintech, green technology, and we just heard about cyber

security at gchq which is one of the biggest employers of mathematicians. mathematics can contribute in many different ways and indeed we have evidence that those people who take mathematics at a level are often higher earning than others. so there is circumstantial evidence which amounts to a real argument. what amounts to a real argument. what -e of amounts to a real argument. what type of maths _ amounts to a real argument. what type of maths are _ amounts to a real argument. what type of maths are we _ amounts to a real argument. what type of maths are we suggesting people will be taught under this initiative? because for some people, a lot of people don't need geometry, trigonometry, something more fundamental would be surely better, the practical maths which helps you with everyday life like understanding interest rates, for

example. understanding interest rates, for exam - le. . , understanding interest rates, for examle. ., , ., ., ., , understanding interest rates, for examle. ., , ., ., ., example. certainly, mathematics is a lot wider than — example. certainly, mathematics is a lot wider than some _ example. certainly, mathematics is a lot wider than some people _ example. certainly, mathematics is a | lot wider than some people remember from their school days and we have to embrace the mathematics that goes into computing and statistics and probability that we have to be able to use whenever we try to understand risk and risk analysis. mathematics can help notjust in personal life, you have to understand your own pension, investments, and you have to understand...— pension, investments, and you have to understand... even understanding comound to understand... even understanding compound interest _ to understand... even understanding compound interest is _ to understand... even understanding compound interest is always - to understand... even understanding compound interest is always quite i to understand... even understanding compound interest is always quite a | compound interest is always quite a good one if you save enough, but one final question, where other teachers, do we have enough teachers to teach the maths whether we are talking about basic maths or not?

there has always been a shortage of teachers and i think we do need more and that is one of the big problems that we have to address. you can address this by educating new teachers or going down other routes and i think mathematics will have to be taught in other classes like in arts and sciences and it would be very helpful to have good programmes that will train up teachers of those subject to understand the basics like graphs and statistics and probability. but also some of the more standard mathematics. numeracy is multiplication and addition, it is multiplication and addition, it is a basic thing but it is not enough and you have got to understand more. ., , .,

understand more. professor, from the university of — understand more. professor, from the university of oxford, _ understand more. professor, from the university of oxford, thanks _ understand more. professor, from the university of oxford, thanks for i university of oxford, thanks for joining us. the stars of the oscar—winning 1968 film romeo and juliet are suing paramount pictures. it's for alleged sexual abuse over a nude scene they appeared in. olivia hussey and leonard whiting were 15 and 16 when they made the movie. paramount hasn't responded to the claims. let's speak to our entertainment correspondent colin paterson. tell us more about this film and what they were asked to do? it tell us more about this film and what they were asked to do? it was a bi hit at what they were asked to do? it was a big hit at the — what they were asked to do? it was a big hit at the time, _ what they were asked to do? it was a big hit at the time, 1968, _ what they were asked to do? it was a big hit at the time, 1968, romeo i what they were asked to do? it was a big hit at the time, 1968, romeo and juliet, nominated for best picture at the oscars, and it has been shown in classrooms to bring shakespeare alive over decades and also the memorable theme tune. simon bates usedit memorable theme tune. simon bates used it on radio one for our tune for what seems like decades. olivia hussey and leonard whiting were 15

and 16 at the time and they say they received guarantees from the director, franco zeffirelli, that they would not have to do a nude scene but as the day got closer he said would you consider doing it but wearing flesh—coloured underwear but then when filming happened he said, so they claim, that wrote the film would be a flop if it was not a nude scene and they were overly 15 and 16 at the time they were not able to fight back —— at the time they were not able to fightback —— and they were only. they say they have suffered decades of harm since and emotional damage and now they have taken out a £400 million lawsuit against paramount pictures. that figure because of the success of the film since its original release.— success of the film since its original release. success of the film since its oriainal release. , ,., , ., original release. the response from paramount. — original release. the response from paramount, nothing _ original release. the response from paramount, nothing yet, _ original release. the response from paramount, nothing yet, but- original release. the response from paramount, nothing yet, but have i paramount, nothing yet, but have they faced a lawsuit like this before? ~ . , , they faced a lawsuit like this before? ~ ., , , ., before? what is interesting about this lawsuit. _ before? what is interesting about this lawsuit, it _ before? what is interesting about this lawsuit, it is _ before? what is interesting about this lawsuit, it is because - before? what is interesting about this lawsuit, it is because of- before? what is interesting about this lawsuit, it is because of a i this lawsuit, it is because of a california law brought in

temporarily to suspend the statute of limitations against historical allegations of child sex abuse and thatis allegations of child sex abuse and that is why the window opened because it closed on the 31st of december and this was filed the day before so we will find out in the coming days if any other actors have put forward claims but we believe this is the one that is going to be generating headlines. icollin generating headlines. colin patterson. _ generating headlines. colin patterson, thanks - generating headlines. colin patterson, thanks for i generating headlines. colinl patterson, thanks forjoining generating headlines. colin patterson, thanks forjoining us. there's been high political drama in washington — for the first time in a century, the us house of representatives has failed to elect a speaker after a first round vote. right wing republicans including allies of former president donald trump refused to support their party's leader, kevin mccarthy, who's now facing a sustained rebellion from within his own ranks. police injamaica say a british man has died after being shot. sean patterson, a personal trainer from west london, was found on monday in stjames with gunshot wounds to his upper body and head. local press reports say

a 34—year—old man has been taken into custody. as people return to work this week after the christmas break — how many of us will actually make it in to the office? many companies have now accepted that offices will only be busy between tuesday and thursday each week. well, this is having an effect on our towns and cities. new research out today shows that while city centres are quieter than in 2019, many small towns, local neighbourhoods and suburban shopping streets are actually much 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.

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, 80, 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. how often do you have to go to the office? twice a week, probably now. and the rest of it i just do from home. 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 and 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 5:00pm. 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. city centres will have to change. but back in devon, here at ottery st mary's volunteer inn, the lunchtime trade has really ta ken off. more time in our home neighbourhoods, a bit less commuting? things could be worse. david sillito, bbc news, devon. the writer fay weldon has died. writer fay weldon, best known for books including 1983's the life and loves of a she—devil, has died at the age of 91. the author published more than 30 novels across her career, as well as collections of short stories, films for television, and pieces of journalism. our arts correspondent, rebecca jones, looks back at her life. he lives and loves of a she devil in which a woman takes revenge on her

husband and his lover, it was adapted from fay weldon's novel. it cemented her reputation as one of the uk's forfeminist cemented her reputation as one of the uk's for feminist writers. she grew up in new zealand and a portrait of her and her sister hangs in the country's national gallery, and she came to the uk at 15. she first made her name as an advertising copywriter. go to work on an egg was one of hers and she later claimed her advertising success was down to luck. after marrying ron weldon she began writing tv plays and novels when pregnant. writing tv plays and novels when reunant. �* ., ., writing tv plays and novels when reunant. �* . ., ., , pregnant. amazing how one unseen erson can pregnant. amazing how one unseen person can do _ pregnant. amazing how one unseen person can do so — pregnant. amazing how one unseen person can do so much _ pregnant. amazing how one unseen person can do so much to spoil- pregnant. amazing how one unseen person can do so much to spoil a i person can do so much to spoil a lie. ,, ., ., ,., person can do so much to spoil a lie. ,, ., ., ., , , lie. she wrote about many things includin: lie. she wrote about many things including the _ lie. she wrote about many things including the supernatural. i lie. she wrote about many things i including the supernatural. clumsy. it did it by itself. _ including the supernatural. clumsy. it did it by itself. i— including the supernatural. clumsy. it did it by itself. i am _ including the supernatural. clumsy. it did it by itself. i am not _ it did it by itself. i am not clumsy. it did it by itself. i am not clumsy-— it did it by itself. i am not clums . , ., , clumsy. under the roof your servants have run riot- — clumsy. under the roof your servants have run riot. she _ clumsy. under the roof your servants have run riot. she wrote _ clumsy. under the roof your servants have run riot. she wrote the - have run riot. she wrote the oriainal have run riot. she wrote the original upstairs _

have run riot. she wrote the original upstairs downstairs| have run riot. she wrote the i original upstairs downstairs but have run riot. she wrote the - original upstairs downstairs but her scripps were too spiky for itv prime—time. typically she wrote playful and punchy stories in which women were exploited by men but they often got their own back. the pregnant heroine got a warning from an old warning in one story. —— old woman. puffball, one of her best novel, later became a film, and by the end of her life the view of women in society had changed a lot. it was technology and birth control, it was all kinds of other things. sometimes i think feminism was a thing under which capitalism crept under us at all and made us go out to work. , , ., to work. some feminists later thouuht to work. some feminists later thought that _ to work. some feminists later thought that fay _ to work. some feminists later thought that fay weldon i to work. some feminists later thought that fay weldon was | to work. some feminists later| thought that fay weldon was a traitor to the cause. she felt her job was done. what drove her to

feminism 50 years ago was the myth that men with the breadwinners and women kept house and looked pretty, she wrote. that myth finally exploded and she helped to exploded. fay weldon who has died at the age of 91. now it's time for a look at the weather with louise lear. hello, there. it may well have been quite a cloudy, damp start for many of us, but it was an incredibly mild one. take a look at this. the first column shows the overnight minimums, way above where they should be. the second column, the average for this time of year. so we should be into low single figures. and that's because the wind direction pulling in this very warm subtropical air right across the country, the only exception, perhaps, the far north of scotland. and that's where we've seen some rain as well. the rain fairly light and patchy as it drifts its way south into northern ireland and northwest england. as we go through the day, we should see a greater chance of some sunshine across eastern

england in particular and maybe parts of eastern scotland into the afternoon. the cloud across the channel coast may be thick enough for some light drizzle as well, but the temperatures will stay on the mild side for the time of year. generally, around 11 to 14 degrees is the high. that weak weather front sinks a little bit further south through the night. the showers will ease and we should have some clearer skies. so that's going to allow those temperatures perhaps to fall away a touch. still a very mild night, but nevertheless not quite as warm and sultry as the one just past. but there's more wet weather to come in the forecast, i'm afraid. the next low waiting in the wings on thursday. so first thing on thursday could be a dry, settled and possibly sunny start in eastern areas, clouding over quite quickly from the west, however, and there will be outbreaks of rain as we go into the afternoon, in particular through northern ireland, western scotland and perhaps some drizzle along west facing coasts. top temperatures still into the teens around 13c, the high. now as we move through thursday

into friday, that low pressure drifts its way eastwards. and on the southern flank of the low, we are going to see some gale force gusts of wind 60, 70 miles an hour. not out of the question. that pushes the rain through at quite a pace across scotland. and then on friday, not a bad day, perhaps the best day of the week in terms of drier, brighter, more settled and sunny weather. not as warm, but i'll take that if we've got the sunshine, but make the most of it as we head into the weekend. low pressure returns and dominates the weather story, i'm afraid. you can see how the isobars squeezed together. the winds will always remain a feature. so it's going to be windy with showers or longer spells of rain at times. take care.

this is bbc news. the headlines the prime minister has delivered a speech outlining the government's key priorities over the next year, saying he will rebuild trust in politics through action. so, five promises. we will halve inflation, grow the economy, reduce debt, cut waiting lists and stop the boats. his speech comes as some leading doctors have claimed the nhs is in crisis, with delays and backlogs costing lives. russia says dozens of its troops died in a ukrainian rocket attack because they used their mobile phones when they weren't supposed to and gave away their position how the pandemic has changed our working week. new research says it's no longer monday to friday in the office but tuesday to thursday and fay weldon, best

know for her 1983 novel, "the life and loves of a she—devil", has died at the age of 91. the prime minister, rishi sunak, has set out his programme for the year ahead, saying his five priorities are halving inflation to ease the cost of living whilst also growing the economy, creating better—paid jobs and opportunity across the country. he wants to ensure the national debt is falling to secure the future of public services whilst also cutting nhs waiting lists so that people get the care they need more quickly and passing new laws to stop small boats crossing the channel. he asked voters to judge his premiership on whether the goals were achieved. referring to the continuing wave of strikes in britain,

he said he hugely valued public service employees and wanted a reasonable discussion on what was "fair for the country". he also said that 'we need to change the way our country works' amd create a more innovate economy and a society that truly values the family. this is what he said this afternoon. i want to make five promises to you today. five pledges to deliver peace of mind. five foundations on which to build a better future for our children and grandchildren. first, we will halve inflation this year to ease the cost of living and to give people financial security. second, we will grow the economy, creating better paid jobs and opportunity right across the country. third, we will make sure our national debt is falling so we can secure the future of public services.

fourth, nhs waiting lists will fall, and people will get the care they need more quickly. fifth, we will pass new laws to stop small boats, making sure that if you come to this country illegally, you are detained and swiftly removed. so, five promises. we will halve inflation, grow the economy, reduce debt, cut waiting lists and stop the boats. those are the people's priorities. they are your government's priorities, and we will either have achieved them or not. no tricks, no ambiguity. we are either delivering for you, or we're not. we will rebuild trust in politics through action, or, not at all. so i ask you tojudge us on the effort we put in and the results that we achieve.

the prime minister took questions from journalists following his address and the matter of strikes was raised by the daily mail's political editor, jason groves. asked if he thought he could legislate his way out of the problem, this is what the prime minister had to say. on the strikes, i want to make sure the country and everyone understands the government's position, and we hugely respect and value the work done by our public sector workers across the board. but obviously nurses are a part of that as well, and a special part of that. and i also want everyone to know that we are very keen on dialogue. the government's door is always open and the transport secretary's door, the health secretary's door. we are keen to have constructive two—way dialogue that is honest and open and talk about the challenges everyone faces and see what we can do to find a resolution to the strikes. i've always been clear about that and i want to reiterate that today. i've said in this that you will hear more from the government

in the coming days about our approach, but my view is that people should always behave reasonably and fairly and make sure that what we are doing is centred around what is responsible for the country and what is affordable for the country. i think that is the right dialogue to be having and i hope we can have that dialogue. i've also said that i celebrate and value the work of unions in our society and they play an important role and people should have the right to strike and that has to be balanced with the right of the british public to go about their lives without suffering completely undue disruption in the way we've seen recently. and that is why we will introduce new legislation that restores that balance and crucially protects people's lives as well as their livelihoods, but you will hear more from the government in the coming days on that. earlier i spoke to labour mp bridget phillipson, who is the shadow eucation secretary. i began by asking her whether the prime minister's speech thoroughly addressed the uk's top priorities. i think what we saw today from rishi

sunak was a total failure to set out how he intends to build a better britain. there was no plan behind any of that. and your viewers will know at the moment if you try to get an appointment to see your doctor or you are waiting for an ambulance, you are waiting for an ambulance, you are waiting a long time if one ever comes. victims of crime who don't getjustice. this was just completely out of touch. not addressing the real problem is that we see right now is a country that his government, after 13 years, have been responsible for creating. and tomorrow keir starmer will set out the labour party plans about how we make sure we do see a hopeful and more optimistic future for britain because our best days should lie ahead of us but right now under the conservatives, life is only getting tougher for working families. i'm nowjoined by sir ed davey, the party leader of the liberal democrats. thank you forjoining us. how certain are you that these are the priorities that the electorate want the government to address? weill.

the government to address? well, the government to address? well, the are the government to address? well, they are not _ the government to address? well, they are not addressing _ the government to address? -ii they are not addressing them properly. take the nhs. i thought the prime minister was very complacent. there is actually a crisis in the nhs and he should have acknowledged that. health experts and professionals around the country are deeply worried about what is happening in hospitals and gp surgeries and rishi sunak had no plan of substance to deal with that health crisis. and it's a tragedy for tens of thousands of families that we do not have that plan and the liberal democrats are saying that at the top priority for the country is to make sure people get health care when they need and they get that gp a point when they need it and the ambulance comes on time. things were used to take for granted. but this government has presided over such a chaotic health policy over the last three years and unfortunately we cannot take that for granted any longer and we have got to push this government into developing a plan and the liberal democrats have put this forward and

we hope the government will start listening. me we hope the government will start listeninu. ~ ., ~' ., we hope the government will start listeninu. ~ ., ~ ., ., listening. we do know that the government — listening. we do know that the government is _ listening. we do know that the government is putting - listening. we do know that the government is putting on i listening. we do know that the government is putting on halfl listening. we do know that the l government is putting on half £1 billion to try to make sure that more than 12,000 people who are in hospital you don't need to be there any more can be effectively discharged. surely when that starts to take effect, we will see a lot of that pressure easing within the system? that pressure easing within the s stem? �* , , ., ., , system? but they should have been doin: that system? but they should have been doing that years _ system? but they should have been doing that years ago. _ system? but they should have been doing that years ago. liberal - doing that years ago. liberal democrats and others, health professionals argued that we needed more money in social care to make sure we had more space in hospitals years ago. and we argued we needed more staff and more nurses and doctors and when the conservatives cut student nurse bursary back in 2016, which meant fewer nurses were being trained and the liberal democrats said that was the wrong decision back then and i'm afraid the crisis we are now experiencing as a result of several years of conservative failure on health policy and yes, they might be doing one or two things now but they

haven't got a whole plan and what the nhs desperately need is a holistic plan from top to bottom. let's take gps. very relevant for what is happening at hospitals because so many people cannot get a gp appointment quickly in many areas of the country and a lot of them then go to a&e, making the pressure on hospitals even worse. so it needs an nhs wide strategy. the government have ointed an nhs wide strategy. the government have pointed out _ an nhs wide strategy. the government have pointed out again _ an nhs wide strategy. the government have pointed out again this _ have pointed out again this afternoon that they are investing £14 billion over two years in health and social care, and he wants to bring down the national debt to shore up public services further. let's talk about those economic measures he mentioned, halving inflation, growing the economy and trying to get a quarter of the labour force that is inactive back into work. surely they will have marked, positive effect on all of us. , , , ., , us. independent experts have been sa inc us. independent experts have been sa in: for us. independent experts have been saying for some — us. independent experts have been saying for some time _ us. independent experts have been saying for some time that - us. independent experts have been saying for some time that inflation | saying for some time that inflation is likely to fall quite rapidly in

the second half of next year, so the prime minister is not proposing to do anything new and things are going to happen, so i don't think you can take any credit for that. as for a growing economy, he actually implied in his speech that the economy will be in recession the ship and most economic forecasters are really worried that we will see more businesses go to the wall, we will see people losing theirjobs and pay falling in real terms. living standards are plummeting and it was the independent office for budget responsibility that forecast late last year that we are about to see two of the worst years on record for falls in living standards and there was no acknowledgement of the pain thatis was no acknowledgement of the pain that is hitting millions of people, millions of families and pensioners across the country. the prime minsterfailed across the country. the prime minster failed to acknowledge that. to me, he came across as a prime minister totally out of touch, and it's almost as if he doesn't care when it came to the health service. so i'm afraid that was not an impressive performance and the

liberal democrats will be going back to parliament next week and be pushing for an emergency plan for the nhs. and we call for parliament to be recalled early because it's such a crisis and we will put forward our constructive alternatives on the economy which will help families and businesses which the government hitherto have failed to respond to. how which the government hitherto have failed to respond to.— which the government hitherto have failed to respond to. how would you deal with the _ failed to respond to. how would you deal with the strikes, _ failed to respond to. how would you deal with the strikes, be _ failed to respond to. how would you deal with the strikes, be they - failed to respond to. how would you deal with the strikes, be they in - deal with the strikes, be they in the public sector or on the railways? ilic in the public sector you have to start talking to people and the prime minister claimed there had been a dialogue on the doors were open and we all know that they have failed to listen and said there is no more support for nurses, for example and that is really worrying. if you look at the nhs, even aside from the strikes you see there is a huge shortage of nurses and gps and the government solution is to cut their pay. i don't know about you,

but that doesn't follow. there is no plan behind that. and if you want to cut a waiting list, if you want to improve quality of care for so many patients across country and their family are so worried about their health, if you want to do that, you have to get behind the staff in the health service and the government are not doing that. sir ed davey, thank you for your time. with the nhs under so much pressure this winter, gps surgeries are often on the frontline — facing high levels of demand, after the christmas break, with high levels of flu and covid. our health correspondent dominic hughes has been to one surgery in doncaster it's 7:00am and the bentley surgery in doncaster is opening up. within an hour, the phone lines are busy, with patients seeking help and advice. good morning, health care. by midday, more than 140

calls have been answered. it's copd, so i booked a face to face this morning, is that all right? yeah. thank you. morning. downstairs on reception, sue is managing a constant flow of patients. yeah, yeah. that's fine. pre—booked gp appointments, blood tests, physiotherapy. you're seeing denise, just take a seat. - there's barely a second to draw breath. there's no two ways about it. you've just got to deal- with people that are coming in. they need us, and ijust do it. because it's nonstop. it's nonstop. you've not stopped for a second. yeah. keep your cool. be nice. be nice to people. talk to them nice. that's my motto. that's how i work. in the corner of the office, gp karen forshaw is also consulting over the phone. ok, what's been happening? the surgery does offer face to face appointments, but telephone consultations are one way of reaching more patients more efficiently. and karen says that demand is simply growing all the time, notjust in gp surgeries, but across the health service. the pressure is huge all the way through the system at the moment

and that's no different in general practice. so we have patients ringing constantly throughout the day. we are here, you've seen today, we're here early, we finish late, we see as many patients as we can through the day. and as a gp, our days are quite decision focused. so there's lots of decisions to be made and some of those are really important decisions and that can be quite draining actually. so the pressure is huge, definitely. and in the midst of an already busy day, suddenly a medical emergency. i don't know if it's angina... sue has raised the alarm. an elderly man in reception feels unwell. it could be an issue with his heart. staff are quick to respond and after treatment, the patient is able to head home. we don't mess about. i don't know what's. happening with him. i'm not messing about. i'm not clinical and we've got teams

i on site, so it'sjust panic button. i and i know i'm going i to get i'm going to get a response straightaway. gp surgeries, like the rest of the health service, are struggling as they see more patients with more complex health issues. problems in accident and emergency as well as social care are adding to the pressures. it all means that busy, nonstop days like this one are now the new normal. dominic hughes, bbc news, doncaster. with us is professorjason leitch, the national clinical director for scotland thanks forjoining us. how big a problem is it in scotland that you have people in hospital who really don't need to be there? good afternoon _ don't need to be there? good afternoon and _ don't need to be there? good afternoon and thank - don't need to be there? good afternoon and thank you - don't need to be there? good afternoon and thank you for. don't need to be there? (ems. afternoon and thank you for having me. i recognise everything in dominic's report across the country and across most of the developed countries, and i was talking to some canadians there in exactly the same position. scotland is finding this

winter really hard. we are just back to work today and we have an extra bank holiday here in scotland for new year because we celebrate for longer, but it means gp practices just returned today and they are really busy. i'vejust just returned today and they are really busy. i've just actually had a family member at a gp practice with me in the last hour or so and they are very busy and efficient and very nice, but it's hard. it's really hard to be a patient and family member but also to be a work inside this big health and social care system across the uk. {line care system across the uk. one member of— care system across the uk. one member of the _ care system across the uk. one member of the royal _ care system across the uk. one member of the royal college of medicine have said some patients in a&e departments in scotland are being kept in inhumane conditions and he believes that the number of people dying in scotland is about 50 people dying in scotland is about 50 people per week as a role selt of days to emergency care so what is being done by the scottish government to address this? we are t in: to government to address this? we are trying to tackle _ government to address this? we are trying to tackle this _ government to address this? we are trying to tackle this at _ government to address this? we are trying to tackle this at every - trying to tackle this at every

single level of the system. remember, emergency departments are the kind of canary in the coal mine. they are where the headlines come from and where a lot of the emergency things happen because it's the bit that's always open and the bit that's always there for you and they are really under pressure. they are very busy, busy in manchester and cardiff and edinburgh. 50 are very busy, busy in manchester and cardiff and edinburgh. so what is bein: and cardiff and edinburgh. so what is being done _ and cardiff and edinburgh. so what is being done to _ and cardiff and edinburgh. so what is being done to alleviate - and cardiff and edinburgh. so what is being done to alleviate it - and cardiff and edinburgh. so what is being done to alleviate it in - is being done to alleviate it in scotland? has is being done to alleviate it in scotland?— is being done to alleviate it in scotland? �* , . . , ., , scotland? as much as we can at every level. i'm scotland? as much as we can at every level- i'm sorry. _ scotland? as much as we can at every level. i'm sorry, but _ scotland? as much as we can at every level. i'm sorry, but what? _ scotland? as much as we can at every level. i'm sorry, but what? what - scotland? as much as we can at every level. i'm sorry, but what? what is i level. i'm sorry, but what? what is bein: level. i'm sorry, but what? what is being done? _ level. i'm sorry, but what? what is being done? at _ level. i'm sorry, but what? what is being done? at a _ level. i'm sorry, but what? what is being done? at a policy _ level. i'm sorry, but what? what is being done? at a policy level- level. i'm sorry, but what? what is being done? at a policy level there is money going _ being done? at a policy level there is money going on. _ being done? at a policy level there is money going on, but _ being done? at a policy level there is money going on, but that's - being done? at a policy level there | is money going on, but that's above my pay grade. and then there are workforce challenges in their and we are communicating with the public as much as we can to get the public to use the health service wisely and efficiently because there are other ways of doing it rather than emergency departments, so nhs captain sirtom emergency departments, so nhs captain sir tom moore form in scotland, lots of people have used it in the strait a challenge where

we had people looking at what to do with their kid with a fever and their sore throat and then we have nhs 24 their sore throat and then we have nhs 2a and their sore throat and then we have nhs 24 and nhs 111 in their sore throat and then we have nhs 24 and nhs iii in england and 90% of people who phone nhs 24 get their dealt within one call. you may have to wait a little while and it might be a bit of patience required to get through but you will get the care you need and we have community and gp practices and, of course, if you have an accident and emergency we have the emergency departments but they are very busy and you might have to wait longer than i would like and you would like.- like and you would like. covid, stre a, like and you would like. covid, strep a. flew— like and you would like. covid, strep a, flew contributing - like and you would like. covid, strep a, flew contributing to l like and you would like. covid, i strep a, flew contributing to the pressure. where do you stand on people wearing masks again when they haven't done it? it’s people wearing masks again when they haven't done it?— haven't done it? it's common sense. we don't need _ haven't done it? it's common sense. we don't need draconian _ haven't done it? it's common sense. we don't need draconian measures i we don't need draconian measures again and across the country. it's a matter of personal choice but i think there are occasions where a face covering would help. you are right. we have winter viruses and

because of three years of not so much mixing, the winter viruses are worse, so flu is at the highest level since 2017 and strep a since 2017 and flu is rising and we still have 2 million people with covid, 2 million people across the uk have covid, so if you are sick or if you are in a crowded place, if you have are in a crowded place, if you have a scratchy throat with the flu or not feeling too well and you cannot stay at home, i would rather you stayed at home, but if you can't, a face covering would just protect some other people because those respiratory viruses just aren't looking for another host. in the front of the office, some hand gel, that would do no harm. low impact public health measures are what we need to halt these respiratory viruses that put pressure on social care and on emergency departments. professor, thank you so much.

the chancellor, jeremy hunt, has been meeting business groups today to discuss what help they'll get with their energy bills when the current support scheme ends at the end of march. he said any future support would be designed to help businesses transition to a new higher priced environment but stressed that the current levels of support, such as fixing gas and electricity prices, are unsustainable. our business editor simonjack told us about the cost of some of the current measures. like households, businesses have had some of their energy bills subsidised and that runs until the end of march of this year. that is estimated to have cost the government, just for businesses and all nondomestic users, local authorities and charities, £18 billion in six months and what the chancellor said today is that level of support is unsustainable and no government can protect business in the long term from the volatile energy market, so what we are expecting next week when we get the detail is the level of support will be significantly lower than that

and they have an option to roll over some support for six months or do it for a full 12 months. i am hearing that the hunch is that they will go for a 12 month extension but at a much lower rate of generosity. as it happens the government doesn't have to be that generous because energy prices have fallen sharply, so the gap they need to make up has fallen and wholesale prices are back where they were before the ukraine war, still three orfour times higher than the long—term average. so make no mistake business costs are going up through energy bills and this will happen at the same time as support for households begins to wear off going from 2500 to 3000 a year for a typical household so you have higher costs and less disposable income for the end customers and that makes for a challenging 2023. businesses have been waiting some time because this announcement got delayed. but they cannot plan. yes, i've spoken to people

who own pubs and they say they do not want the energy bill will be on their being asked to sign a new two—year lease so do i say let's go over or hang back the keys saying the risk is too great. next week we will get some detail on that but it has been a massive worry and it's been corrosive to business confidence as one person put it, and i think what we don't know is whether some businesses are going to get more help than others. generally speaking, they said they would give universal support for all but there could be some bells and whistles that are heavy users like the steel and glass industries. writer fay weldon, best known for books including 1983's the life and loves of a she—devil, has died at the age of 91. the author published more than 30 novels across her career, as well as collections of short stories, films for television, and pieces of journalism. our arts correspondent, rebecca jones, looks back at her life. you had better keep that. it is your

weddin: you had better keep that. it is your wedding ring- _ "the lives and loves of a she—devil" in which a woman takes revenge on her husband and his lover. let's go to bed. it was adapted from fay weldon's novel. it cemented her reputation as one of the uk's for feminist writers. like a she cat on heat. she grew up in new zealand. a portrait of her and her sister hangs in the country's national gallery. she came to the uk at 15. we failed miserably. she first made her name as an advertising copywriter. "go to work on an egg" was one of hers and she later claimed her advertising success was down to luck. after marrying ron weldon, she began writing tv plays and novels when pregnant. amazing how one unseen person can do so much to spoil a lie. she wrote about many things including the supernatural. clumsy. i am not clumsy! it did it by itself.

blame it on her condition. under the roof your i servants have run riot. she wrote the original upstairs downstairs but her scripts were too spiky for itv prime—time. typically, she wrote playful and punchy stories in which women were exploited by men but they often got their own back. in praxis, the pregnant heroine got a warning from an old woman in one story. puffball, one of her best novels, later became a film, and by the end of her life the view of women in society had changed a lot. it wasn't just it wasn'tjust feminism it wasn't just feminism that changed things. it was technology and birth control, it was all kinds of other things. sometimes i think feminism was a cloak under which capitalism

crept under us all and made us go out to work. and exhausted us. later in life, some feminists later thought that fay weldon was a traitor to the cause. she felt herjob was done. "what drove me to feminism 50 years ago was the myth that men with the breadwinners and women kept house and looked pretty", she wrote. that myth finally exploded and i helped it to explode it. fay weldon who has died at the age of 91. the culture secretary michelle donelan has written to the prime minister recommending that the government drops its plans to privatise channel 4. the plans had originally been drawn up by her predecessor nadine dorries under boris johnson's premiership. our entertainment correspondent lizo mzimba is here. why did nadine dorries want to privatise channel 4 exactly? this privatise channel to exactly? this was an privatise channel 4 exactly? this was an argument _ privatise channel 4 exactly? “in 3 was an argument about the best way to secure channel for�*s future. all sides agreed that channel 4 was an

essential part of the british broadcasting landscape but there was disagreement on how best to see at last the next five, ten, 15, 20 years. channel 4 is unique amongst broadcasters because it does not make any of its own programmes, so all of its income comes from advertising. advertising income has been falling year by year as a linear tv watching falls, so there is a definite discussion to be had about what to do in the future to ensure channel 4 can continue. nadine dorries's argument was the best thing to do was privatise and take it out of state hands and put it in the hands of a private company so it could have income from their and make changes so independent companies making programmes for channel 4 could sell their programmes to other broadcasters around the world and channel 4 might be able to make some of its own programmes for themselves or other people and generate income that way. that was nadine dorries's point of view. there was a huge public

consultation as well which came down overwhelmingly against sale and privatisation and now nadine dorries's successor has come up with a very different point of view. this was in a letter that was first leaked to the newsagents —— agency, fontas, amongst other people towards 10 downing street saying she was minded, having examined the business case that the best way to ensure the future of channel 4 was not by selling it but making certain changes to the way it exists at the moment. and again to look at independent broadcasters being able to sell their broadcast more widely and making their own shows, but crucially to make sure that channel 4 stayed in private hands and in public hands, sorry, as part of the state, and then they could try to bring in legislation and other changes to ensure more emphasis was put on making sure it had a steady income stream for the next five, ten, 15 years. it has been broadly

welcome by independent producers and it's a huge multi—billion dollar industry, so channel 4 is a big, big part of what they do and this is from a leaked letter, as i said earlier, but we expect some kind of official confirmation in the next hours and days.— official confirmation in the next hours and days. official confirmation in the next hours and da s. ., ~ , . the us house of representatives adjourned proceedings yesterday, following three failed voting attempts to elect a speaker of the house. a republican revolt meant that the californian congressman, kevin mccarthy, failed to secure the 218 voting majority needed to secure the job and the next vote is expected to be held in the next hour. i'm joined now by our north american correspondent, will grant, for the latest on this story. why is it having so much trouble getting across the line?- why is it having so much trouble getting across the line? well, this really comes _ getting across the line? well, this really comes down _ getting across the line? well, this really comes down to _ getting across the line? well, this really comes down to the - getting across the line? well, this really comes down to the fact - getting across the line? well, this really comes down to the fact it's| really comes down to the fact it's not just about the individual involved and kevin mccarthy and his bid to become speaker of the house. it is more of a battle for the soul

of the republican party on some level. it is about differing visions of what the republican party should be and the fact that the harder, right wing of the party simply do not see him as acceptable. they see him as establishment, as part of the congressional elites that ran the republican party for too long and they want nothing to do with him and do not want him in that role. hagar do not want him in that role. how lona can do not want him in that role. how long can this _ do not want him in that role. how long can this go — do not want him in that role. how long can this go on _ do not want him in that role. how long can this go on for? _ do not want him in that role. how long can this go on for? well, - do not want him in that role. how long can this go on for? well, in i long can this go on for? well, in the ast long can this go on for? well, in the past it— long can this go on for? well, in the past it has _ long can this go on for? well, in the past it has gone _ long can this go on for? well, in the past it has gone on - long can this go on for? well, in the past it has gone on for- long can this go on for? well, in the past it has gone on for quitej the past it has gone on for quite some time. the last time was a hundred years ago and on that occasion it took nine votes spread out over several days and in the past, even over hundred and 50 years ago, it went on for two months, and hundred and 33 votes. no one is expecting it will go quite as long as that this time but they are very, very entrenched positions. it is not reallyjust very entrenched positions. it is not really just any very entrenched positions. it is not reallyjust any more about very entrenched positions. it is not really just any more about the individuals we are talking about.

when we look at the fact that congress people with specific views of what congress has become in the leadership of congress are involved in the discussion then they are simply refusing to budge, but kevin mccarthy has over 200 supporters on his side of the house and he has been persuaded to not back down either, so it's an incredibly intractable situation, but on top of that the fact he has reached out to president trump you gave him his backing. we will have to see if that makes any odds in the upcoming vote. well, exciting times, thank you very much forjoining us from washington. now it's time for a look at the weather with louise. today has been slightly quieter and there are a few showers around but they will tend to fade away over the next few hours as this week whether front sinks steadily south and will peter to a band of cloud and the odd spot of light rain which means clearer skies and it means temperatures might fall a little

lower than last night but still on the mild side and we are looking generally at five or 10 degrees and a little bit cooler in the far north and east of scotland. that is where we start with early morning sunshine clouding over quickly through the day but the wind will strengthen out to the west and the next batch of wet weather arrives and it will take its time, bringing rain into northern ireland, and the western fringes of scotland in particular and some showers along west facing coasts further south with top temperatures perhaps around nine up to 13 celsius. that rain clears the way through the early hours of friday morning and the winds will be quite gusty to begin with, but on the whole friday looks a quieter day, dry with some sunshine. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: the prime minister has delivered a speech outlining the government's key priorities over the next year — saying he will rebuild trust in politics through action.

so, five promises. we will halve inflation, grow the economy, reduce debt, cut waiting lists and stop the boats. his speech comes as some leading doctors have claimed the nhs is in crisis, with delays and backlogs costing lives. russia says dozens of its troops died in a ukrainian rocket attack because they used their mobile phones when they weren't supposed to and gave away their position. how the pandemic has changed our working week: new research says it's no longer monday to friday in the office but tuesday to thursday. and fay weldon, best know for her 1983 novel, "the life and loves of a she—devil" has died at the age of 91. sport now and a full round up from the bbc sport centre. good afternoon. tributes are being paid to the west ham joint chairman david gold who has died at the age

of 86 following a short illness. gold was a lifelong west ham fan and passed away peacefully this morning — according to a statement from the club. he becamejoint chairman in 2010 — alongside david sullivan, having previously been the chairman and co—owner of birmingham city. there have been numerous tributes to david gold from those that have worked with him. and david gold's former club west ham will be one of eight teams in action tonight — with pressure rising at the bottom of the table. the hammers are just outside the relegation zone and travel to leeds who sitjust two points above them. meanwhile bottom club southampton face nottingham forest — who are also in the bottom three.

tonight's fixtures mean it could be a nervous night for frank lampard and his everton side. if results go against them — they would end the night in the relegation zone. the toffees are without a league win in six matches — so is lampard worried about losing hisjob? since i've been here we have been in this situation of a relegation battle, last year, through this season, really, so it is not a case of fear, butjust keep working and i can't control the talk. this is what happens. if you lose a game like this, i understand any reaction. i don't listen to too much of it because if you do it becomes your focal point. so, i don't focus on it. off the pitch, the january transfer window is beginning to gather pace. brentford have signed freiburg's kevin schade on loan until the end of the season — while manchester united are in talks with crystal palace goalkeeperjack butland. and in women's football,

tottenham have signed striker beth england from chelsea — signing a three and a half year deal. england had been at chelsea since 2016 — scoring 74 goals in 164 appearances. cape verde's national stadium is to be renamed after pele, the country's prime minister has announced. the 15,000—seater stadium — located just outside the capital praia — will be known as the pele stadium. the announcement comes just a day after fifa president gianni infantino proposed that every country should name a stadium after the legendary footballer — who died last week. newly crowned world number one darts player michael smith plans to "dominate the sport for years." the 32 year old beat michael van gerwen 7—4 at alexandra palace last night to win his first world championships and entertained the crowd with a brilliant nine dart finish in a leg some are calling the greatest of all time. smith says he handled

the big moments well. it was unreal last night, especially when the nine darter went in, the crowd just erupted and it lasted through the match. i felt last night i handled the pressure shots perfectly. the double tops were flying in. i finally got what i have been working so hard for, the world championship and to be world no 1. i left about 12:30am, the hotel bar was shut, so i just went straight to my room and i literally opened the cabinet with the trophy and just stared at it for seven hours. and there's likely to be more problems forformer tennis world no1 novak djokovic — due to his covid—19 vaccination status. the 21 times grand slam champion — who has previously said he is unvaccinated — is set to miss indian wells and the miami open — after the united states extended its requirement for international visitors to be vaccinated against covid—19 until at least the 10th of april.

both masters events take place in march. that's all the sport for now. let's return to our top story now and the prime minister's first major speech of the new year. rish sunak made five pledges — to halve inflation this year, grow the economy, reduce debt, cut nhs waiting lists and pass new laws to stop small boats travelling across the channel. i'm nowjoined by stephen flynn, he's the scottish national party's leader at westminster. which priority would you have chosen? , ., , ., , chosen? the priority of the people of scotland _ chosen? the priority of the people of scotland is _ chosen? the priority of the people of scotland is to _ chosen? the priority of the people of scotland is to have _ chosen? the priority of the people of scotland is to have the - chosen? the priority of the people of scotland is to have the prime i of scotland is to have the prime minister offer them hope, hope for a better future but he did not do that in any way shape or form, and better future but he did not do that in any way shape orform, and at better future but he did not do that in any way shape or form, and at the moment the families of scotland have got gas and electric bills which they cannot afford which is forcing them to choose between heating or

eating, and they are struggling to pay their mortgages which of course have skyrocketed after the actions of this uk government. the prime minister had the chance to offer that hope and to realign our relationship with the eu and to double down on investment and to show a clear path forward but he chose not to do that which is why i have no doubt that scotland has solidified their view for them to have a choice on their future. aha, lot have a choice on their future. a lot ofthe have a choice on their future. a lot of the cost — have a choice on their future. a lot of the cost of _ have a choice on their future. a lot of the cost of living _ have a choice on their future. a lot of the cost of living problems are to do with inflation and the prices keep going up and up and wages do not keep pace. surely halving inflation will help, having less debt which means we can invest in public services, that will help people, surely? these are priorities that will appeal to people in scotland? in that will appeal to people in scotland?—

that will appeal to people in scotland? ., ., ., ., ., scotland? in relation to inflation, the prime minister _ scotland? in relation to inflation, the prime minister has _ scotland? in relation to inflation, the prime minister has echoed i scotland? in relation to inflation, i the prime minister has echoed what the prime minister has echoed what the bank of england have already said is going to happen, it is not like he's doing anything to change what is coming. in terms of debt we have indicated that debt will continue to rise until 2028 so i'm struggling to see how the prime minister will meet his pledge in relation to that. he also talked about numeracy and he said that was about numeracy and he said that was a big thing for him but where is the figure that back—up the disaster thatis figure that back—up the disaster that is brexit? where are the figures that back—up the fact that households cannot afford to get by on a daily basis? where is the funding to support the public sector and make sure that people are getting paid what they deserve? the prime minister was hollow on promises and the people of scotland will see through that. that promises and the people of scotland will see through that.— will see through that. that was a ni bit will see through that. that was a nifty bit of _ will see through that. that was a nifty bit of footwork _ will see through that. that was a nifty bit of footwork to _ will see through that. that was a nifty bit of footwork to get - will see through that. that was a nifty bit of footwork to get from | nifty bit of footwork to get from studying maths to brexit statistics but let me bring you back to the

idea of mathematics and education is a devolved matter so it will be up to scotland to choose for itself but there is evidence to suggest that there is evidence to suggest that the uk is not kept pace with other equivalent economies when it comes to numeracy which is linked to economic advantage in a multitude of sectors so it may be an aspiration but it has a logic to it surely? $5 but it has a logic to it surely? as it but it has a logic to it surely? is it stands, looking at some figures, in relation to scotland, because education is devolved, around 84% of the young people of scotland gained a pass in relation to mathematics so we are already in a pretty good place, and that could be better, of course, and i have no doubt work will be done to make sure that is the case but i'll be seriously saying to the public and in amongst the crisis of the cost of living crisis and the fact people do not have the money to get by on a daily basis, that the big picture from the prime minister is simply to make sure that adults, 16 and

17—year—olds are adults, will do more numeracy, it is simply not going to wash in the way that he thinks and instead he should be rebuilding our relationship with the eu and investing in renewables and creating those jobs and opportunities for the future because productivity is what matters and it is quite clear that productivity for scotland is not going to come as part of the uk, it will come through independence. if part of the uk, it will come through independence-— independence. if only we could continue in _ independence. if only we could continue in that _ independence. if only we could continue in that vein. - independence. if only we could continue in that vein. stephen | continue in that vein. stephen flynn, snp leader in westminster, thanks forjoining us. with me is lucy fisher, times radio chief political commentator, and james heale who edits the diary section of the spectator. both of them were listening and watching the prime minister's speech this afternoon. thanks forjoining us. lucy, first of all, quick thought on how you thought his performance was this afternoon? it

was really quite the past each from rishi sunak. we had shades of norman tebbit boss might get on your bike and something of tony blair with the five pledges and we had something of boris johnson's five pledges and we had something of borisjohnson's boosterism with hope and optimism and pride and a bit of david cameron with the big society theme of people in the community doing more and serving those around them. when you take the specific five pledges it is quite a canny gambit to set out exactly what he plans to do even if the timelines on some of those pledges like getting the economy growing are a bit shaky. it is useful to have those written in stone but for me the lack of ambition also shows a dose of realism has been ingested in downing street about the manoeuvre room and what he is able to achieve before the next election. it is quite limited. he has chosen really three

areas, the economy, the nhs and migration to focus on before then. what was your assessment, james? he said people are sick of politicians overpromising and under delivering and that_ overpromising and under delivering and that is — overpromising and under delivering and that is probably a reaction to rhetoric— and that is probably a reaction to rhetoric in — and that is probably a reaction to rhetoric in recent years. the headline _ rhetoric in recent years. the headline announcement was about mathematics in schools and it was an attempt _ mathematics in schools and it was an attempt to _ mathematics in schools and it was an attempt to set out his vision. he has been — attempt to set out his vision. he has been prime minister now for about— has been prime minister now for about two— has been prime minister now for about two months and some people are thinking, _ about two months and some people are thinking, ill— about two months and some people are thinking, i'll be managing the shop or are _ thinking, i'll be managing the shop or are we _ thinking, i'll be managing the shop or are we going to get anything done by next _ or are we going to get anything done by next year —— are we managing. this_ by next year —— are we managing. this was— by next year —— are we managing. this was an — by next year —— are we managing. this was an attempt to have some optimism — this was an attempt to have some optimism along with some realism to throw— optimism along with some realism to throw down— optimism along with some realism to throw down the gauntlet ahead of the rival speech from keir starmer tomorrow _ rival speech from keir starmer tomorrow-— rival speech from keir starmer tomorrow. how much room for manoeuvre _ tomorrow. how much room for manoeuvre has _ tomorrow. how much room for manoeuvre has he _ tomorrow. how much room for manoeuvre has he got - tomorrow. how much room for manoeuvre has he got when i tomorrow. how much room for. manoeuvre has he got when many commentators accept that a lot of the pressure is on the economy are external, global? if the pressure is on the economy are external, global?— external, global? if you look at the five pledges. _

external, global? if you look at the five pledges, setting _ external, global? if you look at the five pledges, setting the _ external, global? if you look at the five pledges, setting the metrics, i five pledges, setting the metrics, we think— five pledges, setting the metrics, we think we willjudge you by this but at _ we think we willjudge you by this but at some of them are outside of his control, — but at some of them are outside of his control, but also, some of them are likely— his control, but also, some of them are likely to— his control, but also, some of them are likely to go ahead and it is likely— are likely to go ahead and it is likely that inflation will half by next _ likely that inflation will half by next year and it is likely that in may— next year and it is likely that in may next — next year and it is likely that in may next year that the nhs waiting lists will_ may next year that the nhs waiting lists will go down so they are achievable but that is a sense that promises — achievable but that is a sense that promises have been made in recent years. _ promises have been made in recent years. not— promises have been made in recent years, not least in the 2090 manifesto, and it is about getting as much— manifesto, and it is about getting as much of— manifesto, and it is about getting as much of that done as possible in as much of that done as possible in a party— as much of that done as possible in a party that— as much of that done as possible in a party that is very divided —— the 2019— a party that is very divided —— the 2019 manifesto. the a party that is very divided -- the 2019 manifesto.— a party that is very divided -- the 2019 manifesto. , ., 2019 manifesto. the comments about famil were 2019 manifesto. the comments about family were aimed _ 2019 manifesto. the comments about family were aimed at _ 2019 manifesto. the comments about family were aimed at a _ 2019 manifesto. the comments about family were aimed at a particular - family were aimed at a particular wing of the party? that family were aimed at a particular wing of the party?— wing of the party? that is right. and it feels _ wing of the party? that is right. and it feels in _ wing of the party? that is right. and it feels in some _ wing of the party? that is right. and it feels in some ways - wing of the party? that is right. and it feels in some ways a - wing of the party? that is right. i and it feels in some ways a return to values we have not heard much about in recent years, partly because boris johnson famously had about in recent years, partly because borisjohnson famously had a complex personal life and liz truss's family not also unblemished in terms of taking any tone that

might be considered moralising, so i was fascinated that she focus —— he focused on the family but it led him to be wide open to a question which was about what he was going to do about child care and he talked about wanting to support parents and he made reference to a fairly nebulous sounding policy about rolling out family hubs but it was liz truss's big plan to overhaul the cost of childcare which is too expensive in this country and it takes the average, on average, 26% of a joint income of parents to pay for childcare, compared to 9% across the developed world, so it is too expensive and also forcing people, especially women, out of the economy because they cannot afford childcare and they have got to stay at home which is leading to inactivity and depressing growth so i was disappointed he did not take that up and by all accounts he is planning

to shelve liz truss's plan to look at childcare and bringing down the costs. . , , , , ., costs. that is slightly strange because he — costs. that is slightly strange because he also _ costs. that is slightly strange because he also went - costs. that is slightly strange because he also went on - costs. that is slightly strange because he also went on to i costs. that is slightly strange i because he also went on to talk about the fact there is a quarter of the labour force not active at the moment and they are good reasons for that in many cases stop you are right. that in many cases stop you are riuht. . ,., ~ right. that will require some kind of legislation _ right. that will require some kind of legislation and _ right. that will require some kind of legislation and it _ right. that will require some kind of legislation and it was - of legislation and it was interesting that so many of the policies — interesting that so many of the policies he was talking about won't require _ policies he was talking about won't require too— policies he was talking about won't require too much going through parliament, with the exception of migration, — parliament, with the exception of migration, and that is because you have _ migration, and that is because you have a _ migration, and that is because you have a very— migration, and that is because you have a very divided party. last month— have a very divided party. last month in— have a very divided party. last month in the space afforded hours the government had a u—turn on a couple _ the government had a u—turn on a couple of— the government had a u—turn on a couple of policies, like the one on wind, _ couple of policies, like the one on wind, and — couple of policies, like the one on wind, and then the day before, they had reversed the position on housing targets— had reversed the position on housing targets and _ had reversed the position on housing targets and that was to appease what some might call the nimby lobby in the party— some might call the nimby lobby in the party and that showed it is difficult — the party and that showed it is difficult to get anything through parliament at the moment and that is why things _ parliament at the moment and that is why things like childcare and channel— why things like childcare and channel for privatisation are being

scrapped — channel for privatisation are being scrapped and also to get ready for the election, which is clearly what they are _ the election, which is clearly what they are getting ready for. —— channel— they are getting ready for. —— channel 4 _ they are getting ready for. —— channel 4 privatisation. to they are getting ready for. -- channel 4 privatisation. to both of ou, channel 4 privatisation. to both of you. thanks _ channel 4 privatisation. to both of you. thanks for — channel 4 privatisation. to both of you, thanks forjoining _ channel 4 privatisation. to both of you, thanks forjoining us. - the headlines on bbc news... the prime minister has delivered a speech outlining the government's key priorities over the next year — saying he will rebuild trust in politics through action. his speech comes as some leading doctors have claimed the nhs is in crisis, with delays and backlogs costing lives. how the pandemic has changed our working week: new research says it's no longer monday to friday in the office but tuesday to thursday. the world health organisation says it's concerned about the risk to life in china caused by the surge in covid infections there. the head of the who, dr tedros adhanom ghebreyesus, called on beijing to provide more

reliable data on hospitalisations and deaths. the organisation says the government statistics under—represent the true impact of the country's outbreak. naomi grimley our global health correspondent joins me in the studio. this is an ongoing problem for the who, they do not get the data they want. .. , , ., ., want. exactly. they are worried because since _ want. exactly. they are worried because since china _ want. exactly. they are worried because since china rowed - want. exactly. they are worried j because since china rowed back want. exactly. they are worried i because since china rowed back on their zero covid restrictions it is only announced 25 deaths officially so it's total for the whole pandemic is around 5200 and even allowing for the fact that they had the most ukrainian restrictions in the world —— the most draconian restrictions in the world that lasted for almost three years, many scientists do not believe that is credible, and the city of shanghai which is 25 million people, it is thought doctors say there that 70% of the city have had

covid recently, so it doesn't stack up. that is why dr mike ryan said he wants credible data and he says that so far they think that the true impact of the pandemic has been underrepresented by the data that the chinese are providing. idd’hat the chinese are providing. what ha--ens the chinese are providing. what happens in _ the chinese are providing. what happens in a — the chinese are providing. what happens in a country _ the chinese are providing. what happens in a country like china where everyone starts to move around again, will potentially have an impact on other countries. that is ri . ht and impact on other countries. that is right and that _ impact on other countries. that is right and that is _ impact on other countries. that is right and that is why _ impact on other countries. that is right and that is why we _ impact on other countries. that is right and that is why we have - impact on other countries. that is| right and that is why we have seen countries including the uk in the us say they will do testing of passengers coming from china and there is some good news on that front because the who have said today that they don't believe there are any new variants coming out of china at the moment but clearly this is why they are asking for more sequencing and data, the data that looks at how the different variants, the family tree if you like, relate to what we are seeing on the ground,

but at the moment they are worried that hospitalisation data and intensive care data is just too sketchy. intensive care data is 'ust too sketch . . intensive care data is 'ust too sketch. . ., ., , police injamaica say a british man has died after being shot. sean patterson, a personal trainer from west london, was found on monday in stjames with gunshot wounds to his upper body and head. local press reports say a 34—year—old man has been taken into custody. as people return to work this week after the christmas break — how many of us will actually make it in to the office? many companies have now accepted that offices will only be busy between tuesday and thursday each week. well, this is having an effect on our towns and cities. new research out today shows that while city centres are quieter than in 2019, many small towns, local neighbourhoods and suburban shopping streets are actually much 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. 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, 80, 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. how often do you have to go to the office? twice a week, probably now. and the rest of it i just do from home. 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 and 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 5:00pm. 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. city centres will have to change. but back in devon, here at ottery st mary's volunteer inn, the lunchtime trade has really ta ken off. more time in our home neighbourhoods, a bit less commuting? things could be worse. david sillito, bbc news, devon. british musicians were responsible for all of the top 10 best—selling singles in the uk last year — for the first time since records began. harry styles topped the chart, while ed sheeran and kate bush also featured. our music correspondent, mark savage, has the details. # you know it's not the same as it wasi # as it was...#

with 180 million streams, harry styles' as it was became the bestselling song of last year. it was closely followed by this... # my bad habits lead to late nights endin' alone... # ..ed sheeran's bad habits. already the biggest seller of 2021, it clung on as the second—biggest tune of 2022. # i'll sing it loud in case you don't already know # pack up your stuff and go, go, go... # newcomer cat burns was the highest charting female artist, with her break—out hit, go, becoming the year's fourth most popular song. and kate bush came sixth with this, from 1985. # be runnin' up that road # be runnin' up that hill # be runnin' up that buildin'... # running up that hill, which went viral last summer after featuring in the netflix show stranger things. and 2022 was the first year that all of the top ten uk singles

were by british artists. the bpi, which represents the recorded music industry, said music consumption rose by 4% in 2022, making it the eighth year in a row that listening has increased. # it's me... # customers spent more money on vinyl than cds for the first time since 1987, with taylor swift's midnight the year's biggest seller. but new music is increasingly being crowded out by classics. # money, money, money... # six of last year's top ten albums were greatest hits collections by the likes of eltonjohn, little mix and abba. mark savage, bbc news. # in a rich man's world...# ben brown is getting ready for the next hour. now it's time for a look

at the weather with louise lear. hello, there. it may well have been quite a cloudy, damp start for many of us, but it was an incredibly mild one. the first column shows the overnight minimums, way above where they should be. the second column, the average for this time of year. so we should be into low single figures. and that's because the wind direction pulling in this very warm subtropical air right across the country, the only exception, perhaps, the far north of scotland. and that's where we've seen some rain as well. the rain fairly light and patchy as it drifts its way south into northern ireland and northwest england. as we go through the day, we should see a greater chance of some sunshine across eastern england in particular and maybe parts of eastern scotland into the afternoon. the cloud across the channel coasts may be thick enough for some light drizzle as well, but the temperatures will stay on the mild side for the time of year. generally, around 11 to 14 degrees is the high. that weak weather front sinks a little bit further south through the night. the showers will ease and we should have some clearer skies. so that's going to allow those temperatures perhaps to fall away a touch. still a very mild night,

but nevertheless not quite as warm and sultry as the one just past. but there's more wet weather to come in the forecast, i'm afraid. the next low waiting in the wings on thursday. so, first thing on thursday could be a dry, settled and possibly sunny start in eastern areas, clouding over quite quickly from the west, however, and there will be outbreaks of rain as we go into the afternoon, in particular through northern ireland, western scotland and perhaps some drizzle along west facing coasts. top temperatures still into the teens, around 13c, the high. now as we move through thursday into friday, that low pressure drifts its way eastwards. and on the southern flank of the low, we are going to see some gale force gusts of wind 60, 70 miles an hour. not out of the question. that pushes the rain through at quite a pace across scotland. and then on friday, not a bad day, perhaps the best day of the week in terms of drier, brighter, more settled and sunny weather. not as warm, but i'll take that if we've got the sunshine, but make the most of it as we head into the weekend.

low pressure returns and dominates the weather story, i'm afraid. you can see how the isobars squeeze together. the winds will always remain a feature. so it's going to be windy with showers or longer spells of rain at times. take care.

this is bbc news i'm ben brown. the headlines at 5 o'clock the prime minister outlines the government's key priorities over the next year, promising to rebuild this is bbc news i'm ben brown. the headlines at 5 o'clock the prime minister outlines the government's key trust in politics. we will stop the boats. his speech comes as some leading doctors have claimed the nhs is in crisis, with delays and backlogs costing lives. we have a special report from the front line in eastern ukraine where there's ferocious fighting. how the pandemic has changed our working week: new research says it's no longer monday to friday in the office but tuesday to thursday.