today at six — a heavy blow to the future of electric vehicle manufacturing — here in the uk. this was the £4 billion vision for britishvolt — a maker of electric car batteries — but the business has collapsed with the loss of hundreds ofjobs. the site in northumberland is still undeveloped — experts say the uk has much to do as the demand for electric vehicles increases. if we do not start these batteries soon, the uk will struggle to maintain the car industry. we'll be asking about manufacturing strategy as petrol and diesel engines are phased out. also on the programme... as protests continue against plans to block scottish reforms on gender recognition — a warning that the uk government will be challenged in court.

obviously the subject matter of this legislation is important, it affects a vulnerable, stigmatised group. but actually, the significance is much wider. the future of manchester united, jim radcliffe enters the bidding. and a0 years old today — we remember the start of bbc breakfast time — and a new chapter in british television. and coming up on the bbc news channel: he was last seen in international rugby playing for england, but three years on, ruaridh mcconnochie is picked in scotland's six nations squad. good evening. the future of electric car manufacturing in the uk has been dealt a blow with

the collapse of britishvolt — a maker of electric car batteries — with most of its 300 staff made redundant with immediate effect. britishvolt had plans to build a giant factory in northumberland and was seen as a vital part of the industry's future in the uk. experts say several factories making batteries will be needed to support the future of car making as petrol and diesel engines are phased out. last year britishvolt asked the government for £30 million in support but it was refused as the company had not hit important targets. our business editor simonjack has more details. it's time to power up the future... a bold and ambitious vision. a plant that would produce batteries to power a new generation a state—of—the—art facility in northumberland and thousands more

in the supply chain. the current reality is this. a barely touched site, a company gone bust, and nearly 300 workers sacked with immediate effect today. so what went wrong? britishvolt was a start—up company with no track record. their battery technology was only at the prototype stage. although there are expressions of interest from lotus and aston martin, they had no real customers and therefore no revenue. and yet they were burning through their backers�* cash fast, nearly going bust last november, and finally collapsing today. this is a setback for the uk car industry. currently the uk only has one working battery plant, a chinese owned one next to the nissan plant which is its only customer. but look at this. around europe these are the plants that are either already working or under construction, with many more planned. and remember the sale of new petrol and diesel cars will be banned in the uk and other european markets in just seven years�* time. the industry estimates the uk will need four of these plants up and running by then. the clock is ticking and the reason

the clock is ticking is because it takes five years to get one of these plants from announcement into full production. we only have seven years left until the first milestone of 2030 comes into place. if we do not start these batteries soon, the uk will struggle to maintain a car industry. the plant at blyth ticked a lot of political boxes, an example of post—brexit investment, green technology that helped the levelling up agenda. it offered £100 million in support if construction milestones were hit. they weren't. labour said it remained ripe for development but would need greater government commitment. there is a brilliant site , it hopefully will become a factory. but unless the government has strategy to attract the investment required to do that to the uk, we risk losing what is three quarters of a million jobs in the automotive sector in the long term in the uk.

the government stressed £100 had million worth of support was still available to future investors with a credible plan to build a plant that everyone accepts is needed. and simon is with me. of course it is also what it means for the future strategy in this important industry.— for the future strategy in this important industry. critics will seize on this _ important industry. critics will seize on this saying _ important industry. critics will seize on this saying it - important industry. critics will seize on this saying it shows l important industry. critics will i seize on this saying it shows we have a lack of overall industrial strategy. and the government is wary of an industrial strategy, they do not like the term and think it denotes picking winners it was not always the case, in 2016 the conservative government had an industrial strategy going through with the sectoral approach. elsewhere in the eu they tend to give higher subsidies and often take part ownership in some big projects. a slightly more creative approach

some would say. but people in the industry say we've had four chancellors and three prime ministers in 2022 so not very stable environment for investment. but i think these were the wrong owners, they had very little future, who would place an order with a company with that trouble track record. the hope here is you will get more experienced partners with deeper pockets, possibly chinese or korean investors who have got more experience doing this. some people think that this will get built but people say we have to get a move on. simonjack, thank you. the uk government has confirmed it plans to block a scottish parliamentary bill which is intended to make it easier for people to change their legally—recognised gender. the scottish secretary alisterjack said trans people deserved respect but he believed the scottish bill would interfere with equalities law applying to england,

scotland and wales. it's the first time westminster has sought to stop a scottish bill from becoming law. the first minister of scotland nicola sturgeon said her government would take legal action — and accused westminster of trying to provoke a �*culture war�*. the plans would see applications for a legal change handled by the registrar generalfor scotland — not a uk panel — and no diagnosis or medical reports would be required. one of the most controversial proposals is to lower the minimum age that someone can apply from 18 to 16. and the period in which applicants need to have lived in their acquired gender would be cut to three months — or six months for 16 and 17 year—olds. 0ur political editor chris mason has the latest. outside the uk government�*s building in edinburgh, a protest. the sharing of power, devolution, is an illusion, they argue.

the first minister is furious. i think it is a profound mistake. it�*s a direct attack on the institution of the scottish parliament. obviously the subject matter of this legislation is important. it affects a vulnerable, stigmatised group. but actually the significance is much wider. so what will you do next? will this inevitably end up in court? it will inevitably end up in court. i�*m probably more concerned today than i�*ve ever been before about the future of the scottish parliament. we�*ve got an increasingly hostile uk government wanting to undermine devolution. the proposed change the scottish government wanted provokes passionate arguments on both sides, but it was strongly endorsed by the scottish parliament. it�*s intended to make it easier for people to change gender. but the government at westminster says it clashes with an existing british law. i have not taken this decision lightly and it is our assessment that the bill would have a serious

adverse impact, among other things, on the operation of the equality act 2010. those adverse effects include impacts on the operation of single sex clubs, associations and schools and protections such as equal pay. i have set out to the scottish government that should they choose to do so i hope we can work together to find a constructive way forward. labour won�*t say whether they�*d have done the same thing as the conservatives or let the scottish legislation become law, saying instead they want to see the government�*s legal advice. trans people who suffered intense discrimination will now not see this legislation take effect any time soon, if at all. and women�*s rights groups who will likely not see their concerns, address or their fears alleviated because this simple truth is that this has turned into a constitutional bunfight. back in the scottish capital, the architecture of the coming political argument is taking shape. you�*ve talked about this as an outrage, but is it

not simpler than that, that this is an argument between two sides, perhaps both acting in good faith? there�*s not an iota of good faith on the part of the uk government on this issue. all through the progress of this legislation... well, trust me, i am certain it is an opinion, i grant you that. but it�*s an opinion i�*m very, very certain of. and this is not the first attack on the scottish parliament we�*ve seen. it is the most serious to date. but it�*s also, though, if they�*re using a lever within the existing legal rulebook. because there is no justification for it. 0n the face of this bill, the argument the uk government appears to be that it interferes with the equality act, but it doesn�*t have any impact on the equality act. that�*ll be the crux of the coming political and legal debate as arguments sharpen on both sides. chris mason, bbc news in edinburgh. there are more updates, news and analysis on bbc news 0nline — that�*s bbc.co.uk/news —

and by using the bbc news app. official figures show that wages in the uk rose at their fastest rate for more than twenty years — between september and november. but the rise of 6.4% represented a fall in real terms — when adjusted for inflation. and the gap between pay in the public and private sectors remained close to a record high. 0ur economics correspondent andy verity is here with more details. the figures were stronger than some expected considering the bank of england and office for budget responsibility have both said we�*re already in recession. unemployment is still only 3.7 per cent. and while the number ofjob vacancies is down it�*s still 1.1 million. that means that in the private sector at least, employers who most urgently need staff are bidding up wages to attract and keep the staff they need.

with inflation close to a ao—year high, pay�*s risen in the private sector by 7.2 per cent — too little to keep up with price rises. and in the public sector by only 3.3 per cent — a real terms pay cut of more than 5.5%. as we found out in the yorkshire dales, the problem for employers is still that they can�*t find the staff they need. near hawes in wensleydale, north yorkshire, where the local economy depends on tourism, this is the slow part of the year. but even now, it�*s not a lack of work that�*s the problem, it�*s a lack of staff to do it. david carn runs a family business of five caravan parks employing 25 people, and constantly advertises for more. running costs have just gone through the roof. we pay our staff way above any government guidelines on prices because you have to do, because they have to live comfortably. so quite a big wage bill but we manage. in the public sector,

the biggest real terms pay cut in decades has prompted strikes from refuse collectors to ambulance workers. 467,000 working days were lost because of labour disputes in november, the highest for 12 years. employers are now recruiting fewer permanentjobs and more temporary ones. there�*s also something new that has emerged over the last couple of months, and i would not call it gloom for employers, it isjust a bit of caution where they are looking at a soft economy and thinking let�*s just wait and see how this plays out. and you see that for instance in the use of more temporary workers in today�*s numbers. the bank of england is now under greater pressure to raise interest rates next month. andy verity, bbc news. train drivers from aslef are to strike on 1st and 3rd of february — after union bosses rejected a pay offer from the rail companies. drivers had been offered a 4% pay rise for two years — but the deal hinged on several changes to working practices.

they�*ll be joined by drivers from the rmt union. our top story this evening. the £4 billion vision for britishvolt — a maker of electric car batteries — at this site in northumberland. but the business has collapsed with the loss of hundreds ofjobs. and coming up... defying the odds — andy murray is back on top form down under. coming up in sportsday on the bbc news channel: after a really bad day in brighton, canjurgen klopp lead liverpool into the fa cup fourth round with a win at wolves in their replay tonight? russian forces in ukraine�*s eastern donetsk region claim they have taken control of the city of soledar — but this has been denied by a ukranian army spokesperson who said fighting is continuing

in the area. troops on the frontline have told the bbc they welcome news from the uk that they�*re to take delivery of several challenger tanks which they hope will help turn the tide in the war. the bbc�*s andrew harding has been with a tank unit near bakhmut and sent this report. lurking in a snowbound forestjust behind the front lines, a cluster of ukrainian tanks. but these are ancient warhorses, half a century old. no match for russia�*s army. "they are just not suitable for this era," the company commander readily admits. "they work, but the technology has moved on." gunfire. which is why there�*s great excitement here about the prospect of western machines.

if you could have any tank — challenger, leopard, abrams, any of these foreign tanks that are being offered — would it make a difference? i think abrams, leopard, challenger, it�*s very good for us. any tank? any tank, any tank. it is help for us, for victory. suddenly, there is incoming fire close by. a hurried exit for us and a reminder of the unpredictable nature of artillery warfare. we head closer to the front, towards two furiously contested towns, soledar and bakhmut. ukrainian footage of a recent tank battle here, firing on the move. on a frozen hillside near bakhmut, we watch more ukrainian tanks in action.

they call this section of the front line the meat grinder — a savage artillery war that has raged for months with precious little progress on either side. but the ukrainians here insist that�*s about to change — if, that is, they get western tanks here soon. if you�*re going to counterattack, if you�*re going to seize more territory, then you need tanks, you need mobile artillery? sure. it�*s very useful for counterattacking, because infantry covered by tanks, for sure, win. without that, these front lines are going to be stuck like they are? yeah. for now, it grinds on, the cold and lethal winter stalemate. andrew harding, bbc news, in ukraine�*s donbas. dozens of people were injured early this morning — after a double—decker bus carrying 70 workers to hinkley point c power

station in somerset overturned in freezing conditions. avon and somerset police declared a major incident after the crash near bridgwater which also involved a motorcyclist. 0ur correspondent phil mackie has the story. hammering. this was the immediate aftermath of the accident, and these are some of the 70 workers who were being taken to work on the double—decker bus. a nearby petrol station was used as a triage centre. 56 people needed hospital treatment. the incident was initially declared as a major incident due to the number of people involved and the resources required. emergency services have been on the scene since receiving the first 999 call, and we can confirm there have been no fatalities at this time. it was easier to see in daylight. the double—decker bus on its side, and the motorcycle which was also involved in the accident standing

a few metres away. conditions last night were appalling. temperatures had dropped well below freezing, and there had been so many road—related incidents between 6pm and 11pm last night that avon and somerset police warned drivers not to go out unless it was absolutely necessary. locals were relieved that the casualty list wasn�*t worse. i heard shouting, scream. i heard some horns beeping and i realise there must have been a major accident outside on the road. there seems to be sirens every day coming down, there seems to be a car accident somewhere, but i haven�*t seen one quite as bad as this for a little while. ice has been the issue here but there have been problems almost everywhere. heavy snow fell in the scottish highlands, with many schools having to close. locals made the most of the unexpected day off. snow also fell across the welsh countryside, including pembrokeshire, but roads remained clear. and there was a weather warning for the town of limavady in northern ireland,

which saw heavy snow overnight. back here, the workers belongings have been collected and the bus has been recovered. there are still warnings in place with another very cold night ahead. phil mackie, bbc news, somerset. a serial rapist who used his position as a metropolitan police officer to intimidate his victims has been sacked by the force. david carrick admitted dozens of rape and sexual offences against 12 women over two decades. carrick was dismissed from the force at a misconduct hearing this morning. the commissioner sir mark rowley has apologised for the force�*s failure to stop carrick at a much earlier stage. a jury has been sworn in to hear the inquests into the death of five people who were killed by a gunman in plymouth in august 2021. jake davison, who was 22, killed his mother and then shot dead four other people, including three year—old

sophie martyn, before turning the gun on himself. it happened weeks after davison�*s shotgun licence was returned to him by devon and cornwall police after previously being withdrawn. 0ur south west england correspondentjenny kumah is following the inquests. this was the worst mass shooting in britain for a decade. six people died within minutes, leaving a community and city in pain and shock. relatives came to the inquest hearing in exeter today wanting answers. families gave statements about the victims and what happened on that terrible night. three—year—old sophie martyn and her father lee were shot as they walked home. lee�*s widow rebecca described him as a family man who adored his children. she said lee called their daughter his little princess. stephen washington was walking his dogs when he was killed. his widow told the inquest she was still finding it hard to come to terms with how he died. 66—year—old kate shepherd died from her injuries in hospital. her family described her

as a colourful, creative and compassionate artist. the gunman�*s family told the inquest of their devastation that he killed five people, including his own mother, maxine. she had tried to raise the alarm about her son back in 2016, when she contacted the counterterror scheme known as prevent. the inquest will look at the circumstances around davison�*s gun licence, which he was granted in 2017. in december 2020, davison�*s weapon and licence were removed after he assaulted two teenagers in a park. seven months later, the gun was returned to him after he completed a justice programme as an alternative to prosecution. just weeks later, he shot and killed five people before turning the gun on himself. many hope the inquest will shed light on why and how the shootings happened, but they also know the process will involve reliving difficult memories.

jenny kumah, bbc news, exeter. within the past half hour, sirjim radcliffe has confirmed his interest in buying manchester united. the 70—year—old has been a fan of the club since he was a child. let�*s join our sports correspondent in salford. what can you tell us about this bid? , , ,., ., , this bid? this is potentially significant _ this bid? this is potentially significant news _ this bid? this is potentially significant news for - this bid? this is potentially - significant news for manchester united fans. it was back in november last year that the current owners, the glazer family announced that they were willing to sell the club. they had been in charge since 2005 and in the last hour or so it has been confirmed that the chemical company, ineos, owned by the british billionaire sirjim radcliffe have formally entered the bidding process to buy the club. sirjim radcliffe is one of britain�*s richest men and

he and ineos are involved in a number of other sports with cycling, sailing and formula 1, and sirjim radcliffe did put in a bid to buy chelsea when they were up for sale last year. that bid was unsuccessful, but he is, as you say, a boyhood fan of manchester united. it is still very early days. this process may take many months, but as i say, confirmation that ineos and sirjim radcliffe have entered the bidding process to buy manchester united. a , bidding process to buy manchester united. , ., ., ., , united. many thanks for the latest, and . tennis — and at the australian open — andy murray has beaten the 13th seed, italy�*s matteo berrettini, in a thrilling match that lasted nearly five hours. murray, who feared the hip surgery he had in 2019 would end his playing career, is now showing some of his best form, as our correspondentjoe wilson tells us. in the 18th year of his career against one of the world�*s best players, andy murray,

still doing what he lives for. matteo berrettini forced the match into a fifth set. murray was moving, chasing, stretching. this was tennis at an exceptional level. berrettini, 13th seed, bottom of the screen here, had a match point. he found the net. oh, my goodness me! in a fifth—set tie—break murray ultimately had the luck his tenacity deserved. all the pain, operations, rehabilitation, hospital, it was all for this. right now i�*m just, yeah, unbelievably happy, very proud of myself. cheering. the show courts could close the roof but elsewhere, xxtreme heat meant no play for hours. britain�*s dan evans ultimately won his match. later, novak djokovic was cheered on court. yes, a resounding welcome for their nine—times former champion. after last year�*s vaccination status stand—off, he was barred from australia, until that was overturned.

an overwhelming win in round one, and as andy murray may agree, 35 is no age these days. joe wilson, bbc news. ken bruce, who�*s been a hugely popular presenter on bbc radio 2 for over three decades, announced on air today that he was leaving the bbc. it�*s popmaster time! his mid—morning show is the most listened—to show on british radio. he�*s going to bejoining greatest hits radio — having said he�*d had a �*tremendously happy time�* at the bbc but now was the �*time for a change�*. plenty of nostalgia as people remember ken�*s long years on radio 2 and the day brought plenty of other nostalgia too here on bbc one as people were reminded of the events of a0 years ago. and i dare say plenty of you will remember this.

the first—ever breakfast time was broadcast on this day in january 1983. it really was the start of a new era — the coming of breakfast television to the uk — and it was quite an event — as our corrrespondent david sillito explains. good morning! don�*t worry, you haven�*t missed a0 years and something�*s gone wrong. a celebration today a0 years of breakfast television. over the years, many famous faces have greeted us first thing in the morning. hello, and welcome to breakfast. there was today a return of one of the original stars. it's cold, it's dark, it's a bit miserable. in 1983, keep fit guru diana moran, the green goddess, was getting commuters moving at waterloo station. now aged 83, she was back in

the same spot doing the same moves. wake up the body! and it was also a chance to remember how it all began. 6:30, mondayjanuary the 17th, 1983. gosh, it was frightening. meet ron and keith — editor and director of day one of bbc breakfast time. and this was more than just a new programme. it was a new idea. good job. keep it up, my dear. we've only been going for about a minute. people were doubtful, weren�*t they, about breakfast television at the time? people said television on in the morning — that�*s disgusting. disgusting idea. what�*s happening in this country? people even used the word immoral. showers chiefly in the north and east, rather windy. - the bbc had briefly experimented with breakfast television before 1983 by putting cameras in a radio studio. it�*s 7 o�*clock on monday, the 1st of december. this is radiovision. it wasn�*t the tv gold they were hoping for.

the director of education, ronald mcdonald, knows it won't be an easyjob. it will require, in the limited time available to the end of this financial year... however, when itv said it was going to launch a breakfast programme, the bbc raced to get in first, and the end product was not bbc suits and ties. as you can see, our home is very, very relaxed and informal. jumpers. yes. i'm not sure that we said to frank, "wearajumper." i think frankjust decided to put on a jumper. i�*m sure there was disapproval. oh, i'm sure there was. nevertheless, by the end of the show the champagne was... oh, my giddy aunt! ..exploding more than flowing, but today�*s celebration is recognition of a little landmark. tv mornings were never the same again. david sillito, bbc news.

i won�*t say anything other than to say, we�*ve had a lot of nostalgia thinking about pastimes today, including that magnum of exploding champagne. time for a look at the weather. here�*s chris fawkes. we had a lot of heavy snow, 30 centimetres of lying snow across parts of the high land and i�*m a big fan of snow but i wouldn�*t fancy taking a seat here, the recipe for a cold derriere. but we also had snow moving in across northern ireland. this was the scene in londonderry sentin this was the scene in londonderry sent in during the afternoon. this morning we had thejet sent in during the afternoon. this morning we had the jet stream running to the south of the uk allowing this cold air mass to move across the country and that is with us for another few days yet, so cold air is certainly with us and more snow to come overnight with a number weather warning in force until midnight where strong northerly winds will bring so —— further significant accumulations of snow but it�*s not the only place that will see snowfall overnight. right now we have heavy snow moving across northern ireland and through the night that will tend to move its way

towards wales and parts of