a big blow to the uk's car industry as an electric car battery company collapses. they had planned to build a full billion pound factory in northumberland to make the batteries needed to power the uk's electric car business. if needed to power the uk's electric car business-_ car business. if we do not start these batteries _ car business. if we do not start these batteries soon _ car business. if we do not start these batteries soon the - car business. if we do not start these batteries soon the uk i car business. if we do not start| these batteries soon the uk will struggle to maintain a car industry. also on the programme tonight... protests against plans to block scottish reforms on gender recognition are warning the uk government will be challenged in court. forthe government will be challenged in court. for the uk's richest man to

become —— could the uk's richest man own manchester united? andy murray powers to victory for his match at the australian open. it and coming up on the bbc news channel: harvey elliot's on target, but can liverpool seal their spot in the next round of the fa cup, with a win over wolves in their replay? good evening. the electric car battery company britishvolt has collapsed — making most of its 300 staff redundant — and putting the future of the uk's electric car making industry into serious jeopardy. the company had been planning to build a giant battery making factory in northumberland — it was to be a vital part for britain's electric car industry with petrol and diesel engines being phased out by 2030. britishvolt had planned to make around 300,000 batteries a year — to power around of a quarter of electric vehicles on the british market. but it has collapsed after months of trouble as it struggled to raise enough money to stay afloat.

our business editor simonjack reports. it's time to power up the future... a bold and ambitious vision. a plant that would produce batteries to power a new generation of uk—made electric cars, creating 3000 jobs at 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 where did it all go wrong? well, britishvolt was a start—up company so had no track record. their battery technology was only at the prototype stage. although there were 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's car industry. currently, the uk only has one working battery plant,

chinese owned and right next to nissan, which is its only customer. but look at this. around europe these are the plants that are either 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 and 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 in blyth, it hopefully will become a gigafactory. but unless the government has a real 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 that £100 million worth of support was still available to future investors with a credible plan to build a plant that everyone accepts is needed. explain what this will mean to the consumer because people will still be able to buy electric cars. the? be able to buy electric cars. they will and by _ be able to buy electric cars. they will and by law— be able to buy electric cars. they will and by law they _ be able to buy electric cars. they will and by law they will - be able to buy electric cars. tie: will and by law they will have be able to buy electric cars. tte: will and by law they will have to be able to buy electric cars. tt3:1 will and by law they will have to do in 2030, whether you live in the uk, france, places in scandinavia. question is, where are those markets going to be made? this is an

industrial issue. these batteries are heavy and difficult to transport. as this transition happens, car production will be clustered around where the car batteries are and you saw that graphic about how many of them will be in europe. do we have, do we need an industrial strategy to make these big transformations? labour says yes, the conservatives have always been wary, they don't want to get involved in the private sector. but some of these big transformations need a more muscular role for government. you see that in the eu. even state—by—state in places like the united states. in this case, throwing extra government money would have been a big mistake and not many would argue about that. the hope is now that some of the big players, jaguar land rover�*s owner, korean battery experts will get involved with the government to come up involved with the government to come up with a strategy to deliver this. the industry says if you are going

to do it, get on with it.— to do it, get on with it. thanks very much- — scotland's first minister, nicola sturgeon, says the deepening row over scotland's gender reforms will inevitably end up in court after the uk government confirmed it plans to block it. the scottish parliament has passed a law making it easierfor trans people to change their legal sex. but downing street says it could undermine the uk's equality act. this is the first time that the westminster government has tried to stop a scottish bill from becoming law. under the plans in scotland — trans people could legally change their sex without medical reports or a diagnosis. it would be dealt with by the registrar general for scotland not a uk panel. the age that someone could apply for a change would be lowered from 18 to 16 — that's proving one of the most controversial proposals. and people applying would no longer need to live in their acquired genderfor two years — under the plans that would be cut to 3 months — or six months for 16 and 17 years.

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 suffer 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 addressed 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... how do you know that? maybe theyjust disagree with you. 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... hardly an attack, though, if they're using a lever in the existing, legal rulebook? because there is no justification for it. 0n the face of this bill, the argument of 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.

the uk government has announced that it plans to ban all forms of conversion therapy in england and wales — including for transgendered people. previously westminster had said any legislation would only apply to attempts to change a person's sexual orientation. 0ur lgbt and identity correspondent, lauren mosand lauren moss — our lgbt and identity correspondent is here. conversion therapy practices attempt to change somebody�*s sexual orientation or gender identity. for an idea of how widespread this is, a government survey found that 5% of lgbt people had been offered conversion in an attempt to cure them as it was described in their lifetime. in 2018 the government said it would introduce a ban and there have been quite a few u—turns around this. last year a ban was scrapped altogether. that was quickly changed after a backlash from campaigners. the prime minister at the time, borisjohnson, said it

wouldn't include transgender people, that there were complexities and sensitivities that needed to be worked through. now the culture secretary has today said the ban will protect everyone. although the details on what this will involve aren't that clear at the moment because it isn't a simple process. what is classed as conversion therapy, for example. how will it impact religious prayer? and to make sure doctors and parents aren't inadvertently criminalised. from having conversations with children or young people who might be struggling or questioning their gender identity. all of this will be scrutinised by a committee. the timing here is interesting, coming a dayjust timing here is interesting, coming a day just after the government timing here is interesting, coming a dayjust after the government made that announcement to block the scottish gender recognition reform bill. there has been a bit of a lukewarm response from lgbt campaigners on this but a cautious welcome, wanting more detail, though, the government says it will look to provide that probably around

autumn. . ~ look to provide that probably around autumn. ., ~ ,, the family of a woman who died in a crush during a concert at the 02 academy in london last month is calling for a public inquiry. it comes after the bbc discovered some security guards at the venue in brixton regularly took bribes and let people into gigs without tickets. their employer, ap security, hasn't commented. the london music venue has had its licence suspended until mid april because of the incident. greg mckenzie has the story. rebecca ikumelo was 33 and a single mum of two. rebecca ikumelo was 33 and a single mum of tw— mum of two. how was school today? one of her sons _ mum of two. how was school today? one of her sons had _ mum of two. how was school today? one of her sons had autism - mum of two. how was school today? one of her sons had autism and - mum of two. how was school today? one of her sons had autism and she| one of her sons had autism and she was using her social media platform to help other parents. she was using her social media platform to help other parents.— was using her social media platform to help other parents. she was doing reall well. to help other parents. she was doing really well. she _ to help other parents. she was doing really well. she was _ to help other parents. she was doing really well. she was getting - really well. she was getting recognised. she was doing interviews.— recognised. she was doing interviews. , ., ., . interviews. devoted to her children, her family are _ interviews. devoted to her children, her family are still _ interviews. devoted to her children, her family are still in _ interviews. devoted to her children, her family are still in shock. -

interviews. devoted to her children, her family are still in shock. i - interviews. devoted to her children, her family are still in shock. i can i her family are still in shock. i can tell they are _ her family are still in shock. i can tell they are missing _ her family are still in shock. i can tell they are missing their - her family are still in shock. t can tell they are missing their mum. everyone is supporting them. they've got a lot of support. the? everyone is supporting them. they've got a lot of support.— got a lot of support. they want answers and — got a lot of support. they want answers and for— got a lot of support. they want answers and for no _ got a lot of support. they want answers and for no one - got a lot of support. they want answers and for no one else i got a lot of support. they want answers and for no one else to j got a lot of support. they want i answers and for no one else to go through what they are going through. these kind of things shouldn't be happening. when you are going to enjoy yourselves. people need to make sure things like this don't happen again in the future. you've just got to make sure everything is on point and correct.— on point and correct. these videos show the immediate _ on point and correct. these videos show the immediate aftermath i on point and correct. these videos show the immediate aftermath of| on point and correct. these videos i show the immediate aftermath of last month's crowd crush at the 02 academy brixton, which claimed the lives of two people. the other victim was gary hutchinson. —— gabby hutchinson. the gig had to be cut short after a large number of people tried to force their way inside the venue. ,':ii :: z: tried to force their way inside the venue. g; i: i: z: , 1, ., tried to force their way inside the venue. ,':ii :: z: , 1, ., , tried to force their way inside the venue. xi: i: i: , i,, i, , venue. 3000 people have broken the doors outside- _

venue. 3000 people have broken the doors outside. the _ venue. 3000 people have broken the doors outside. the police _ venue. 3000 people have broken the doors outside. the police have i venue. 3000 people have broken the doors outside. the police have asked| doors outside. the police have asked us to close the show. the doors outside. the police have asked us to close the show.— us to close the show. the local council has _ us to close the show. the local council has suspended - us to close the show. the local council has suspended the i us to close the show. the local i council has suspended the venue's license but a security guard working at the club at night has told the bbc that some security staff took bribes from fans without tickets. he claims the practice involving security guards pretending to scan fake tickets for cash was widespread at ap security, which operates door staff at brixton and other venues across the uk.— staff at brixton and other venues across the uk. there were people takin: across the uk. there were people taking money- — across the uk. there were people taking money. staff— across the uk. there were people taking money. staff making i across the uk. there were people | taking money. staff making £1000 across the uk. there were people i taking money. staff making £1000 in cash. there was drug dealers and gangs coming in. our company knew what was going on and they knew the people who were doing it and they did nothing about it. 1&1? people who were doing it and they did nothing about it.— did nothing about it. ap security declined to _ did nothing about it. ap security declined to comment _ did nothing about it. ap security declined to comment on - did nothing about it. ap security declined to comment on these l did nothing about it. ap security i declined to comment on these claims. meanwhile, the metropolitan police are continuing to appeal for anyone with information to come forward.

greg mckenzie, bbc news. and you can hear greg's full investigation on file on four on bbc radio 4 or on the bbc sounds app. the billionaire british businessman, sirjim ratcliffe, has confirmed his interest in buying manchester united. the 70—year—old, who founded the chemicalfirm ineos, has been a fan of the club since he was a child. our sports editor, dan roan, is in salford. how likely is this? i think a lot of united fans _ how likely is this? i think a lot of united fans will be _ how likely is this? i think a lot of united fans will be hoping - how likely is this? i think a lot of united fans will be hoping it i united fans will be hoping it happens because so many of them are desperate to see the back of the club's american owners, the glazer family who have presided over a period of decline both on the pitch and in terms of the old trafford stadium itself. last year they said they would be willing to listen to offers for the club after potentially bringing to an end a period of ownership, 18 years almost, defined by fan protests, controversy, and debt. this evening

the british chemicals giant ineos, owned by one of the country's richest men, sirjim ratcliffe, formally said he had entered the bidding process but it will happen? it is important to remember that last year ratcliffe tried and failed to by chelsea having a bit too late, and there is no doubt he will face fierce competition for united if he does bid with the glazer family wanting at least £5 billion and that is expected to be interest from the middle east and us but having said that, he already has significant sports investment in the likes of sailing, cycling formula1 sports investment in the likes of sailing, cycling formula 1 and of course football, only french club nice, and he has made no secret of the fact he is a united fan, it was his boyhood club having grown up in manchester and for that reason, many united fans will hope the first person to formally declare their hand when it comes to united ends up being the club's next owner but it is important to note the process could have several months to run. thank you.

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 ukrainian 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 new 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 tanks, any tanks. it helps 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, a cold and lethal winter stalemate. andrew harding, bbc news, in ukraine's donbas. nearly one year after the conflict in ukraine began, the country's

deputy prime minister has called for continued support from the uk and other countries supplying weapons and aid to end the russian aggression. she was speaking at the world economic forum in davos in the swiss alps where politicians and business leaders from 130 countries are discussing how to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing the global economy. 0ur economics editor faisal islam reports. there is big talk here from big business trying to capture the imagination at the world economic forum in switzerland. but what everyone actually wants to know is whether three years of pandemic and war will end this year and provide relief to all those back home in the cost of living crisis. and the reality is that the route to a healthier economy runs through the conflict in ukraine. here, its first lady, lauded by delegates, and its deputy prime minister thanking britain and claiming it could all be over this year. yes, so, ukraine is here and we're actually very grateful for british people for their support.

so, yes, we hope, but of course we need your assistant in this war to gain this victory this year. but elsewhere, one of the world's leading fertiliser firms warned that the west was repeating its mistake of dependence on russia, and this threatened food prices. putin has weaponised energy and they are weaponising food as well. with food and fertiliser, half of the world's food production is dependent on fertiliser and if you see significant disruptions on that, that's a very powerful weapon. and you think russia is using it for leverage? of course. the path forward on the world economy is still in the shadow of political and diplomatic decisions and notjust between russia and ukraine. also china. the big hope is that the reopening of china's economy from three years of covid lockdown changes everything, but it is a big risk, too.

please welcome vice premier liu he. with a message from president xi, its vice premier said the chinese economy was returning to normal now restrictions had been lifted, inviting delegates to visit and tried to dial down economic tensions with the us and europe. translation: hence we have i to abandon the cold war mentality, endeavour to build a community with a shared future for mankind and join hands to respond to global challenges. you often hear that the cost of living crisis in britain, for example, is down to globalfactors. well, this is the sort of place where the big decisions about those globalfactors are made and here you do hear that some of the multiple chills effecting the world economy might begin to lift this year, but there is no certainty about that. faisal islam, bbc news, at the world economic forum in davos.

wages in the uk rose at their fastest rate for more than 20 years between september and november. they went up by 6.4% according to the latest official figures. but because of inflation, that still represented a fall in real terms of more than 2.5%. the gap between pay in the public and private sectors also remained close to a record high. the new figures come as the rail unions the rmt and aslef announced a fresh wave of strikes on the 1st and 3rd of february, calling for a pay rise. teachers and civil servants will also take action over pay. and tomorrow nurses begin a two—day strike in hospitals in england and wales. 0ur health correspondent dominic hughes has been talking to nurses about pay and the cost of living. who's looking after our mums and dads and kids? it's nurses, but you can't do that when you're running on empty. i first met carmel, an experienced nurse in liverpool, back injune. they take care of the nursing family but we can't take care of anyone...

then we talked about the impact of the cost of living crisis on health workers. now, on the eve of two days of strike action, carmel says things have got even worse. we've got people leaving because they can't afford to be a nurse. nurses have recognised now that we desperately need more nurses and the only way we are going to do that, to attract people to the profession, is to say that you will have a good living wage, and we haven't got that at the minute. what do we want? fair pay! when do we want it? now! the first strike last month involved around 44 nhs trusts in england along with strikes in wales and northern ireland. this week more than 50 english trusts will be affected. strike action in scotland has been paused. but while they may support the objectives behind industrial action, not all nurses believe striking is the answer. especially this winter. i am seeing the worst conditions i have ever seen and patients that are very, very sick.

how can i walk out on my patients? it's like walking out on my own mother. over the past few weeks, the nhs has been under extreme pressure, and there is the added challenge of freezing, icy weather over the next few days. so nhs bosses are having to think carefully about what's to come. in areas being affected by strikes, there will be fewer nurses working, so people are being asked to use nhs 111 as a first port of call, but there are exceptions. if somebody is out there and they think they have an emergency problem, so particularly things like chest pain or they think they might be having a stroke, they should still call 999. our emergency services are still there for them and we need them to come forward for these time—critical medical problems. more strike dates for nurses in england and wales have been announced for next month. 0verworked and underpaid! with further action to come from ambulance workers, physiotherapists and maybe even junior doctors, discontent among health workers is mounting.

dominic hughes, bbc news. dozens of people were injured 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. a spokesperson for the nhs in somerset confirmed a small number of passengers on the bus required surgery the church of england is expected to make an announcement in the coming days on whether it will allow same—sex marriages to be recognised by the church of england. senior bishops have been meeting today to discuss the issue and our religion editor, aleem maqbool, is with me now. so are we moving towards same—sex couples being allowed to get married in church? what we're hearing at the bbc this evening from some of those bishops you were talking about is that in the foreseeable future there is not going to be marriage equality the

church of england. gay marriage has been legal in this country since 2014 but the church did not change its teaching and instead started a consultation process of five years that were supposed to culminate in a vote next month at the general synod, the meeting of the national assembly of the church. but there was a final preparatory meeting of bishops today and we have spoken to four of them taking a range of views are also the church's teaching, that holy matrimony is only between one man and one woman, is not going to change and will not be up for the vote. instead, what is expected is they will propose some prayers that can be adopted for the blessing of same—sex civil marriages, but that appears to stop short of the official sanction blessing ceremonies they have in the church of wales and of course a long way short from marriage equality they have in the episcopal church in scotland. the church of england has declined to comment but it appears for the foreseeable future that you

will not have gay marriages in church of england churches or conducted by church of england clergy. conducted by church of england cler: . i: ,, conducted by church of england cler: . i: ~' m the veteran radio 2 presenter ken bruce has announced he's leaving the bbc after almost 40 years. the 71—year—old, who presents the most listened—to show on british radio, is leaving tojoin greatest hits radio. he broke the news this morning, telling listeners he'd been "tremendously happy" at the bbc but it was "time for a change." tennis, and at the australian open, an amazing performance from andy murray as he beat 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. here'sjoe wilson. 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, 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, extreme 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. as andy murray may agree, 35 is no age these days. joe wilson, bbc news.

finally, the world's oldest known person, a french nun has died at the age of 118. she was born in 1904 in the south of france and became a nun in 1944. she died in a retirement home where it is said she ate chocolate and drink a glass of wine every day. what a life. time for a look at the weather. here's chris fawkes. incredible picture. it isa it is a stunning point at the amount of snow we have seen has varied and many of us have not seen a snowflake in this current spell but we had a smattering of snow across the beautiful tops of the lake district but others have seen a deluge, here in the highlands in scotland. 30 centimetres in some places but i suspect the risk of something a bit disruptive is growing as we look at the forecast and into wednesday because we are seeing these showers

moving southwards