at 6:00, firefighters across the uk have voted to go on strike for the first time in 20 years. the fire brigades union says firefighters and control room staff voted overwhelmingly to take action over pay. our action over pay. members love theirjob and proud of our members love theirjob and proud of their communities, but they also have to pay their bills. they are struggling to do that. we now have firefighters been sent to food banks. it comes ahead of the biggest strike action for decades this wedensday — when teachers, railway workers and civil servants are among those who will walk out. also on the programme... the government promises more ambulances and hospital beds for the nhs in england — will it be enough to solve the a&e crisis? the prime minister says

he acted "pretty decisively" in sacking nadhim zahawi as the conservative party chairman, as he defends his handling of the affair. the kremlin rejects claims by borisjohnson that president putin threatened him with a missile strike before russia's invasion of ukraine. and the former all black campbelljohnstone becomes new zealand's first national player to reveal he is gay. and coming up in sportsday later in the hour on the bbc news channel. we wll have the draw for the fifth round of the women's fa cup, we're down to the last 16. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. firefighters and control room staff across the uk have voted overwhelmingly to go on strike for the first time in 20 years over pay. last year the fire brigades union

rejected a 5% pay offer. the union now says it'll give the government and employers 10 days to come up with a better offer, or the strikes will go ahead. it's the latest in a series of strikes announced by the public sector. on wednesday hundreds of thousands of teachers, railway workers and civil servants will be among those walking out in the biggest strike action for decades. our employment correspondent, zoe conway, reports. a victorian church, destroyed by fire last friday, despite the best efforts of the london fire brigade. injust over three weeks�* efforts of the london fire brigade. in just over three weeks�* time, this service, along with fire brigades across the uk, are set to go on strike. ~ ., , , ., , strike. while our members are very roud of strike. while our members are very proud of the _ strike. while our members are very proud of the job _ strike. while our members are very proud of the job they _ strike. while our members are very proud of the job they do, _ strike. while our members are very proud of the job they do, they - proud of the job they do, they want to serve their communities, they also have families to look after, they have mortgages and rent to pay, and they�*ve got bills to pay. and you need wages to do so. and they have sent a very clear message to us and to their employers, and to the

government, that they are sick and tired of being treated in this way, they are prepared to stand up for themselves and fight back. firefighters on the picket line in 2003, the last time they went on strike. the dispute went on for months. the army stepped in to provide cover. in scotland, a strike by teachers has entered its third week. teachers and england and wales willjoin this industrial action on wednesday, after talks between the national education union and the education secretary, gillian keegan, failed. we education secretary, gillian keegan, failed. ~ , . , failed. we sincerely regret the disruration _ failed. we sincerely regret the disruption on _ failed. we sincerely regret the disruption on wednesday. - failed. we sincerely regret the disruption on wednesday. but| failed. we sincerely regret the i disruption on wednesday. but we failed. we sincerely regret the - disruption on wednesday. but we are doing to try and get the government to invest in our children�*s education. to invest in our children's education.— to invest in our children's education. ., ':::: 11:11: education. more than 100,000 teachers are — education. more than 100,000 teachers are expected - education. more than 100,000 teachers are expected to - education. more than 100,000 teachers are expected to be . education. more than 100,000 - teachers are expected to be involved in the walk—outs, which are planned over seven days in february and march. �* , ., , over seven days in february and march. �*, ._ , march. it's really disappointing, it reall is. march. it's really disappointing, it really is- it's _ march. it's really disappointing, it really is. it's so _ march. it's really disappointing, it really is. it's so disruptive, - march. it's really disappointing, it really is. it's so disruptive, it's . really is. it�*s so disruptive, it�*s not a last resort. they have chosen to have the strike, obviously in

conjunction with many others. but it isn�*t a last resort and we are still in discussions. and i am always in those discussions in good faith. this week will see industrial action on a scale not seen for more than a decade. on wednesday, 500,000 workers are expected to strike. in so many of these disputes, there is no end in site. let�*s go to westminster and our politcal correspondent, helen catt. is there any sign that government could soft and on the issue of pay? one education union leader suggested, as they left the discussions, that there had been just a hint, as they project, that the government could come back with more of an offer. the education secretary gillian keegan has said future pay was among the topics being talked about. but when it comes to the issue of pay rises in line with the higher cost of living, which is what the teachers are asking for, the tone from government really hasn�*t changed. earlier, rishi sunak was asked about pay rises for nurses. he said he would

love to pay them more, but insisted a rise in line with the higher cost of living would create a vicious cycle, and keep inflation high for longer. instead, the government is focusing on reducing the impact of strikes. it is urging schools not to close on wednesday, saying that children have been among those hardest hit during the pandemic. wednesday�*s day of action does pose a real political challenge for rishi sunak, with more people in strike that had been so far, particularly of children end up off school in england and wales, that risks bringing home the impact of the strikes to many more families than have so far been affected. and how it might affect you on our website — that�*s bbc.co.uk/news, or you can use the bbc news app. as more strikes over pay loom this week, the office for national statistics has been looking at the pressure that households are under this winter. it found that 24% — that�*s almost a quarter of adults

surveyed — reported they find it hard to keep warm in their homes. 15% are worried their food will run out before they have money to buy more. 18% are now eating smaller portions. and nearly half of those surveyed said that their situation was negatively affecting their physical and mental health. our social affairs correspondent, michael buchanan reports. shirley o�*connor spends much of her days, her weeks alone. her husband died in 2018. covid meant she had to stay at home. now rising prices have further limited her life. last week i had to buy new glasses. it cost me nearly £150. and then, went to get my gas this morning. i couldn�*t afford to put the 75 in as normal. so at the moment i�*ve got a heating on, but tonight i�*ll be

in bed by 6:00 to keep warm. the 66—year—old, who has multiple health conditions, spends her day watching tv or doing word searches. how often do you think about money? never ending. if you want new shoes or new boots, you think, well, what can i do without this week to buy them? my my hair once doing, but i let it go for now. i can�*t do it any more. she is not alone. today�*s figures show that more than a third of welsh households have struggled to heat their homes. almost 50% higher than the british average. i love penicuik community. i have only ever known penicuik community. i grew up here. karla lovell works for a charity supporting older people in these hills around wrexham. a lot of my ladies would go and get taxis to cafes and have a cup of tea and natter with their friends. they can�*t do that any more because they can�*t afford to do that. people just stay in one room all day, every day. they heat that one room because it�*s all they can afford to do. penny evans is one of carla�*s regular clients.

she spends most of her days, in this one room. how often do you put the rest of the heating on in the house? when i'm having a shower, which is once a week because of the expense with the gas. a talented artist, she struggled to make ends meet, even restricting how many christmas cards she sent to save money. this is not how retirement was meant to be. to be honest, yes. it's it's not fair. i've worked hard all my life. all right, we're scrimping and saving now. but how long for? it is a worry. carla encourages and cajoles her clients to engage and stay positive. but communities that have long struggled with poverty and isolation are being strained further by rising prices. michael buchanan, bbc news, northeast wales. the prime minister has insisted he acted "pretty decisively" in sacking nadhim zahawi as the conservative party chairman, after he was found to have broken

the ministerial code in relation to his tax affairs. rishi sunak says he followed the "right process", and that integrity was "really important". but labour saays there are still serious questions for mr sunak to answer. here�*s our political editor, chris mason. it�*s not who�*s to blame, it�*s who�*s responsible. universal themes in any workplace. the prime minister was in stockton on tees this morning at a hospital hoping to talk about something, anything but the party chairman he sacked at the weekend. blame and responsibility. where does each belong? morning, everyone. how are you? at a question and answer session later in darlington, rishi sunak claimed it was right to have an investigation into nadhim zahawi and right to fire him. i was able to make a very quick decision that it was no longer appropriate for nadhim zahawi to continue in government, and that's why he's no longer there. that's what i've done. it relates to things that happened well before i was prime minister, so unfortunately i can't change what happened in the past. what you can hold me accountable

for, is what did you do about it? what i did as soon as i knew about the situation was appoint somebody independent, looked at it, got the advice, and then acted pretty decisively. is the hmrc still after you, sir? the questions had been accumulating for nadhim zahawi for a while. yesterday, we got some answers. the prime minister�*s ethics adviser concluded he�*d broken the rule book for serving in government, the ministerial code, seven times for failing to spell out the truth about a run—in he was having with revenue and customs. so, don�*t expect to see him in this street again any time soon. are you avoiding answering. questions about your taxes? currently, conservative hq here is without a chairman, they�*re hoping to rustle up a replacement in the next few days. nadhim zahawi is out. he�*s not wanting to talk to us just yet, though. what i can tell you is he is bruised and doesn�*t feel like there was a proper process. there are questions too, though, for rishi sunak and hisjudgement in hiring mrzahawi,

and then keeping him for so long. and that�*s because critics point out nadhim zahawi had admitted paying a penalty to the tax authority. and we knew the prime minister hadn�*t known about it until then. so wasn�*t that a sackable offence on its own? it�*s about morals and ethics and who is suitable to be in our cabinet. and the fact that rishi sunak allowed this to drag on for so long is simply because he�*s trying to manage all the factions in his party. and, once again, we have the conservative party putting party interests ahead of the interests of the country. having shown nadhim zahawi the door, the prime minister will hope this attention snatcher of a row at westminster is finally fizzling out. chris mason, bbc news. the thing is, plenty of conservative mps are pretty cheesed off about all of this. in the words of one senior figure i spoke to today, if you know on day one how something is going to

end, don�*t faff about. at downing street are confident they behaved properly, and feel emboldened by the fact they commissioned this inquiry a week ago, it reported yesterday, and within a couple of hours they blew the chairman out of the door. but the threat about what loitered in the undergrowth down the track, the investigation taking place into be debited minister dominic raab over allegations of bullying in several ministerial positions, allegations he denies. his colleagues worry about how that will end. speaker the commissionerfor end. speaker the commissioner for public end. speaker the commissionerfor public appointments has withdrawn himself from an investigation into how richard sharp was selected as bbc chair, because he and mr sharp had met in the past. william shawcross had planned to conduct the inquiry into whether due process was followed, after reports that mr sharp helped borisjohnson with a loan shortly before

he was appointed. the bbc chairman insists he was chosen on merit. the prime minister, rishi sunak, says his government will deliver the "largest and fastest" improvement in emergency waiting times in the history of the nhs. he has set out plans to use £1 billion of existing funding to increase the number of ambulances and to create new hospital beds. our health editor, hugh pym, is here to tell us more. hugh. the new plan is aimed at avoiding, next winter, some of the long a&e waits and ambulance delays seen in recent weeks. nhs england has earmarked £1 billion from existing funds. some of that will go on creating 5,000 more hospital beds — that�*s up 5% on the current total. and buying 800 new ambulances, some to replace old vehicles — up 10%. today, the prime minister set out his ambitions in a briefing for nhs

staff. ~ ., his ambitions in a briefing for nhs staff. a, , , ., his ambitions in a briefing for nhs staff. ,, ., ., , staff. more beds, more ambulances, more staff. — staff. more beds, more ambulances, more staff, better _ staff. more beds, more ambulances, more staff, better social— staff. more beds, more ambulances, more staff, better social care. - staff. more beds, more ambulances, more staff, better social care. if - more staff, bettersocial care. if we can deliver on it, i think we will see, in fact i know we will see, the largest and fastest ever improvement in emergency waiting times in the nhs of�*s history. but here�*s the challenge — there�*s a target of 95% of patients seen or assessed in a&e within four hours of arriving. but recently performance has plunged to a record low of 65%. the nhs says it can get back to 76% next spring. and for category 2 ambulance calls, including heart attacks and stokes, crews are supposed to get there within 18 minutes — but last month the average was an hour and a half. there�*s now a pledge to get that back to half a hour by next year. the plan has measures to break the logjams and speed the flow of patients through hospitals. we currently have 24 patients in the department who are waiting for beds.

here today— department who are waiting for beds. here today at the royal free hospital, to ease pressure, patients are diverted away from a&e when possible. senior doctors and nurses in a special unit treat and get them home on the same day, so they don�*t need a hospital bed. home on the same day, so they don't need a hospital bed.— need a hospital bed. there are a lot of clinical conditions _ need a hospital bed. there are a lot of clinical conditions that _ need a hospital bed. there are a lot of clinical conditions that can - need a hospital bed. there are a lot of clinical conditions that can be - of clinical conditions that can be treated by using same day emergency care strategies. it�*s actually preferable to most patients, rather than being admitted to hospital. it also means we can free up inpatient capacity for the patients that need it most. and that has an overall benefit to the whole of the health care system. so what about workforce? there are more than 133,000 vacancies in the nhs in england, with a vacancy rate of 9.7% — higher than before the pandemic. the question is — will existing staff be able to deliver the plan for this winter?

staff burn out we are seeing, it is hard _ staff burn out we are seeing, it is hard to— staff burn out we are seeing, it is hard to see — staff burn out we are seeing, it is hard to see how we're going get to next winter. hard to see how we're going get to next winter-— next winter. there has been unprecedented _ next winter. there has been unprecedented strain - next winter. there has been unprecedented strain on - next winter. there has been - unprecedented strain on hospitals and ambulance services in recent weeks, the pressures have eased a bit but staff are concerned about what the next couple of months might bring. never mind the next winter. the time is 6.16. our top story this evening: firefighters and control room staff across the uk have voted to strike over pay, for the first time in 20 years. former for the first time in 20 years. all black campbelljo becomes coming up in sportsday in the next 15 minutes on the bbc news channel... can sean dyche keep everton up, he�*s the new new manager... with the club 19th in the premier league and two points from safety.

russia has rejected claims by borisjohnson that president vladimir putin personally threatened him with a missile strike before russia�*s invasion of ukraine. the former prime minister told a bbc documentary that during a phone call mr putin told him "it would only take a minute" to hurt him. a kremlin spokesman called mrjohnson�*s claim a "lie". more from our diplomatic correspondent, james landale. kyiv, last february — a city living in fear of invasion. borisjohnson arrived to show support for a clean—shaven president yet to don the green garb of war. shoulder to shoulder with his ally, the former prime minister�*s message was clear. i hope very much that president putin steps back from the path of conflict. a hope which prompted an astonishing response from vladimir putin. the following day, i�*ve got putin on the blower again.

and this is a very long call and a most extraordinary call. he was being very, very familiar. mrjohnson told him invading ukraine would mean more nato forces on his border. he said, "boris, you say that ukraine is not going to join nato any time soon." he said it in english — "any time soon". "what is any time soon?" and i said, "well, it�*s not going to join nato for the foreseeable future." and then, this. you know, he threatened me at one point and said, you know, "boris, i don�*t want to hurt you, but with a missile, it would only take a minute" — or something like that, you know. you know, jolly. but i think from the very relaxed tone that he was taking — the sort of air of detachment that he seemed to have, he was just playing along with my

attempts to get him to negotiate. a spokesman for the kremlin denied mrjohnson�*s account, saying there had been no threats to use missiles. translation: what mrjohnson said is not true. more specifically, it is a lie. a week after the phone call, the defence secretary flew to moscow to meet russian military chiefs, where he said he lied to him about their plans for ukraine. i remember saying to minister shoigu that they will fight. and he said, "my mother's ukrainian," you know, "they won't." he also said he had no intention of invading. it was the fairly chilling but direct lie of what they were not going to do that, i think, to me, confirmed they were going to do it. and he was right. within days, the invasion began, as russia unleashed a barrage of missiles on targets across ukraine and its tanks and troops stormed across the border.

james landale, bbc news. the first episode of the bbc documentary "putin versus the west" will be broadcast tonight on bbc two at 9pm, or you can stream all three episodes on the bbc iplayer right now. an explosion at a mosque next to a police station in pakistan has killed at least 59 people and injured more than 150 others. the cause of blast in peshawar is unclear, but officials say a suicide bombing can�*t be ruled out. our pakistan correspondent caroline davies reports from the scene. crawling from the rubble. this was a violent act during a time of prayer. the explosion ripped through the mosque in a police compound in peshawar when it was filling up for lunchtime prayers. hundreds were inside. rescue workers used their bare hands to try to shift the rubble. translation: the mosque is next to the police station. _ we were preparing ourselves for prayer and heading for the mosque. translation: we took 56

wounded to the hospital. l their condition was critical. ambulances were still arriving at peshawar�*s lady reading hospital well into the evening. the families who had waited hoping for better news, now distraught as instead, their loved ones arrived lifeless. inside the hospital, waiting in a corridor, we found zohaib nawaz, his arm in a plaster cast and his back injured. he told us that he remembers a white flash, and was blown five or six feet back by the force of the blast. then the rubble fell on him. he spent more than an hour trapped beneath it. still in his police uniform, sitting with his wife, javed khan tells us that he had just walked into the mosque when the blast happened. he fell down with the force, and has a severe head injury. people here, some of them have severe burns, others have got broken bones from falling rubble. the number of people coming in still keeps rising.

the death toll too has been going up. since the taliban took power in afghanistan in 2021, pakistan has seen an increase in the number of violent attacks. pakistan�*s army have claimed they had broken these groups�* capabilities, but today�*s attack and the damage it has caused will make many fearful that there are more attacks to come. caroline davies, bbc news, peshawar. a teenage boy has appeared in court charged with the murder of a 15—year—old girl in northumberland on friday. holly newton was attacked in hexham town centre. the 16—year—old suspect, who can�*t be named because of his age, was remanded into youth detention accommodation until his next court appearance on wednesday. a major search is under way to find a 45—year—old woman who vanished while walking her dog along the river wyre in lancashire. nicola bulley was last seen on friday morning. she�*d dropped her children off at school before going on her usual walk in the village of saint michael�*s on wyre. police say they�*re concerned for ms bulley, whose mobile phone

was found on a bench near the river bank and whose dog was found loose. the uk officially left the european union three years ago tomorrow — though it did of course remain in the single market until the end of 2020. so what impact has brexit had on trade, investment and jobs in the uk? and what does the future look like? our economics correspondent, dharshini david, is here to tell us. thank you. love it or loathe it, brexit is three years old. it is still in its infancy but the economy does appear to have taken a hit, there may be not in the way some had feared. stripping out the impact of the pandemic in energy crisis, it isn�*t easy, but we have pored over the data for the latest official

sources and analysis from academics. let�*s look at trade and investment andjobs. first, trade, brexit met extra paperwork and checks for some goods crossing borders since 2021. and there was an initial dip in the amount exported to the eu according to statistics, then teething problems were resolved. the same is broadly true of imports from the eu although the checks and paperwork we have added to some prices. but a variety of goods has shrunk. red tape we have overwhelmed some smaller businesses. and what about those new trade deals britain is now free to make? 71 have been struck so far. mostjust copy what britain had when it was in the eu. then there�*s the tariff free deal we agreed with the tariff free deal we agreed with the eu itself. we have new trade deals with australia, new zealand, but the impact is likely to be very small. together the government because my own analysis that may add about 0.1% of the uk income and that will take a decade. some british farmers actually fear they will lose out. other deals with india in the

gulf states for example, which remain under discussion, may also have a small impact, although they are growing in importance. however, without deals with the biggest players, the us, which accounts for about a sixth of our trade, and china, we are unlikely to see bricks leading to a major boost in the amount we sell abroad at any time soon. everyone has traded less during the pandemic. other rich nations saw their trade bounce back more quickly than the uk. so for now at least, globaltrade more quickly than the uk. so for now at least, global trade has become a smaller part of our economy. then there is investment. this line is where it could be if it had continued growing at the same rate as before the referendum. that is according to academics at king�*s couege according to academics at king�*s college london. but in reality it stalled. some economists claim brexit related uncertainty is deterring spending on things like

factories, training and equipment. other analysts claim the uk has simply resumed a longer term pattern of underinvestment. ultimately, it increases our chances of being a more efficient and higher earning country. as forjobs, the end of free movement equals 330,000 fewer workers in the uk. just 1% of the workforce. but the absence of eu workers is hitting some sectors harder. it is equal to as many as 8% of transport workers, perhaps 4% of hospitality workers, and 3% of retail workers, hospitality workers, and 3% of retailworkers, causing hospitality workers, and 3% of retail workers, causing some real shortages. all of this may be one reason why the uk is the only major rich economy that is smaller, poorer than before the pandemic. but it is still very early days and there is much yet to be settled. notjust the northern ireland protocol but also permanent arrangements for industries like financial services,

fishing and electric vehicles. there are potential gains there. how much we achieve will be up to politicians. the former all—black rugby union player campbelljohnstone has become new zealand�*s first national player to publicly come out as being gay. the 43—year—old, who played in three tests in 2005, revealed that he was gay during an interview on television. he said he hoped it would take away the pressure and stigma surrounding the issue. our sports correspondent, joe wilson, reports. new zealand�*s all blacks, more than any other team in world sport, perhaps, embody a traditional, uncompromising image of masculinity. campbelljohnstone grew up believing an all black was manly, strong, and probably had a wife. he played for his country hiding his understanding that he was gay. now in his 40s, on tv new zealand, he�*s spoken about his sexuality publicly. it�*s hard, living a double life, or living a lie. if i can be the first all black

that comes out as gay, and take away the pressure, i guess, and the stigma surrounding that whole issue, then that can actually help other people. and then the public will know that there is one. many cultures, potentially with different attitudes, make up new zealand and its rugby. the governing body tweeted that campbelljohnstone�*s strength and visibility will pave the way for others. the kings cross steelers were founded at the well�*s first gay—inclusive rugby union club. that was nearly 30 years ago, in london. now they are hearing a gay player speak out from the sport�*s pinnacle, in new zealand. having somebody who has achieved that national sort of cap is fantastic. it continues to be sad that it has to be somebody, it has to be something somebody does when they have finished their career. you know, i think it�*s really important that, as a role model, they will be there, they will be visible, to say they can get there. but let�*s do it where the future

players can be authentic. campbelljohnstone is sharing his story with current players. the all blacks rugby culture demands honesty. and why should that exclude sexuality? joe wilson, bbc news. time for a look at the weather. here�*s chris fawkes. a decent day today, most have had bright skies, pleasant centring out and about. this was one of our weather watcher pictures from powys. there was a rather beautiful looking area of low pressure in the north atlantic, you can see the fronts wrapping round the intense low centre. it will bring gusts of 90 mph to parts of iceland overnight tonight. it will power these fronts across the uk so even though the lows are a long way away, it has an impact on our weather. this area of rain pushing south across scotland and northern ireland, that will end across northern england, north wales by the end of the night with showers following into the north—west. it

will be quite a breezy night and it�*s the winds that stop temperatures from falling very far. at the end of the night 7 or 8 will be typical. tomorrow the dregs of that system just leaving southern england in the morning, what follows is some sunshine. the odd shower for the north west of england and wales but most of the showers and northern ireland and scotland. some snow in the scottish mountains but above 500 metres or so. could be a bit of hail mixed in some of the heavier showers. as we go on through tomorrow night, it gets very windy indeed. that iceland low passes just near the faroes islands and squeezes the isobars together to bring his own are very strong winds, could be gusts of 80 mells park across the far north of scotland, potentially disruptive. those winds work away quite quickly as we head into wednesday. still quite literally, rain across northern ireland in the north west of england, maybe north wales and south—west scotland. but a bit of clyde but some bright or sunny spells around. for the rest of the week, it will be quite cloudy

but the main feature