hello from the bbc sport centre. we were expecting to hear from the west ham managerjulen lopetegui in around an hour's time, previewing friday's fa cup tie at aston villa, however that press conference has now been cancelled, fuelling speculation that the spaniard is about to lose his job. west ham have won just two of their last eight games and are seven points above the relegation zone. i wasn't having him from the moment_ i wasn't having him from the moment he arrives, really. i thought— moment he arrives, really. i thought it _ moment he arrives, really. i thought it was a bad decision from — thought it was a bad decision from the _ thought it was a bad decision from the club to let david moves _ from the club to let david moyes go, i know a lot of fans

think— moyes go, i know a lot of fans think differently, but itjust didht— think differently, but itjust didn't seem like the right appointment from the off, reatty~ _ appointment from the off, really. something i often say, fans_ really. something i often say, fans who _ really. something i often say, fans who watch hundreds and thousands of football games in their— thousands of football games in their career, you don't need a uefa — their career, you don't need a uefa pro— their career, you don't need a uefa pro licence to tell when a team — uefa pro licence to tell when a team is— uefa pro licence to tell when a team is playing badly or when systems— team is playing badly or when systems aren't working, that is exactly — systems aren't working, that is exactly what i have seen all year — exactly what i have seen all year long from julen lopetegui, never_ year long from julen lopetegui, never looked good or sustainable, looked two—week at the back, — sustainable, looked two—week at the back, the fourth worst defensive record in the league. he was— defensive record in the league. he was too stubborn, the new players — he was too stubborn, the new players he brought in made our midfield — players he brought in made our midfield hugely worse, and it 'ust midfield hugely worse, and it just never ever looked to me like — just never ever looked to me like it— just never ever looked to me like it was_ just never ever looked to me like it was going to work out, this— like it was going to work out, this is— like it was going to work out, this isjust _ like it was going to work out, this isjust a shame that we have — this isjust a shame that we have listed all this time. it's another big night in the efl cup with premier league leaders liverpool trvelling to tottenham for the first leg of their semifinal. arne slot�*s side won 6—3 at spurs in the league only

last month and despite victory in that game, he knows what ange postecoglou's side are capable of. large parts of the away game two weeks ago, we could show our identity, but there were definitely also parts in the game where they showed how good a team they are, scoring three goals against us is also on a compliment. i know we scored six in that game as well, but scoring three against us, not many teams have done that. if we get to a i not happen to wine— if we get to a i not happen to win a tmphy. _ if we get to a i not happen to win a trophy, we _ if we get to a i not happen to win a trophy, we will- if we get to a i not happen to win a trophy, we will look- if we get to a i not happen to i win a trophy, we will look back on this— win a trophy, we will look back on this period _ win a trophy, we will look back on this period where _ win a trophy, we will look back on this period where a - win a trophy, we will look back on this period where a small. on this period where a small group — on this period where a small group of— on this period where a small grouri of players _ on this period where a small group of players had - on this period where a small group of players had to - on this period where a small group of players had to rise i group of players had to rise above — group of players had to rise above and _ group of players had to rise above and beyond - group of players had to rise above and beyond to - group of players had to rise above and beyond to get i group of players had to rise - above and beyond to get there, ithihk— above and beyond to get there, ithihk that _ above and beyond to get there, i think that will _ above and beyond to get there, i think that will be _ above and beyond to get there, i think that will be as _ above and beyond to get there, i think that will be as worthy. i think that will be as worthy of the — i think that will be as worthy of the achievement - i think that will be as worthy of the achievement is - i think that will be as worthy. of the achievement is actually wihhihg — of the achievement is actually wihhihg it~ _ of the achievement is actually wihhihg it~ -- _ of the achievement is actually winning it. —— if— of the achievement is actually winning it. —— if we— of the achievement is actually winning it. —— if we get- of the achievement is actually winning it. —— if we get to - of the achievement is actually winning it. —— if we get to a l winning it. —— if we get to a final— winning it. —— if we get to a final and _ winning it. —— if we get to a finaland happen— winning it. —— if we get to a final and happen to - winning it. —— if we get to a final and happen to win - winning it. —— if we get to a final and happen to win a l final and happen to win a

tr0phy~ _ didier deschamps has announced he will leave his role as france head coach after next yea r�*s world cup. the 56—year—old is the country's longest serving coach, having been in charge since 2012. he led the side to three finals in that time, including victory over croatia at the 2018 world cup. deschamps is only the third man in history to win the world cup as both a player and a manager, having captained his side to victory in 1998. the inaugural tomato golf league got under way in florida last night, 16 team league event which will take place every week in florida until the winner is crowned in much —— top moral —— tomorrow a—league. tiger woods claims it will take golf into another stratosphere. getting those guys together and

seeing them in a different element kind of brings more people, the public, more in tune with who they are and what they are doing, because let's be honest, golf is a very niche sport, so if you don't keep people engaged through other vehicles instead of watching them play 72 holes every week, you're going to lose them eventually. so you need to try to broaden the base a little, and i think that is what they are trying to do with tdl. new zealand have been sri lanka to wrap up their three odi series. showers and a wet outfield delayed the start of play by two hours, but they did eventually get going. new zealand reached a competitive total of 255—9. in reply,

strike lanka were bowled out forjust142. the strike lanka were bowled out forjust 142. the final match forjust142. the final match takes place in auckland on saturday. —— sri lanka, obviously. bam adebayo helped inspire miami heat's late comeback, as they beat the golden state warriors 114-98. steph curry — who scored 30 points in the game — had put the warriors in the lead at the begining of the fourth quarter, but adebayo hit two timely dunks at the back end of the match to lead his team to a suprise victory, and see them end a three—game losing streak. the houston rockets comfortably beat the washington wizards 135-112. and that's all the sport for now. you computer up—to—date with everything on the bbc sport website including a preview of tonight's football. see you

later. welcome to bbc news. sir keir starmer will be questioned by a conservative leader kemi badenoch in this year's first prime minister's questions, that will be starting at 12.00 in just that will be starting at 12.00 injust a that will be starting at 12.00 in just a few minutes' time. kemi badenoch has called for a national inquiry into child sexual abuse by grooming gangs call amplified by a tech billionaire elon musk among others. the government says a new national inquiry is not needed. sir keir starmer says people are spreading lies over the gangs and the response of the gangs and the response of the authorities. let's discuss all of this with our political correspondent helen cap. however, the issue of grooming gangs has shot right up the political agenda, gangs has shot right up the politicalagenda, it gangs has shot right up the political agenda, it will be a pretty feisty exchange, won't it? , ., ., , it? yes, we have two things happening _ it? yes, we have two things happening this _ it? yes, we have two things happening this afternoon. l it? yes, we have two things i happening this afternoon. first up, you have prime minister's questions which could be what

kemi badenoch chooses to ask yoursex kemi badenoch chooses to ask your sex questions and, although not necessarily, we have seen her keynote previous pmqs to push topics like the economy, migration, and there have been developments on those since the last time the two leaders faced one another across the dispatch boxes. so it is not a given that she will talk about the grooming gang inquiry at prime minister's questions. however, it is the issue that has dominated certain whitley last week or so, that is going to come up again later this afternoon, because the conservatives have tabled an amendment to a government bill that is going before parliament this afternoon about children's well—being in schools, which the conservatives are calling for this national inquiry and have added it to that bill there. so it will certainly come up in the commons this afternoon, when it happens at prime minister's questions or later. ., , ., , ., later. the tories are trying to amend the — later. the tories are trying to amend the spill, _ later. the tories are trying to amend the spill, helen. - later. the tories are trying to amend the spill, helen. do . later. the tories are trying to l amend the spill, helen. do we have a chance of succeeding? they don't have the numbers, so it is a bit of political

theatre, isn't it? —— amend this bill. theatre, isn't it? -- amend this bill-— theatre, isn't it? -- amend this bill. , ., ., �* , this bill. the size of labour's ma'ori this bill. the size of labour's majority means _ this bill. the size of labour's majority means that - this bill. the size of labour's majority means that the - majority means that the amendment will not past, an interesting thing about this particular amendment is that because of the stage of the bill we are at, so as a bit of legislation goes through the house of commons, it goes through various stages. what we are getting today is what is known as second reading, and this is not the point where mps can make tweaks or changes to be built. if any changes are made, because of the way parliament works, the whole bill would fall. so the government has been calling this a bit of political opportunism from the conservatives. they are saying that if this passes, it would kill the bill stone dead, and would therefore knock out some of the measures contained in this bill, things like for example treating it register for children who are not in school, changing the regulation of teachers to offer better protection to children. but part of thejob protection to children. but part of the job of an opposition is to try to take

the opportunities where they can to put pressure on the government, so even though the conservatives are unlikely, are certainly not going to win this vote in parliament, by putting it on the agenda in parliament, it on the agenda in parliament, it is another way of putting pressure on the government over the general issue. so pressure on the government over the general issue.— the general issue. so they are t in: to the general issue. so they are trying to use _ the general issue. so they are trying to use this _ trying to use this parliamentary device, as you say, to call for a national inquiry into these grooming gangs, how much pressure do you think keir starmer is in —— is under? think keir starmer is in -- is under? ,., think keir starmer is in -- is under? ., under? even when we saw at the start of the _ under? even when we saw at the start of the week _ under? even when we saw at the start of the week sir _ under? even when we saw at the start of the week sir keir - start of the week sir keir starmer outran to talk about nhs reforms, the questions he was getting at is about this issue on grooming gangs. and so i think there's going to be some pressure, and certainly there is some pressure, but what the government has said so far is that it would support

local inquiries in individual towns where it is asked for, because of course this all grew out of a request from 0ldham council to have a national inquiry, an inquiry led by the government, into cases of historic child exploitation. what the government said was now, it wouldn't back a government led one, but it would back an independent inquiry that was done locally, and that is the strategy it says it is sticking to. the question is going to be whether this building pressure, this mounting pressure, from opposition parties and others to try to get a national inquiry, moves the government any closer towards doing that. at this stage, they are adamant, we have heard bridget phillipson, the education secretary come out this morning saying it is not necessary, that actually the best way to help victims of this kind of exploitation is to put in place of the recommendations that came out of a seven year national inquiry into the wider issue of child sex abuse which was carried out by professor

alexis j. there was carried out by professor alexisj. there were a series of recommendations from that which have not yet been fully implement it, and what the government is saying is that the better thing to do would be to make sure that those iron fermented, and of course the government is pointing to the conservatives and saying, you didn't put these things in place on the back of the last inquiry, i have another one? 0k, helen, many thanks. 0ur political correspondent helen kat there. we are keeping an eye on the house of commons for you, and we will be bringing you, and we will be bringing you prime minister's questions as soon as it starts, we expected to begin in about five minutes or so. the health secretary wes streeting says some patients' experience of the nhs this winter makes them feel ashamed. this comes after a number of nhs trusts across england have declared critical incidents as flu cases spike. the royal liverpool university hospital to crowd a critical incident due to exceptionally

high demand on a&e and patients being admitted to wards. several other nhs trusts later declared critical incidents, one saying it had seen high numbers of older patients with respiratory problems exacerbated by the cold weather. doctorjim gardner is the chief medical officer at university hospital liverpool group and he says they have been impacted by staff sickness or out delayed patient discharges remained an issue. those extra measures really mean stepping down some elective activity, some nonurgent surgery, some outpatient work, so that we can move clinical teams across the hospital to help in our emergency department. police in london are _ emergency department. police in london are continuing _ emergency department. police in london are continuing to - emergency department. police in london are continuing to search i london are continuing to search for the killer of a 14—year—old boy who was stabbed on a bus on tuesday. the attack happened in woolwich in south—east london around 2.30 in the afternoon. the boy died at the scene shortly after paramedics and an

air ambulance arrived. late into the evening, police forensic teams could be seen scouring the double—decker bus searching for evidence, is once again at this part of london mourns the death of a teenager. the attack happened in broad daylight, a 14—year—old boy stabbed on a bus in woolwich. local residents took these pictures as police and paramedics tried in vain to save his life.— paramedics tried in vain to save his life. our thoughts at this time _ save his life. our thoughts at this time l — save his life. our thoughts at this time i would _ save his life. our thoughts at this time i would be - save his life. our thoughts at this time i would be victim'sl this time i would be victim's family and friends. this is a horrendous crime, i cannot imagine what they must be going through right now. no arrests have been made at this early stage, but we are working at pace to identify those involved. road closures will remain in place while we continue to carry out inquiries.— continue to carry out inuuiries. , , , inquiries. this is the second cominu inquiries. this is the second coming of — inquiries. this is the second coming of a _ inquiries. this is the second coming of a teenager- inquiries. this is the second coming of a teenager in - coming of a teenager in woolwich in a matter of months. in september, a 15—year—old was stabbed to death just minutes away. a local youth worker says

that the two boys knew each other. , ., ., other. the winds have not healed yet _ other. the winds have not healed yet and _ other. the winds have not healed yet and the - other. the winds have not - healed yet and the community should — healed yet and the community should the wounds. a few weeks ago. _ should the wounds. a few weeks ago. this— should the wounds. a few weeks ago, this young man was paying tribute — ago, this young man was paying tribute by— ago, this young man was paying tribute by flowers to a young man — tribute by flowers to a young man killed in september, not knowing _ man killed in september, not knowing that he would be next. it knowing that he would be next. it shows — knowing that he would be next. it shows the impact of knife crime — it shows the impact of knife crime and what needs to be done — crime and what needs to be done. . , crime and what needs to be done. ., , ~ done. ten teenagers were killed in london last— done. ten teenagers were killed in london last year, _ done. ten teenagers were killed in london last year, the - done. ten teenagers were killed in london last year, the most. in london last year, the most recent figures suggesting knife crime in england and wales was up crime in england and wales was up 4% in the 12 months tojune. the government has pledged to halve knife crime in the next decade, but as another child is murdered, the community here is asking what can be done to stop the killings. we are keeping an eye on the house of commons for you, where mps are preparing for prime minister's questions, they'rejust about to for prime minister's questions, they're just about to begin. keir starmer will be taking

questions from kemi badenoch, the leader of the conservative party, and mps from across the house very shortly. as we have been discussing, we expect the issue of grooming gangs to may i wish all members of this house a happy new year. and, mr speaker, our thoughts are with those affected by the recent flooding and we thank the responders working hard to keep communities safe. this week we published our elective reform plan to rebuild our nhs and end the tory backlog. we will deliver where the previous government failed, empowering patients, boosting productivity, more care in the community and incentivising reform. this morning i had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others in addition to my duties in this house. i will have further such meetings later today.

cani can i offer the prime minister condolences