to ask nigel farage to us is set to ask nigel farage to help him win over donald trump's administration. but after lord mandelson said this about trump in 2019, can anyone salvage this relationship with an american president who is little short of a white nationalist and racist? it's a bit awkward, isn't it? business leaders warn that our economy is heading for the worst of all worlds, with higher pnces of all worlds, with higher prices and fewer jobs as the economy flatlines. this morning, chief secretary to the treasury darren jones says that better times, though, are ahead. >> we start from a disappointing set of economic statistics as we end 2024, but that's why we're going to fight every day, to make sure that we improve the lives of working people across this country. >> you know, home secretary yvette cooper is confronted by an angry pensioner while she was handing out mince pies in her west yorkshire constituency. have a listen to. >> that that is so two faced in

a mince pie. are you a nice tradition. no no no. give me a blanket. you're freezing to death. it's. it's freezing. freezing. >> we'll play you the whole thing this morning. and if you're after some last minute foodie gift inspiration for christmas, she promises me they're easy to make. do not go anywhere. cookbook author celebrity chef jo pratt is going to share some of her top tips with me here in the studio, and tributes are pouring in for the nine year old victim of the christmas market attack in germany, as authorities come under pressure to explain why the saudi arabian doctor accused of murdering five people was not prevented from carrying out this horrific act. and we're even going to look forward to a little bit of christmas sport with paul coyte as well. let me know your thoughts this morning. i'm obviously on my own, so i need you at home to keep me company.

gbnews.com/yoursay. first though, the latest news headunes though, the latest news headlines with sam francis. >> beth, thank you and good morning to you. very good morning. it'sjust morning to you. very good morning. it's just gone 9:30. well the top story this morning. businesses are sounding the alarm today over the uk's economic future, warning the chancellor that the country could face its worst of all worlds in 2025. a new survey by the cbi reveals firms expect a sharp decline in output and hiring, with many blaming rachel reeves national insurance hike for the gloomy outlook. well, it comes as new revised figures out this morning have revealed the economy saw no growth between july and september. the bank of england's also warning of even worse performance in the months ahead. shadow business secretary andrew griffiths is pointing the finger at the labour government, warning that a recession is increasingly likely if their policy continues. in other news, shop staff are facing a

christmas crime wave with some 670 shoplifting offences each day going unsolved over the past yeah day going unsolved over the past year. new figures show a 38% rise in unresolved cases since 2019, with more than half closed without identifying a single suspect. the liberal democrats are warning the trend leaves shop workers vulnerable during their busiest season. the nhs is urging families to watch out for signs of dementia as they gather this christmas, with diagnoses in england hitting a record half a million. symptoms like forgetfulness, confusion about time and place and struggling with conversations could be early warning signs. care minister stephen kinnock says an early diagnosis is vital for accessing treatment and support, while nhs england highlights christmas as a chance to notice changes in loved ones. alzheimer's society says a million people are living with dementia in the uk, but a third remain undiagnosed. dementia was the uk's leading cause of death

last year, with over 75,000 people dying from the disease. doctors are warning parents to think twice about popular christmas toys that, could, they say, cause life threatening injuries if swallowed. water beads, coin batteries and magnets have all led to child deaths and severe harm, including bowel obstruction and chemical burns. those beads can grow up to 400 times their size, while magnets can tear through intestines and batteries erode tissue in the throat. a safety flash has been issued to emergency doctors and families to prevent tragedies this festive season. and parents are urged to check their gifts for any hidden risks and avoid items entirely. and the uk's most expensive street of this year has been named. well. if you're dreaming of living there, you'll need very deep pockets. homes in knightsbridge averaged £21.4 million. the central london hotspot is also followed by ilchester place in kensington at

£194 million, with grosvenor £19.4 million, with grosvenor square coming in at £19 million. lloyds bank says london dominates the priciest streets list and outside the capital, east road in weybridge is the costliest at just over £8 million. those are the latest headunes million. those are the latest headlines for now. a full roundup at the top of the hour. now, though, it's back over to bev turner for the very latest gb news direct to your smartphone, sign up to news alerts by scanning the qr code or go to. >> gbnews.com/alerts. >> gbnews.com/alerts. >> very good morning. welcome to britain's newsroom live across the uk and in fact the world on gb news. it'sjust me the uk and in fact the world on gb news. it's just me this morning. bev and andrew has already left to go on his holidays. typical isn't it? so keep me company this morning, won't you? gbnews.com/yoursay. we're going to be showing actually this morning some of our our best bits, you might say throughout the year some moments

of absolute professionalism, the kind of serious journalism that you've come to expect from me and andrew on occasion. so stay tuned for that. now britain's new ambassador to the us looks set to call on the help of reform uk leader nigel farage to help him win over donald trump's administration. but after lord mandelson said this in 2019, is there any hope of a uk and usa relationship with an american president who is little short of a white nationalist and racist? >> even those who have a sneaking admiration for donald trump because of the strength of his personality nonetheless regard him as reckless and a danger to the world. >> so let's get the thoughts of james matthewson former labour spokesman. morning, james. thanks for joining spokesman. morning, james. thanks forjoining us spokesman. morning, james. thanks for joining us this morning. so what do you make of this choice of lord mandelson to be the man to help forge this relationship between the uk and

the us? what a choice. >> what a choice indeed. peter mandelson is, you know, the chief of the dark arts from the new labour era of spin doctors. and he's long been known in the labour movement, you know, as the prince of darkness. and he's one of these people who can effectively kind of cajole people who normally can't be brought together and get things done that can't be done otherwise. so i think he's in a very, very effective operator in this position itself. you're going to struggle to find anyone in the labour party who hasn't insulted or, you know, criticised, at the very least, donald trump and donald trump's kind of politics. so, you know, it's comments about donald trump. i don't think they'll they'll bear any relevance, you know, especially with donald trump surrounding himself with people, including his vice president, jd vance, who called him america's hitler. you know, so it seems donald trump. >> no, no, no jd vance. no, no, no, we have to correct you on

that.jd no, we have to correct you on that. jd vance wrote a text message to somebody when he was at college that said, i oscillate between thinking is the saviour of the world and that he might be hitler like he's you know, he said this in a kind of he might be one or the other. and like many people, he feels very differently about donald trump. i myself to that particular list. but the thing about mandelson, of course, is that politics has moved on and there will be people listening to this who can kind of barely remember what mandelson did when he was in office. just just tell people why he was so associated with the idea of him being sort of the master of the dark arts. and is that relevant in 2024? >> yeah, it's just because he's been an effective political operator. he's not from my side of the labour party at all. he's somebody that i, you know, as factions go in, the labour party would be quite opposed to normally. and but in a position like this, it's almost a perfect place for him because he is somebody who gets things done. he's somebody who is able to keep things moving. and of course, that era of politics, you know, from the late 90s, early 2000 of blair's government. i mean, i was only born 1994. so, you know, it's

hardly like i remember this first hand. but of course, this is well studied first hand. but of course, this is well stud