ben wright. for — some instances to creep back. ben wright. for the _ some instances to creep back.e instances to creep back. ben wright, forthe moment, thank some instances to creep back. ben wright, for the moment, thank you. the government's latest coronavirus figures for the uk show there were 42,848 new infections recorded, in the latest 24—hour period. however in scotland, the authorities are investigating the figures there as the case numbers are lower than expected. on average, 45,104 cases were reported per day in the last week. there were 127 deaths, that's of people who died within 28 days of a positive test, which means the average number of deaths over the past seven days was 118. and more than 19.8 million people have received their boosterjab. people in around 9,000 homes are facing a second weekend without power in parts of scotland and northern england, following storm arwen. those affected are now bracing themselves for almost freezing temperatures forecast in some areas over the next 24 hours. meanwhile the energy regulator, ofgem, says the cap on the maximum amou

let's speak to ben wright. ben, please give us a synopsis. wright. . ben, please give us a s nosis. m ., wright. ben, please give us a sy"0p5i5-_ wright. ben, please give us a s nosis. fl. ., ., synopsis. it's clear that government is concerned — synopsis. it's clear that government is concerned the _ synopsis. it's clear that government is concerned the omicron _ synopsis. it's clear that government is concerned the omicron variant - synopsis. it's clear that government is concerned the omicron variant is| is concerned the 0micron variant is now seeking quite widely across the uk. sajid javid hasjust now seeking quite widely across the uk. sajid javid has just spoken and set the latest figures are there 130 cases in england, 160 across the uk, but we expect those numbers to rise dramatically in the next days and weeks. they still don't really know what they are dealing with, scientists are looking at how serious this is, the impact on people whether they are vaccinated or not. this is another precautionary measure. of the government has announced two

ben wright, thank you. we - tackle the current crisis. ben wright, thank you.k you for being with us. from your point of view, this has been a successful operation. you have maximised your influence as backbenchers, we have shown the premise to your dissatisfaction. are you worried about where you have left him and the government, that you have made it very hard for the government even in public health grounds to come back with anything stronger if the circumstances change? i stronger if the circumstances chance? ., �* stronger if the circumstances chance? . ., change? i don't agree with that. the thin i change? i don't agree with that. the thing i said. — change? i don't agree with that. the thing i said, and _ change? i don't agree with that. the thing i said, and you _ change? i don't agree with that. the thing i said, and you had _ change? i don't agree with that. the thing i said, and you had it - change? i don't agree with that. the thing i said, and you had it in - change? i don't agree with that. the thing i said, and you had it in your . thing i said,

ben wright, bbc news.the 0micron strain, which was first detected in a number of southern african countries more than a week ago, had probably been in circulation since september. health officials there, say it could already have spread widely around the world before other countries started to impose travel bans. i've been speaking to jonathan dushoff from the south african centre for epidemiology, modelling and analysis — and he told me about the fourth wave in south africa. the thing we see most clearly — there was some super spreading events probably linked to university campuses, and it's very hard to track the wave because so much changes about how worried people are, how much testing is available. the strongest thing we've seen, and i think the thing that's made people take notice, is the incredible speed with which 0micron seems to be replacing other strains. it's remarkable — even compared to what we saw in the beta and delta wave. we've seen a very fast takeover, and that's a very worrying sign. t

here's our political correspondent ben wright. the ayes to the right, 369. left, 126. the scale of the rebellion produced grasps in the commons. the government won the vote to produce covid pastors in england for crowd —— crowded events, but 99 conservative mps voted against the policy, the biggest revolt of boris johnson's premiership. the measure only passed because of labour's support. this measure only passed because of labour's support.— labour's support. this is a very significant _ labour's support. this is a very significant blow - labour's support. this is a very significant blow to . labour's support. this is a| very significant blow to the already damaged authority of the prime minister. it confirms that he is too weak to discharge the basic functions of government. these public health measures would not have gone through if labour hadn't shown the leadership that the prime ministerfailed to shown the leadership that the prime minister failed to show. so from today, nhs covid pastors showing a recent negative test awful vaccination be shown to get

ben wright, bbc news.otswana say the omicron strain, which was first detected in a number of southern african countries more than a week ago had probably been in circulation since september. health officials there, say it could already have spread widely around the world before other countries started to impose travel bans. i'm joined now byjonathan dushoff, from the south african centre for epidemiology modelling and analysis. thank you very much forjoining us, jonathan. my first question is regarding what pots want to have said — does that sound about right, that omicron was circulating for possibly two months —— botswana? i have no reason to doubt it. i haven't reviewed those reports today. i've been busy up until now studying what we know about how it's been spreading through south africa. 0k, been spreading through south africa. ok, well, let's have a look at south african itself — how is what has been described as the fourth wave going? been described as the fourth wave i oin i ? ,, ., been described

ben wright, bbc news, westminster.were murdered by a serial killer have accused the metropolitan police of homophobia, after an inquestjury found that police failures probably contributed to the deaths of three of the victims. anthony walgate, gabriel kovari, daniel whitworth and jack taylor were killed in barking in east london by stephen port over a 16—month period starting in 2014. port was eventually jailed for life in 2016. here's our home affairs correspondent daniel sandford. four lives cruelly cut short by a serial killer. fashion student anthony walgate from hull, gabriel kovari from slovakia, young chef daniel whitworth from kent, and forklift driver jack taylor, from dagenham. an inquest found today that police errors contributed to three of the deaths. thejury said... immediately afterwards, the bereaved families welcomed what they felt had been the only conclusion the jury could have reached. the inadequate investigation by the metropolitan police into the deaths of anthony, gabriel, daniel and jack should

ben wright, bbc news, westminster.ble for bringing binge—worthy shows such as stranger things, atypical, and raising dion to our screens. born in argentina, garcia moved to the us with her family when she was a child and worked her way to the top of the entertainment industry. named as one of bbc�*s 100 women, she reveals what really makes a hit tv show. i believe that being a woman is a superpower. mr; i believe that being a woman is a soperpower-_ a superpower. my name is carol n a superpower. my name is carolyn garcia _ a superpower. my name is carolyn garcia and - a superpower. my name is carolyn garcia and i - a superpower. my name is carolyn garcia and i am i a superpower. my name is| carolyn garcia and i am the director of original series at netflix. —— carolina garcia. what i do is, i helped pick hopefully the best shows to bring to audiences, and i work with creators and writers to bring those stories to life, to hopefully create something but the world will love and enjoy. if we had a crystal ball, all of the

ben wright, bbc news. let's get some of the day's other news.y the 0micron strain, which was first detected in a number of southern african countries more than a week ago, has probably been in circulation since september. health officials there, say it could already have spread widely around the world, before other countries started to impose travel bans. there have been protests in austria against the coronavirus lockdown, which has been extended until at least the 11th of december. unvaccinated people who break those rules now also face fines of up to 500 euros. the authorities in rio de janeiro have called off the city's famous new year celebrations on copacobana beach, after confirmation that the 0micron variant has reached brazil. the fireworks display normally attracts around two million people. but rio�*s mayor says he's reluctantly following the advice of scientists that it cannot go ahead. thousands of people have been evacuated from india's eastern 0disha and andruh pradesh states as a storm approaches. cyclone jawad is expected to mak

live to westminster and our political correspondent ben wright. risjohnson today, ben, a big debate about whether it is science or politics thatis whether it is science or politics that is driving the decision, how do you read it?— that is driving the decision, how do ou read it? , , you read it? huw, the prime minister is havin: you read it? huw, the prime minister is having to — you read it? huw, the prime minister is having to wake _ you read it? huw, the prime minister is having to wake up _ you read it? huw, the prime minister is having to wake up both. _ you read it? huw, the prime minister is having to wake up both. in - you read it? huw, the prime minister is having to wake up both. in his - is having to wake up both. in his video message this evening boris johnson said the evidence at the moment did notjustify tougher restrictions in england at this stage and he urged people instead to exercise caution, to wear a mask when required and to get a booster jab. in contrast to scotland and wales, there does remain great uncertainty about what w

we can bring in ben wright at westminster. | bring in ben wright at westminster.e first of those three mps that we showed you, a former chief whip, and for him it was more than the issue of the issue at hand, he was voting on what might be coming around the corner in the weeks ahead? that is ri . ht. corner in the weeks ahead? that is right- talking _ corner in the weeks ahead? that is right. talking about _ corner in the weeks ahead? that is right. talking about the _ corner in the weeks ahead? that is right. talking about the measuresl corner in the weeks ahead? that is. right. talking about the measures in front of him, he does not believe the evidence is there to necessitate the evidence is there to necessitate the need for covid passes, which is why he did not vote for them and he was relaxed about facemasks being mandated in more settings, he did vote for those and other tory mps did not. 40, a large number. what he was saying and many of his colleagues were saying is we are drawing a line in the sand and we will not be voting for these measures today and we

ben wright, bbc news.d arthur labinjo—hughes are to have their sentences reviewed after claims they are too lenient. emma tustin was jailed for 29 years on friday for murder and child cruelty, and arthur's father, thomas hughes, was given 21 years for manslaughter. the attorney general�*s office says the jail terms will be reviewed to determine whether they were too low. one person has died and dozens have been injured on indonesia's java island, after an active volcano, mount seemeru, erupted for the second time in months. videos circulating on social media show people are running away from thick, giant volcanic ash. nearby villages are covered in debris. according to witnesses, it's pitch dark due to the ashes from the volcano. a bridge which connects two regencies in east of java has been completely cut off due to the flow of hot lava from mount semeru. this 100m—long bridge was destroyed by hot clouds flowing through a river. the event prompted the disaster management agency to warn residents to stay a

ben wright, bbc news, westminster.c news, for decades, the world's most famous male porn star, ronjeremy, allegedly groped, assaulted and raped women. ginger banks, one of the first adult performers to shine a spotlight on ronjeremy�*s behaviour, speaks about her struggle to get the industry to take action. and a warning that this programme contains sexual content and some upsetting scenes. i want to tell you about a man called ronjeremy. he would probably say that he is the greatest porn star who ever lived. he's starred in more that 2000 adult films, and he is also kind of a mainstream celebrity. probably one of the most famous porn stars around, ronjeremy... the one and only ronjeremy... it's ronjeremy! ron jeremy, very famous pornographic thespian. ronjeremy, i am your biggest fan, it is an honour... and now he has been accused of rape and sexual assault by dozens of women, stretching back decades. ronjeremy has been indicted on 33 counts, among them rape and other sexual assault charges. now ronjeremy has maintain

ben wright, bbc news, westminster.cused the metropolitan police of homophobia after an inquest jury found that police failures probably contributed to the deaths of three of the victims. anthony walgate, gabriel kovari, daniel whitworth and jack taylor were killed in barking in east london by stephen port over a 16—month period starting in 2014. the inquestjury found a string of failures in the police investigations. port was eventually jailed for life in 2016. here's our home affairs correspondent daniel sandford. four lives cruelly cut short by a serial killer. fashion student anthony walgate from hull, gabriel kovari from slovakia, young chef daniel whitworth from kent, and forklift driver jack taylorfrom dagenham. an inquest found today that police errors contributed to three of the deaths. the jury said there were fundamental failings in these investigations from the beginning, which allowed the male to continue his acts towards subsequent victims. it is a devastating finding. our thoughts are with everybody who l

ben, ben wright, thank you.low the spread of the 0micron variant. from the 27th december, nightclubs will be closed and social distancing will be enforced in shops and offices. the night time industries association has described the announcement as a "step too far", saying it will weaken already fragile trade in pubs and restaurants. more details from our wales correspondent, tomos morgan. after welcoming customers back less than six months ago, night clubs will close once again in wales from the 27th of december. a £60 million pot has been set aside to assist them, but it is a bitter blow for an industry already struggling. people go there in order to be up close and personal. and we know that 0micron is particularly likely to lead to superspreader events where people are packed in together in that way. as well as their closure, social distancing measures, the two—metre rule, will also be back in force from the 27th here. 0ne—way systems and a limit on numbers in shops will be back after christmas. up until the

ben wright, bbc news, westminster.ofessor of politics at queen mary university in london. and an acknowledged expert on the conservative party. how serious is the position borisjohnson finds himself in at the moment, do you think? ~ ~' himself in at the moment, do you think? ~ ~ , himself in at the moment, do you think? ~ ~ ., .. , 1, , think? well, i think accepting boris johnson coming — think? well, i think accepting boris johnson coming down _ think? well, i think accepting boris johnson coming down with - think? well, i think accepting boris johnson coming down with covid i johnson coming down with covid himself in coming into intensive care, this probably is the biggest crisis he has faced, at least politically. there are so many problems seeming to pile up over the last week that it is i think making tory mps, as ben wright said, miserable, even if they are not necessarily mutinous right now. i expect that he and they will hope to limp on till christmas and then hope something turns up in the new year but certai

ben wright, bbc news, westminster.—19 vaccines were first administered in the united states, the country is returning to many of the hallmarks of earlier pandemic life: mask mandates, mass vaccination sites, crowded hospitals and a rising death toll. in new york city, strict new mandates are coming into play. stephanie prentice reports. from testing in the streets to some of the united states' strictest containment measures. the us city has led the way globally when it comes to covid recovery and now with new variants in their sites, officials are levelling up. 90% officials are levelling up. 90% of adults there have had at least one dose of the vaccine and from today, rules about going to work, restaurants and even school activities prohibitive for those who have not been jab including prohibitive for those who have not beenjab including children as young as five. we not been jab including children as young as five.— as young as five. we did everything _ as young as five. we did everything possible - as young as five.

ben wright, bbc news, westminster.y and many others are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10:30pm and 11:30pm this evening in the papers. our guestsjoining me tonight are aubrey allegretti, political correspondent at the guardian, and giles kenningham, who's the former head of press for the conservative party. the families of four men who were murdered by a serial killer have accused the metropolitan police of homophobia, after an inquest jury found that police failures probably contributed to the deaths of three of the victims. anthony walgate, gabriel kovari, daniel whitworth, and jack taylor were killed in barking, in east london by stephen port over a 16—month period starting in 2014. the inquestjury found a string of failures in the police investigations. port was eventually jailed for life in 2016. here's our home affairs correspondent daniel sandford. four lives cruelly cut short by a serial killer. fashion student anthony walgate from hull, gabriel kovari from slovakia, young chef daniel whitworth from kent,

here's our political correspondent ben wright.espondent ben wright. are still within a rising v infections. we are still within a rising wave of infections. searching across the country. this is what ministers and officials had expected. but we have seen is a fracturing of these figures across the uk. governments in wales, scotland and northern ireland and tighter curbs for peoples activities after christmas day. where as we wait to see if that is the path that the westminster government is going to go down for england at the moment. they have said no new restrictions in england until or before christmas day and after that, there remains a huge? . this is a graph of uk cases in december. 8 of the 10 highest daily totals have come since 15 december. dr kit yates is a mathematical biologist and a member of the �*independent sage�* group of scientists. government modelling suggested we'd be past 200k cases a day by now — why aren't we? we saw case numbers flat enough little bit over the weekend and we usually see peaks and friday and

ben wright, bbc news, westminster.rnment is considering limiting household mixing in response to omicron. the measures are likely to be guidance rather than law. social distancing could be brought back and stronger working from home guidance introduced. the cabinet's due to meet in the next hour and first minister nicola sturgeon will update holyrood later. wales�*s first minister has also warned new restrictions could be on the way there, saying ministers may "need to take more steps to keep wales safe". mark drakeford has announced urgent plans to offer the booster vaccine to all eligible adults by the end of the year. there are currently 30 confirmed cases of omicron in the country. as we've been hearing, scores of conservative mps have indicated they'll oppose the government's plan b measures for tackling the omicron variant. one of them is with us now the conservative mp, tobias ellwood. good morning to you, thanks for your time today. a, good morning to you, thanks for your time toda . �* , , ., good morning to y

our political correspondent, ben wright, has been giving me more details about this developing story.hink labour will characterise this as a u—turn by the government. this is not something ministers gave any indication of wanting to do just a few days ago, they thought for the restrictions would be harmful to the travel industry and will be bad for passengers. and yet here we are, and they have decided to put this blanket restriction in place. this means anyone arriving in the uk from tuesday will need to show proof of a negative pcr or lateral flow test before they're allowed in. at the moment, this has been the case for a few days, you have to take a pcr test within two days of arriving in the uk, so this is a big change. the second thing the government has done is to say that any british citizen arriving to the uk from nigeria will have to quarantine in a government—run hotel for two weeks. so, non—british citizens won't be able to come in, british citizens will, but they will have to quarantine. ministers had been under pressure from labour to do this, we also know government scie

restrictions — including the us — which announced similiar rules last week. 0ur political correspondent ben wrightondon on eurostar trains this evening did not need to take a covid test before boarding, but from 4am on tuesday morning the rules change. everyone entering the uk will have to show proof of a negative test, whether they've been vaccinated or not. we are seeing an increasing number of cases linked to travel and we've always said we will act swiftly if we need to, if the changing data requires that, and that's why i've decided to bring in this change on pre—departure tests. i stress these are temporary measures. we want to remove them as soon as we possibly can, but before we learn more about 0micron, it's right that we have these measures in place. passengers will have to take a pcr or lateral flow test within 48 hours of getting on a train, boat or plane. it's an abrupt change of tack by the government. earlier this week, downing street said any further restrictions would have a detrimental effect on the travel industry and passengers. labour had called for pre—departure tests since t

psychological barrier, let's head straight to westminster and straight to your political correspondent ben wrights, is incredibly transmissible, very contagious, and the numbers are doing exactly what we expected them to do. there are now more than 100,000 confirmed cases. what we are seeing in the uk in the last couple of days is a factoring of how the different nations of the uk are responding to the fact this is sweeping through that have a look back a population full stop governments in scotland, wales, northern ireland, announcing slightly tougher restrictions, measures to try to curb the spread of omicron in the days and weeks that will follow. you asked about borisjohnson, he is leading the westminster governorate in charge of restrictions for england. at the moment, there remains a very active debate within the uk government about whether or not to tighten restrictions further, to try to slow the spread of omicron. i don't think these figures themselves are going to change anything at all. they expected this tsunami of cases. what the politicians are looking at is the politicians are look

so many problems seeming to pile up over the last week that it is, i think, making tory mps, as ben wrightht now. i expect that he and they will hope to limp on until christmas and then hope something turns up in the new year, but certainly at the moment, he is in crisis mode. and is this about his leadership, or his, if you like, judgement in the people he aeroplanes and the people he accepts reassurances from? well, to be honest, i think there is always a tendency for people to blame the evil advisers, if you like, rather than the king himself. that goes right back to mediaeval times, and it's no different nowadays. i would've thought that most tory mps in their heart of hearts know that the problem stems right from the top, rather than those around boris johnson. nevertheless, it has to be said that of course when they picked him as leader, they knew about some of his faults. and i guess hoped that if he had a good team around him some of those faults could be minimised. that doesn't seem to have been the case. david goc, the former conservative cabinet minister obviously fell out with

ben wright, bbc news, westminster. let's speak to our chief political correspondent, adam fleming.. the challenge, the question as we heard from keir starmer this morning, is whether borisjohnson has the authority to lead through this pandemic. so after the events of the last 2a hours, how much has his authority been dented? that's a question that will be answered over the next few months and years. itjust shows you this is and years. itjust shows you this is a very rebellious conservative party, and loyalty ain't what it used to be, which could be quite tricky for the country, governed by borisjohnson. it is yesterdayjust a combination of lots of factors coalescing in a one off, so you had people who were annoyed about the particular policy of covid certificates, quite a few of them. you then had people annoyed about restrictions at all. you then had people who are kind of open to restrictions, and changes to how people live their lives, but were not convinced by the evidence they were presented with. then you had people that were just annoyed about how the government has handled

had not kept "a proper accounting record" of the money it received. 0ur political correspondent ben wright street flat refurbishment has rumbled on for much of the year. the work began in the spring of 2020 but then there has been a huge amount of focus on how it was paid for. we know that originally the government wanted to set up a new trust that would oversee the work and would enable number ten to spend much more than the authorised limit of £30,000. that plan then fell through and money came the governments way from a tory donor. there was a report into that published in the spring by the government's adviser that said the government's adviser that said the prime minister didn't do anything wrong but the electoral commission has been looking at all of this over the last eight months to see if there was a breach of electoral law and it has been combing through invoices, credit cards, text messages, whatsapp to establish what has happened and it is quite clear they think the money contributed to all of this should have been declared as a donation, not as a loan, not as a contribution to

more on that in a minute, but first, here's our political correspondent ben wright. the government, a race between the virus and the vaccine, and people have been rushing to receive their boosterjab after ministers warned of a tidal wave of infection caused by the omicron variant of covid. that has meant delays for some people trying to access appointments and a fresh government call for vaccine volunteers. no variant of covid—19 has spread this fast. in the commons yesterday, the health secretary, sajid javid, said omicron now represented 20% of cases in england and was accelerating fast. the booster programme has been expanded, with anyone over 18 able to book a jab from wednesday. that means nhs resources are being switched to focus on delivering vaccines and urgent clinical care. the health service in england has been put on its highest level of emergency readiness — level four, national incident — meaning it can be coordinated at a national level. a letter from nhs bosses says even with the protection of boosterjabs, the threat from omicron remains serious, and

let's get more on this from our political correspondent ben wright. what is the mood today?ure is firmly _ still on or has it subsided? tue: pressure is firmly on. still on or has it subsided? tte: pressure is firmly on. political events are moving at a breathless pace this week and as helen said, this morning the remit of this enquiry will be leading into the parties that happened last year. it has widened suddenly beyond the gathering on the 18th, but also they will be looking into a leaving do held on november the 27th, and a party at the department for education on the 10th of december. that story lurches on, the remit expanding with responses from many quarters. the opposition are incredulous the prime minister could not establish the facts of all of this a week ago and are still not sure why it requires a cabinet secretary enquiry to work out whether there was a party that was within the rules or not happening under the roof of ten downing st. i think there is a lot of concern as well about plan b, in particular from tory mps. we know at least 30 have said they would o

our political correspondent ben wright is in westminster.y plans as far as we know, but uncertainty after that? that's right - lans uncertainty after that? that's right - plans across _ uncertainty after that? that's right - plans across the _ uncertainty after that? that's right - plans across the uk _ uncertainty after that? that's right - plans across the uk as _ uncertainty after that? that's right - plans across the uk as far- uncertainty after that? that's right - plans across the uk as far as the — plans across the uk as far as the various governments are concerned, borisjohnson confirming no new restrictions in england before christmas day, a huge relief to everybody worrying about their festive plans. in a video message, he said there wasn't enough evidence to justify tougher restrictions now but urged people to remain cautious come up to wear a mask when required and to get a job. he also said the government could not rule out further restrictions after christmas, just as scotland and wales have already announced. the cabinet met y

ben wright, bbc news, westminster.ort secretary grant shapps says he's not expecting any further covid restrictions this month. we've got in place now the measures that we believe will see us through to the new year. and some of the measures which are not relevant, we are removing. in fact, yesterday we removed the red list countries. there is no point in having those any more because omicron is already here. so, we always try and keep these things proportionate, and remove them as quickly as possible. one thing i can say for certain is if we did need to do anything else, parliament would be recalled in order to vote on doing that, so it wouldn'tjust be an automated thing. coming in, in the last few moments, breaking news. this is a comment made by doctorjenny harries, the chief executive of the centre xhaka uk health security agency. she has told mps that omicron is probably the most significant threat since the most significant threat since the start of the pandemic. probably the start of the pandemic. probably the m

with me is our political correspondent ben wright.of people wanting more clarity, i think, with this new data showing that may be the effect is weaker, but we're still hearing about huge pressures on the health service and we are seeing other regions around the uk taking tougher measures potentially after christmas.— after christmas. yes, it is the attern after christmas. yes, it is the pattern we — after christmas. yes, it is the pattern we have _ after christmas. yes, it is the pattern we have seen - after christmas. yes, it is the . pattern we have seen throughout after christmas. yes, it is the - pattern we have seen throughout the pandemic come in different parts of the uk have taken their own approach to how to handle coronavirus. that is certainly the case now. england is certainly the case now. england is a part from wales, scotland and northern ireland, who have set out their measures for the restrictions they will put in place after christmas day, whereas for boris johnson and the uk government, the plan is still to wait and

ben wright in westminster dtl. what would you pick out as being most significant of that?- what would you pick out as being most significant of that? well, this certainly wasn't _ most significant of that? well, this certainly wasn't a _ most significant of that? well, this certainly wasn't a party political - certainly wasn't a party political pick that he was making in the traditional sense. the labour leader made it clear that in his words, it was the patriotic duty of his party to support the covid measures the government will be asking him to devote on tomorrow. that's the so—called plan b that will introduce the wearing of face masks widely and crucially, and controversially, bringing in what the government hates calling covid passports, but the requirement of proofs of vaccine status or negative lateral protest. —— flow tests. those of the main things. sir keir starmer used this to really echo the prime minister's statement yesterday in terms of expressing the gravity of the situation and what an emergency, and his view, this new variant is posing to the country. an

rebellion of 100 of his mps this week over covid regulations more now from our political correspondent ben wright this is a huge defeat for the tories. it no doubt this is a huge defeat for the tories. , _, , no doubt this is a huge defeat for the tories-— the tories. it is colossal and tops of a ri . id the tories. it is colossal and tops of a rigid week— the tories. it is colossal and tops of a rigid week for _ the tories. it is colossal and tops of a rigid week for boris - the tories. it is colossal and tops of a rigid week for boris johnson. of a rigid week for borisjohnson. the liberal democrats have demolished one of the bigger stores majority in the country, it will have huge reverberations through the parliamentary tory party which has already been reeling after richard headlines about sleaze and dishonesty and hypocrisy. the question is now, what happens? does the discontent that voters in north shropshire have shown on the ballot box translate to some sort of movement here among conservative mps? the conservative party chairman said, yes, sure, the party has had eight to ten but he does

ben wright, bbc news, westminster.by our chief political correspondent, adam fleming. adam, a bruising night for the prime minister. very bruising. they are saying a win is a win however you get there. the policy of covid certificates in england for nightclubs and large venues has now come in. a lot of the conservative rebels may be proved wrong. 100 of the prime minister's and colleagues have defied him on coronavirus. that is a massive blow to his authority. what happens if in a couple of weeks are a couple of days, borisjohnson needs to tighten restrictions up further because of the omicron variant. i'm going to see rebellions of this scale or bigger again? see rebellions of this scale or biggeragain? becoming prime bigger again? becoming prime minister biggeragain? becoming prime minister becomes harder day to day. a story from last week has bubbled up a story from last week has bubbled up again. he remember those reports, again in the mirror newspaper which has broken a lot of these stories, that the london mayora

with me is our political correspondent ben wright.omising early indications with regard to these studies on the severity of 0micron. and less promising news we have seen a pretty stark figures on the number of nhs staff in acute hospital trusts in because of virus or related illnesses either because they are isolating or because they have covid themselves. where does that leave any potential future decision on further measures in england? decision on further measures in encland? . ~ , decision on further measures in encland? , ., england? picking up that last point, we talk with — england? picking up that last point, we talk with the _ england? picking up that last point, we talk with the nhs _ england? picking up that last point, we talk with the nhs being - we talk with the nhs being overwhelmed by covid, there are two big concerns. clearly, there is the fact that you have far too many people turning up sick and wanting hospital beds and the nhs has a capacity to deal with that and then a knock—on impact for other in all people and

ben wright, bbc news, westminster.ed now by our chief political correspondent adam fleming. morning. it is a big day for the pm, isn't it? it looks like he will have to depend on labour to get its plans through. how difficult is that for him? ~ ., , ., through. how difficult is that for him? ., , ., , him? well, the real focus today is auoin to him? well, the real focus today is going to be _ him? well, the real focus today is going to be on _ him? well, the real focus today is going to be on this _ him? well, the real focus today is going to be on this measure - him? well, the real focus today is going to be on this measure for. going to be on this measure for introducing covid certificates for certain — introducing covid certificates for certain venues in england. the government is bending over backwards to make _ government is bending over backwards to make it_ government is bending over backwards to make it look less of a big thing that it _ to make it look less of a big thing that it might have been, so there are

let's talk to our political correspondent ben wright. 100,000 cases, more restrictions to be broughtt's the thinking in westminster? interesting fi . ure in thinking in westminster? interesting figure in follows _ thinking in westminster? interesting figure in follows a _ thinking in westminster? interesting figure in follows a few _ thinking in westminster? interesting figure in follows a few days - thinking in westminster? interesting figure in follows a few days where i figure in follows a few days where the reported figure of confirmed infections seem to be plateauing a bit. by don't think the figure of 106 new infections will come as a surprise at all in white whole or in any of the developed nations. we are still within a rising wave infections that is going across the country and this is what officials had expected. but we have seen as a fracturing of the response to these figures across the uk and so we have seen governments in wales, scotland and northern ireland have tighter curbs for activities after christmas day whereas if we wait to see if thatis day whereas if we wait

let's talk to our political correspondent ben wright.aken so long for this to come out? did no one hear the noise last year? laughter. i don't think you heard what i was saying. hello. i don't think you heard what i was saying- hellm— i don't think you heard what i was saying. hello. james, i did not hear ou, saying. hello. james, i did not hear you. hello! — saying. hello. james, i did not hear you. hello! i'm _ saying. hello. james, i did not hear you, hello! i'm sorry, _ saying. hello. james, i did not hear you, hello! i'm sorry, we _ saying. hello. james, i did not hear you, hello! i'm sorry, we are - you, hello! i'm sorry, we are on-air- _ you, hello! i'm sorry, we are on-air. your— you, hello! i'm sorry, we are on-air. your voice _ you, hello! i'm sorry, we are on-air. your voice has - you, hello! i'm sorry, we are on-air. your voice has just . you, hello! i'm sorry, we are i on-air. your voice hasjust been on-air. your voice has 'ust been down to me. i on-air. your voice has 'ust been down to me. let _ on-air. your voice has 'ust

ben wright has more.w that lord brownlow, a tory donor, had provided a lot of money to help cover the costs of the refurbishment of the number 11 flat. the prime minister's adviser on ministerial interests, lord geidt, published a report back in the spring into this. what the electoral commission was trying to establish whether that money from lord brownlow was properly declared by the conservative party and whether it broke any electoral donation rules and the electoral commission have decided that it was not properly declared, that this was a loan, amounting in total to £67,000, of which £52,000 was used to cover the cost of the flat refurbishment. the electoral commission says that should have been declared as a loan. it wasn't, which is why they have fined the tory party £17,800. there's more to this, as sam coates from sky news points out. "in may the prime minister told lord geidt, who investigated this in the spring, that he did not know who was behind the number 11 flat refurb until february 2021.

let's get more on this from our political correspondent ben wright.inister, with a daughter. the electoral commission and a decision about the refurbishment of the downing street flat, talk us through what has happened. flat, talk us through what has happened-— flat, talk us through what has hauened. , happened. morning, tim. boris johnson's— happened. morning, tim. boris johnson's expanded _ happened. morning, tim. boris johnson's expanded family - happened. morning, tim. boris johnson's expanded family will| johnson's expanded family will presumably be returning to the downing street flat fairly soon. a flat, of course, which has been the focus of a lot of attention, particularly earlier this year, when it emerged that the costs of refurbishing it had vast it outstripped the £30,000 limit that is available at of public funds to redo government residences like this. —— out of public funds. there was a donation from a tory donor, lord brownlow to help cover those costs. this was investigated at the beginning of the year by the prime minister's adviser

as our political correspondent ben wright explains, the different nations within the uk are taking veryg the new wave of cases. it's the pattern we've seen throughout the pandemic, that different parts of the uk have taken their own approach to how to handle coronavirus. and, you know, that's certainly the case now. england is apart from wales, scotland and northern ireland, who have set out their measures for the sort of restrictions they'll put in place after christmas day. whereas for boris johnson and the uk government, the plan is stilljust to wait and see. we know there'll be no new measures announced before christmas day. we don't expect any other announcements before christmas day about what might follow boxing day as well. so for people wanting certainty around their year plans around their new year plans for the coming weeks, if you're in england, we don't have it yet. borisjohnson has written in the sun, hasn't he, kind of a short message? or someone's written it for him. and, you know, he's done a recorded message earlier as well this week, but he's not taking questions. no,

let's speak to our political correspondent ben wright. good morning.uggests that omicron may be milder. that is good news for many, because we have been waiting for this, but my card impact on the decision—making of the government when it comes further restrictions?— government when it comes further restrictions? good morning. yes, it is certainly — restrictions? good morning. yes, it is certainly encouraging _ restrictions? good morning. yes, it is certainly encouraging and - restrictions? good morning. yes, it is certainly encouraging and there l is certainly encouraging and there will be _ is certainly encouraging and there will be much more data and more research — will be much more data and more research papers in the coming weeks that will_ research papers in the coming weeks that will form the decisions politicians are taking. the question is, do _ politicians are taking. the question is, do they— politicians are taking. the question is, do they take a precautionary approach — is, do they take a precautionary approach now, or not? what we are se

. >> daunte wright family attorney ben crump saying today quote we must turn our attention to ensuringt kim potter receive the strongest and most just sentence possible. what is your experience tell you about sentencing in this case, professor? >> you know, mike, these are go counts going to run concurrently it's really the top count that you clock 15 years. under the sentencing guidelines as a first offender around 7 years. the government is going to try to aggravating factors. one is the most obvious. she is a former police officer, she used her authority to commit this crime the second crime involved putting others in danger and not just push this up towards the 15 year limit. also shown great remorse. >> much was made about the makeup of the jury nine white, two asian women and one african-american woman. was that concern overblown since the police officer with no prior record? >> i think it was overblown. i think that the jury here showed what the juries also showed in the arbery case, the rittenhouse case the smollett case. these jurors have shown more integrity for the legal sys

amy: ben crump, thank you for being with us, summer rights attorney, part of george floyd's family's legal team. the daunte wrightegal team. the javier ambler legal team. next up, we remember the trailblazing black feminist scholar and activist bell hooks who died this week at the age of 69. stay with us. ♪♪ [music break] amy: this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. the trailblazing black feminist scholar and activist bell hooks died wednesday at 69. she was a prolific author who wrote about how a person's race, gender, and social class are interconnected, and often referred to "the imperialist white supremacist capitalist patriarchy." born gloria jean watkins, bell hooks wrote more than 40 books, including the 1981 book "ain't i a woman? black women and feminism," which took its title from a speech by the abolitionist sojourner truth. bell hooks was a longtime educator and most recently a distinguished professor at berea college in her home state of kentucky, which created the bell hooks institute as a center for her writing and teaching. bell hooks died at her home i

is a great victory not just for the wright family in getting accountability but also a great victory for america as we strive for equal justice under the law. >> ben, what sentence are you pushing for? what sentence is appropriate? what sentence is accountability here? >> well, certainly as i just talked to you about a similar case that was tried right there in the same courthouse in minneapolis, with a black police officer, who was as they described officer kim potter, a good police officer. never been convicted of any crime. never fired his weapon. but yet he was sentenced to 12 years. so we will keep a mindful eye to see if the sentence of this white police woman is similar to the sentence given to that black policeman. >> berngs thank you for coming on as always. miss bryant, thank you for speaking with us on this day. thank you very much. out front for us, stephanie rawlings blake, former defense attorney and former mayor of baltimore. stephanie, you've been with us throughout this entire thing. what's your reaction to this verdict tonight? >> i like many people who've been watching, when we heard the jury have that question about what happen