jon kay, bbc news, avonmouth.rade negotiations between the uk and eu is "receding", according to a senior uk government source. talks between the two sides are continuing into the night, with urgent compromises sought in key areas, including fishing rights and competition rules. 0ur political editor laura kuenssberg joins us from westminster. this is going right up to the wire. it really is. remember, this really has to be agreed by the middle of next week if there is a real chance of turning this deal into law to pass parliament before the end of the year, and before the status quo, that transition period, runs out, when businesses will have to work in a very different way and the two sites have long agreed that there will have to be some shared rules and regulations between the two sides of the channel to keep things smooth for business. what they cannot agree on yet is who should be in charge of policing those rules and regulations and who gets in trouble if things go wrong. now, tonight, not far from where tro

jon kay, thank you. the uk, june raine, has said today that it should be possible to get the coronavirus vaccine into care homes within weeks — this comes as the r number, the rate at which coronavirus reproduces, falls again to between 0.8 and one across the whole of the uk, meaning that growth has slowed and the number of new cases are declining. the office for national statistics estimates that around 520,000 people in england had the disease in the last week of november, that's around one in every 105 people. here's our health editor hugh pym. any allergies you may have? in training for one of the biggest assignments in the history of the nhs. the covid—19 vaccination programme which starts next week. at the coventry and warwickshire nhs trust, they say as preparing staff to do thejobs, trust, they say as preparing staff to do the jobs, they have had to work out complex storage plans. to do the jobs, they have had to work out complex storage plansm is an unusual challenge in that this is an unusual c

jon kay, bbc news.les as they stand, families will be able to travel across the uk and three households will be allowed to gather under one roof. 0fficial scientific advisors fear those are the perfect conditions for a huge spike in cases. 0ur science editor, david shukman, has been looking at the latest research. it is a precious time of year for restoring morale and scientists researching the virus recognise that. but they also know that spending long hours in packed rooms is the most effective way to spread it. 0n the one hand, schools will be closed over the christmas break along with most workplaces and that should help to reduce infections. but on the other hand, having more people gather indoors is bound to increase transmission. this animation by an industrial modelling company simulates someone infected. researchers are worried. i think there's a big risk over christmas of a transfer of infections from younger groups with more contacts into older age groups who might not usually have this level

jon kay, bbc news, devon.cted by the pandemic, that's the warning from a coalition of 80 charities. research by the disabled children's partnership has found that crucial education and health support has been significantly reduced since the outbreak with hundreds not back in school full time. 0ur disability news correspondent nikki fox has been speaking to one young boy who is desperate to return to school. ifeel like i'm not normal sometimes. it's like everyone's back at school, and guess who isn't back? me. jacob has a very rare type of congenital muscular dystrophy, an aggressive type. jacob is losing skills all the time. it's progressive, there is no cure forjacob, there's no treatment. jacob loves school. but, since march, he's only been able to attend four times. my old school couldn't touch me, they refused to touch me, because of corona and everything. i miss all my friends. i've forgotten most of their names, because i haven't seen them since march. it seems like almost a complete breakdown in the sys

jon kay, thank you.k, drjune raine, has said that it should be possible to get the coronavirus vaccine into care homes within two weeks. it comes as the r number, the rate at which coronavirus reproduces, fell again to between 0.8 and 1 across the whole of the uk, meaning that growth has slowed and the number of new cases are declining. here's our health editor, hugh pym. any allergies that you may have? no. in training for one of the biggest assignments in the history of the nhs — covid vaccinations for real, and starting next week in hospitals like this one in coventry. they say as well as preparing staff to do the jabs, they've had to work out complex storage plans. it's an unusual challenge for us in that this is a vaccine that needs to be stored at —70. and it's not the way we've had to handle a drug before. in the hospital, we have handled other drugs that way. so, from the pharmacy‘s perspective, we've had to have a new freezer. that was delivered a couple of weeks ago. it won'tjust be in hospital

jon kay, bbc news, devon.orded — that's according to the world meteorological office. the announcement comes as the un secretary general makes his strongest call yet for global action on climate change. here's our chief environment correspondent, justin rowlatt. as if suffering a pandemic wasn't enough, now we learn that 2020 is on track to be one of the three hottest years ever recorded, and that is not all. the past decade, obviously, is the warmest on record, and the last six years are the warmest years on record. the bad news is even the covid—19 lockdown haven't made a difference. the coronavirus restrictions imposed around the world may have shut down our cities and lead to a small reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, but the world meteorological organisation is saying today it hasn't been enough to stop the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from continuing to increase. the un chief, antonio guterres, told the bbc today global action is needed now. let's face facts, the state of our pla

jon kay is there for us.er and the mayor of bristol have both paid tribute to those who died here and to the emergency services. exactly what happened is not clear yet but it seems the blast was in one of the silos of this site which holds biomaterials as part of the waste water recycling process. what we do know is that tonight four families are grieving. 11:20am and a major incident, just a quarter of a mile from the m5 motorway. a large explosion in one of the giant tanks at this sewage treatment works, run by wessex water. there was a gentle whoosh at first, followed by an extremely loud explosion. this lorry driver was delivering goods at the time and got trapped on the neighbouring site. it sounded like a large collapse of something. it was not like a sound i had heard before. i didn't know what it was. pure confusion. nobody knew what the situation was. teams from six fire stations across bristol raced to the scene but this evening, it emerged that this was no longer a rescue operation. sadly, despite

jon kay, bbc news, avonmouth. the headlines on bbc news...e in the uk after testing postive for covid—19 has passed sixty—thousand. four people have been killed after a blast at a water treatment site near bristol this morning — police have declared a major incident. a levels and gcse‘s will go ahead in england next summer but there'll be more generous marking and advance notice of exam topics to make up for all the disruption. let's get a full round up of all the sports. let's go to kt in the bbc sport centre. thank you. good evening. —— katie. the premier league and english football league have agreed a multi million pound rescue package for club struggling because of the coronavirus pandemic. they have been forced to play the match behind closed doors and they have suffered badly. 0ur sports editor dan rowen has this report. after months of wrangling at a gun at the extra time today finally the result many in the game were hoping for. —— it had gone into extra time. the premier league agreed and approved funding rescue package that means a

jon kay, bbc news, avonmouth.ve been granted bail. mr lai has repeatedly denounced beijing's increasing controls over hong kong. danny vincent reports from hong kong. this is the moment millionaire media tycoon was taken into custody. critics say it is the latest example of political persecution in hong kong. hours before his detention, he spoke exclusively to the bbc. the 73—year—old is under investigation for violating the national security law. he sensed he may be living on borrowed time. that is the easiest way to control you, that's the cheapest way to control your and the most effective way and they know it. they are very good at it. in august, he became one of the most high—profile arrests under a draconian national security law, more than 200 police raided his newspaper. they confiscated documents said to implicate him in fraud but national security charges means he could face life in prison. jimmy life has long been an outspoken critic and target of beijing. his paper has daily —— is the daily best sellin

jon kay reported from one particular street in the west midlands.s personal. sarah at number” is on the front line. she's a health care assistant at the birmingham hospital trust that's had more than 600 covid deaths. does this help you get through? 100% helps me. every thursday. it's like a release. it's like a release, yes. when they are all clapping, it is another week coming to an end. it's just amazing, just fantastic, i can't believe it. at precisely eight o'clock, for the fifth week in a row, it felt like the whole of the uk erupted. # let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.# 8000 miles from home, members of the british antarctic surveyjoined in. in the middle east, divers from hms ledbury clapped and washed their hands at the same time. in the skies above wiltshire, the pilot of a light aircraft plotted his flight path to spell out his gratitude. while on the ground, the social distancing red arrows. from bin collectors in norfolk to the royal family. back in the midlands, sarah and her husband, gary, who's a delivery driver, have moved in

james cook, jon kay and chris page, thank you all. what do we know about the roll—out of this first vaccine, who will get it — and how does it actually work? here's our health correspondent anna collinson. you will have it in your left hand side... a vaccine has always been our best hope of life returning to normal. it'll be months before we see its positive effects, but it's hoped today will mark the beginning of the end. the pfizer vaccine needs to be stored in freezing temperatures, so initially the roll—out is taking place at hospital hubs across the uk. elderly patients, workers in care homes and nhs staff are first in line. what we want to make sure is that as many people as possible are vaccinated, but that's going to take some time. it is a marathon, not a sprint, so while you are waiting to be called for your vaccine, please keep following the social distancing rules. work is also taking place to safely transport batches of vaccines to those deemed most vulnerable — care home residents. there are several versions of vaccines

jon kay, bbc news.the start of one of the biggest vaccination programmes in nhs history. the health secretary matt hancock described it as the start of the fightback and said he hoped restrictions would begin to be lifted from the spring. 0ur health correspondent catherine burns looks at some of the big questions surrounding the covid jab. the first thing most people want to know is when they'll get the vaccine, and generally the answer is no time soon. we've got around 800,000 doses of this pfizer vaccine to start with. that's enough for 400,000 people. so, the plan is to start with the most vulnerable — over—80s, care home staff and some front line nhs workers. but even people in these groups might not get it until into the new year. one thing to remember is that the regulator is looking at other vaccines, and when and if it approves them, it should speed things up. so, this is where that first vaccination happened this morning, and it's been going on all day. it's one of up to 70 hospital hubs across

jon kay, bbc news, devon.the new year will have staggered starting dates with some not back until early february. it's being done to minimise transmission risks from the mass movement of students. the guidance also proposes that students should be offered testing when they return for the new term. this evening, for the first time since march, fans were able to attend english league football matches. 2,000 were allowed into the ground to watch shrewsbury town take on accrington stanley. and it wasn't just football opening its doors. gyms, swimming pools and grassroots sports are back too, as our sports editor, dan roan, reports. football and fans reunited. some of the lucky shrewsbury supporters allowed back inside the meadow tonight, almost nine months since bortles force behind closed doors. it is wonderful once again to have supporters on the ground. it has been a lonely place for many weeks. i've been doing epa now for over 40 yea rs. i've been doing epa now for over 40 years. i don't think i realised just

jon kay's in bristol for us tonight.t to know is what bristol has done so right that they have moved down? the government says that it is because cases here have levelled off and because the nhs appears to be coping at the moment and the mayor of bristol has thanked people here and said they have done a good job in driving the rates down. but i have to say, even he is surprised by this. he was expecting that bristol would stay in tier 3, that these pubs and restau ra nts tier 3, that these pubs and restaurants would stay shut and he is warning tonight that unless people are careful and cautious in the days and weeks ahead, that there could be what he calls a whiplash of new cases in the days ahead. this is a really good example ofjust how mixed the restrictions are now across the country. if you step out of bristol in one direction into north somerset, well, hospitality they're also celebrating an reopening as they come out of tier 3. in the opposite direction into south gloucestershire, they are staying in tier 3 even t

jon kay, bbc news.on programme in nhs history and the beginning of the road back to some sort of normality. the health secretary for england matt hancock says he hopes current restrictions will be lifted by the spring and people will able to go on summer holidays. 0ur health correspondent catherine burns looks at some of the big questions surrounding the covid jab. the first thing most people want to know is when they'll get the vaccine, and generally the answer is no time soon. we've got around 800,000 doses of this pfizer vaccine to start with. that's enough for 400,000 people. so, the plan is to start with the most vulnerable — over a tease, care home staff and some front line nhs workers. ——over—80s care home staff and some front line nhs workers. but even people in these groups might not get it until into the new year. one thing to remember is that the regulator is looking at other vaccines, and when and if it approves them, it should speed things up. so, this is where that first vaccination happen

jon kay, bbc news. so, how big a day is it for medical science here in the uk?r fergus walsh explained the significance of the vaccine roll out. it's a great day for science and for humanity. and i think it's the first step in a very long road towards getting out of this pandemic. and to have a highly effective vaccine in less than a year is astonishing. it was by no means certain back in the spring — there are lots of viruses we don't have vaccines for. in the last 20 years, more than £10 billion has been spent on research trying to find the vaccine against hiv — without success. and we don't have just one vaccine, we've got several. we've got the moderna vaccine that looks effective, and then we've got the oxford astrazeneca vaccine that the uk has ordered 100 million doses of. now today, that team were the first to publish their trial results data in a peer—reviewed medicaljournal. really important for transparency. and if, as we hoped, that vaccine is approved before the end of the year, that will really speed up the roll—out in spring 2021, because it doesn

amazing, jon kay in bristol and dominic hughes in salford. thank you both very much.have the immunity they need. 0ur ireland correspondent chris page is at the royal victoria hospital in belfast, where a nurse 5i5ter became the first person in northern ireland to receive the vaccine. it is it i5a it is a bleak and blu5tery day in northern ireland. but it is an exciting one for the medical world andindeed exciting one for the medical world and indeed the wider world as the covid—19 vaccine is rolled out for the first time. this is the royal victoria hospital, the biggest hospital in northern ireland, it is in west belfast and about an hour ago and nurse, sister in west belfast and about an hour ago and nurse, si5terjoanna sloan, became the first person on the whole of the island of ireland to receive the vaccine. she is 28, a mother of one and she is from county down. she i5 one and she is from county down. she is due to get married in april next year and she said just after receiving the jab, 5he year and she said just after receiving the jab, she felt emotional, but

jon. hello, this is breakfast withjon kay and louise minchin.uddings mixed by four generations of the royal family are bringing some festive cheer to armed forces communities at home and abroad. worzel gummidge, everyone's favourite scarecrow is back for another christmas special. the office's mackenzie crook will be here telling us about his new adventures. and star wars actor felicityjones will be here to talk about her new film, the midnight sky, in which she stars alongside george clooney. not quite here, she will be down the line. george clooney also directed it and it's quite a nail—biting experience, hopefully it will have it have you on the edge of your sofa. clinically extremely vulnerable people living in tier 4 areas in england are being told not to go to work even if they are unable to do theirjob from home. it means they now face even more time behind closed doors. let's hear how this is affecting some people. hi, i'm kerry thompson, and i live in milton keynes. and we are right now in tier 4. i've been shielding for 297 days, so fa

jon and rachel. have a lovely christmas eve. hello, this is breakfast withjon kay and rachel burden. good morning.impending tier changes. there is also very dramatic moving use on brexit. —— moving news. after months of talks the uk and the european union are on the brink of a post—brexit trade deal. it's understood there were four calls between borisjohnson and and the president of the european commission, ursula von der leyen, yesterday to get the deal over the line, and another call is due to take place in the next hour. we think it hasn't happened yet. does that mean there is a hitch? let's speak to laura kuenssberg. laura, it looks as if there could be some sticking point around fish. what can you tell us? well, good morning everybody. it would not be brexit if we were not talking about things taking a little bit longer then we have —— had originally expected. it wouldn't be the last closing moments the finale of these trade negotiations, if somewhere, somebody, some official on either side, wasn't having a last—minute haggle about, you guessed it, face. asi haggle about, you guessed it, face

jon and louise. hello, this is breakfast withjon kay and louise minchin. coming up on breakfast this morning.s finally been able to have an emotional reunion with his wifejoan, after spending nine months apart. actorjessica hynes joins us to discuss her new christmas drama, which is about the meeting of authors beatrice potter and roald dahl. i don't think i see your face any more, boy, just this. presenter and furniture designer jay blades will also chat to us about restoring a rocking horse and a musical ornament, in the festive edition of the repair shop at christmas. ido i do watch that, it is so brilliant. it is what we really need at the moment. the whole thing about it, if you haven't watched it, it's a bit of happiness. we will speak to him a little later. leading scientists think the new variant of coronavirus is much easier to transmit, and although cases are growing in london and the south east, there are concerns it has now spread to all parts of the uk. what could this mean for the effectiveness of the vaccine and will it be safe for young people to return to schools in the new y