it is important to point out that matt hancock is not involved with the nhs in wales. er to award contracts will stop when asked about this earlier, mr starmer said there are some questions to answer here. obviously matt hancock needs to answer _ obviously matt hancock needs to answer these specific questions that have arisen— answer these specific questions that have arisen today, but we have to have _ have arisen today, but we have to have a _ have arisen today, but we have to have a full— have arisen today, but we have to have a full enquiry. we cannot have this by— have a full enquiry. we cannot have this by day— have a full enquiry. we cannot have this by day by day by day these drips _ this by day by day by day these drips of— this by day by day by day these drips of sleaze. it has to be a full enquiry— drips of sleaze. it has to be a full enquiry because this is a return to sleaze and it has been cleared up. keir starmer talking about enquiries. —— it has to be cleared up. the national audit office has been investigating green so —— green sill as well. the headli

exactly, we've got the | chancellor now, matt hancock, and it's not _ chancellor now, matt hancock, andt was actually breaking the law technically or not — is the perception, and the perception is obviously— perception, and the perception is obviously on corruption, which we've been _ obviously on corruption, which we've been around — obviously on corruption, which we've been around this track many times with expenses scandals and various other— with expenses scandals and various other things. we got question marks that have _ other things. we got question marks that have been awarded over coronavirus, done very quickly without — coronavirus, done very quickly without the sort of due diligence in tendering — without the sort of due diligence in tendering process for understandable reasons _ tendering process for understandable reasons - _ tendering process for understandable reasons — but it would seem that many _ reasons — but it would seem that many have — reasons — but it would seem that many have gone to friends or acquaintances of people in government. and thisjust adds acquaintanc

labour says there are "serious questions to answer" after it emerged the health secretary, matt hancock, has shares in a potential supplier for nhs trusts in england. police, stop! appeals for calm in chicago, as footage emerges of a 13—year—old boy being shot dead by police. new figures suggest coronavirus infections in the uk are at their lowest level since september, with around 130,000 people estimated to have had it last week. wild swimmers in scotland enjoy the easing of lockdown, as rules restricting local travel and meeting people outdoors are lifted. and whiter than white — scientists develop a paint that the actress helen mccrory — known for her roles in peaky blinders and harry potter — has died aged 52 from cancer hello, and welcome to bbc news. the actress helen mccrory, who starred in harry potterfilms the actress helen mccrory, who starred in harry potter films and the actress helen mccrory, who starred in harry potterfilms and p0 blinders, a television series, has died after a battle with cancer. this has been confirmed by her husband, damien lewis, on twitter. she was 5

they are not in any way connected to matt hancock, he is the nhs health secretary for england.t. but it has emerged that a couple of years ago this company was given the status that would allow it to bid for contracts for the nhs in england. and the question that is being asked by labour is why that potential conflict, but hancock's sister owning that company, was not made public at the time. they have also questioned whether he broke the rules that ministers have to follow, which says that any potential conflicts involving close family members should be registered. now, as you say, the government say this was all above board, that matt hancock followed all of the rules and that, actually, he would not be involved in any awarding of these contracts anyway. but it's another example, i think, contracts anyway. but it's another example, ithink, of contracts anyway. but it's another example, i think, of how this issue is under the spotlight, the way that private companies and the government interact. we now have eight probes into this issue overall. the latest was announced this af

what has emerged is that matt hancock owns 15% of a company called topwood ltd.some nhs contracts, from nhs wales. that is slightly complicated, because matt hancock isn't anything to do with nhs wales, nhs wales is run by the welsh labour government. but there is a question over whether matt hancock should have declared the fact that his sister owns so much of this company when it was given approved status by the nhs a couple of years ago. it's basically in a position where it could potentially be awarded contracts by the nhs in england, although it doesn't seem that it has been so far. now, the government was saying matt hancock played every thing by the book, he declared the shares when he was given them as a gift, and that he had conversations with senior civil servants about potential conflicts of interests, decided that there wasn't one, and if one emerged it would be recorded in due course. but i suppose there is also this issue of the whole relationship between government, ministers and civil servants and private companies. and it does feed into this wide

it is a mixture of— seen matt hancock's tweet? it is a mixture of what _ seen matt hancock's tweet?t has happened - seen matt hancock's tweet? it 3 —. mixture of what has happened since the new year, because the lockdown which has had a huge effect but the vaccination has also added to that benefit, particularly in the older groups, as you've heard. i mean, the latest data suggest that more than 70% of the population now have some degree of immunity, they got antibodies, either because they been vaccinated or they had the disease already. it doesn't mean that they are immune. you can catch this again after the vaccines and after a previous infection, but it certainly means that any spread will now be slowed down. 50. means that any spread will now be slowed down-— slowed down. so, as we then endeavour— slowed down. so, as we then endeavour to _ slowed down. so, as we then endeavour to live _ slowed down. so, as we then endeavour to live life - slowed down. so, as we then endeavour to live life a - slowed down. so, as we then endeavour to live life a little | slowed down. so, as we t

today, health secretary matt hancock, who is 42, received his first jab.nued attempts to reach communities where the take—up is still low. his report contains flashing images. waiting to get on the bus, one with a difference. this is a vaccine bus being used by the london borough of brent. no prior booking is being needed, people can walk up. some are notified by text when the bus has arrived. their details — like age — are then checked by officials. and they get theirjabs. text message came through this morning, it was just around the corner and brilliant, it happened to work with my working day, so i could do it. i came to see my friends here at the building. i saw this car waiting, and they offered me the vaccination. ijust decided to - come in here, do it. this is my area so i didn't have much trouble. - the council, working with local health teams, is using the bus to get to areas where take—up of the vaccines is known to be relatively low. it's also a way of being seen in local communities and answering people's questions. some people come to the bus

so, an ally of matt hancock says that he acted entirely appropriately.sions. the department for health says it was up to local nhs employers as to whether or not they used this app — it was up to them to decide how to pay their staff. of course, it comes just a few days after we saw the chancellor rishi sunak facing questions about his engagement with david cameron. he actually took a very unusual step on thursday and published text messages that he had sent to mr cameron. that was after it emerged that mr cameron had contacted him on his personal phone when he was trying to get access to government—backed loans for greensill. so there's this sort of drip—drip of detail, i think, that we're getting over time about the scale of the lobbying operation. but, as i say, it's not illegal to lobby and that isn't any suggestion here that this actually constituteer cameron breaking the rules in any way, it is just, as you said, the world of lobbying is a little murky and there are... it is also interesting that this is the one issue that david cameron when he was

the sunday times says the health secretary, matt hancock, went for a �*private drink�* with david camerono advised mr cameron's government, and then went on to hire the former prime minister. let's speak to our political correspondent helen catt, who's with me now. this is an ongoing row over how mr cameron has been using his influence on behalf of greensill capital, the finance firm run by lex greensill. earlier in the month it came out that david cameron had texted rishi sunak on his private phone. the request was made was refused and greensill capital has since collapsed. rishi sunak released his text messages earlier this week. then the sunday times today has these new details about this drink that mr cameron and mr greensill went with the health secretary, matt hancock. this is when mr greensill was trying to get the nhs to use an app was trying to get the nhs to use an app from his firm to pay nurses and doctors. that was looked at and the advice from civil servants is that the idea in principle was good, but sources insist that matt hancock wanted other suppliers to be offered the

about two tests a _ testing from matt hancock about two tests a week is the key to unlocking is thatey're not so much the game changer as they were, they are one part of— changer as they were, they are one part of the — changer as they were, they are one part of the puzzle which i think his mixed _ part of the puzzle which i think his mixed messaging from what they previously said. and mixed messaging from what they previously said.— mixed messaging from what they previously said. and anne some of the rebel mps _ previously said. and anne some of the rebel mps who _ previously said. and anne some of the rebel mps who want _ previously said. and anne some of the rebel mps who want this - previously said. and anne some of. the rebel mps who want this lockdown to be over much more quickly are saying that the vaccination programme has reached 60%, we are almost at herd immunity, why are we spending all these hundreds of billions now on this test and trace when the actual test and trace which we can come back quickly is not as accurate as the pcr tests. the prime minister is beginning _ a

matt hancock had asked officials to look at it.rinciple, we are told, and some nhs trusts did then go on to use it. an ally of mr hancock says he acted entirely appropriately. he told officials about business discussions. the department of health says it was up to local nhs employers to decide how to local nhs employers to decide how to pay their staff. but this comes just days after the chancellor, rishi sunak, was facing questions about his engagement with david cameron. he took the unusual step of publishing text messages he had sent to mr cameron after it emerged that the former prime minister had messaged his private phone when he was trying to get greensill access to a government backed loan last year. to a government backed loan last ear. �* . , to a government backed loan last ear. �* . y to a government backed loan last ear. ~ ., , ., to a government backed loan last ear. ~ ., ., year. and any comment from david cameron himself? _ year. and any comment from david cameron himself? so _ year. and any comment from david camer

he submitted the idea for it a couple of months prior to this drink but matt hancock and asked officialsked at it and said the proposal was good in printable and then some nhs trust it going to use the system during the pandemic. the question is always with lobbying of around how was the access games and how did people respond. an ally of matt hancock said he acted entirely appropriately and told officials about business employers. department of health said it was up to local nhs employers whether or not they use this app and it was up to them to decide they paid their staff. we also sell questions about the potential initially sooner about his engagement with david cameron and he actually took a very unusual step on saturday and published text messages that he had sent in a cameron after it emerged that mr cameron had contacted him on his personal phone when he was trying to get access to government backed loans for greensill capital so that this this sort of grip detail we are getting all the time that the scale of the lobbying operation but, as i say, it is not illegal to lobby and th

an ally of matt hancock says he acted entirely appropriately.ials about business discussions. the department of health said it was up to local nhs employers as to whether or not they used the app and up to them how they paid their stuff. it comes a few days after we saw the chancellor rishi sunak facing days after we saw the chancellor rishi sunakfacing questions days after we saw the chancellor rishi sunak facing questions about his engagement with david cameron. he took a very unusual step on thursday and published text messages he had sent to mr cameron. that was after it emerged that mr cameron had contacted him on his personal phone when he was trying to get access to government backed loans for greensill. there is a drip, drip of detail about the scale of the lobbying operation but it is not illegal to lobby and there isn't any suggestion here that this constituted mr cameron breaking the rules in any way. it's just that as you said, no world of lobbying is a little murky. it’s you said, no world of lobbying is a little murky-— little murk

by 2013, david cameron is prime minister and he's given matt hancock a job as a minister. et, and the three of them are going for a private drink. absolutely, i attended a social meeting organised by the former prime minister, and given that departmental business came up, i reported to officials in the normal way. it is cronyism and it stinks. so if he thinks he has done nothing wrong and has nothing to hide, - will he publish all the minutes, all the e—mails, all— the correspondence, - all the directions that he gave to civil servants and all his textj messages with david cameron, so we can see exactly what went on with the awarding _ of this contract? mr hancock insists he behaved properly, and added... what i would say is that it is very important that governments engage with external stakeholders, with businesses. there are far bigger questions about access to government lobbying than are likely to be addressed in this government review, its remit is narrow and it has no legal powers to change anything. labour and others say the rules need to be tightened, the system ne

we were hearing from matt hancock, over 99% i hearing from matt hancock, over 99% of people _ hearingvaccine - people who are in that group where they will be different vaccine is - they will be different vaccine is offered, — they will be different vaccine is offered, that _ they will be different vaccine is offered, that the _ they will be different vaccine is offered, that the system - they will be different vaccine is offered, that the system is- they will be different vaccine is - offered, that the system is working and they— offered, that the system is working and they should _ offered, that the system is working and they should come _ offered, that the system is working and they should come forward - offered, that the system is working| and they should come forward when they are _ and they should come forward when they are invited _ and they should come forward when they are invited to _ and they should come forward when they are invited to do _ and they should come forward when they are invited to do so _ and they should come forward when they are invited to do so i— and they

matt hancock. you're watching monday in parliament with me, david cornock.mained too high and short term funding had hampered councils who oversee the care system. the government has said it will bring forward proposals for a shake up of the nhs and social care in england this year. but mps on the public accounts committee challenged the officials over the impact of cuts to local government spending. what impact do you consider there has been on care providers particularly in not having a long—term funding settlement? having a long-term funding settlement?— having a long-term funding settlement? ., settlement? the length of time ou have settlement? the length of time you have a _ settlement? the length of time you have a funding _ settlement? the length of time you have a funding settlementl you have a funding settlement or clearly— you have a funding settlement or clearly it hampers your ability— or clearly it hampers your ability to plan and i think everyone would want a longer term — everyone would want a longer term funding settlement for social— term fu

matt hancock says the vaccination programme remains on track for all adults to receive their first dose by the end ofjuly. we know the roll—out�*s working, we know the safety system's working and we're on track to meet the goal of offering to all adults by the end ofjuly, and the speed of the roll—out won't be affected by these decisions. so, you know, when you get the call, get the jab. new figures show the lowest weekly covid deaths in england and wales since october — we'll have the latest. also this lunchtime... political leaders at stormont condemn another night of violence in belfast — the northern ireland secretary is on his way there for urgent talks. after myanmar�*s ambassador to the uk was locked out of the embassy overnight, the foreign secretary condemns the country's "bullying" military leaders. back on the buses — as public transport is prepared for next week's lockdown easing in england, the industry tries to reassure travellers that it will be safe. and golf�*s masters tee off in a couple of hours�* time — just a few thousand fans will be allowed into the grounds in aug

and, today, the health secretary, matt hancock, received his first vaccination, with the government saying health correspondent catherine burns has this report, which contains some flash photography. anyone who is 42 or older... it's fair to say he was excited. in last night's press conference, matt hancock mentioned a few times that his turn had come for the vaccine. and i'm also delighted because it means i can get myjab too. and i'm looking forward to getting myjab first thing tomorrow morning. join me and get the jab. this is my firstjab, first one. this morning, he found out who was going to bejoining him. i've got jvt vaccinating me. there may be some shivering, they're completely normal. professorjonathan van—tam, england's deputy chief medical officer, gave him the oxford astrazeneca injection, with photographers and camera crews watching the whole thing. it's ao—somethings now, but the government is on track to get all adults at least one injection by the end ofjuly. all done, fantastic! please remember to come back in 12 weeks. that one. almost 44 million people have had their fi

now, an ally of matt hancock has told us he acted entirely in the correct way and updated officials in to use this app, and the department of health said that was a decision for local trusts. mr cameron, mr greensill haven't commented on this, but the questions that are being raised here are about lobbying in general and the transparency of it. and about who gets access to whom and how. labour have said these are fresh revelations of a culture of cronyism. they want to see the rules tightened up. it's important to say that no lobbying rules have been broken here. mr cameron did wait for two years, he had to, after leaving office to be able to take up a lobbying position. but critics will say they just think lobbying rules are not tight enough. 0ur political correspondent helen katz. india has reported a record number of coronavirus infections, after more than 150,000 people tested positive in a single day. the country is in the midst of a severe second wave of the virus 0ur india correspondent yogita lamaye sent this report. a hospital in western city india. these are covid patients an

sunday times has details of another lobbying effort, this time involving the health secretary, matt hancock019, at a time when mr greensill was trying to get the nhs to use an app he designed to pay doctors and nurses. some trusts to go on to use this app and the department of health said that was a decision for local trusts. mr cameron, mr greensill have not commented on this. the questions that are being raised here are about lobbying in general and the transparency of it and about who gets access to whom and how. labour have said these are fresh revelations of our culture of cronyism. mr cameron broke the rules here, he waited two years until after his office until he took up a lobbying position. many are saying, however, that the lobbying rules are tight enough. india has reported a record number of coronavirus infections after more than 150,000 people tested positive in a single day. the country is in the midst of a severe second wave of the virus, which is being blamed on a reluctance to wear face coverings, a shortage of vaccines and huge crowds gathering for hindu festivals. 0ur ind

street press conference, with this encounter between laura kuenssberg and the health secretary, matt hancockt minister is found to have broken the rules on party funding or even law, should they resign? given that this is a coronavirus press conference, you won't be surprised that i'm not going to add to the answers the prime minister's already given to very extensive questioning. thanks. a number of newswatch viewers thought that wasn't an appropriate forum for a question on that subject. one of them, bridget herniman, recorded this video for us. i find the national coronavirus - briefings a really important portal for all of us in the uk to get the most up—to—date and i accurate information- on the coronavirus agenda. i also find the questioning - from the press really important. l i was therefore horrified to find . that laura kuenssberg chose to use i bbc's slot to ask a, quite frankly, i ridiculous question on the pm's flat renovation costs while we have thousands dying in india. - i would've much ratherl seen a specific question on the england variant - and implications to us in the uk

of another lobbying effort involving another cabinet minister, this time the health secretary matt hancockron took mr hancock and the company boss for a private drink at a time when he was trying to get the nhs to use an app to pay doctors and nurses. he said he updated entirely in the right way. some trusts did go on to use this app and the department of health said that was a decision for local trusts. as to cameron, mr green still haven't commented on this. but the questions are generally about lobbying and the transparency of it and who gets access to whom and how. labour have said these are fresh revelations of a culture of cronyism. they want to see the rules tightened up. it is important to say that no lobbying rules have been broken here, mr cameron did wait the two years he had to after leaving office to take a blocking position but critics say it well, the lobbying rules are not tightened. it well, the lobbying rules are not tiahtened. ., it well, the lobbying rules are not ti . htened. ., ., tightened. helen catt there, our olitical tightened. helen catt there, our political cor

matt hancock, the health secretary, within the last couple of minutes saying that india has been addedlist. that means if you want to return from india to the u.k., you've got to spend time in a hotel quarantine situation, which is going to put a lot of people off . relations between the two countries will certainly be affected by this, but india, as we have already talked about, has discussed getting new variants of the case counts, absolutely exploding in terms of the numbers they are seeing. i spoke to the air france klm ceo this morning. john plueger is going to be joining us for mayor lee's. they've got a huge amount of visibility on what is happening in this market. we will get his take on that next. this is bloomberg. ♪ >> we are hoping that border restrictions will be open -- [indiscernible] -- where a vaccine could be in place. it would be much easier to travel. i'm hoping that by the summer, that should be possible. guy: that was the air france kaelin ceo speaking a little earlier today -- air france klm ceo speaking a little earlier today. going us now is the air lease ceo j

this was david cameron and matt hancock working for him ten years ago. eting with greensill and acted properly. the chancellor says he has been open too. he has released private texts he sent to mr cameron in which he says he pushed the treasury to help greensill, and the government says its inquiry can ask anybody whatever it needs. but labour insists what happens behind closed doors was cronyism and an independent inquiry is needed. damian grammaticas, bbc news, westminster. we can speak now to shadow cabinet office minister rachel reeves. just to say, we did ask the government for a spokesperson, they haven't provided one, and we tried several conservative mps separately who either did not come back to us all said no. the prime minister says the tuesday overseeing this inquiry will be able to speak to anyone and ask any questions, why is that not enough? —— the 0c. ask any questions, why is that not enough? -- the qc.— ask any questions, why is that not enough? -- the qc. what the prime minister has — enough? -- the qc. what the prime minister has anno

and did matt hancock down the street, the bloke. oi, yes.k have the same shirt is the guy the other day then? yeah, he did. when memes _ other day then? yeah, he did. when memes callide. - other day then? yeah, he did. when memes callide. when . other day then? yeah, he did. - when memes callide. when memes to when memes callide. when memes no bad. m when memes callide. when memes go bad. my favourite _ when memes callide. when memes go bad. my favourite one _ when memes callide. when memes go bad. my favourite one is - when memes callide. when memes go bad. my favourite one is the - go bad. my favourite one is the john go bad. my favourite one is the john curtis _ go bad. my favourite one is the john curtis on _ go bad. my favourite one is the john curtis on tv. _ go bad. my favourite one is the john curtis on tv. and - go bad. my favourite one is the john curtis on tv. and memes| john curtis on tv. and memes have collided on tv tonight on newscast. have collided on tv tonight on newscast-— have collided on tv tonight on newscast. ., ., . .

by 2013, david cameron is prime minister and has given matt hancock a job as a minister. a private drink. absolutely, i attended a social meeting organised by the former prime minister and given that departmental business came up, i reported to officials in the normal way. it is cronyism and it stinks, so if he thinks he has done nothing wrong and has nothing to hide, will he publish all of the minutes, allthe e—mails, all the correspondence, all the directions he gave to civil servants and all his text messages with david cameron so we can see exactly what went on with the awarding of this contract? mr hancock insists he behaved properly and added... what i would say is it is very important governments engage with external stakeholders, with businesses. there are far bigger questions about access to government, lobbying, and are likely to be addressed in this review. its remit is narrow and it has no legal powers to change anything. labour and others say the rules need to be tightened, the system needs to be more transparent, as tonight another detail emerges about green

the health secretary, matt hancock, has tried to reassure people about the safety of the astrazenecars and there are facts and numbers and there are facts and numbers and there are personal perceptions and there are personal perceptions and the don't always overlap and this is where i think we find ourselves a little bit in. what man had cox said is borne out by the facts there are because all of these clots in the uk occurred after the first is posted —— what matt hancock is set. we have no evidence of clotting after the second dose but also must be stressing that this is a very tiny number of people who unfortunately have had these side effects amongst the millions of doses that have been applied of this vaccine. adore the millions of doses that have been applied of this vaccine.— applied of this vaccine. are there other reasons _ applied of this vaccine. are there other reasons why _ applied of this vaccine. are there other reasons why people - applied of this vaccine. are there other reasons why people mightl other reasons why people might suffer these clots apart from the vaccin

company called green capital and he had reached out to the chancellor of the health secretary matt hancock all of whom have denied any wrong doing but investigations are going on into the role that politicians play when it comes to contracting and many here in the u.k. worried about what impact this will have on britain's role on the global stage on britain's image on the global stage particularly when they come to lecturing other countries about corruption we heard from the co-chair of the advocacy group keep our n.h.s. public he thinks the u.k. covert response has been severely damaged by government creating its own. i think few people would complain if they made good decisions for good reasons and with good results alongside transparency but in fact they've made fairy bad decisions for a very bad reasons including this crew news them friends and political allies and terrible results you'll be aware the public accounts committee looked at the impact of the private contracts for example on on contact tracing for covert and they could not find any discernible impact on the spread of corona

they say that up to £21 million was put in by health secretary matt hancock and the eu did not find thisnment of the netherlands did not put money in either. this is a new development which has caused understandable anger amongst conservative mps in the public when you seem like the british taxpayer has made this retribution and therefore should be getting these doses, as we know the eu has the stance of saying they will not allow the export of astrazeneca doses until the eu citizens have had to what's been allocated to them. we can see is the development of the court to really stoke this row once more. . , . court to really stoke this row once more. . y . _, court to really stoke this row once more. . , . more. thanks very much joe, i hope we have got — more. thanks very much joe, i hope we have got clare _ more. thanks very much joe, i hope we have got clare up, _ more. thanks very much joe, i hope we have got clare up, yes _ more. thanks very much joe, i hope we have got clare up, yes we - more. thanks very much joe, i hope we have got clare up, yes we do. i we have got clare up, yes

matt hancock seem to be suggesting the reason those falls have happened is because of the vaccine, soe public is behind them, but there is definitely some agitation there, both in the media and in the commons, on the back benches. lance, the dates, commons, on the back benches. lance, the dates. at — commons, on the back benches. lance, the dates. at the _ commons, on the back benches. lance, the dates, at the moment, _ commons, on the back benches. lance, the dates, at the moment, are - commons, on the back benches. lance, the dates, at the moment, are they - the dates, at the moment, are they 0k? the 12th of april, the 17th of may, the 21st ofjune, that changing that right treat message confusion? absolutely. i think the government's rightly to have been criticised last year to have been able to stick to a strategy sometimes locking down too late, sometimes giving mixed messages about exactly what the rules were, for most of this year, they've been very clear and there have been these very specific dates in the road map, and i cannot see any good scientific, medical and certainly no

labour has said there are "serious questions to answer" after it emerged the health secretary, matt hancockchicago, as footage emerges

chancellor and also the health secretary matt hancock all of whom have denied any wrong doing but investigations are going on into the role that politicians play when it comes to contracting and many here in the u.k. worried about what impact this will have on britain's role on the global stage on britain's image on the global stage particularly when they come to look through other countries about corruption well let's stay with britain just a little bit longer because border guards say that around 100 people a day are arriving in the country carrying a fake certificates and potentially bringing in new variants of the virus undetected partridge picks up the story. in the u.k. cases of coronavirus and cope with 19 deaths a fully following the look of the vaccine rollout but there are concerns this progress could be scuppered by the variants of the disease being brought into the country by people using fake coded negatives certificates foreign holiday travel or both leaving and entering the u.k. is found that business travels allowed the government website tells travelers to the u.k. before they s

the health secretary, matt hancock, has received his first vaccination, with the government saying itt�*s 40—somethings now, but the government is on track to get all adults at least one injection by the end ofjuly. all done, fantastic! please remember to come back in 12 weeks. that one. almost 44 million people have had their first dose now and over 13.5 million have had both. and the government�*s ordered an extra 60 million doses of the pfizer biontech vaccine, not for now, but to stock up for a possible third booster dose. to future proof the vaccination programme, our task is to make sure we give as much optionality to the scientists, to the clinicians, to make the decision whether we boost in september or later this year or early next year, but we must have that ability to do that. part of that ability will be making sure we�*ve got enough of the right vaccines, and that seems to be going well. the government�*s ordered more than 500 million doses in total now, but it will also come down to logistics. this is a major commitment for the nhs, coming alongside the challenges of dea

written to the head of the civil service to ask him to investigate whether the health secretary matt hancockbid for nhs contracts in england. mr hancock declared in the latest register of mps' interests that he acquired more than 15% of topwood limited, which specialises in the secure storage and shredding of documents. the government says mr hancock has acted "entirely properly" and has no active role in running the company. a leading pro—democracy campaigner in hong kong, the billionaire media owner jimmy lai, has beenjailed for 14 months for his role in large street protests two years ago. eight other activists also received sentences. this evening, the foreign secretary, dominic raab, called on china to stop prosecuting pro—democracy campaigners in hong kong, from where our correspondent danny vincent sent this report. crowd chants. outside the court, cries of hong kongers hold on until the end, but today's sentencing will be seen here as a powerful message to those who dare to oppose beijing. veterans of the pro—democracy movement sentenced for taking part in peaceful marches two years

just to add to that, i - just wanted to add one of the things our papers are reporting is that matt hancockre thinking about, in fighting the variance, if we do open up now properly and if things go worse than we expect them to. just alongside that story, 100 feet phone masts may be built in country sides as roads —— rules are eased. is this a good thing, it is a bit of an eyesore, but people in the countryside often don't have good coverage, do they? i countryside often don't have good coverage, do they?— coverage, do they? i think on balance it _ coverage, do they? i think on balance it is. _ coverage, do they? i think on balance it is. if _ coverage, do they? i think on balance it is. if the _ coverage, do they? i think on l balance it is. if the government coverage, do they? i think on - balance it is. if the government is genuinely— balance it is. if the government is genuinely committed to a levelling up genuinely committed to a levelling up agenda, they have to bring the sort of— up agenda, they have to bring the sort of things that don't enjoy it at the _ sort of things that don't e

the night health secretary matt hancock tweeted that half of the over 80s are fully vaccinated meaningg protection against the virus. despite lumpy supply the government says it is still on track to offer vaccines to the top nine priority groups, including the over 50s by the 15th of this month and all adults by the end ofjuly. as for the next phase of the vaccine programme, people in their 40s are likely to have to wait until next month for their invitations. the joint committee on vaccination and in is a says it is still working to finalise the advice on phase two which it says will be published in due course. ——joint which it says will be published in due course. —— joint committee on vaccination and immunisation. katharine da costa, thank you. there has been more rioting in northern ireland tonight. cars have been hijacked and set alight in a loyalist area of newtownabbey, a suburb north of belfast. the police have appealed for calm and urged people of influence to keep young people away from the area. last night, 15 police officers were injured during rioting in south belfast. a f

the health secretary matt hancock says the additional tests will play a crucial role in curbing futurejim reed has this report. rapid lateral flow tests are already being used to test secondary school pupils, families with children and those who cannot work from home. from the end of the week, they will be offered to everyone in england. these devices give a result in 30 minutes. they can be picked up from a local testing centre or pharmacy ordered online and delivered in the post.- delivered in the post. even when people _ delivered in the post. even when people have - delivered in the post. even when people have no - delivered in the post. even when people have no symptoms, they may be infected and they may be infectious and if we can catch those people early, then we can break transmission. and that reduces the number of people who are infected, it reduces the likelihood of new variants, and it helps keep everybody say. variants, and it helps keep everybody say-— variants, and it helps keep eve bod sa . ., everybody say. the government sa s the says the twice—weekly test will be cru

written to the head of the civil service to ask him to investigate whether the health secretary matt hancockn a company that can bid for nhs contracts in england. mr hancock declared in the latest register of mps' interests that he acquired more than 15% of topwood limited, which specialises in the secure storage and shredding of documents. the government says mr hancock has acted "entirely properly" and has no active role in running the company. a court in hong kong has sentenced a group of nine leading pro—democracy campaigners for organising and taking part in a huge protest march two years ago. billionaire owner of hong kong's last opposition newspaper, jimmy lai, has been given a 12—month prison term, while the veteran ——jimmy lai, has been given a 1a—month prison term, while the veteran activist martin lee has been jailed for 11 months. the scottish liberal democrats have launched their manifesto ahead of next month's holyrood election with a pledge to prioritise the recovery from the pandemic. the party's leader willie rennie said it wasn't the moment to go back to what he called "the

matt hancock.sed away on monday. shirley williams was originally a labour mp, but she went on to become one of the "gang of four" who founded the social democratic party, the sdp. before that under the 1970s labour government she was one one of the first women cabinet ministers. lord fowler made the announcement at the start of the day. my lords, i regret to inform the house of the death of the distinguished former member, the noble baroness williams on 12 april. on behalf of the house, i extend very sincere condolences to the noble baroness' family, and i hope that there will be an opportunity for tributes to be paid in the very nearfuture. hear, hear. over in the commons, there were tributes to another former cabinet minister, the conservative dame cheryl gillan, who died recently at the age of 68. dame cheryl was welsh secretary during the early years of david cameron's coalition government and before then was a minister underjohn major. i was so, so sad to hear of the death of cheryl gillan at

and didn't matt hancock have the same shirt as the guy the other day, there? ithink he did!h, he did. he did, as memes collide, when memes collide. when memes go bad! i think one of my favourite ones is the is thejohn curtice on tv one. yes, heroic. and memes have collided tonight on newscast becausejohn curtice is on newscast. hello, professor sirjohn! hello. you are not a big fan of that thing, are you? i can tell. no, no, i mean, you know, i don't follow it. _ i mean, it's all goodl fun, but you know... well, 11,900 people follow it, sirjohn. well, you know, that's all fine, but anyway, i mean, i hate - to disappoint people. i'm afraid i don't follow iti so you can carry on saying what you think because i won't know what you have said. _ and there are no trolls on newscast because we love what you have got to tell us about the incredibly complicated elections that we're all going to be reporting on next week, so thank goodness you're here! thank goodnessjohn curtice is on tv. newscast. newscast from the bbc. hello, it's adam in the studio. and laura in the same studio but

matt hancock said the risk of a rare blood clot after vaccination was around the same as getting onets. business as usual in north—east london. headlines about blood clots didn't put people off getting the astrazeneca vaccine. the thought of catching covid is more risky than having a blood clot. any medicine has a side effect so i wasn't unduly concerned. 79 rare blood clots have been identified out of 20 million doses of the astrazeneca vaccine. the link isn't proven but in future the under 30s will be offered a different vaccine. for nearly all age groups, the benefits of the oxford—astrazeneca vaccine far outweigh any potential harms. for people in their 60s, with the current low level of virus circulation, for every 100,000 vaccinated, ia icu admissions would be prevented. at the same time, there would be a 0.2 or one in 500,000 risk of a rare serious plot. 500,000 risk of a rare serious clot. for people in their 20s, it's a finejudgment. there, less than one icu admission would be prevented but there would be just over one serious blood clot per 100,000 immunised. if we look at

the next year david cameron arranged a private drink with matt hancock and lex greensill last year hess for greensill to a coronavirus support scheme. officials as well as ministers are defending the accident actions. will crothers began working part—time for greensill in 2013 when still a civil servant, a move he says was approved and not uncommon. politicians are also sides at westminster accept there is a problem that needs fixing but there are not many ready solutions to be found. and we can speak tojonathan now. the debate getting under way. how do you assess the town, the mood in the house at the moment? i you assess the town, the mood in the house at the moment?— house at the moment? i think what boris house at the moment? i think what itoris johnson _ house at the moment? i think what boris johnson said _ house at the moment? i think what boris johnson said at _ house at the moment? i think what boris johnson said at prime - borisjohnson said at prime minister's questions is the first suggestion from him, first acceptance from him that there are some questions that really do n

the health secretary, matt hancock, says regular testing is vital to help the country get back to normalur political correspondent, helen catt. so you'll feel a slight pressure... secondary school children are already used to being regularly tested for coronavirus. from friday the government wants everyone in england to do the same. it will offer two free lateral flow tests every week to everyone. they could be through work, at community testing centres, from pharmacies, or sent directly to your home. the regular testing is designed to pick up people who have the virus but don't have symptoms. alongside the vaccine roll—out, it's part of the government's strategy to open up again. it's one of the key elements that will help us keep track of this disease. people self—isolate when they have a positive test so we keep that disease under control, and it allows us to get on with opening up, in a safe way, our economy and our country again. for now, unlocking england looks on track. it's expected the prime minister will confirm later that shops, hairdressers and gyms can reopen next monday as

you can tell that the health secretary, matt hancock, didn't want to touch this with a barge pole, andt way. the connections between money and politics can get pretty toxic. this all matters because there are strict rules about how politicians are meant to be completely open and transparent about any money they receive from anyone, loans, gifts or any kind of thing, and we know tonight there are enough questions for an independent organisation, the electoral commission, to think it is worth their while starting a formal investigation. it's not about whether or not the prime minister and his fiancee chose persian rugs or velvet cushions, it's about that very important principle. remember, the prime minister was firm today, as far as he is concerned, no rules have been broken. arlene foster is to resign as the leader of the dup and as first minister of northern ireland. it comes after more than 20 dup assembly members and four mps signed a letter saying they have no confidence in her leadership. emma vardy reports on the implications for northern ireland and the future of the uk. this re

the government has defended the health secretary, matt hancock, after it emerged a firm he has shares with nhs wales. official records show the document—shredding company was awarded the contract, which is worth £300,000, last month. a government spokesperson said mr hancock had followed the ministerial code and had no role in awarding the contracts. it comes as further links emerged between westminster and greensill capital, the collapsed lender that david cameron lobbied for. could this end up being the ultimate food fight? marks & spencer has begun legal action against aldi, arguing the supermarket�*s cuthbert the caterpillar cake infringes its colin the caterpillar trademark. is that clear? of course! so, this is cuthbert the caterpillar. now, m&s claims that the similarity between cuthbert and colin leads consumers to believe they are of the same standard, and "rides on the coat—tails" of m&s�*s reputation. the retailer wants aldi to remove the product from sale. m&s first launched the cake 30 years ago, but many supermarkets have since created their own similar products. i'm a i