the bbc understands that the veteran labour politician, lord mandelson, is to be announced as the newgordon brown and is seen as the architect of labour's landslide victory in 1997. he'll take up his new role as donald trump enters the white house. here's our political correspondent helen catt. peter mandelson has been a familiarface in peter mandelson has been a familiar face in the peter mandelson has been a familiarface in the labour party for decades. it was one of the driving forces behind the creation of new labour in the creation of new labour in the 1990s. the creation of new labour in the 19905. a the creation of new labour in the 1990s. a trusted advisor to tony blair with a reputation as a master of spin. he had been rumoured as a potential candidate for a while, but had been cagey when asked about being the ambassador.- been cagey when asked about being the ambassador. would you being the ambassador. would you be interested _ being the ambassador. would you be interested if _ being the ambassador. would you be interested if you _ being the ambassador. would you be interest

he is seen by many as the architect of new labour. we will bring you more on that as we get it.nfidence in the treasury minister, tulip siddiq, after she was named in a corruption investigation in bangladesh. the investigation is based on accusations that tulip siddiq's family embezzled almost £4 billion from infrastructure projects there. tulip siddiq's responsibilities as a minister include tackling corruption in the uk's financial markets. our investigations correspondentjoe pike has sent this update from westminster. this relates to tulip siddiq's aunt, who ruled bangladesh for two decades until fleeing the country earlier this year, widely considered to be an autocrat who clamps down on dissent. although, we should point out this investigation has been prompted by accusations made by a senior political opponent. her niece, the labour mp minister, tulip siddiq is accused of trying to broker a big info structure deal with russia in 2013 that resulted in £1 billion being siphoned off to private funds. tulip siddiq was pictured with her aunt and vladimir putin in 2013 and the k

in the 13 new labour lords who have been appointed i think will all be very loyal to the labour leadershipy when he was in opposition, a smattering of mps who have been critical ofjeremy corbyn as well. but i think what is very interesting is just to but i think what is very interesting isjust to remember, with but i think what is very interesting is just to remember, with all these new appointments, labour is still formally committed to completely replacing the unelected house of lords. but a labour source said to me, the conservatives have been stuffing this place with their supporters for years, so it would seem that labour are not opposed to doing some pre—christmas stuffing of their own. i think that tells us that they are going to keep their manifesto promise to axe hereditary peers, but i think it also signals that any wider reform of that place over there, and is still some way off. . . ~' over there, and is still some way off. . ., ~ , ., the time is 6.14. our top story this evening — two men are charged after a fight with police at manchester airport, which happened before an off

news. the veteran labour politician lord mandelson is expected to be named the new uk ambassador to the us. he served in multiple ministerial roles under prime ministers tony blair and gordon brown. a government source says it's sending someone with unrivalled political and policy experience, particularly on the crucial issue of trade. republicans in the us congress have said they have come up with a new stopgap funding bill to avert a looming government shutdown. they say the deal includes a suspension of the debt limit until 2027. luigi mangione, who's accused of shooting dead the head of america's biggest health insurance company, has appeared in court in new york after being extradited from pennsylvania. he faces four federal charges, including stalking and murder, in addition to the state charges he was already facing. the french prime minister, francois bayrou, has praised the courage of gisele pelicot — following a mass rape trial in which her ex—husband and 50 other defendants were found guilty. dominique pelicot was jailed for 20 years for organising the repeated drugging and rape

you think the appetite is from europe for some sort of change going forward with this relatively new uk labour new uk labour government? certainly the expectation _ government? certainly the expectation in _ government? certainly the expectation in europe, - government? certainly the expectation in europe, to. government? certainly the i expectation in europe, to be much more constructive in our... iagree much more constructive in our... i agree that there are also challenges relating to the security in europe. i think therefore the expectation, it should be possible to succeed in making this work. in practical _ in making this work. in practical terms, what are the options, do you think?- practical terms, what are the options, do you think? well, i thinkthat _ options, do you think? well, i think that it _ options, do you think? well, i think that it would _ options, do you think? well, i think that it would need - options, do you think? well, i think that it would need to - options, do you think? well, i think that it would need to be | think that it would need to be strategic and pragmatic.

with the hope that we were going to get something from this new labour government, they're all feelinge spoken to one or two of the ladies that are in my group. the age is to claim a state pension had been 60 for women, and 65 for men. from 2010, the state pension age for women was due to gradually increase to 65 over the following decade. but then it was announced that process would happen by 2018, two years sooner than originally announced. this march, the parliamentary ombudsman said the change had been unfair and women should be compensated. but the government has decided not to. this was maladministration. we accept that we and we are sorry. but we don't agree to what the ombudsman concluded on injustice and on remedy. even if we had sent those letters out, we provided research which showed it wouldn't have made the difference the ombudsman said. and for that reason, we aren't providing compensation. for this cohort of women, it's a second, unexpected blow within four months, as many of them have also had their winter fuel payment removed. these are women who have had the rug pull

lord mandelson was a huge figure during the new labour years, but he has not served in government since he was last a minister under gordon brown, 14 years ago. and within labour ranks it would be fair to see he is "loved and loathed in equal measure". not entirely to the taste of those on the left of the party. but it is an important appointment this. given the concern that focus that is always there on the special relationship. sir keir starmer in recent days has talked about resuming talks over a trade deal. and of course lord mandelson served as business secretary and also european commissioner for trade in brussels. helen catt. one of the names long touted for the show, lord mandelson, he has been cagey about it. one of the names in the frame certainly. two things are striking about him is a choice, the first this comes after many years when actually the top diplomats of the uk centre washington have tended to be civil servants or have a civil service background, dame karen pierce for example. a political figure, lord mandelson. an unusual move in and of itself, the second thing is

>> i was at the count in my former constituency of harlow, cheering in the new labour mp. estingly, was the calling of the general election. i was sitting at home at lunchtime on the day the election was called, and i got a text from gb news saying, if the election is called this afternoon, will you come into the studio this evening? and i just roared myself with laughter. yes, they're having a joke. and i tell that story because it still beggars belief that sunak went to the country when he did, and i think majorly he just had enough and he wanted to go to the country and there was that huge landslide. but i said before the election, labour would be elected and be the first party to be elected with a landslide, with no enthusiasm. and i think that's part of the problem that labour is grappling with in government. >> and when you say huge landslide, i know there'll be many people will be watching this in their christmas festive attire and they'll be shouting and going, well, hang on a second. yes, technically it was a landslide, but of course many people will say only 20% o

veteran labour politician lord mandelson has been named as the new uk ambassador to the united statesnent figure during the new labour years, but he has not served in government since 2010. authorities in southwestern nigeria authorities in southwestern nigeria say 35 children have died in a crush at an end—of—year fair at a school. more people than expected are thought to have turned up for the event, after organisers promised free food and money. the organisers of the event have been arrested. us authorities have banned drones in 22 newjersey cities until 17 january, allowing authorities to use deadly force against aircraft deemed a security threat. the move follows mysterious drone sightings across the state, and other parts of the us, which sparked public concern. the ban restricts drones from flying below 400 feet — or about 120 metres — the faa's limit for recreational flights. and there's a new record—holder in town this christmas. # here we are with a song to sing, a story to be told... a group of care home residents in the uk — many with dementia — have set a new guinness wor

veteran labour politician lord mandelson is expected to be named as the new uk ambassador to the united he has not served in government since 2010. a google street view image of a man loading a large white plastic bag into the boot of his car has helped unravel a murder case in a northern spanish town. police say the google cameras happened to be recording the street at the exact moment the body of the victim was allegedly being removed. and there's a new record holder in town this christmas. a group of care home residents in the uk, many with dementia, have set a new guinness world record for being the world's oldest choir. the average age of the group of senior songbirds is 94 and they were crowned after performing at a christmas carol concert in stratford—upon—avon. that's all for now, stay with bbc news. hello there. some very blustery weather over the next few days and it is looking particularly windy wherever you are through the weekend. and a whole range of temperatures, too. milder again on friday and saturday, briefly colder on sunday, then temperatures are set to rise as we he

governments of tony blair and gordon brown, and is seen as the architect of labour's landslide victory in 1997. he'll take up his newte house. here's our political correspondent helen catt. peter mandelson has been a familiar face in the labour party for decades. he was one of the driving forces behind the creation of new labour in the 1990s, a trusted adviser to tony blair with a reputation as a master of spin. he'd been rumoured as a potential candidate for a while, but had been cagey when asked about being the ambassador. would you be interested if you were asked? - i would be very interested, indeed, in giving advice about trade to whoever is appointed. elected as the mp for hartlepool in 1992, peter mandelson went on to serve in tony blair's cabinet, but was forced to resign twice. in the noughties, he went to brussels as the european trade commissioner before returning as business secretary under gordon brown. it's his experience of trade that is one of the reasons behind his appointment as ambassador. donald trump has talked of imposing big tariffs on imports into the us, which the prime minister yesterday to

news. a us government shutdown looms after dozens of republicans vote against a spending bill backed by donald trump. the labour grandee lord mandelson is expected to be named as the uk's next ambassador to the us. american diplomats make theirfirst official visit to damascus in more than a decade for talks with syria's new islamist leadership. is rapidly ticking. if it is not done by midnight tonight, then funding runs out at 1201. why has it got to this point? there has been a long history of shutdowns in the us. one thing i think was kind of unexpected this week was the amount of resistance to the trump—backed deal from members of his own party. he thought he had taken control of the party at every level of government. the 38 republicans who voted against some of his closest allies in the past, and i think that was kind of unexpected. but more than that, the involvement of elon musk and donald trump and jd vance in the process earlier this week ultimately doomed to the negotiated bipartisan deal. so that has kinder brought us to where are now. it isa it is a chaotic a few hours ahead. lawmakers are scramblin

news. a us government shutdown looms after dozens of republicans vote against a spending bill backed by donald trump. the labourrfirst official visit to damascus in more than a decade for talks with syria's new islamist leadership. and the face—off lasted 11 minutes and 20 seconds. now all eyes on usyk and fury ahead of their hugely anticipated rematch tomorrow. live from london, this is bbc news. a us government shutdown looms after dozens of republicans vote against a spending bill backed by donald trump. the labour grandee lord mandelson is expected to be named as the uk's next ambassador to the us. american diplomats make theirfirst official visit to damascus in more than a decade for talks with syria's new islamist leadership.

peter mandelson was a prominent figure during the new labour years, but he has not served in government—year fair at a school. more people than expected are thought to have turned up for the event, after organisers promised free food and money. the organisers of the event have been arrested. us authorities have banned drones in 22 newjersey cities until 17 january, allowing authorities to use deadly force against aircraft deemed a security threat. the move follows mysterious drone sightings across the state and other parts of the us, which sparked public concern. a google street view image of a man loading a large white plastic bag into the boot of his car has helped unravel a murder case in a northern spanish town. police say the google cameras happened to be recording the street at the exact moment the body of the victim was allegedly being removed a group of care home residents — average age 94 — have set a new guinness world record for being the world's oldest choir. 0ur correspondent phil mackie watched them in action in stratford—upon—avon. # good tidings we bring, to you and your

he was one of the driving forces behind the creation of new labour in the 1990s.ny blair with a reputation as a master of spin. he'd been rumoured as a potential candidate for a while, but had been cagey when asked about being the ambassador. would you be interested if you were asked? i would be very interested indeed in giving advice about trade to whoever is appointed. elected as the mp for hartlepool in 1992, peter mandelson went on to serve in tony blair's cabinet, but was forced to resign twice in the noughties, he went to brussels as the european trade commissioner before returning as business secretary under gordon brown. it's his experience of trade that's one of the reasons behind his appointment as ambassador. donald trump has talked of imposing big tariffs on imports into the us, which the prime minister yesterday told mps the uk needed to avoid. it won't come as any surprise to you that i'm not a fan of tariffs. and therefore we have to make sure that we avoid tariffs. we've got very good trade with the us as we've got very good trade with other countr

the government has appointed 30 new labour peers american diplomats are making theirfirst diplomats american been meeting representatives of the group that is now effectively in charge of the country, having overthrown president bashar al—assad. we are beginning to get some information about what is coming out of that meeting. 0ur correspondent gave me this update on the developments. we 'ust update on the developments. - just had a briefing right now that was a briefing where she talked about different issues that have been discussed today. after meeting the leader of the hts, the de facto leader, she also met with the representative of the civil societies, civil defence forces of the white helmet and various people from the civil society. she basically stressed that they were here to listen to the syrian people, listen to their needs but also to discuss how to protect american interests. they were here also to look for the missing usjournalist who went missing in 2012 and a solid's prisms and other american people who have gone missing during a sub's time. but also discussed various issues

the government has appointed 30 new labour peers to the house of lords.k to our political correspondent, joe pike. and one prominent name among them — sue gray? yes, not a huge surprise to see sue gray's name there, becoming a baroness may soften the blow unsweetened life after that quite difficult departure from keir starmer�*s team. she brings a wealth of experience, some decades in government. what i think is significant and notable about today's announcement is that a prime minister who has committed to eventually getting rid of an unelected upper chamber has today announced a pre—christmas stuffing of it with 30 labour loyalists. there are also six conservatives and two lib going into the building behind me which already has 800 also members, it's the largest second chamber in the world. labour sources saying tonight there was an imbalance in that in that chamber that needed to be corrected, to get keir starmer�*s plan for change through parliament. those names announced today, if there isn't reform, do get a job for life. it's notjust a title, is th

the new labour government found out very quickly just how incredibly difficult stopping the small boatsbe. by october, the numbers making it to uk waters since the beginning of the year passed the almost 29,500 who arrived during the whole of the previous year, but seemingly undeterred, sir keir starmer continued to insist labour's policy of smashing the criminal gangs would work. >> today, a man suspected of being a significant supplier of small boat equipment has been arrested. our approach of working with international partners to smash the people smuggling gangs is bearing fruit. >> the government announced what it said were several significant operations to arrest key people smugglers and disrupt their small boat supplies. but these supply lines are well established and robust, even though the boats themselves and safety equipment are anything but. gb news was shown back in april how people smugglers care little for the well—being of their human cargo. >> just show you an example of that. >> and that's probably not just for a child. they'll probably give that to an adult as well, s

we have the new labour government with the oil and gas initiatives.s that the reason behind this deal? >> no, that was not the reason. the reason is we wanted to build something that was stronger when we combine them. that is the rationale to do this. really strengthen the companies together and really develop knows a way that we can actually create long-term value creation for our companies and for the uk. >> going forward, does this mean -- what does this mean for equinor's cap ex going forward? any changes there? >> you know, i have been in the uk for more than 40 years and we have been developing oil and gas for the good supply for many years. we have developed through a new business and we have pioneered the long solutions. equinor is in a good position going forward. by doing this, we optimize oil and gas in the uk and, of course, building a new company and making a new company. this will be outside of equinor and the confidence we have. >> what are the implications here in terms of esg? do you have to rethink or rechange some of the strategy he

labour's manifesto pledge to build 1.5 million new homes over the course of the parliament, that wouldto around 300,000 per year. the most recent data shows that only 221,000 met —— net additional dwellings were delivered in england in 2023-24, delivered in england in 2023—24, down on the previous year. many housing experts are sceptical about the feasibility of labour's target, given the lack of affordability of new housing, which has put off barriers and deterred many developers from building. there are also expected to be targets for clean power and for raising the share of children who are ready for school at the age of five by improving access to early years education. now, of these, it's the targets on clean power, housing and hospital waiting times, which are likely to prove the hardest to meet. of course, needless to say he on bbc news we will be across all of that as progresses. south korea's ruling party has said it will not vote to remove the president from office, after his failed attempt to bring the country under martial law. most recent data shows that only 221,000 met —

under the london labour mayor, new affordable housing in london is down about 88%.cross england, the conservative government delivered over 500,000 homes. they have already weakened their requirement for 50% of affordable homes on the greenbelt by allowing the use of the use of viability assessments. this change will it mean if you were affordable homes. the labour government is not a failed first—time buyers, the conservative government doubled the number buying every year compared to 2010 by the means of the stamp duty discounts, help to buy, right to buy and affordable homes to purchase programmes, some of which have the secretary of state herself get onto the housing ladder. all now axed by the housing ladder. all now axed by the socialist governments, pulling up the socialist governments, pulling up the housing ladder. there going to build or offer rural areas were claiming it is greybelt land is what we delivered over1 million homes in the last parliament alone. but it is vital even more that we build on the right places with the right infrastructure. but the

new life. but labour's repeated promise to smash the gangs has no timetable to match.slogans. so, you know, rishi sunak did say stop the boats in a year... but it's not about slogans in a year, home secretary. when it comes to something like waiting lists and the nhs, the government's very happy to put targets publicly on that and say, "measure us by whether we hit those." when it comes to kids' education, the government's been very happy to put a target on that, saying, "judge us by this measure." when it comes to this issue, you won't give us a yardstick by when we could know when people can actually expect there'll be a significant difference — why not? because it makes it feel like it's not a priority to the government in the way that some other issues are. well, quite the opposite. we've made clear that the border security is actually one of the foundational issues, before you even get to any of the missions. the conservatives say labour is failing to control the country's borders, yet it's a problem the government's rivals know all too well is hard to solve. laur

news. the veteran labour politician lord mandelson is expected to be named the new uk ambassador to the us.n the us congress have said they have come up with a new stopgap funding bill to avert a looming government shutdown. they say the deal includes a suspension of the debt limit until 2027. luigi mangione, who's accused of shooting dead the head

political commentator, that the deal over these milestones, an idea i think, taken from the labour government in new, was thrashed out in pat mcfadden�*s garden between keir starmer, pat mcfadden and morgan mcsweeney, the chief of staff, over tequila. you asked pat mcfadden about this. yes, and i think it might have been morgan mcsweeney�*s. garden was in the paper rather than the pat mcfadden�*s garden. i think it was pat mcfadden. ok, well, it's one of the gardens. it was a garden. and i said, was there tequila? i didn't specify which garden. he said, no, he's never drunk tequila in his life. so this plan was not thrashed out over tequila. he added that he's more of a guinness man but never drunk tequila. but also, you don't drink tequila during the daytime? no. well, it might have been an evening meeting, but also, i think it's enough. to me, tequila is what you have at the end of the night when you're already... or get the night going. there is a possible joe and i were talking about how it could have been a mishear of. of, uh, they took the idea to kia. they took it to kier. we took it to someb

belgium has passed a new law that will give them labour rights and employment contracts.who works at a store can get maternity leave, why not somebody who works as a sex worker? you know, when you have been pregnant and you have just given birth, i do not think it is possible to start working as fast. the new law is a first in this industry. for mel, the best thing about it is that sex workers under their contracts can refuse any client and any sexual act. i think it's great — i am very proud to be a belgian sex worker and that we are so far ahead. one of the key changes this law brings is that employers — or what many called pimps — would be able to work legally for the first time, following a set of strict rules. anyone convicted of a serious crime will not be able to operate. this is an erotic massage parlour. they employ 15 sex workers. is this legal? he chuckles. er... it will be. it will be legal with the new law that's coming. now, it's like a grey zone. it's difficult. what do you think about the new law? i think it's important to have rights, like any otherjob, b

labour contract. workers in cities including new york, atlanta and san francisco took part in what the teamsters union called the largest ever strike against the firm, with demonstrations at hundreds of warehouses across the country. yet amazon, one of the largest us employers, said its services would not be disrupted during the crucial holiday shopping period. it also said that they don't directly employ the teamsters�* members on strike. the retail giant — which denies the employees�* claims of unfair practices — has long faced criticism of its working conditions and been the target of activists. the teamsters union, with more than1 million members overall, is well—known for winning contracts for members at firms such as ups. the union says other sites may join the effort. live pictures now, as chinese president xijinping is speaking at the inauguration of macau�*s new government. let�*s take a listen. translation: hong kong and macau, since their return to the motherland, experience tells us maintaining the long—term prosperity of hong kong and macau, and continue to promote the adequate implementa

the baseline for this is the fact that the newish labour government in the uk news that the deal inheriteds too hard a brexit, to clean a break, and the uk economy, which has suffered from slowish growth over the past few years, could do with the boost of not having to deal with many of the trade barriers, nontariff barriers as they are called, extra red tape, that leaving the single market and customs union inevitably entails. they are not going to reverse those headline strategic moves, by the conservative government. they don't want to rejoin the single market or customs union or do anything that would lead to freedom of movement coming again. that was clear in the labour manifesto last summer. but it strikes me that a lot is “p but it strikes me that a lot is up for grabs within that, if you accept those red lines. with everything else on the table, if everything else conceivably is on the table then there could be some degree of ambition in the amount of these trade barriers you could take down, particularly in the food and farming sector, where a veterinary agreement could span anyth

labour party grandee lord peter mandelson is expected to be the new uk ambassador to the united statescrowd shouts. a furious reception for president macron on the french indian ocean territory of mayotte, which has been devastated by a cyclone. a marathon four—hour press conference by president putin — in which he stoutly defends his role at home and abroad. #jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way.# and it's officially the world's oldest choir — the care home residents who've set a guinness world record. on newsnight at 10.30pm tonight, we'll bring you fresh insight on the stories of the day, with big interviews and our regular panel of newsnighters — and of course, look at what the papers are saying about tomorrow's news. good evening. the mass rape trial which has stunned france and the world has ended with 51 men all being found guilty. all but two of them are in jail tonight for what they did to this one woman — 72 year old gisele pelicot. herformer husband, whom she married in 1973, got the longest sentence — 20 years — for drugging his wife and allowing dozens of men to

breaking news that marie sherlock the labour candidate has been tipped to take the fourth seat in thel constituency. otherwise, fianna fail, one of the outgoing government parties has 21 seats, and fina gael has 20 seats and sinn fein has 14. i am joined by the dublin reporter who can bring us an update. a lot of commotion here going on. update. a lot of commotion here auoin on. , update. a lot of commotion here uuoinon. , ,, going on. yes, marie sherlock will be the _ going on. yes, marie sherlock will be the second _ going on. yes, marie sherlock will be the second female - will be the second female labour_ will be the second female labour td. will be the second female labourtd. labourare will be the second female labour td. labour are quietly hopeful— labour td. labour are quietly hopeful in this election that they— hopeful in this election that they can _ hopeful in this election that they can do better as one of they can do better as one of the smaller centre—left parties that seems to be doing quite well— that seems to be doing quite well with both the labour and social— well wi

labour. live from singapore. this is bbc news.s work towards a transitional government days after they toppled bashar al—assad. a man is arrested at al—assad. a man is arrested at a pennsylvania mcdonald's in connection with the killing of a healthcare ceo in new york. concern in seoul over who is in control of the country as the president is barred from travel. hello and welcome to newsday. i'm steve lai. we start in the middle east where seismic events in syria have been causing shockwaves in the country and abroad. work is under way in damascus to build a transitional government, currently no—one is officially in charge of the country but

news. speaking on bbc radio 4's today programme this morning, labour mp rupa huq said airings of masterchefis an argument for pausing, while this investigation takes its course, and maybe not airing it tonight. i mean, it could be massively triggering for the women involved. in fact, any woman involved in any type of similar incident. so i think out of sensitivity because otherwise, i mean, i know you're saying that he's, um, he's stopped presenting, but to the casual viewer, there's not going to be any difference if it's on tv tonight. it looks like sort of he got away with it. and i think the bbc should send a strong signal that this sort of behaviour. i mean, we need to let the investigation do its work. but at the same time, if he's being dangled on our screens when all this is going on, ijust think at the moment maybe pause it. france's parliament is facing a crucial budget vote on monday which could potentially trigger a no—confidence vote in the prime minister, michel barnier. mr barnier lacks a majority and his social security budget is widely opposed within parliament. marine le pe

labour. hello there. live from washington, this is bbc news.pital, damascus, as president bashar al—assad's office denies reports he has fled the country. storm darragh rages across the uk, leaving two people dead and hundreds of thousands of people without power. south korea's president avoids impeachment over his brief declaration of martial law, but questions remain about his future. and paris's notre dame cathedral is reborn, with donald trump and volodymyr zelensky among world leaders marking the moment. hello, i'm helena humphrey. syrian rebel fighters are advancing on the country's capital, damascus. news agencies reuters and afp say residents in damascus have told them they have heard gunfire in the city. the syrian army says it is boosting its military deployment there, and president bashar al—assad's government says reports the army had withdrawn from areas around

the conservatives say labour is failing to control the country's borders, yet it's a problem the government's rivals know all too well is hard to solve. laura kuenssberg, bbc newse home office has announced the creation of a new �*joint international irregular migration unit', drawing on expertise from the fcdo and home 0ffice.according to the department, the new unit will: �*coordinate the extensive work already being done across the fcdo and the home office to tackle irregular migration, recognising that it requires international collaboration. us lawmakers are expecting further classified briefings which may address the unexplained drone sightings across a number of american states. the fbi says its had more than three thousand reports since the flying objects first started to appear in the skies over the state of newjersey about a month ago. here s our north amnerica correspondent, rowan bridge. another drone. it's the mystery that is gripping america. all the drones in the sky. they are not scary per se, they are not looking through your window or crashing into your house, but it is still concerning because there are these mystery ufos — unidentified flyin

news. we're live on tv, online, and on digital radio. coming up, have labour got their priorities wrong? ext, it's my great debate. i'm asking, is donald trump good well it's fast approaching 21 minutes after 3:00. this is gb news. we are britain's news channel. i'm nana akua. welcome. if you've just tuned in it's the beginning of the show. wonderful. and it's time now for the great british debate this houn the great british debate this hour. and i'm asking is donald trump for good britain? now the incoming us leader will meet prince william ahead of the reopening ceremony for notre dame cathedral in paris for talks on the special relationship. and this comes as donald trump has touted as touted a more isolationist foreign policy and pledged to slap tariffs on trade, although he hasn't mentioned specifically the uk . he's mentioned a couple the uk. he's mentioned a couple of other countries specifically, like china, but he hasn't mentioned. that's him saying i'm doing a little mimic of him doing a little mimic of him doing that. so for the great british debate this year, i'm asking, is he

labour's manifesto pledged to build 1.5 million new homes over the course of the parliament.ospital waiting times which are likely to prove the hardest to meet. we'rejoined by the home secretary, yvette cooper. thank secretary, yvette cooper. you forjoining us on bb( brea kfast. thank you forjoining us on bbc breakfast. why is a reset needed now five months into government? the prime five months into government? tue: prime minister five months into government? tte: prime minister is five months into government? tt9 prime minister is setting out today the plan for change, and this is the major milestones that capture the priorities for people across the country and the things that we are determined need to change over the next two years. before the election we set out the big missions for the country, for example, in my area that was around making the streets safer and around reducing serious violence and also restoring confidence in policing but now what we are doing after the budget and spending review is setting out what it means in terms of the major milestones on the diff

labour adviser and columnist paul richards. and paul, thank you so much for coming in. i mean, this feels like very bad newsthe labour government. the one thing that they promised was to be better at managing the economy than the conservatives. >> well, i think they are better at managing the economy after the liz truss budget. but i would say i thought rachel reeves interview with gb news this morning was actually quite bullish. i think she sounded quite confident. i think she's being realistic about the fact that the immediate improvements aren't going to happen straight away, but i think there is a plan there now and some stability. the markets haven't gone haywire today in the result of this news that the economy is flatlining. and it's interesting that if you look underneath the office of national statistics figures, two things that are of concern. one is services and retail. well, that will pick up over christmas and the other is construction. well, labour has just announced a massive house building programme which will definitely get that moving too. so i think we will see growth in the next quarter.

and farming products, but a lot of the potential of the new agreement between the two parties will be limited by some of the factors that labourmitted to. including free movement and an absolute return to the single market. what are the key areas that would stand to benefit from closer ties? we know the uk is a big exporter in a number of key fields. which would see the biggest uplift? an? key fields. which would see the biggest uplift?— biggest uplift? any industries that our supply _ biggest uplift? any industries that our supply chain - biggest uplift? any industries| that our supply chain intensive such as manufacturing would be a prime example of an industry expected to benefit from this, as would be export intensive businesses like on the good side of the economy.- businesses like on the good side of the economy. how much of this is down _ side of the economy. how much of this is down to _ side of the economy. how much of this is down to what - side of the economy. how much of this is down to what is - of this is down to what is happening elsewhere? especially the us tariffs and the protectionist america under donald tru

governments of tony blair and gordon brown and is seen as the architect of labour's landslide victory in 1997. he will take up his new house. let's speak to sir simon fraser, who was peter mandelson's chief of staff when he served as european trade commissioner. simon, thank you for being with us. is peter mandelson to the right man for this very, very sensitive and delicate job? thank you for having me. yes, i think probably at the moment it is a very good choice. peter mandelson is always somebody who can generate a bit of controversy, but if you look at his career he has a very experienced political operator, a very experienced international negotiator. with the americans, with the chinese, he has operated with the european union. he brings great experience to this. he is very well—connected politically in this government and that is what we need in our ambassador. it is a really important appointment at a very important time, so i think it is a good one. ~ . , time, so i think it is a good one. ~ ., , ., . ., one. we have seen a certain level of public _ one. we have seen a certain level of public animosity - one

labour. we approached xinjiang guannong. they did not respond. runako celina, bbc news. that report also on our website.y... ..the amazing story of "the boy who lived" — the harry potter stunt double whose life changed after a horrific accident. and the word to describe that feeling when you've been doom—scrolling ? i'll tell you what it is shortly. around the world and across the uk. this is the world today on bbc news. david holmes lived a young boy's dream. now to an absolute inspirational story. david holmes lived a young boy's dream. a competitive gymnast, he was thrust into the hollywood spotlight when he landed the role as stunt double to daniel radcliffe in the harry potter films. then in 2009, david's world changed when a horrific accident fractured his c6 and c7 vertebrae, leaving him paralysed from the chest down. in a period of emotional soul—searching, he came to an important realisation: he was a survivor, not a victim, and he's now documented hisjourney in a new book titled "the boy who lived". i am delighted to say that david joins me now. david, firstly, i don't even know where to begin

it is important to put that into context as well as you think about the new year and the plans from the labourovernment as well. we see downward pressure in italy with the ftse mib down .50%. with the sectorial breakdown, it is technology gaining .70% followed by retail. i want to take you to the laggards. that is were the important stories are this morning. the benchmark trading down .10%. oil and gas is down 1.5%. yes, we are looking at lower oil prices this morning, but all in all, what we are witnessing is investors are concerned about the demand from china and briefly, i want to take you to healthcare down 1% at this stage. it was likely to be a very important year for healthcare. we are hearing several comments from analysts how m&a to be a big driver for healthcare in 2025. we shall find on the.ut. we see pressure in the sector. i want to dive into it for now. looking at the yields on long data uk debt, they hit the highest level in over a year this morning. this after uk wage data showed salaries increasing more than expected. traders are now trimming their bets on the bank of england

confirmed that the number of migrants crossing the channel in small boats, since labour came the government is setting newildings. ministers claim high rise blocks will be made safe by 2029 but campaigners say that, seven years after the grenfell tower disaster, the plan is �*extremely disappointing.�* 0ur housing reporter tara welsh has the latest. it's basically ruined my life. i feel insecure in my own home. just tears of rage. every family should have the right to sleep, knowing that they're not sleeping on a high risk building. we're kind of waiting for other people to make decisions. thousands of people discovered their homes had building safety defects following the grenfell tower tragedy in 2017, but disputes over who pays to make towers safe have dragged on. today, ministers said they wanted developers to double the rate of remediation, and cladding on high—rise towers that are backed by government safety funding must be fixed by the end of 2029. also the rapid identification, i think the public would be astonished that we think between 4,000—7,000 buildings not yet identified with possible dange

exploitation, but with men the picture is a bit different, more forced labour, and one of the things that the report highlights is a newmenon where very highly educated people are being trafficked in places like southeast asia and being forced into making online scams and cyber scams, online fraud, and they are kept in areas which are like detention centres and forced to do this online work. just briefly, are there particular areas where they have had success improving the situation? yes, they say there are efforts under way in europe in places like that where their rehabilitation schemes for women. he probably spotted the qr cloud on your screen. if you click on it you can get more information on the farmers protest happening in central london. live pictures right and centre of town, a number of tractors bringing traffic to a halt and this is a bit of repetition, only last month around 13,000 people attended a rally against the changes to inheritance tax which were planned by the government which would see farmers pay 20% in agricultural assets worth more than £1 million. a number of farmers have said although that so

the government's launched a consultation on its plans to phase out new petrol and diesel cars by 2030. in its election manifesto, labourovernment to extend the deadline to 2035. the transport secretary heidi alexander is now seeking views from the industry about how to deliver the ban. the scottish government says the ambulance service has declared the highest level of emergency due to pressures, including lengthy hospital handover times and an increase in respiratory viruses. the status means staff leave could be cancelled and all available staff might be called into work. christmas orders have been further delayed for some morrisons customers. it comes more than 24 hours after the supermarket had what it called "systems issues" causing deliveries to be cancelled and discounts not applied. morrisons has apologised and says deliveries are back to normal but it has yet to reveal the cause of the problem. you're live with bbc news. denmark says it will increase its defence spending on greenland by at least $1.5 billion. the promise came just hours after america's president—elect, donald trump, repeated his desire for the