nick eardley in downing street, thank you. emerge successfully from early clinical trials says it won't start to make a significant difference until next summer. professor ugur sahin, whose company biontech developed the vaccine with the pharmaceutical giant pfizer, told the bbc today this would be a hard winter, but normal life should be resuming this time next year. he also believes the vaccine will reduce the spread of infection, as well as disease. our health correspondent sophie hutchinson reports. tiny vials of the new biontech/pfizer vaccine, which hold the world's hope for an end to the pandemic. but today, one of its creators, from the husband—and—wife team, warned there were still many months to get through. this winter will be hard. we will not have a big impact on the infection numbers with our vaccine this winter. the bigger impact will happen until summer. the summer will help us anyway, because the infection rate will go down in the summer, and what is absolutely essential is that we get a high vaccination rate

thank you very much, nick eardley. at the age of 7a. sutcliffe murdered 13 women across yorkshire and the north west of england between 1975 and 1980. emma glasbey has this report on how the killings affected women at the time. for more than five years, women in yorkshire were told they were at risk. any woman, anywhere, is a potential target. the warnings were everywhere, the awful atrocities so close to home. pretty awful. scared. we're very scared. and we're not going to go out again on our own, ever. itjust worries me sick, really. i will never go out on my own at night. we're all the same. it's terrible. 13 women were murdered. 0thers survived attacks but were left devastated. my attack did shape my life. within a matter of five minutes, one side of that timescale, i was a happy—go—lucky, young, innocent art student, and after that, i became sarcastic and cynical and i lost trust. and sometimes i lost empathy because it was overshadowed by anger. and that did impact on my relationships. for women in yorkshire, it

nick eardley there.here were 26,860 new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. that means that the average number of new cases reported per day, in the last week, is now 2a,702. 1,617 people have been admitted to hospital on average each day, over the week to last tuesday. and a62 deaths were reported, that's people who died within 28 days, of a positive covid—19 test. it means on average in the past week, a11 deaths were announced every day. it takes the total number of deaths so far across the uk to 51,766. the headlines on bbc news... the conflict in northern ethiopia spreads with rocket attacks on two cities and reports of fighting across the eritrean border. a thumbs—up from donald trump as thousands of his supporters line the streets of the us capital in support of his unsubstantiated claims of voterfraud. conservative mps urge the prime minister to reset his government after the departure of his top adviser, dominic cummings. austria is going into lockdown again from next tu

nick eardley there. stay with us on bbc news.he most successful driver in the history of formula i — as he secures his seventh world title. benazir bhutto has claimed victory in pakistan's general election, and she's asked pakistan's president to name her as prime minister. jackson's been released on bail of $3 million after turning himself into police in santa barbara. it was the biggest demonstration so far of the fast—growing european anti—nuclear movement. the south african government has announced that it's opening the country's remaining whites—only beaches to people of all races. this will lead to a black majority government in this country and the destruction of the white civilisation. part of the centuries—old windsor castle, one of the queen's residences, has been consumed by fire for much of the day. 150 firemen have been battling the blaze, which has caused millions of pounds worth of damage. this is bbc news. our main headline: spacex's first operational crewed flight is on its way to the international space station

nick eardley, bbc news.ales and the duchess of cornwall have become the first members of the royal family to attend germany's annual commemoration for victims of war and dictatorship. the ceremony in berlin marks germany's national day of mourning. and in a speech at the german parliament, the prince said the bonds between the uk and germany would endure after brexit. our correspondent damien mcguinness has more. a day of sadness for the victims of war, but also a reminder of the miracle of reconciliation between two countries who were once enemies. this is the first time that a member of the royal family has come for this commemoration. the meaning of this national day of mourning has evolved over the years. for the nazis, it was about glorifying war, but for modern germany, it's about pursuing peace and remembering all victims of oppression. a message echoed by the wreath of poppies laid here by prince charles. today's visit comes at a crucial time in the uk's relations with its near neighbours. in a speec

here's our political correspondent nick eardley. by the front door for the last time — dominic cummings, who had been boris johnson's most senior and influential aide, but whose time at the heart of government is over. when boris johnson became prime minister, he turned to his allies from the brexit referendum. mr cummings and his vote leave colleagues were brought in to make sure brexit was delivered and to shake up the way the government worked. but mr cummings was deeply controversial, often finding himself in the limelight, in particular after he refused to apologise after driving to barnard castle from london during lockdown. sorry i'm late. we agreed that we should go for a short drive to see if i could drive safely. but it's tensions in here which have proved his downfall, with faction fights in number ten bursting into the open in recent days as different groups fought for influence over the prime minister. boris johnson's fiancee, carrie symonds, was one of those who'd raised concerns, but for months, many of borisjohnson‘s

explain nick eardley is in westminster. what has happenec a explain what has happened. saturday and one of the slides in particularfrom conference on saturday and one of the slides in particular from the chief scientific adviser has caused some controversy because it suggested that in a scenario you could see up to 1500 deaths a day by early december. matters far more than in the first wave. but graf has had to be revised because the data showed that the figure was more likely to be 1000 a day. still a huge number but more in line with what we saw in the first wave. the government is adamant this does not change the arguments around lockdown. it says the science is still clear that it is necessary. michael gove has been seeing today he is absolutely sure it was the right decision to make. pointing in particular to what james was just talking about, the figures around nhs capacity, seeing if we did not go into lockdown there is a risk the nhs would be overwhelmed. this matters because there are tory mps who are increasingly sceptical about some of the data they are seein

coming into contact with someone who has tested positive for covid—19. 0ur political correspondent nick eardleyon was contacted today by the test and trace programme in the uk and told that he had come into contact with someone that he had come into contact with someone who has tested positive. my understanding is he had a meeting with a group of conservative mps on thursday. since that meeting, one of those mps, lee anderson, developed symptoms and has subsequently tested positive. boris johnson symptoms and has subsequently tested positive. borisjohnson was contacted as a result. it is a pretty big deal. he will have to stay at home for the next ten days, it means he will not be able to be in parliament. i'm told he will be working from downing street. he still attends on communicating with the country, it is a big week for borisjohnson. he the country, it is a big week for boris johnson. he is the country, it is a big week for borisjohnson. he is trying to reset his government after some faction fighting in his office over the last few days. there are conversations taking part with the parli

our political correspondent nick eardley reports. few months stopping the government thinks they're going to be crucial to controlling the virus in future. yesterday we had a target with half a million daily tests available and from friday a new mass testing scheme is being rolled out here in liverpool with a number —— where the number of cases is among the highest in england stopping everyone, even those without symptoms will be offered a regular test. 2000 armed forces personnel are being deployed to help in what the prime minister hopes will bea the prime minister hopes will be a new weapon against the virus. borisjohnson was in parliament today to explain his plans for a new england wide lockdown, coming into force for a month from thursday. modelling presented by our scientist suggests that without action we could see up to twice as many deaths over the winter as many deaths over the winter as we saw in the first wave. faced with these latest figures there is no alternative but to ta ke there is no alternative but to take furthe

let's speak to our political correspondent nick eardley.sir simon stevens will be alongside the prime minister, which is where we think the direction of travel might be with this. that's right. first day of the new national lockdown in england and i think borisjohnson we lockdown in england and i think boris johnson we want lockdown in england and i think borisjohnson we want to ram home some of the messages about why he thinks that is necessary. we saw the government get a bit of a kicking in the commons yesterday over its strategy. lots of its own mps and some of its own voters were unhappy with the way things are going. so we will hear boris johnson with the way things are going. so we will hear borisjohnson and sir simon stevens remind us of the concerns about nhs capacity, the concerns about nhs capacity, the concerns about nhs capacity, the concerns about the spread of the virus and hammer home why they think this lockdown is necessary. but as you say, big questions about that an announcement from the chancellor earlier today that the

nick eardley, bbc news, westminster. political correspondent jessica parker who's at downing street. good morning. cabinet meeting this morning, what can we expect from that? yeah, we have recently seen the chief whip go in at this morning to the cabinet meeting. of course he is dealing with a restless conservative party on the back benches at the moment, some of whom are unhappy about the new lockdown for england. some are also pretty unhappy about the way it has all been communicated. i think one of the big questions that may or may not be answered today, let's see what happens, is around furlough after the prime minister suggested last night that different parts of the uk in the future go into lockdown restrictions that they would get full furlough payments. that is where businesses are forced to close. we have not had any details yet from the treasury as to how that might work, or indeed any kind of confirmation. it will be interesting later on to see in the house of commons, anneliese dodds, the shadow chancellor, w

nick eardley at westminster thank you.ced by the chancellor. joining now is azad zagana, senior european economist at schroders. thank you for talking to us on bbc news. do you broadly understand the concerns of some people about where exactly this extended fellow is going? yes, it is supporting wages, but business owners are saying there are other financial demands that they have to meet which they are simply not able to? absolutely. there are a number of areas where the various now support schemes which have been unveiled by the chancellor failed to support different sectors, different types of people in different types of roles and with different employment status. we have seen the largest share of thejob status. we have seen the largest share of the job losses we have seen so far since march have been for part—time and so far since march have been for pa rt—time and self—employed so far since march have been for part—time and self—employed people. this scheme and the new schemes that we re this scheme and the new schem

our political correspondent nick eardley reports.ic cummings era in government is coming to an end. borisjohnson wants to clear the air in downing street, and that means his chief aide, seen here this morning leaving home, won't be returning to number 10. the way this place works matters to us all — to how decisions are made, to the direction of policy. after the very high—profile departures of recent days, and some of the drama inside, some tories are hoping for a change. it does give the government a chance to reset all sorts of things — its relationship with parliament, the way it deals with the press. i'm told, its relationship with cabinet. many of the failures of the last nine months have not been mr cummings‘s fault, they've been intrinsic in the system. there have been many unhappy tory mps in recent months, angry at high—profile u—turns, worried the prime minister wasn't listening to them. one of them told me changes in the top team would be important. it's going to make an enormous difference. over the past year, there has

downing street said the prime minister is not showing symptoms. 0ur uk political correspondent nick eardleytrace programme in the uk and told that he'd come into contact with someone who's tested positive. my understanding is he's had a meeting with a group of conservative mps on thursday. since that meeting, one of those mps, a man called lee anderson, developed symptoms and has subsequently tested positive. borisjohnson was contacted as a result. it's a pretty big deal. he'll have to stay home for the next ten days, it means he won't be able to be in parliament. i'm told he will be working from downing street. he does still intend on communicating with the country, it's supposed to be a pretty big week for boris johnson, he's trying to reset his government after some faction fighting in his office over the last few days. there are conversations taking part with the parliamentary authorities in the uk to see whether he can still contribute to the commons, but i think it's fair to say this couldn't have come at a worse time for borisjohnson. it's also worth bearing in mind he was extremely

here's our political correspondent, nick eardley.ly of seven in dorset. and this is the message he got earlier this month telling him to self—isolate. but because it was through the nhs app, oliver didn't qualify for support. after a lot of chasing around, it turns out that i'm not entitled to the financial support, and i want to follow their guidelines. but then they sort of leave me in the lurch a bit without the financial support. we're a young family and this time of year, let alone just christmas, it's a rough time of year for everybody and it's been a rough year for everybody. to have that financial burden put on top of us as well, ifeel a massive injustice with it. the government does offer a grant of £500 for many people on low incomes who can't work because they've been told to stay at home by test & trace. but many people are falling through the gaps, like parents who are forced to stay at home while their children self—isolate and those using the app. we know that generally people want to do the right thing and that's why

our uk political correspondent nick eardley has more. he has been contacted by test and trace.hnson was contacted as a result and it is a pretty big deal. he will have to stay home for the next ten days, it means he won‘t be in parliament. i‘m told he will be working from downing street. he does still intent on communicating with the country, it is supposed to be a pretty big week for boris johnson, it is supposed to be a pretty big week for borisjohnson, he is trying to reset his government after some faction fighting in his office. there are conversations taking part with the parliamentary authorities in the uk to see whether he can still contribute to the commons but i think it is fairto to the commons but i think it is fair to say this couldn‘t have come at a worse time for borisjohnson. it have come at a worse time for boris johnson. it is have come at a worse time for borisjohnson. it is also worth bearing in mind he was extremely ill with coronavirus earlier in the year but we also don‘t know exactly what getting a virus means for your future immunity. boris johnson does

downing street said the prime minister is not showing symptoms. 0ur uk political correspondent nick eardleyd trace programme in the uk and told that he had come into contact with someone who has tested positive. my understanding is he had a meeting with a group of conservative mps on thursday. since that meeting, one of those mps, lee anderson, developed symptoms and has subsequently tested positive. borisjohnson was contacted as a result. it is a pretty big deal. he will have to stay at home for the next ten days, it means he will not be able to be in parliament. i'm told he will be working from downing street. he does still intend on communicating with the country. it is a big week for borisjohnson. he is trying to reset his government after some faction fighting in his office over the last few days. there are conversations taking part with the parliamentary authorities in the uk to see whether he can still contribute to the commons. but i think it is fair to say this couldn't have come at a worse time for boris johnson. it is also worth bearing in mind, he was extremely ill with coronavi

our political correspondent nick eardley is in glasgow. what are we expecting to hear? which suggest a big increase in support for scottish independence. nicola sturgeon was saying this weekend that she wants to hold another referendum in the early years of the next scottish parliament if, as looks likely, she retains power in may. that has led to some criticism from opposition parties who say in the middle of a pandemic focusing on the constitution is a distraction. have a listen to the first minister on bbc breakfast this morning. my first, last, and in—between focus right now is on the pandemic. i spend all of my energies on that, and i think even my worst critic would have to concede that is the case. and that will continue to be the case for as long as is required. i do think for scotland, having the ability to build a country that we want, not one in the image of borisjohnson and his brexiteers, and having all the powers and tools at our disposal to do that, is a really important question for us. the first minister is going to announce a £100 million programme thi

running out for any deal reached to be approved and implemented. 0ur political correspondent, nick eardleyd. this is europe's chief negotiator, michel barnier, in london last week. but there hasn't been as much progress as some hoped. reporter: are you optimistic, mr barnier? 0ne meeting was described as short and brutal. but both sides agree we have now reached a crunch point. i'm just getting on with myjob. this morning, this man, the uk's chief negotiator, lord frost, tweeted, "there has been some progress in a positive direction in recent days." he added, "but we may not succeed. people and businesses must prepare for the change that is coming on the 31st december." and this was the message from the environment secretary this morning. on many areas, progress has been made and agreements exist, and a lot of text has been drafted. there are these sticking points around for instance, fisheries, around state aid rules, that can be resolved. we are not asking for anything miraculous. we are really asking for what other countries like norway and canada already have, so it should be possible

nick eardley, bbc news, westminster.rker who's at downing street. you were in downing street earlier but you are now at westminster. a cabinet meeting taking place this morning. as we look towards this new lockdown period in england and think about the measures that are happening in other parts of the uk, what are we hearing about furlough and the possible extension of the furlough scheme to other nations of the uk? yeah, because rishi sunak and the governors had resisted the idea of extending furlough beyond the end of october, but with the announcement that england would be going into a new, although different to the type of lockdown in march, but a new kind of lockdown nevertheless, he has extended furlough over the coming month, so people who cannot work could claim 80% of their wages. but it costs of annoyance, anger. wales already in a firebreak and there were questions about, ok, in future, firebreak and there were questions about, ok, infuture, if scotland decides it needs to go into a folic lockdown, if wales, n

nick eardley, bbc news.mmings, who had said earlier this year he was going to leave by christmas, and then that was confirmed, yesterday we saw him walk out the door with a box, obviously dramatic, and a photo opportunity, to some extent. it is definitely giving a message, but what is the message that we need to know about from home? good morning, naga. the short answer to that is that dominic cummings is gone and gone for good, bar a that dominic cummings is gone and gone for good, bara bit that dominic cummings is gone and gone for good, bar a bit of gardening leave and working from home between now and christmas, the highly influential adviser to the prime minister has left in the most dramatic terms after an incredibly fabulous week here at number ten. —— turbulence week. and it was not without a last—minute briefing with claim and counterclaim about how the last few hours of dominic cummings' and the other senior aide who has left this week, lee cain, time in downing street played out. we know there was

that is nick eardley there.rnoon on bbc news as later on we'll be answering your questions on the four week lockdown in england. we'll be joined by sian griffiths, emeritus professor at the chinese university of hong kong and michelle ovens, director of small business britain. do send us your questions by emailing yourquestions@bbc.co.uk or tweet them to the hash tag bbc your questions. that's coming up at 3.30 right here on bbc news. and at 5pm, borisjohnson is due to give a coronavirus briefing from downing street. the prime minister will be joined by sir simon stevens, the chief executive of nhs england. we'll have special coverage from 1l30pm here on bbc news. with no clear winner yet in the us presidential election — joe biden's campaign team are expressing increasing confidence that he'll win the race for the white house after a projected victory in michigan and a likely win in wisconsin. with votes still being counted, mr biden currently has 215 electoral college votes — the number needed to win is 270 —

it sounds like the end of the year has come early. 0ur political correspondent, nick eardley is at westminster31? it'sjust been confirmed by government sources in the last few minutes that dominic cummings has left downing street for good tonight. i want to show you some pictures from the last few minutes and downing street. there‘s some flask photography. —— flash photography carrying a cardboard box, that famous metaphor of leaving a job for good, but i like say, government sources saying that as a permanent departure around the same sort of time that the brexit transition period would end, but he‘s decided after all that the questions about how much the government is distracted by fighting and numberten, mr cummings has decided he needs to go right away. no pot plant in evidence, but a lot of people won‘t be sorry to see him go. no, he's a very divisive fellow and there are some tory mps around this postcode who will be delighted to see the back of him in part because they disagree with some of the style associated with dominic cummings and the vote leave faction, some provocative moves ove

let's get more from our political correspondent nick eardley. next, tell us.here's some confusion about whether those pictures we saw of dominic cummings leaving downing street with a cardboard box was in fact his final time at downing street or in fact that wasn't the case. enlighten us a. let me try and clear it up. dominic cummings will be on the downing street books until the mid december, but we didn't expect him walking out the street and the famous front for. he may do some work from home. he's been quite involved in some of the mass texting plans of the government is drawing up, but to all intents and purposes, dominic cummings and borisjohnson's chief of communications lee cain have left the operation. the prime minister clearly looking for some sort of clear the air moment. there was some concern about the atmosphere in downing street after some of the tumultuous events of the last few days, and in a meeting this afternoon, it was made clear that dominic cummings and lee cain weren't coming back to the office, evenif weren't coming back to the office

in a tweet he says, our political correspondent nick eardley is at westminster for us.always a race to be the first to get to the oval office when the president takes office but also to be at the front or pretty near the front of the queue of congratulatory calls. yes, telephone diplomacy does matter in this context because it is about being seen to have a close relationship with whoever is coming into the white house it is in the boris johnson has got fairly high up the list. we know thatjoe biden spoke to justin list. we know thatjoe biden spoke tojustin trudeau, list. we know thatjoe biden spoke to justin trudeau, canada's list. we know thatjoe biden spoke tojustin trudeau, canada's prime minister and it was the shot suggesting that he had spoken to the presentjoe biden and it was a tweet being prepared for later, but it is understood that borisjohnson is one of the first major european leaders who joe of the first major european leaders whojoe biden of the first major european leaders who joe biden has of the first major european leaders whojoe biden has picked up t

here's our political correspondent nick eardley.y of seven in dorset. this is the message he got earlier this month telling him to self isolate. but because it was through the nhs app, 0liver didn't qualify for support. after a lot of chasing around, it turns out i'm not allowed to the financial support and i want to the financial support and i want to follow the guidelines but they sort of leave you in the lurch a bit stop without the financial support. like i said, at this time of year and with a young family, let alone just christmas, it is a rough time of year for everybody and it's been a rough year for everybody. of year for everybody and it's been a rough yearfor everybody. to have that financial burden put on top of us as that financial burden put on top of us as well, i feel a massive injustice with it. the government does offer a grant of £500 for many people on low incomes who can't work because they have been told to stay at home by test and traced the top but many people are falling through the gaps like parents who are

nick eardley, bbc news, westminster.eet now, where borisjohnson is due to hold a cabinet meeting later this morning. our political correspondent, jessica parker, is there for us. good morning. there still seems to bea good morning. there still seems to be a little bit of confusion over the detail of this lockdown due yeah, there are a few details yet to be hammered out. one example is we we re be hammered out. one example is we were given to believe by downing street yesterday that golf and tennis wouldn't be allowed under the new lockdown measures for england coming into force on thursday. then a very senior cabinet minister, michael gove, speaking last night to the surrey residents network said people probably could continue to play singles tennis and allowed people to play golf as well with one person. so details like that, it seems, are still being resolved. then there is the very significant issue of furlough. boris johnson face numerous questions yesterday as to whether the furlough scheme, where the government is

anna 0'neill, bbc news. 0ur political correspondent nick eardley is at westminster.cenes in soho last night. 0bviously interesting watching those scenes in soho last night. obviously the hope is that people will obey those rules and drive the cases of the virus down, but if they don't, what is the enforcement going to be? we've heard from the police, but what is the government saying about making exa m ples of government saying about making examples of people who don't follow the rules? the answer to that is finds. the government has been pretty clear that it once the police to engage with people that might not be following the rules, to explain them over the next few weeks, but ultimately if it comes to it, they will find them. those fines can go up will find them. those fines can go up incrementally so for repeat offenders you're looking at some pretty hefty fines if people consistently flout the rules. ministers don't necessarily want to get to that stage. we heard from the justice secretary robert buckland this morning saying the plan is still to persuade people

nick eardley has published there a summary of the report findings and sir alex allan has resigned, theultimately up to the prime minister, having looked at that report, to decide whether a minister has in fact breached the code and what, if any, has in fact breached the code and what, ifany, punishment has in fact breached the code and what, if any, punishment there should be, so there is clearly a difference of opinion here between the prime minister, borisjohnson, who all the indications yesterday we re who all the indications yesterday were that he was going to stick by the home secretary, but clearly a difference of opinion with sir alex allan. he is the person who has put together this report, he is the adviser, the independent adviser on the ministerial code and hasjust issued a statement saying that he recognises it is for the prime minister to make a judgment on whether actions by the prime minister —— like a minister relate to breach of the code and he says that it to breach of the code and he says thatitis to breach of the code and he says that it is now right that i should r

our political correspondent nick eardley reports.s is boris johnson on thursday with the conservative mp, lee anderson. they were part of a small group, who held talks in downing street forjust over half an hour. since then, mr anderson has tested positive for coronavirus and yesterday the prime minister was told to self—isolate. last night, mrjohnson sent a whatsapp message to tory mps, telling them it doesn't matter that i feel fine, better than ever, or that my body is bursting with antibodies. the rules are the rules. they're there to stop the spread of the disease. but he added, "will this slow me down or in any way impede my work in the next few days? of course not." good afternoon. the prime minister has of course had the virus already. this was back in april when he was released from intensive care. but a previous positive result isn't an exemption under the test and trace rules. it all comes after a tough few days for the government with faction fights and high—profile departures in downing street and at a time when the prim

workers who would otherwise be laid off has been extended until march. 0ur political correspondent nick eardleyk it is fair enough to say many people are wary and tired of these restrictions, so they needed to know there would be an end date and it was confirmed by boris johnson. and it was confirmed by boris johnson. i think that is right. when people saw yesterday this massive, expensive support scheme for jobs was extended by another four months until the end of march, there was nervousness. does until the end of march, there was nervousness. does it mean the lockdown is potentially going to last that long? boris johnson last night, i thought, last that long? boris johnson last night, ithought, was last that long? boris johnson last night, i thought, was at pains to tell us repeatedly the measures that have come into force in england will expire on the 2nd of december. he really wa nts expire on the 2nd of december. he really wants that to happen. the question is what happens after. the government plan is to go back to the tier system we saw before lockdown which could mean big restrictions

departure will leave big questions as to the nature of its future. 0ur political correspondent, nick eardleywas a brilliant strategist, who thought he was a great communicator, who thought that he did a lot with that number ten operation, getting brexit done, helping borisjohnson when the general election, for example. i do not think there is any do nothing that this is not a big moment in his premiership, but the big question is whether it changes the way that mrjohnson‘s team operates. i think there will be some changes, and i think potentially, downing street will be less confrontational with parliaments, potentially with the media. but it is worth bearing in mind that at the heart of all of this, the man who really is in charge, who is sailing the ship, is borisjohnson. it will be up to him exactly what direction he takes next. what difference might it make, though? if dominic cummings is on his way out, notjust yet, but there is this trade deal that they are still trying to get through with the eu. how might the approach to that be different? i have got to say, iam that be different? i

our political correspondent nick eardley gave this update from glasgow.hold another referendum in the early years of the neck scottish parliament if, as looks likely, she retains power in may. that has led to some criticism from opposition parties who say, in the middle of a pandemic, focusing on the constitution is a distraction. listen to the first minister on bbc brea kfast listen to the first minister on bbc breakfast this morning. my first, last and in between focus right now is on the pandemic. i spend all of my energies on that, andl spend all of my energies on that, and i think even my worst critic would have to concede that that is the case, and that will continue to be the case for as long as it is required. i do think for scotland, having the ability to build a country that we want, not one in the image of borisjohnson country that we want, not one in the image of boris johnson and country that we want, not one in the image of borisjohnson and his brexiteers, and having all the powers and tools at our disposal to do that, is a really important

our political correspondent nick eardley is here there are senior conservatives who think the governmentn is a bad thing or questioning whether it should continue. number ten adamant that borisjohnson isn't continue. number ten adamant that boris johnson isn't anti—devolution. he was the mayor of london of course. but they are saying he's worried he is being exploited by snp or plaid cymru in wales to make the case for independence. that said, i think these comments are really awkward for people like douglas ross because six —— they are six months away from a scottish parliament where they are going to be making the case that they should have more ofa the case that they should have more of a say on how scotland and scotland's powers are used. at the same time you've got the snp now saying the cat is out of the bag and borisjohnson has made it clear he is no fan of devolution. sol borisjohnson has made it clear he is no fan of devolution. so i think this will play a significant part now in the run may's election. but it's also worth bearing in mind that some of the strongest criticism we'

our political correspondent nick eardley has more.c and marcus rashford's campaign to end child poverty have seen campaign to end child poverty have seen the free school meals debate rise up the political agenda. in england, after pressure, the government has promised £400 million to help disadvantaged children and theirfamilies. to help disadvantaged children and their families. scotland is to help disadvantaged children and theirfamilies. scotland is now set to meet big changes, would the snp saying if it wins power again, or primary school pupils will be entitled to free breakfast and lunch all year round, including in the school holidays. —— all primary school holidays. —— all primary school pupils. we want every child to have every chance to learn every minute of every school day, starting from the moment they arrive in class. a child arriving at school hungry cannot learn as well as they should. the new scheme is due to come in from 2022. it will cost about a quarter of a year. the snp's conference comes at a time when support f