Transcripts For BBCNEWS Afternoon Live 20240713

All the sport with gavin. With news Anthony Joshua 7 with news anthonyjoshua . That is right, he is back in the ring in june but it is not the match the British Public might have hoped for. Looking rather lovely there. It is indeed, a touch of spring in the airfor it is indeed, a touch of spring in the air for the first week of march after we have seen a record breaking wet february. That will come as good news, i will be discussing how wet this february has been. We will be answering your questions on coronavirus with two leading academics so do get in touch with your questions. Hello everyone this is afternoon live im ben brown the Prime Minister says the uk should be prepared for the coronavirus to spread. He said its a problem thats likely to become more significant in the days and weeks ahead. Boris johnson was speaking after he chaired an emergency meeting of ministers this morning. A plan of action for the uk to deal with the new virus will be announced tomorrow. The number of confirmed cases in this country rose to 36 over the weekend with 13 announced yesterday thats the biggest jump in a single day. Our Health Correspondent Sophie Hutchinson reports. Have you got a grip on this . Morning. Are you worried . Morning. Officials arriving this morning for the emergency cobra meeting on the growing threat of the coronavirus. It was chaired by the Prime Minister. Its aim was to produce a plan to tackle what is now highly likely to become a widespread transmission of the virus in the uk. Wash your hands people need a plan so that as and when, if and when, it starts to spread, as im afraid it looks likely that it will, we are in a position to take the steps that will be necessary, that will be reasonable and possible, to contain the spread of the disease. And as far as we can. And also to protect the most vulnerable. The uk has seen a surge in the number of cases of coronavirus with at least 36 people now infected. One of them is being treated here at the Princess Alexandra hospital in harlow in essex. Its not clear how they became infected. They hadnt travelled to a hotspot abroad. Another infected person is a teacher from this school, Wimbledon College in london, which was closed today for a week. And this pub in haslemere in surrey was being deep cleaned today after one of their customers tested positive for the virus. Of course the increase in numbers of people we have seen affected, both in this country and other countries in europe and in southeast asia, do i think make it likely now that we will see in due course widespread transmission in the uk. What we dont know is exactly how widespread that will be. This morning the European Commission raise the official risk level for coronavirus after the latest figures showed 38 eu citizens have now died from the virus. The risk level has risen from moderate to high for people in the European Union. In other words, the virus continues to spread. Around 86,000 people have now been infected, and as the virus continues to spread from its epicentre in china, there is a growing acknowledgement of the potential impact on the uk. Scotlands first minister, who attended this mornings cobra meeting, explained why it is so important to do Everything Possible to curb the virus. It is particularly potent with coronavirus because there is no treatment or vaccine yet for this infection, so it is particularly important that we take all of the steps we can to contain the infection and to do everything we can to prevent it taking hold. And as the uk prepares for a wider outbreak, dozens of britons who have been stuck in tenerife are now finally on their way home. But they face a further 1a days in self isolation once they get back. Sophie hutchinson, bbc news. We are hearing a number of confirmed cases in the uk have risen to 40, it has gone up by four from 36 to 40. That is the latest from the department of health in the last minute or so. The number of confirmed cases rising to 40. Lets get the latest from our chief Political Correspondent. That steady rise just Political Correspondent. That steady risejust underlining Political Correspondent. That steady rise just underlining the message from the Prime Minister that we should be prepared for all eventualities. It is clear listening to him today, they are expecting those numbers to rise, the number of cases of people falling ill but the disruption that goes with it. We know they are planning emergency legislation that will allow the government to take emergency measures if they felt they needed to. Why do stand that would go through parliament by the end of the month but they said they will not need to be powers until next month. They dont know where this is going to go, they feel they can still contain it but beyond that they are trying to delay it because they know the virus doesnt thrive in the hotter weather as if they can delay it to the summer months, that can help. It is split between net balance of keeping as many people safe as they can and try not to disrupt things too much. We know that case of a teacher at a Senior School in wimbledon which means the peoples are off for another week, some of the teachers will have to go into quarantine. Parents will have to look after children. You can see the knock on effect. The question for the government is hell fire they go with the measures, for example large gatherings. Just how far they will go. Decisions will need to be made in the coming weeks. The government has to make sure they have the power is ready to go if they need them. Just a word on the optics from Boris Johnsons they need them. Just a word on the optics from borisjohnsons point of view. There was criticism on him not being high profile enough in dealing with the coronavirus and flooding, but today he has been cheering that meeting of the emergency committee. The response of downing street as you do not have to be chairing a meeting to know what is going on, he is trying to do what he thinks is most helpful but it is getting to the point where the date they thought it is best he does speak to the media. He went to a visit yesterday to a Public Health office to see what is going on there. They wa nted to see what is going on there. They wanted to reassure people but not to panic them. The main message from the Prime Minister is the best thing people can do is wash their hands regularly. They do know a moment where you can see what is happening in other countries around the world, they are preparing for it to happen here, they know the Prime Minister needs to be visible to make sure people think the government has a grip on all of this. Thank you very much indeed. 0ur correspondence is here in the studio. You have more details on what the department of health are saying in terms of the latest statistics on the coronavirus in the uk. Every afternoon the department of health is releasing the latest information on the number of cases. As of this morning 13,525 people have been tested for coronavirus in the uk and 40 have been confirmed as positive. Up from 36 yesterday. Yesterday there was a large rise of around 13 14 cases, 15 on thursday. This is growing at quite a quicker rate in the uk than we have seen in recent weeks which matches with what the Prime Minister said earlier, we will see more significant increases in cases. The Public Health medical director said it is highly likely more cases will be diagnosed in the uk in the coming days and weeks, it could be quite challenging but the Prime Minister insists the nhs is to cope with it and all of us have our own parts to cope with containing it. What is the latest advice on preventative measures . This is not really changed, it is about maintaining good hygiene, making sure we have washed our hands properly. The message is to sing the song happy birthday to yourself twice when you wash your hands. The Prime Minister wash your hands. The Prime Minister was saying that today. A bit surreal, to be honest but do that. Make sure if you sneeze your sneezing into a tissue, you are throwing it into a ben, you are not spreading germs around, try to keep a couple of metres away from people visibly coughing or sneezing. The Health Secretary said yesterday there will be a battle plan, that is what they have been discussing in downing street which will have four stages, the containment stage, around isolating and tracing anybody who has come into contact with anyone who has coronavirus, that is what they are doing at the moment. Then the delay phase which is about slowing down the spread. To a certain extent that is what the government is doing pre emptively 110w government is doing pre emptively now with hand washing measures and throwing tissues away. Then it is mitigation and damage limitation to stop it spreading further, which could include measures such as potentially closing schools, we are still quite a way of that at this stage. And while all of this is going on another phase of the plan is the Research Phase and tackling this virus and how far away we are from the vaccine. Thank you very much for that update. The latest number of confirmed cases in the uk 110w number of confirmed cases in the uk now stands at 40, up from 36. Well as weve been hearing more british holiday makers quarantined at a hotel in tenerife are preparing to return home after testing negative for the virus. 0ur correspondent fiona trott is there. What is the very latest . |j what is the very latest . I can tell you three coaches carrying british passengers have now left the hotel here, the guests on board were smiling and waving as they left because of course are the anxiety they have had over the past week with being confined in this hotel, sea and quarantine rules not invoiced and confusion over when they could leave, that is behind them. They are on their way to the uk and we are told that flight should take off in 30 minutes time but there has been challenges. The airline said we could write you back if you take the test, it is negative, when you get to the effort and dont show any symptoms but it had to be within a 24 hour window because that is when it may be detected but not passed on. What they were explaining as they had to secure a flight home with a travel company, back time it to make sure they could have that test within the 24 hour window, but then they were saying they did not get the certificate, proof they were fit to fly, certificate, proof they were fit to fly, in time, they wouldnt get that u nless fly, in time, they wouldnt get that unless they checked out of the hotel. So they were trying to get verbal confirmation. It has been quite complicated. Because of that complicated process, the travel company told us they had seats for 19 hotel guests yesterday but they missed the flight because there were delays here at the hotel. Three coaches have left here, one of the guests on board told us she thought there were around hundred passengers making their way to that plane that has been organised byjet too, they have not confirmed the numbers to us. That guest described how it felt a bit like being on a film set when he left the hotel here, leaving, disposing of their masks, they will be glad to see the back of those, and going through police checks, passport checks and getting on the coach to the airport. It is due to arrive in the north west around seven oclock this evening. Dont forget when they get back to the uk they will have to be in self isolation until march the 9th. 0k, thank you very much indeed. And later this afternoon well be trying to answer your questions on coronavirus with two leading academics. Do send them into us by tweeting to the hashtag. Or email yourquestions bbc. Co. Uk. Thats coming up at 2. 30 here on bbc news. And a reminder were bringing you continuing coverage on the virus here on the news channel and on bbc 0nline. Also you can watch a bbc news special on tonight on bbc one. Rachel burden and fergus walsh will be answering all of your questions in coronavirus everything you need to know. Thats tonight at 7. 30 on bbc one. Negotiations between the uk and the eu are getting underway in brussels this lunchtime, as part of attempts to agree a post brexit trade deal. Ahead of the talks, the British Government has also published its objectives for a Free Trade Agreement with the United States. Adam fleming is in brussels with the latest this is going to be really detailed stuff, hundred or so British Trade negotiations. Yes, although it is starting off quite small right now because there is going to be a meeting happening between david frost, and Michel Barnier, and a bit later this afternoon the heads of the various negotiating groups will have what they are calling a opening plenary. The real detailed work will start tomorrow morning where there was 100 british negotiators will meet their counterparts in the eu and split into 11 different working groups, covering the trade in goods, services, energy, fishing policies, the structure of the agreement. There will be two days of detailed discussions then the chief negotiators will come back together on thursday and we will get the first sense of how this first round has gone on thursday lunch time. Michel barnier is planning a News Conference. What is going on, we have heard tough rhetoric from both sides . It depends what is happening on the news that day. On tuesday Michel Barnier was doing a News Conference to mark the fact the 27 eu countries had approved his mandate for the negotiations, he was really angry, banging the lectern because he felt the uk have been going back on pledges it made in the political declaration about the future relationship which sat alongside the divorce deal. He was concerned about some of the rumours coming from london whether they would stick to the spirit of what had been agreed about the irish border. You speak to british officials and they were much more nuanced and consolatory in some of the headlines coming from the uk, and then on wednesday Michel Barnier was much more nuanced. You can start to see areas where there might be a compromise. Look at the two mandates, they looked quite far apart on some big areas, especially the extent to which the deal should follow european standards and whether there should be a governance mechanism to oversee the relationship, which involves the European Court of justice. Relationship, which involves the European Court ofjustice. You read between the lines of those mandates and he relies both sides have been may be exaggerating their opening positions a little bit. These negotiations will all be about trying to find a common ground. I might warrant you that might not be found until the summer, because that is the next big moment when the sides will come together to take stock and decide whether the talks will continue. A couple of people in brussels say it might not be until 0ctober until it happens so hold your horses for the first round of negotiations. I know you will be following every twist and turn, thank you so much. Youre watching afternoon live, these are our headlines. In the last few minutes it has been confirmed the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the uk has risen to 40 as the Prime Minister warns it is likely to spread further across the country. The haggling begins, post brexit trade talks are getting under way in brussels. Security stepped up on the greek border as turkeys president agrees to meet Vladimir Putin over the war in syria. In sport Anthony Joshua returns to the ring injune. The fight is set to take place in the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in london, it is his first match since regaining the heavyweight titles and his first fight in the uk since 2017. Carlo ancelotti waits to find out his punishment after becoming the First Premier League manager to be sent off with a red card. And former england player chris ashton leads sales charts with immediate effect. Sales sharks. He was last capped by england a year ago. I will be back with more and the stories in round 15 minutes time. The turkish president is told talks with Vladimir Putin on thursday. A retaliation was spiked against russian backed syrian forces. Turkey also said it could no longer cope with the amount of refugees streaming out of syria and opened its borders to those moments wishing to reach europe. 0ur correspondent reports from the greek side of the turkish border. The route overland to europe has been given new life by turkeys president. This road runs very close to the border between greece and turkey. There are a couple of official crossing points which are now closed and heavily protected, but there are, weve been told, plenty of other places along this stretch where people can get through. As the icy rain falls, we come across a family group from afghanistan. Pawns in a geopolitical crisis, and now shivering and alone. They tell us theyve been bussed up to the border by the turkish authorities, and then crossed into greece by cutting the barbed wire on the borderfence. Further down the road, we find a group of west africans. They say they walked along a dirt track to get here, evading tear gas and border guards. We want to go over to germany. We dont want to stay here in greece, you understand . Yeah. We want a better life for us, ourfamilies, thats why we cross, you know . Then, as the clock approached midnight, we came across four young migrants from the middle east. You guys have come from iraq, and youve come from syria . As we started to talk, men with their faces covered and no insignia arrived. The migrants were put in the back of a van which had no number plates. Excuse me, where do they get taken now . To the police station. And what will happen to them . Im not a sergeant, 0k . Im not an officer, 0k . 0k. Greece has announced that anyone caught illegally crossing will not have their asylum claim processed but will be sent straight back. Arriving by sea is the hardest route to stop, and also the most dangerous for the migrants. This morning, a boat capsized as it approached the island of lesbos. Most were rescued, but a small boy drowned. The door to the European Union is not wide open or easy to find, but there are still ways to get in. Greece says fewer than 200 israelis are voting in an unprecedented third general election in less than a year, with the Prime Minister fighting for his political survival. Neither Benjamin Netanyahu nor his main challenger, benny gantz, were able to put together majority coalitions following the last two election and final opinion polls suggested the latest round is too close to call. Mr netanyahu is seeking re election two weeks before he is due to stand trial on corruption charges. 0nshore windfarms look set get a major boost today, after ministers reversed a decision made four years ago not to support their development. Land based windfarms produce the cheapest electricity in the uk, but are seen by many local campaigners as ruining the landscape though government surveys have shown overwhelming public support for the farms. A new law introducing a minimum alcohol price in wales has come into force. As of today, retailers and outlets serving alcohol must charge at least 50p a unit, meaning a typical bottle of wine costs no less than £4. 69. A report found alcohol sales in scotland dropped after a similar system started there in may 2018, while sales rose slightly in wales and england. Dozens of homes in east yorkshire are still flooded after the recent bad weather. In east cowick, flood water is still several feet deep in places after the flood plains surrounding the river aire overflowed into the village. You can always tell how bad a flight is by looking at it and thinking are we going to get around it by worries or waders . This is something you need wages to get around, it gets deeper and deeper the further you go back and as it disappears around the corner there are more houses that are seriously flooded. The rain that because this is a distant memory. It fell over a week ago but it took so long to wash down the river system and get onto the flood plains which got to fill in the water overflowed into these towns and villages here, a nearby village has also been affected. People here say the waters we re affected. People here say the waters were still rising until yesterday, they feel it has stabilised overnight as is slowly dropping away now, but only very slowly. There is a feeling it will take days and days before the water drops away sufficiently for people to get back into their houses. When you stand here you can smell the water, it is not dirty as such, it is quite clean but it has kerosene in it, the heating fuel that all of these houses use during this time of year and there are thousands and thousands of kerosene that has lea ked thousands of kerosene that has leaked back into this water making ita leaked back into this water making it a cell, flowing into their houses and causing more damage. People here are very upset. One man told me it was heartbreaking, the damage to his house. It is going to be some days before they can really assess it all. Time for a look at the weather. Im sure the residents wont need telling, it has been the wettest february on record. Yes and be fifth wettest month ever recorded in the country. That will not come as much surprise. It has been so wet every weekend, with named storms and rain in between those. This is the anomaly chart of 2020 and it is a remarkable chart. First of all, you can see how much blue there is on that chart, some areas have seen three times the average for what we expected in february. Some areas have seen so much more than that they have had to add extra colours to the top of the chart to show that. With most of the charts it stops at black for a 300, that is 300 times the amount of rainfall, some areas have seen more than four times that so they have added extra purple. Certainly northern england, around the pennines where we have seen flooding, parts of wales, the west midlands, south wales, a bit further north in central and southern scotland. It is a pretty remarkable chart. 0nly scotland. It is a pretty remarkable chart. Only the north east of scotla nd chart. Only the north east of scotland there in aberdeenshire has seen around the average for the month, that is about eight. 95 of the uk has seen well above the average of what we have seen for february. Some areas have seen the wettest month ever recorded and echoes the parts of northern ireland. People will be asking why, is this to do with Climate Change . It is to do with Climate Change, we will see these patterns of mild winters. I would show you this first. Want to show you this vest. When we get milderair in winter to show you this vest. When we get milder air in winter it is often moisture leiden, here is the temperature chart. We have had south westerly winds of the atlantic because the jet stream has been fired out over the past five weeks from a temperature contrast across the United States and that has produced a very strong jet stream which has most across the atlantic towards the uk. We have always been slightly on the warmer side of that jet and that has brought the rain. Goodbye february, good riddance probably. Hello much. What is the first week of march going to be like . It is going to look a bit better. It is going to feel like it at a spring in the airforsome is going to feel like it at a spring in the airfor some of us, is going to feel like it at a spring in the air for some of us, doesnt mean it is going to be completely dry, it is not going to be as wet and windy as we have seen during the course of february. It is going to be because cold side as well. The radar and satellite picture from earlier on shows quite a few showers, as in china south and east. The rain is falling asleep and snow over the high grounds of a house in the north and further south, the rain is falling as sleet and snow. Further snow conditions on the hill, push on into the north and west of england and wales to the end of the night. Further south east, should be a little bit dry but cold whoever you are, temperatures close to freezing and in the areas of ice. Showery bursts of rain, spreading their ways eastwards. Some kind into their ways eastwards. Some kind into the eastern parts of the country in the eastern parts of the country in the afternoon, further west brighter, some sunshine, some showers that could be when the nhs. Could the 10 degrees across southern on the chart show it can be quite cold as you head on into wednesday. This feature running up on the south, another area of the pressure is going to bring some rain on wednesday to the south west of england and into wales. There cubism sleet and snow over the high ground as it pushes into that cold air. There could be some sleet and snow. The rain across the south will be following us sleet and snow over the hills in wales primarily. A bit of uncertainty to the northern extent, stay tuned to the forecast. The image of High Pressure built in behind it. After we lose the rain in the south east, it should be another largely dry day for many. Some showers in the west, wintry in nature, and temperatures again in single figures for most. Behind that you can see a weather front that we re you can see a weather front that were spread across the country during the course of thursday night. There will be some further snow on the hills. Bump up High Pressure into friday, some showers but this area of low pressure could bring another spell of wet and windy weather in time for the following weekend. Friday, namely showery, dry, sunshine, some showers, it turns milder on saturday, wetter and windier with that next area of low pressure moving in. Hello again. This is bbc news. Our latest headlines. The nhs prepares for a major outbreak as borisjohnson holds the number of confirmed virus cases has 40. National Health Service prepares for a national outbreak. The government will publish its plans tomorrow. The haggling begins. Post brexit trade talks get under way in brussels. Security is stepped up on the greek border as turkeys president erdogan agrees to meet russias Vladimir Putin over the war in syria. Also coming up. Well be answering your questions on coronavirus with two leading academics. Get in touch with us right now. Sport now on afternoon live with gavin ra mjuan. Boxing first. Everybody wants to see a fight between anthonyjoshua and tyson fury but looks like well have to wait . We saw him regain his heavyweight belt last year. Anthonyjoshua returns to the ring injune to face kubrat pulev. The fight is set to take place at the tottenaham hotspur stadium in north london. What is interesting is this will be has first fight in the uk for a year and has first fight in the uk for a yearand a has first fight in the uk for a year and a half. And it is due to ta ke year and a half. And it is due to take place at north london. He has only lost once and 29 pounds. His opponent could be very tough as you we re opponent could be very tough as you were hear now. If he wants to keep his eyes on the enormous prize, the First Time Ever that two heavyweight champions will fight for all four bells, hes got to keep the belt. To do that, he has got to fight the bulgarian. It is that simple, we have been saying it for 18 months. Its hard to avoid, but at the same time most people want to avoid it. He isa time most people want to avoid it. He is a dangerous fighter. At that time quite honestly i thought that was going to be the hardest fight of joshuas career. What the bulgarian has got is nothing to lose. And in heavyweight boxing, that is the most dangerand heavyweight boxing, that is the most danger and think you can deliver. It happened to joshua last year. Madison square garden. 40 to outsider. He knocked joshua out even with his big belly. Nothing to lose, thatis with his big belly. Nothing to lose, that is the danger. I like the neck scarf. She was do to fight injoshua he was do to fightjoshua back in 2017 but had to pull out because of an injury. And we have seen a first in the premier league. Yes, first manager to be shown a red card. Because of the row that was brought in the season. It all happened at the end of every tens match. He was talking to the referee about ago was disallowed. The italian said he later privately apologised, not apologise, he spoke to the referee very calmly and said that he was not being disrespectful. He will find out his punishment later this week which could be a warning, a fine or even a band which could mean missing a return to former club chelsea next sunday. His contract has been terminated after three months. After playing 16 times this season and scoring seven goals. The England International won the championship sleek before being released. His contract was terminated by Mutual Consent it is said. Coronavirus continues to have an impact on sport around the world. The opening gp race has been cancelled on sunday while football in italy is seriously affected. The italian match this week against ac milan will go ahead. Fans will be able to attend unless they have a membership they will not be allowed to attend unless they have a membership address affected by the outbreak. This is one of only five games that would able to take place over the weekend and. People were tested for symptoms on the way to the ground superior the organisers of the six nations are meeting to discuss plans for the remainder of the tournament. Ireland versus italy and doubly is scheduled for this weekend, but it has been called off. There are still doubts as if other ones will be called off as well. That is all the support from us for now. We are going to bring you more on the coronavirus situation. We have heard that one has been confirmed at the trust office and cant. And a Business Park. It is home to a studio and an office suite here they are confirming that attendant has tested positive for the virus and the team is taking the sensible precaution of isolating and from home. We heard that itv meridian was sending home their staff who are at the maidstone studios last week after the confirmed case at the Business Park. A statement from Public Health england and Kent County Council saying that specialist from Public Health england and the council are working together following that confirmed case and that the person involved is now in a Treatment Centre in london. Public Health England contacting people who had close contact with one of the latest confirmed cases. This is a resident of kent who had recently travelled to italy. Close contacts will be given Health Advice about symptoms. That is the latest. We will give you more on that as we get it. Now time for your questions answered on coronavirus. The Prime Minister has said the uk needs to be prepared for the further spread of the coronavirus in the days and weeks ahead , so lets get some of your questions on the outbreak answered. Youve been sending them in throughout the day and here to answer them is professor of medicine at the university of east anglia, paul hunter. Also sian griffiths, who chaired hong kong governments inquiry into sars and is now emeritus professor at the Chinese University of hong kong. The first question to you is saying im 67 years old who suffers from copd, lung disease, iam im 67 years old who suffers from copd, lung disease, i am due to go ona copd, lung disease, i am due to go on a cruise in the next couple of weeks flying from gatwick to barcelona then going to my say, round, mel ted, what is being advised as to whether i should be going . I suppose the question is should we still be going on our holidays . At the current time unless she booked to go on a holiday where you know there is an outbreak and disease, people are being advised to ta ke disease, people are being advised to take into account facts about themselves and their house but in general to carrying on in general with your plans. It depends where you are going. And you have to make the decisions yourself as to whether the decisions yourself as to whether the benefits will outdo the risk of potentially coming into contact with the virus. We are not giving blanket advice, there are no travel bands except to some of the areas where they are the epicenters of the diseases. Paul, would you endorse that . Should people change their travel plans . No, not at the moment, but keep a careful eye on how things are developing. You have seen that things are changing very quickly and certainly it. The advice we could give today might be very different ina weeks give today might be very different in a weeks time. Another question from the e mail. Jenny says that her daughter is in optician, therefore throughout the day seeing patients at very close quarters for long amounts of time in a small room. I amounts of time in a small room. I am worried about the risk to me, as am worried about the risk to me, as a mother, because she lives with me. This is for all sorts of people who work with people in close quarters. Absolutely. The number at the moment in the community the number of cases in community is very small. Suffer consultation, it will be quite minute. I do not think there is any reason why we should stop optician from practising their trade at the moment. Having said that, as the outbreak develops, i think it makes good sense for people in similar occupations to be very careful about how they do their work, to wear gloves, possibly masks and other protective equipment. Certainly there is no reason why opticians should be stopping working at the moment. Medical staff generally use protective gloves and wash their hands a lot anyway. 0k this is a question from derek and reading. Is it safe to continue going swimming at the local Leisure Centre . Yes, it is. You probably get more benefit from you have going swimming. There is no reason to suspect that swimming pools are a source of infection. The infection is spread by droplet, which is coughing and sneezing and not through water. The wider question is, people are asking questions like this, but at the moment we can just effectively go about our normal daily business as long as we are sensible about washing hands. We have not gotten to the stage where we need to be closing down facilities and football matches and concerts etc. Yes, as paul says, we should be carrying on, but taking ca re should be carrying on, but taking care of. Taking care of how close we are. The closure of social places and mass gatherings, that will come when there are more cases in the popular generation. At the current time the government is working on the containment policy. Asking people to stay at home that will come about if the cases increase. Increase by how much . Weve got 40 at the moment. At what level are we saying that it has increased to the next level . Is that hundreds or thousands . It is not possible to do it in sheer numbers because it will depend on is there a concentration of cases. At the moment it is usually people who have come back from one of the faces with the epicentre of. They caught the infection overseas and therefore the idea of their treatment at the current time is to isolate them, treat the symptoms, to contact traces and to contact their contacts. That is what is going on currently. You cannotjust say however many there would be. It may be that you would only close, do the social distancing measures in small areas. In italy, it is not the entire part of italy it is just that current area. It is a matter of judgement and science as we go through this current phase and development of the disease. 0k, thank you. Paul this is from mary. How long can the virus last on surfaces and is an airborne . Mary says that the news has shown some country spraying the streets, what are they using and is it necessary and effective . The question about how long it lasts on surfaces, the department of health recently suggested about 72 hours, which is a reasonable figure, but it does not mean that it dies off suddenly, it is declining in viability both before and after that time frame. 72 hours is a reasonable estimate beyond which the risk is pretty much a zero. Is that on all surfaces . It will certainly vary depending on whether the surface is dry, whether it is wet, wet it is in the open in the sunshine or in dark environments. To be honest, i dont think we know all of the parameters to work it out on all surfaces. But 72 hours is a reasonable estimate. Whether there is any value in spraying in the streets, i really cant understand. I cannot see what the value of that is other than it makes Good Television and it is reassuring to the population. We have seen that in south korea i think. Heres another question, what is south isolation really mean in practical terms . It is south isolation really mean in practicalterms . It means is south isolation really mean in practical terms . It means that you need to stay inside. There is some very good advice on the Public Health england and government website. It tells you that you need to stay inside in a room preferably that has a window to make sure that if you are sharing accommodation that when you are using the bathroom, that you use it lasts and surfaces are wiped down because you do not want to pass on any infection to people that you are living with. You should not go out. Instead of going shopping, you should get your food delivered to you and you should maintaina food delivered to you and you should maintain a distance from your family members for the two weeks that you have been asked to self isolate. Paul, just getting back to what we we re paul, just getting back to what we were talking about as whether the virus can live on services and for how long. Heres another question, can it live on money . Can it live on coins, paper . Mine is something we are changing all the time. Money is what we are changing all the time. On copper coins that the virus would die off a little bit more quickly. It can live on money. Weather that actually poses a threat to humans are not is uncertain. But it reinforces the need to make sure we wash our hands appropriately after we have been doing work or contact with people or handling things that other people who may be infected have been handling. Paul, thank you. The last one is for you. How come the government has acted so late when it could have stopped all travel in and out of our country when the virus started . In other words would stop travail in and out of the uk actually have helped . Probably not. Travel bands are not recommended. They impose all sorts of restrictions on daily life that impact on people unnecessarily and there are ways around them. In general the who does not recommend travel bands as an effective way of controlling the virus. You certainly would not do it. What would be to just isolate the country away from everybody else . What would happen to trade, the economy . In general, the advice is not to do that. Good to talk to both of you. Thank you for answering our questions. Professor sian griffiths and professor paul hunter forjoining us today on your questions answered. Tomorrow is the biggest day so far in the democratic contest to take on donald trump in novembers president ial election. 0n super tuesday 14 american states decide who they want to be their president ial candidate but it will not be Pete Buttigieg the 38 year old former mayor from indiana has ended his bid for the white house. Katty kay and Christian Fraser report from North Carolina. Singing. They are winding up for super tuesday. Time to step up to the plate. From a crowded field, democrats have not found it easy picking a winner, but the students at nc state know who they want and thats bernie sanders, the man who promises revolution. I think we have been raised to be global thinkers. We are really concerned about what it means to be an american and we look around and we see injustices in our world and we really want those remedied and i think he speaks to that. Culturally, North Carolina is more conservative. And the number one target for the billionaire and former new york mayor mike bloomberg. He has invested more money here than bernie has spent on the entire country. Local politician dan blue is feeling the vibe. In fact, he recently switched allegiance from joe biden. Did his Campaign Reach out to you . Yes, yes, sure. To ask for your support . Sure, so the message just started resonating and i thought that this guy might could do it. He certainly has the resources to do it. He is delivering a message that people can relate to and i think that once that started resonating among the electorate, bloomberg became much more popular and seem like a viable alternative. One week ago, joe biden was dead and buried, and senator dan blue was not the only one to re evaluate. But this weekend victory of bidens in South Carolina was bigger, more emphatic than many had predicted. On tuesday, we have a chance, a chance to change and set a new path. And maybe he is now the real alternative to bernie sanders. Bernie sanders does not stand for what i feel that joe represents. He and 0bama, president 0bama, started something that needs to be finished, that they did not get a chance to finish. We hoped to bring you what the candidate himself himself thinks he brings to super tuesday, but we lost out to a dog. A dog in goggles. And a moment we will have the business news. But first a quick look at the headlines. Borisjohnson holds a meeting of the goverments Cobra Emergency Committee on how to deal with the coronavirus as the number of confirmed cases in the uk rises to 40. The haggling begins post brexit trade talks get underway in brussels. More than a hundred delegates have arrived. Security is stepped up on the greek border as turkeys president erdogan agrees to meet russias Vladimir Putin over the war in syria. Hello, iam hello, i am benjamin thompson. Hello, iam benjamin thompson. Here are the headlines. Londons ftse100 index jumped nearly 3 in early trading, boosted by hopes of support from Central Banks to ease the impact of the coronavirus. The rise followed a rebound in asian markets amid hopes that Central Banks will cut Interest Rates to boost economies. So far, japan and the us has already pledged to intervene after big falls last week as fears about the Economic Impact of the virus spread. And in the uk, the bank of england has pledged to ensure all necessary steps are taken to protect financial and monetary stability. That could mean a cut in intererest rates. City watchers suggest a cut from 0. 75 to 0. 5 could come as soon as this month. The Rate Setting Committee is due to meet on march 26th. Big falls on Global Stock Markets might be easing but travel firms are still feeling the impact. Airlines saw some of the biggest share price falls last week, as carriers are forced to suspend some routes due to the coronavirus, while demand has been falling on others. The biggest riser on the ftse100 is rentokil initial, which operates commercial Hygiene Services. Its shares are up 5. 6 . Lets talk a bit more about the impact of coronavirus on the markets. It has eased off a little bit. Yes, we saw very big falls. The investors were worried about things. If the workers are stuck at home they cannot work. And that will have an effect. Should also travel is affected. There is a real concern about the longer term impacts of the cost of this. What we are seeing is that Central Banks around the world are saying we are prepared to step in if we need to to prop up the global economy. That could mean a cut in the Interest Rates. To get us spending rather than saving. Lets talk about how the us markets have opened. Samara is there. I wonder how markets are opening in the us. They have been trading for about 20 minutes or so. If you looked at the way the futures were trading, that gives us an early indication. It was trending lower, but now we are seeing a bit of a bounce. For the first time in more thana bounce. For the first time in more than a week. I am seeing a lot of green on the big board. I see markets are up by about a quarter. A little bit more than that of the percentage point. Ithink little bit more than that of the percentage point. I think some of that has to do with what you mentioned that the Central Banks may step in to help. Sure on one hand, we heard from the 0ecd that we could see a cut to Global Growth that it could be cut in half for the first time this year because of the coronavirus and the impact it is having. While that is bad news, we are seeing that perhaps investors believe that means we are going to see Central Banks injapan and especially here in the United States, that they may actually cut Interest Rates. That means it will be cheaper for people to borrow money. And a quick word on that, jim and japan was committing to money. And a quick word on that, jim and japan was committing to that, the us and the bank of england suggesting it will as well. What difference will that make day to day . It gets us outspending . Exactly. That is exactly what they wa nt exactly. That is exactly what they want people to do, go out and spend money. That kind of action is really the driver of the economy especially in economies like here in the United States. If you cut the rate of borrowing, it means it is cheaper for people to go to the bank and ta ke for people to go to the bank and take money and then they can go and spend it. And when you cut that rate it means a lot of things become cheaper. Notjust it means a lot of things become cheaper. Not just taking it means a lot of things become cheaper. Notjust taking out mortgages, however that is a big boost for the economy, even smaller short term loans. That will all have an impact. Ok, good stuff. Enjoy the green arrows why an impact. Ok, good stuff. Enjoy the green arrows why they are there. Just as i was discussing that you can see the real split on the board. The Parent Company of ba is down more than 10 . Easyjet is also falling. But a Hygiene Service is doing really well. All of that leaving the 5100. 4 higher. In any crisis, somebody will make some money and do well. Thank you very much. That was the business news. Now it is the weather. Hello, good afternoon. Isa is a bit of spring in the air as the sun is getting stronger. We will have a change of weather. The weather front is clearing away. This area of low pressure is going to bring strong winds for much of scotland. Longer spell of brains. For the first part of the night able extent as well. 0ther for the first part of the night able extent as well. Other areas it will be dry. It will be a chilly night. Temperatures close to freezing may be even below. We could see some ice. There will be plenty of sunshine. Areas of cloud with showery bursts of rain will slowly spread across the east of england and scotland. They will be lots of cloud left over. From many places in the west there will be sending spells. The temperatures will be in single figures. We could see 10 degrees in the south. We will stay in the blue colours there until wednesday. In the south this is a developing area of low pressure. Uncertainty in the north. But it looks like it is going to be in that southwest. In towards wales and it will bump into some cold air which will bump into some cold air which will produce may be some sleet and snow. It will then travel towards the east over the day. Some sunny spells, some showers for western scotland. Temperatures will be in single figures. Wednesday night, the area of low pressure will move across the southern parts of the country. Maybe a little bit farther to the north. Some sleet on the house. I rates of High Pressure and behind it. Once we dont have that rain any more, many places should be dry again. Sunny spells, variable cloud at times. It could be wintry with these showers as well. It will be chilly. That is until thursday. Friday, we will have some snow on the hills. Sunshine and showers and then something more significant moving and just in time for the weekend. It can be wet and windy as weekend. It can be wet and windy as we go into saturday. This week will not be not will not be as wet and windy but it will be cold. Chances of ice in places as well. See you later. Hello, youre watching afternoon live im ben brown. Today at 3 the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the uk rises to 40 as the Prime Minister warns that it is likely to spread further across the country. As and when, if and when it starts to spread, im afraid it looks likely that it will. We are in a position to take the steps that will be necessary. The nhs prepares for a major outbreak as the goverments Cobra Emergency Committee meets the government will publish plans to tackle the outbreak tomorrow. The haggling begins post brexit trade talks get under way in brussels. Security is stepped up on the greek border as turkeys president erdogan agrees to meet russias Vladimir Putin over the war in syria. Coming up on afternoon live all the sport with gavin. Indeed, anthonyjoshua indeed, Anthony Joshua is indeed, anthonyjoshua is back in the ring for the First Time Since regaining his heavyweight titles and he is up against a dangerous opponent in june but he is up against a dangerous opponent injune but it is not tyson fury, details on the way. Thanks gavin, and stav has all the weather. I have got some flower pictures behind me because it might feel a touch of spring in the air for the first week of march and places seen a bit of sunshine. We say goodbye to february which was record breaking the wet. Ill have more on that later in the studio. Thanks. Also coming up a schoolboy bullied for his love of books has received support from authors, book shops and celebrities. Hello, everyone this is afternoon live im ben brown. In the past hour the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the uk has risen to 40. Up up to four from 36 to up to fourfrom 36 to 40. The Prime Minister says the uk should be prepared for the coronavirus to spread. He said its a problem thats likely to become more significant in the days and weeks ahead. Boris johnson was speaking after he chaired an emergency meeting of ministers this morning. A plan of action for the uk to deal with the new virus will be announced tomorrow. Our Health Correspondent Sophie Hutchinson reports. Have you got a grip on this . Morning. Are you worried . Morning. 0fficials arriving this morning for the emergency cobra meeting on the growing threat of the coronavirus. It was chaired by the Prime Minister. Its aim was to produce a plan to tackle what is now highly likely to become a widespread transmission of the virus in the uk. Wash your hands to the National Anthem weve agreed a plan so that as and when, if and when, it starts to spread, as im afraid it looks likely that it will, we are in a position to take the steps that will be necessary, that will be reasonable and possible, to contain the spread of the disease as far as we can and also to protect the most vulnerable. The uk has seen a surge in the number of cases of coronavirus with at least 36 people now infected. One of them is being treated here at the Princess Alexandra hospital in harlow in essex. Its unclear how they became infected. They hadnt travelled to a hotspot abroad. Another infected person is a teacher from this school, Wimbledon College in london, which was closed today for a week. And this pub in haslemere in surrey was being deep cleaned today after one of their customers tested positive for the virus. Of course, the increase in numbers of people that we have seen affected, both in this country and other countries in europe and in south east asia, do i think make it likely now that we will see, in due course, widespread transmission in the uk. What we dont know is exactly how widespread that will be. This morning the European Commission raised the official risk level for coronavirus after the latest figures showed 38 eu citizens have now died from the virus. The risk level has risen from moderate to high for people in the European Union. In other words, the virus continues to spread. Around 86,000 people have now been infected, and as the virus continues to spread from its epicentre in china, there is a growing acknowledgement of the potential impact on the uk. Scotlands first minister, who attended this mornings cobra meeting, explained why it is so important to do Everything Possible to curb the virus. It is particularly potent with coronavirus because there is no treatment or vaccine yet for this infection, so it is particularly important that we take all of the steps that we can to contain the infection and to do everything we can to prevent it taking hold. And as the uk prepares for a wider outbreak, dozens of britons who have been stuck in tenerife are now finally on their way home. But they face a further 14 days in self isolation once back. Sophie hutchinson, bbc news. 0ur correspondent lauren moss is here. You have got more details on new cases that the government have talked about. Yes, the total of cases diagnosed in the uk is at 40. There have been 13,525 tested, 40 positive, the rest tested negative. It is an increase on four from yesterday. We know these new cases diagnosed are in kent, hertfordshire and devon but all the patients had travelled back recently from italy. In terms of Health Officials tracing how they got the virus, that is quite reassuring. There are still a couple of cases, one in surrey, one in essex, where they had not recently travelled. Health officials are working out how they developed coronavirus. I have more details on one of the cases in kent. We know the patient returned from italy and worked at a Business Park in maidstone. The patient is now being placed in isolation, treated and Public Health england have managed to trace everyone the patient was in contact with and are reassuring there is no wider rest of the public at this stage. We understand some of the staff of a broadcaster has sent some people home. Borisjohnson chose an emergency cobra meeting where he said we are likely to see coronavirus cases becoming more significant, but he says the nhs is well prepared to deal with that. We will get more details are that the government is planning to do in the coming days. Animal at best are still trying to contain this. What is the advice to people . At the moment they are trying to contain this. It is basic hygiene, really. Except possibly be more thorough when washing the hands, something we dont well think about doing, but wash hands thoroughly. I think what the Prime Minister and the Health Secretary pointed out was to sing the tune happy birthday to yourself twice when you are washing our hands and that should be right to make sure the gems are off. Antibacterial gel, if you are going to sneeze, do so in a tissue and through the tissue in the them. Try to keep a wide both from people coughing or skimming. 80 of those developed mild symptoms, which means one in five who are more vulnerable such as the elderly people or those with pre existing Health Conditions may develop more serious symptoms but this is developing. We have 40 cases, an increase on four from yesterday. Many thanks indeed. Live to westminster and our chief Political Correspondent vicki young. Borisjohnson Boris Johnson making it borisjohnson making it clear there could be further spread of coronavirus in this country in the coming weeks. They know it is coming, they dont know how quickly or how bad it will be. As the government, they do have to be prepared. You have seen a difference with Boris Johnson out and with borisjohnson out and about yesterday, visiting Public Health england, speaking to the press. I think you will see a higher profile from him and other ministers. They dont want people to panic, they wa nt to dont want people to panic, they want to reassure them but they also need to demonstrate they are prepared in case it gets worse. I think we will find out more details tomorrow of the emergency measures they will want to have to go. It doesnt mean i will go and implement them, it means any laws that need to go through parliament will go through the end of the night and the government thinks it will not happen until next month, but they are ready to go. Borisjohnson was saying to date they will take reasonable measures because they dont want to close down the entire economy. It will have an impact, notjust the health side but disruption. Parents might have to stay home to look after children or work from home, other schools in south west london are closing as a precaution, because as people start to hear about this, they do worry more. The government will have a role, notjust get things in place to take action, but also to reassure people. That is what they will be doing, thinking about what steps they might take, what sporting events, you have to do things behind closed doors, do you ban gatherings of more than 5000 people such as they had in france . We are not there yet but we will find out tomorrow what the government has in mind. In terms of the optics, Boris Johnson the optics, borisjohnson had been criticised for being invisible in terms of the floods and coronavirus crisis, but you saw him in those yellow overalls at the Public Health laboratory and showing the cobra meeting. Is he trying to step up his visibility . That is possible, we do know downing street does not feel a Prime Minister has to be appearing on the airways every single day when there is no point in doing so. I suppose you could argue by him not coming out all the time as regularly as we had seen in the past with previous Prime Ministers, anys when he does it is an important moment. I think that is their aim, they talked about having a system where he trusts his cabinet ministers and the floods. He was quite happy for the environment minister to be going out and about doing that, because if he is not adding anything to it or helping, what is the point . It is a clear shift in the last couple of days from the Prime Minister, because i think they know this has the potential to be serious, they dont know how serious, but they will be looking at other countries, italy of course, worth where the spread of the virus has happened much more quickly. They will want to should are prepared for that. Many thanks. They will want to show people they are prepared for that. And in the next few minutes ill be speaking to an employment lawyer on issues relating to coronavirus and the workplace. Negotiations between the uk and the eu are underway in brussels this afternoon, as part of attempts to agree a post brexit trade deal. Ahead of the talks, the uk government has also published its objectives for a Free Trade Agreement with the United States. Earlier i spoke to our brussels correspondent adam fleming, who explained what would be happening over the next few days. A bit later this afternoon the heads of the various negotiating groups will have what they are calling a opening plenary. The real detailed work will start tomorrow morning when 100 british negotiators will meet their counterparts in the eu and split into 11 different working groups, covering the trade in goods, services, energy, fishing policies, the structure of the agreement. All those different areas. There will be two days of detailed discussions then the chief negotiators will come back together on thursday and we will get the first sense of how this first round has gone on thursday lunch time. Michel barnier is planning a News Conference. What is the mood music, we have heard tough rhetoric from both sides, havent we . It depends what is happening in the news that day. Ill give an example. On tuesday Michel Barnier was doing a News Conference to mark the fact the 27 eu countries had approved his mandate for the negotiations, he was really angry, banging the lectern because he felt the uk have been going back on pledges it made in the political declaration about the future relationship which sat alongside the divorce deal. He was concerned about some of the rumours coming from london whether they would stick to the spirit of what had been agreed about the irish border. You speak to british officials and they were much more nuanced and consolatory than some of the headlines coming from the uk, and then on wednesday Michel Barnier was much more nuanced. You can start to see areas where there might be a compromise. Look at the two mandates, they looked quite far apart on some big areas, especially the extent to which the deal should follow european standards and whether there should be a governance mechanism to oversee the relationship, which involves the European Court ofjustice. You read between the lines of those mandates and you realise both sides have been maybe exaggerating their opening positions a little bit. These negotiations will all be about trying to find a common ground. I might warn you that might not be found until the summer, because that is the next big moment when the sides will come together to take stock and decide whether the talks will continue. A couple of people in brussels say it might not be until october until it happens so hold your horses for the first round of negotiations. So what does each side want and how are the talks likely to pan out . 0ur reality check correspondent chris morris explains. Theres been some pretty tough talk before these negotiations have even started thats not surprising, theres a lot at stake. In fact, things could well get worse over the next few weeks. There are plenty of gloomy predictions. Both sides would like to end up with a free trade deal with no tariffs, or taxes, and no quotas on goods crossing borders. But how do you prevent unfair competition between businesses in the uk and the eu, which could allow one side to undercut the other . Thats whats known as the level playing field, and some version of it appears in most trade deals. But the eus demands in this negotiation are particularly strict. It wants the uk to follow eu rules in the future on state aid thats things like the amount of subsidies governments are allowed to give to businesses. And it wants the uk to stick close to current eu rules on issues such as workers rights and the environmental regulations that businesses have to follow. But the uk rejects all of that. Leaving the eu, the government says, means no alignment with eu rules. We will maintain high standards, ministers argue, but they will be our standards, not yours. The uk says we just want the same kind of trade deal that youve negotiated with other big economies like canada orjapan. The eu says thats not possible the uk is a special case because its much closer to the eu, and the two economies are far more intertwined. So now we have both sides accusing the other of breaking promises on a key issue. The eu says its all about protecting its single market, the uk says its all about regaining real sovereignty. There are plenty of other difficult issues to negotiate as well fisheries for example, and the role of courts in resolving any trade disputes in the future. Different interpretations about future arrangements for northern ireland, painstakingly negotiated in the withdrawal agreement, could also become another flashpoint. So it does come down to an issue of trust which is really important in trade negotiations. You need to have some confidence that the other side isnt going to go back on its word. At the moment, trust is in slightly short supply, but its still worth remembering that after the shouting stops, both sides want both sides need to strike a deal. Youre watching afternoon live, these are our headlines. Borisjohnson holds a meeting of the goverments Cobra Emergency Committee on how to deal with the coronavirus as the number of confirmed cases in the uk rises to 40. More than 100 negotiators have arrived in brussels as post brexit trade talks get under way. As greece steps up its border security, turkeys president erdogan agrees to meet russias Vladimir Putin over the war in syria. In sport, anthonyjoshua returns to the ring injune with the fighter dude to take place in the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, it will be his first match since beginning the heavyweight title and his first fight in the uk since september 2018. Carlo ancelotti waits to find out his punishment after becoming the First Premier League manager to be sent off with a red card. His everton side was denied a stoppage time goal. And organisers of the six nations meeting to discuss plans for the remainder of the tournament. If other silentmatch against italy in dublin which is now off and doubts over englands visit to rome on march the 14th. We will be back with more of those stories a little later on. More on our top story the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the uk has risen by four to 40. The Prime Minister says the country needs to be prepared for the virus to spread further across the country. So, if you had to self isolate, where do you stand with your workplace . Will you still get paid and are employers obliged to allow you the time off . To answer a few of those questions im joined now by kevin poulter. Hes an employment lawyer and partner at law firm freeths. I know you have had lots of questions from people, notjust our viewers but clients. I suppose the most common thing is if you do have to self isolate, after maybe a trip to self isolate, after maybe a trip to italy or Something Like that, either at your own decision or you have been told, can you get sick pay if you dont have a doctors note . How does that work . It is a challenge for employers but for employees theyre worried about money, it is a real issue. As it stands is explained by its definition is when you are sick. If you are self isolating you may not be showing symptoms and would not be classed as sick. It depends on the individual employer who may have best practice guidelines or something in the contract that says if you are forced to stay away from work, you may get paid but i unless the government steps in and make some decisions, the chances are you might not get paid. For the good of the country, the employer should be paying people because we want to encourage people to self isolate. Absolutely, for those people who can work from home it is much easier to do but if you are expected to go into work that is a difficult decision. If the workplace closes down, you are not able to carry out work perhaps. In that situation you are not providing the services, if you are forced to stay away from home or suspended by your employer, you would typically be paid but it depends on individual contracts and the policies in place, it is worth taking the time to check. Theres also a question with things like schools, we might get my School Closures in this outbreak gets worse, as the Prime Minister was indicating and that means that people would have to look after their kids at home so they cant go into work, what happens then . The law allows certain time off for dependent care. What i would say to people is if you can make other arrangements, do that, make yourself available for work, otherwise due to the policy or law as it stands, you might not be paid. Check with your employer, and i am sure employers will be encouraged to do the right thing for the good of the country, but this is a very small number of cases at the moment and people should not necessarily be refusing to attend work unless there is a good reason not to do so. Indeed. It is a bit tricky in terms of people who are employed, on staff and so on, even trickier if you are freelance and you are not actually tied to any company at all, it is work for a number of different companies. Yeah, and typically it depends on the contract, but it depends on the contract, but it depends on the contract, but it depends on what individual contract says and typically if you are freelancing you do not have a right to sick pay or sick leave, you may not have statutory sick pay as a role so it really does depend on how it is being managed, what the contract says, but whether you can make yourself available. Uber drivers may refuse to attend for work because they are worried about. Work because they are worried if drivers may refuse to attend for work because they are worried if you are not able to work, you may not get paid. Thank you very much indeed for those insights. And a reminder were bringing you continuing coverage on the virus here on the news channel and on bbc 0nline. Also you can watch a bbc news special on tonight on bbc one. Rachel burden and fergus walsh will be answering all of your questions in coronavirus everything you need to know. Thats tonight at 7. 30 on bbc one. Turkeys president erdogan is to hold talks with Vladimir Putin on thursday, to try and find a diplomatic solution to the war in syria. Last week dozens of turkish troops were killed in Idlib Province sparking a retaliation against russian backed Syrian Government forces. Turkey also said it could no longer cope with the amount of refugees streaming out of syria, and opened its borders to those migrants wishing to reach europe. Jonah fisher reports from the greek side of the turkish border. The route overland to europe has been given new life by turkeys president. This road runs very close to the border between greece and turkey. There are a couple of official crossing points which are now closed and heavily protected, but there are, weve been told, plenty of other places along this stretch where people can get through. As the icy rain falls, we come across a family group from afghanistan. Pawns in a geopolitical crisis, and now shivering and alone. They tell us theyve been bussed up to the border by the turkish authorities, and then crossed into greece by cutting the barbed wire on the borderfence. Further down the road, we find a group of west africans. They say they walked along a dirt track to get here, evading tear gas and border guards. We want to go over to germany. We dont want to stay here in greece, you understand . Yeah. We want a better life for us, ourfamilies, thats why we cross, you know . Then, as the clock approached midnight, we came across four young migrants from the middle east. You guys have come from iraq, and youve come from syria . As we started to talk, men with their faces covered and no insignia arrived. The migrants were put in the back of a van which had no number plates. Excuse me, where do they get taken now . To the police station. And what will happen to them . Im not a sergeant, 0k . Im not an officer, 0k . 0k. Greece has announced that anyone caught illegally crossing will not have their asylum claim process but will be sent straight back. Arriving by sea is the hardest route to stop, and also the most dangerous for the migrants. This morning, a boat capsized as it approached the island of lesbos. Most were rescued, but a small boy drowned. The door to the European Union is not wide open or easy to find, but there are still ways to get in. Time for a look at the weather. Before we look at the outlook, lets talk about february. The wettest february on record . Yes, but a remarkable winter so far because we have seen injanuary, february and december, been the wettest, the wettest winter, the fifth wettest winter on record since records began back in 1867. It has been extremely wet and the fifth warmest winter on record and often wettest and warmest go hand in hand because the more warmth in the atmosphere, they might moisture it holds. This is exceptional. This is debris 2020, the rain anomaly chart showing how much rainfall we have had above average. You can see it is virtually covered entirely in blue and dark blues, so much so we have had nearly four times the amount of rain we usually see. They have had to add extra colours because it does belong the black regions. Many areas through parts of northern england, wales, the midlands, where we see that severe flooding, has seen around four times the amount of rainfall. It is no surprise we have seen this catastrophic flooding, only the north east of scotland that has seen rainfall around the average but elsewhere, it has been exceptional. That is the wettest february on record. Temperatures have been above average in february. I mentioned this because it is quite important to the people who have asked me if this is global warming. As we know, temperatures rise as they have been, they are above where they have been, they are above where they were decades ago. The more heat we have in the atmosphere, the more moisture it holds so we could be looking at events like this more often in the future. We also had a strong jet stream which has steered in the storm after storm to our shores which exacerbated the situation and brought rainfall. An exception is a wet winter, a wet february, now into march we are hoping it is going to be a little bit quieter. 0k, bit quieter. Ok, i bit quieter. 0k, iam bit quieter. Ok, i am going to have to interrupt you because i think we can go to simonjones who has got more details on that latest coronavirus case in kent. What more can you tell us, simon . I am currently outside the maidstone studios and that is home to recordings of programmes like take me out and on itv news team. It isa take me out and on itv news team. It is a Business Park where there are a number of organisations based on the site. One of those is in North East London Foundation Trust which provides mental Health Services in the area. We are told last night a member of staff there tested positive for coronavirus, that person has been transferred to specialist treatment sites in london, the nhs staff on their site have been told to self isolate. They are no longer within the complex. There are a number of other businesses based here will now decide what they want to do. Itv has aof decide what they want to do. Itv has a of their staff is based on the staff who are here last week while they decide how to proceed. 0ther businesses have decided they will remain on the site because they believe the risk to them is low. This is a site where people are likely to have shared restaurant facilities and possibly toilets, so thatis facilities and possibly toilets, so that is where any cross infection could have occurred. We are hearing for Public Health england, based here in the south east that the risk to people is considered to be very low. People are told to be cautious and as for businesses following government advice, it is up to them to assess the risk but we know there is confirmed case, someone here. You have been highlighting that with these sorts of places, a lot of people work there. Yes, i think this is going to be the case of the spread of this virus. We are going to see cases where they are on site area to see cases where they are on site are a lot of different organisations are a lot of different organisations are based on the same site using the same facilities. The restaurant has been shut as a precaution and now it is up to the businesses to decide how best they want to proceed, potentially you have got a lot of people from different businesses, other working in different offices and separate parts of the building, coming together in various communal facilities. We are told that the nhs is contacting anyone who would have beenin is contacting anyone who would have been in close direct contact with this member of staff and the Foundation Trust, we are told this process is taking place and people, if they havent heard anything, should not be alarmed. The people most closely in contact will be informed by the nhs and will be told what sort of measures to take, that could involve them going into self isolation for a period of a couple of weeks. The message has been sent out to the owners, they wanted to inform the businesses as soon as they became aware of this positive diagnosis of coronavirus. Ok, were going to go to the house of commons. A question to priti patel. Mr speaker appeared on saturday the 29th of february, the cabinet secretary and head of the Civil Service received and accepted the resignation of star felt threatened as permanent secretary at the home 0ffice. 0n the same day. Would become acting permanent secretary with immediate effect. Allegations have been made that the home secretary has breached the ministerial code, he absently rejects those allegations. The Prime Minister has expressed his full confidence in her. And having worked closely with the home secretary over a number of years, i have the highest regard for her pier and she is doing a greatjob and is a superb minister. This government always ta kes a ny minister. This government always takes any complaints very seriously. The Prime Minister has asked the Cabinet Office to establish the fa cts. Cabinet office to establish the facts. As is usual, that independent adviser is available to provide advice to the Prime Minister. It is advice to the Prime Minister. It is a long standing government policy not to comment on individual personnel matters. In order to protect the rights of all involved. What i can and will say is that i know that the dedicated ministerial tea m know that the dedicated Ministerial Team at the home office and to their superb Civil Servants will continue their critical work on the publics behalf, keeping our country protected from a terror threat, bearing down on criminals who seek to do us harm and delivering a fair, Firm Immigration system that works in the interest of the british people. The home office works tirelessly to keep our citizens safe and our country secure. We stand behind the team leading that vital work. Im gratefulto behind the team leading that vital work. Im grateful to you for granting this question, mr speaker. And i think the honourable gentleman for his reply, but my question was actually to the Prime Minister. Could we have an answer as to where the Prime Minister is this afternoon . When an urgent question is granted, one would expect the Prime Minister to come to this house to answer the question that is being put to him. It is the Prime Minister passed myjob to oversee the ministerial code. If the serious allegations raised by the permanent secretary at the home office about the home secretarys contact is true including, shouting and swearing, belittling people, making unreasonable and repeated demands, that would clearly constitute a breach of the ministerial code. The Prime Minister himself in his forward to the code he said there must be no bullying and no harassment. His words, his forward to the ministerial code. So why without a proper investigation is the Prime Minister defending the Home Office Secretary calling her fantastic and saying that he has confidence in her . The government must now call an external lawyer as quite rightly has been suggested by the union of Civil Servants. And minister in breach of the ministerial code cannot remain in office and should be dismissed. These are just the latest in a series of allegations that suggested an acceptable pattern of behaviour. According to reports in the media, a numberof the according to reports in the media, a number of the home Office Clashes had involve demands from the home secretary some of which were considered illegal by officials. Illegal by officials, mr speaker. Most disturbingly, the home secretary reportedly asked officials to reverse a court ruling halting the deportation of 25 individuals to jamaica last month. If that is the case, wasnt the case that the home secretary trying to push officials to breaching a ruling by the court of appeal. Is eight now this government passed my policy to bully officials into flouting Court Rulings . Is the truth mr speaker, that this is a government led by bullies, over by a part time Prime Minister, who cannot be bothered to turn up, but simply will not take the vital action required when the very integrity and credibility of the government is on the line . Im grateful to the leader of the opposition for his questions. The Prime Minister is obviously in downing street leading our response to the coronavirus, implementing the peoples priorities making sure that we are delivering. He is governing in the interest of the british people. I am in the interest of the british people. Iam pleased in the interest of the british people. I am pleased to be here to uphold the ministerial code and underline our thanks to our civil serva nts to underline our thanks to our Civil Servants to the work they do every day. The leader of the opposition askedif day. The leader of the opposition asked if this investigation is robust. Of course it is. The cabinet secretary who polices it alongside the Prime Minister is going to make sure that every part of the ministerial code is adhered to. One of the things clear about this government is that we believe that ministers, special advisers and Civil Servants need to Work Together with confidence, clarity and in a coordinated fashion. Laughter. This is to make sure that our priorities are delivered. With regard to media reports, i would have thought that he of all people would be wary of believing what he reads in the newspaper. We make no apologies for having strong miniatures back ministers in place. There is a stark contrast between the actions of the home secretary in order to keep this country save and the danger in which the country would have been in place if he had won the general election. And his imports and his approach to National Security would have been followed to. It is vitally important that all of us in this house uphold the highest standards of civility and respect for others. But many people will look at the front bench opposite and reflect on the fact that labour mps required armed Police Protection at their own party conference. And that the shadow chancellor spoke of lynching members of this house. And will draw the conclusion that all of us need to reflect on the importance of restoring civility to public life before we throw around allegations. Ive been expected to run this for around 45 minutes. Can the government guarantee that this will bea government guarantee that this will be a quick process so that we can get to an early answer so she can get to an early answer so she can get on with herjob . My right honourable friend speaks for a lot of people in the country. She is doing a superb job especially with regard to immigration. We want to make sure that this is expedited in afair make sure that this is expedited in a fair way. The circumstances surrounding this resignation were unprecedented, but we know that this government seems to thrive on unprecedented circumstances. Now it seems that the home secretary may be trying to create a hostile environment inside the home office and outside of a. In this house, we are managers of staff. Every members every member understands the challenges that that brings. There is a world of difference between bullying and managing. Only an independent investigation can find out which went on. Why will the government not agree to an independent investigation . What are they afraid of . And finally as regards to the whereabouts of the Prime Minister, we know that in the past he was so afraid of the scrutiny of this house that he tried unlawfully to shut it down. Is he still afraid of the scrutiny of the house of commons . Or is he in hiding as we are about to lose another cabinet ministerfrom as we are about to lose another cabinet minister from one of the great offices of state . Cabinet minister from one of the great offices of state . |j cabinet minister from one of the great offices of state . I am very grateful for her questions. She knows that i have an enormous effect and respect for the work she does. She is absolutely right that it is appropriate because all of us are managers of staff and our Public Servant that we are proper and robust and making sure that we can do everything we can to live or for those who put a tear. All the ministers know that their first responsibility is to the british people and to deliver on the ma nifesto. People and to deliver on the manifesto. She also tries attention that any investigation is thorough, rapid and authoritative and it will be the case of the cabinet secretary leading the work with access to the independent adviser. They will ensure that there is a fair and proper inquiry. The presence of the Prime Minister, as i mentioned, is determined to make sure that we fulfil our manifesto pledges. And it is quite right that he is leading that work and it is appropriate that iasa that work and it is appropriate that i as a minister responsible is here answering her questions. What does my right honourable friends think about how Margaret Thatcher would get on if the same smears would have been thrown at her as the Home Office Secretary . All of us are aware of that progress is based on strong minister setting terms. As well as having a brilliant and able Civil Service. Both of those two important pillars of our constitution are at the heart of this operation. In a statement it was as the allegations have been received about the home secretary pass my conduct. Can you say how many allegations have there been both from within the home office and from without . And will every single one of them being investigated as pa rt one of them being investigated as part of this investigation . M one of them being investigated as part of this investigation . It would be improperfor part of this investigation . It would be improper for me part of this investigation . It would be improperfor me to go into personal cases, but it is the case that every complaint legitimately raised will be investigated. Would you agree that anyone watching this will know that there are profoundly felt opinions that can exist between Civil Servants and ministers . The fa ct Civil Servants and ministers . The fact is when a minister, secretary of state, is implementing government policy, there must prevail, because Civil Servants are crowned servants and they themselves would agree that they really do have to carry out the will of the people. My right honourable friend is absolutely right. It is the case as i know that it is important that in implementing our manifesto commitments that we are robust and clear about what is required. It is also the case that the effective delivery of government policy depends on candid advice from Civil Servants and that relationship needs to be one in which both sides asi needs to be one in which both sides as i know is the case across government, respect each others particular response abilities. He will know that it has now been two yea rs will know that it has now been two years since the winter scandal. The windrush scandal. To the allegations have anything to do with that scandal . And can you tell the house if the report will now delete even longer . I recognise that the right honourable gentleman has been a formidable and effective advocate on behalf of the windrush generation. I think it is important to state that i have no evidence that any of the allegations relate to the report, the report is being. ,. M mg of man