The chancellor extends the furlough scheme until the end of march the government will continue paying 80 of wages. Theres also the promise of more help for the self employed the chancellor says the priority is to protectjobs and livelihoods. The furlough scheme was designed and delivered by the government of the United Kingdom, on behalf of all the people wherever they live. Well be getting the latest from westminster where the decision follows days of wrangling. Also this lunchtime. Joe biden edges closer to victory in the us president ial election all eyes on a handful of key battleground states. Im not here to declare that we have won, but i am here to report that when the count finishes, we believe we will be the winners. A new four week lockdown begins in england with police saying they wont tolerate people breaking the rules. Our officers and others will be out there and if people are not abiding by the rules then well engage, well explain, we will encourage but if we have to, well enforce the law. Sainsburys cuts 3,500 jobs, and closes hundreds of argos stores. And as england goes into lockdown and gyms close we meet the athlete whos inspiring others to keep fit at the end of his street. And coming up on bbc news, ole Gunnar Solskjaer under pressure after embarrassment in istanbul. Solskjaer says this goal is unforgivable. Will Manchester United feel the same . Good afternoon, and welcome to the bbc news at one. The governments wage support scheme for furloughed workers is to be extended until march. The chancellor revealed the plan in a statement in the house of commons, saying their priority remains the protection of lives and livelihoods. He also announced further help for the self employed. He stressed that furlough would remain in place for all nations of the United Kingdom after criticism that it appeared to favour england. There was also support today from the bank of england which is pumping a further 150 billion pounds into the uk economy. 0ur Political Correspondentjessica parker has the story. A new day, new national restrictions. Another phrase on some parts of society across england. And with that something the chancellor previously said he did not want to do. Rishi sunak. Continuing on with furlough, not just as do. Rishi sunak. Continuing on with furlough, notjust as expected for one month, but. It will be
extended until the end of march. The government will continue to help pay the wages of people up to 80 of the normal amount and all employers will have to pay for hours not worked is the cost of employer pension contributions. A huge announcement made he said amid a worsening economic backdrop. The government had faced claims it only finally extended further when england were back into lockdown. extended further when england were back into lockdown. I also want to reassure the people of scotland, wales and Northern Ireland. The furlough scheme was designed and delivered by the government of the United Kingdom on behalf of all the people of the United Kingdom, wherever they live. That has been the case since march and it is the case now and will remain the case until next march. Labour accused the chancellor of having ignored business plays until the last minute. The chancellors fourth
version of this winter economy plan injust six version of this winter economy plan in just six weeks. Version of this winter economy plan injust six weeks. The chancellor can change his mind at the last minute, mrspeaker, can change his mind at the last minute, mr speaker, but businesses cannot. We need a chancellor who is in front of the problems we face, not one who is always a step behind. Todays shops and other venues closed again across england and the timing of this support package still leading to claims that parts of the uk have previously been brushed off. The reality is that scotland, wales, Northern Ireland and the north of england have been ignored by the chancellor until he was forced to lock down in england. Im glad that furlough and the self employment support scheme has been extended until march but we should be clear that this kind of support is not unique to the uk and in countries of all sizes, they have been supporting people and many of them have been working more generously than the uk. The government had not intended to phrase the spending taps but it is now turning them on a lot more lot
more than planned, for a longer time. That is to try and stave off a long lasting shell on the economy. Jessica parker, bbc news, westminster. 0ur Political Correspondent chris mason is in westminster. That last point there, they are throwing an awful lot of money at this crisis. Good afternoon. Two interna did connected developers, one may intervention by rishi sunak at last half hour or so and secondly the Andrew Baggaley of the bank of england acknowledging this morning, frankly the very big picture that the uk economy is facing and pumping in 150 billion pounds of orders known as quantitative easing effectively to prop the economy up and to make it easierfor the government to borrow and my goodness it is having to do one heck of a lot of borrowing here. Asjess was reflecting, the government at the treasury did not want to be here, but politically, i think rishi sunak has concluded that he was facing a blizzard of questions which
effectively added up to people saying, what about me . Because of individual circumstances in different corners of the uk. His attempt to throw this blanket of support out there, this is in the hope that the economic picture may just be better on the upside and there will be a review injanuary, he says, to see if businesses can contribute more to the scheme than the current being set out, but there is the prospect that it is going to be there until the of march and so the it tacitly that the restrictions that we are currently facing, variations of them could stay in place for a long time, but either businesses will be told they have to close or face such bleak and limited demand that they need support to survive. And the very clear message from the chancellor that all nations of the United Kingdom are affected by this . Yes, it was a really striking contribution. The government is acutely aware that
this whole pandemic has made it transparent to those who may only fleetingly observe the political process that we are governed in a very different way to how we were a generation ago and that is pulling away at tensions around our supposedly United Kingdom. The conservative and Unionist Party to give it its full title, desperate to ensure that the uk holds together, hence that emphasis from the chancellor in his statement about the support extending across the uk andi the support extending across the uk and i think you can expect other senior government voices to make exactly that argument as well, but thatis exactly that argument as well, but that is the best way at the moment of making the case for the union, when others are making the opposite case. Chris, we may be hearing from the Prime Minister later. The Prime Minister doing another News Conference alongside colleagues from the nhs and that is happening at five oclock. I say that with great conviction, conviction caught me short on saturday, it is scheduled for five oclock this afternoon,
live on bbc news. Look forward to seeing you later. However long it ta kes. Seeing you later. However long it takes. Chris, thank you very much. With no clear winner yet in the us president ial election, joe bidens Campaign Team are expressing increasing confidence that hell 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, while President Trump has 214 votes. With seven states still to declare, the Democratic Party are also hopeful of capturing arizona, where mr biden has a lead. Hes neck and neck with donald trump in nevada. The current tallies put the president ahead in georgia, North Carolina and pennsylvania but there are still many postal votes to be counted. In an election which saw the highest turnout in a century, joe biden has received more than 71 million votes, 50 of the total, while donald trump has so far received more than 68 million. Mr trump has launched legal challenges to vote counts in the key states of wisconsin, georgia, pennsylvania and michigan. Ben wright reports. Were not trying to break in, wed just liked to watch you count the ballots. When a president criticises the election process, people listen. Chanting blue lives matter. Outside a vote count in phoenix, arizona, pro Trump Supporters showed how edgy this contest could become. I think the process itself can be corrupted and usurped by some of the, you know, ballots that are coming in. Itjust seems kind of shaky. We just want to make sure trumps being treated fairly. Arizona is one of the handful of states that will decide this election. As officials counted ballots through the night, joe biden stayed slightly ahead there, but his lead narrowed. There are still millions of votes to count and this president ial race is not decided. In georgia, donald trump kept the narrowest of leads over joe biden as ballots were tallied. The president really needs to hold georgia to hang on to the white house. And at the moment its joe biden sounding confident. He currently has more Electoral College votes than his rival and chalked up vital wins in the midwest. Here, the people rule. Power cant be taken or asserted, it flows from the people. And its their will that determines who will be the president of the United States and their will alone. In nevada, the two candidates are neck and neck and the state will release more results later today. After President Trump prematurely declared victory and erroneously claimed in a tweet to have one states he hadnt, republicans filed a string of lawsuits and complaints. Were going to win pennsylvania, but theyre trying to cheat us out of it because they know its their only path to victory. They know its the only path to victory so we came here today and we met with all our lawyers. We are going to file suit in pennsylvania. God bless the usa. Donald trump wrapped up his Battle Ground tour on monday in wisconsin but it wasnt enough
to hold the state. His response to call for a recount. And after an attempt by the Trump Campaign to stop the count in michigan, the states chief election officer called the lawsuit meritless. Were focused on getting this right in a way that can withstand any Court Challenges. Ill also mention, weve seen this not just in michigan but in other states. A lot of times Court Challenges or allegations are thrown around to further political agendas as opposed to actually legal claims. We could still be waiting a while to discover who the next president will be as an unprecedented volume of postal votes are counted. But its the current occupant of the white house who is trying to catch up. Ben wright, bbc news, washington. Lebo diseko is in detroit michigan, one of the states where the president has launched legal action challenging the count. Yes, and as you heard, the top
official here, the secretary of state for michigan have some choice words about his legal action, calling it frivolous, without merit, and she was talking about it in the context of having toward people or warning people about disinformation and really attempt to undermine faith in the electoral process and she said we have a duty to make sure that does not happen and she was asking about media and ordinary people from michigan to make sure that does not happen. This complaint about not being allowed access to view the ballot counting process was something that i heard from democrats as well as republicans yesterday, we were at a polling station, but Election Officials told me that there was a set number of people that are allowed in the room at any given time and they kept to those rules. Now the secretary of state, the top official saying that she is proud of her officials and the people who volunteer their time to help count the votes and make
sure that what she calls a smooth and fairand free sure that what she calls a smooth and fair and free process was carried out and she said that what should happen now is that people should happen now is that people should come together and respect the will of the voters. Thank you very much. Lets speak to our washington correspondent gary 0donoghue. He is outside the white house and may be the person who lives there is feeling the path to victory is narrowing somewhat . feeling the path to victory is narrowing somewhat . I think that is right. When you look at the numbers andi right. When you look at the numbers and i know this is complicated for people, but with joe and i know this is complicated for people, but Withjoe Biden on that 243 people, but Withjoe Biden on that 215 number, he is really looking at a straightforward path at the moment to 270 if he picks up wisconsin, which a number of other people have already called in his favour, that is ten votes and these other two states where he is already ahead, nevada and arizona, magically they make upi7 nevada and arizona, magically they make up 17 votes and you get to 270. Now, that is not to say there are no complications here, his lead has been narrowing and arizona which has been narrowing and arizona which has been a surprise, particularly when votes are being counted in the phoenix area which was thought to be strong for him, but the president as a performing mirror bit and it is a narrow lead in nevada although a lot of the votes remaining are in las vegas which is a democratic area. Having said that, pennsylvania could still be the tipping point, it is 20 electoral votes, still hundreds of thousands of votes there and ifjoe biden picked that up at any point, thenit biden picked that up at any point, then it really he is and dry, but there is going to be a lot of legal action, notjust in pennsylvania, but in wisconsin and georgia, possible recurrence as well, which could take weeks to happen. Thank you very much. A Second National lockdown has come into force in england to try and slow the spread of the virus. While schools and universitites will remain open for the next four weeks,
pubs and restaurants are now closed but takeaways can stay open. Non essential shops and Entertainment Venues are also closed. People cant mix with other households in homes or gardens but meeting one other person in a public space is allowed. And you should stay at home unless you are going to work, education, essentialshopping, exercise or for medical reasons. Police are warning of tough action against anyone who breaks the rules. Our special correspondent lucy manning reports. We go again. Does lockdown get easier the second time . Do the empty streets, closed shops, the anxiety, the loneliness for some feel different, all stay the same . Like last time, many businesses are shot, but this time schools stay open. But will the closures be temporary ones . Can they survive . At harveys brewery they fear the beer might once again be used for animal feed. I think we all felt after the initial lockdown period that we had come through and yes, we would have to make adjustments and yes it would bea to make adjustments and yes it would be a very long time but i think we we re be a very long time but i think we were looking to try and contain it as much as we could. I think as this was breaking, it wasnt even a sense of deja vu, we have been there before, but it seemed so much more insurmountable. Busy periods cut short, hairdressers now shot. In the last few days, they were overrun. Business, not good. 0bviously, clients, not good. We are hoping it will be a month, but to be honest i dont know if i believe it willjust bea dont know if i believe it willjust be a month, hence this time we are trying to plan. But it is the cancelled celebrations, the memories not made that perhaps hurts the most. This nurse, lisa, it will not be wearing her Wedding Dress next
weekend. We were having just over 150 then it went down to 60, then it went down to 30. Then the guidance changed to 15. So we went to the Registry Office and their limit was six. We got down to a point of compromise which was five guests. As of saturday just gone, compromise which was five guests. As of saturdayjust gone, it has been cancelled, we have got their wedding. It is horrible, we have cried a lot of tears this weekend. It has just been a really long process. The quiet of today in stark contrast to last night. Streets as busy then as they are empty now. But will people stay at home . Think about your own responsibility. 0ur officers and others will be out there and if people are not abiding by the rules we will engage, explain and encourage but lift we have to, we will enforce the law. England now has its second lockdown where we limit our lives in the hope we will
save others. Lucy manning, bbc news. Our top story this lunchtime. The chancellor extends the furlough scheme until the end of march the government will continue paying 80 of wages the chancellor says the priority is to protect jobs and livelihoods. The furlough scheme was designed and delivered by the government of the United Kingdom, on behalf of all the people wherever they live. Coming up on bbc news, gareth bale is back for wales. He is named in their squad for three games in november, after missing last months match matches with a knee injury. As the number of patients admitted to hospitals with coronavirus rises, and the nhs in england enters its highest level of alert, Hospital Leaders are having to make tough decisions around routine surgery, with some operations cancelled. And new figures out today show that only around a quarter of people who are tested in a walk in or drive through Testing Centre receive their results within 2a hours. 0ur Health CorrespondentNaomi Grimley reports. Three times worse than the usual winter. That is how health care bosses described the Current Situation in nhs england. Hospitals are treating around 10,000 Covid Patients at the moment. But even as we head into lockdown, that figure is expected to grow because of infections that have already happened. That is why the Health Service has been put on its highest level of alert so hospitals can share the burden and try to Keep Services intact. Our preparation is much better this time. Weve learnt a lot from what we did last time. I think the chief difference this time is we are trying our level best to run as much routine work as possible. Routine work isnt really
routine and if it doesnt get done, then patients get harmed. Even so, dozens then patients get harmed. Even so, d oze ns of then patients get harmed. Even so, dozens of hospitals are already cancelling nonurgent surgery, often for things likejoint cancelling nonurgent surgery, often for things like joint replacements which means continuing pain for so many. The government is certain that lockdown two is the right policy, hoping it brings the virus reproduction rate down. But theresa may is one of those who says ministers need to make their case better. After a government graph suggested there could be as many as 4000 deaths a day if no further action was taken. If you look at the trajectory shown in that graph that 24,000 deaths a day, we would have reached 1000 deaths a day by the end of october. The average in the last week of october was 259 by my calculation. She is not the only one to have criticised it. As a statistician who values the data, this whole saga has been unfortunate
and what i want to seriously emphasise is, they didnt have to do that anyway. The data itself thats being reported at the time and now and every day, i think its completely sufficient to justify some radical action. While we wait for vaccines, testing is the best way to try to keep our society going when we emerge from lockdown. These figures tell us it still isnt performing as it showed. Money talks percent of the walk in centre or drive through test results are received within 24 hours. Thats a slight improvement on 3 from last week but still way down on 93 at the end ofjune. So as england heads into its november hibernation, there is more pressure than ever on ministers to make sure the testing system really works once lockdown is lifted. Naomi grimley, bbc news. Sainsburys is to cut 3,500 jobs. The Supermarket Chain says its planning to close 420 argos shops as well as all the meat, fish and deli counters in its stores. We can get more now from our Business Correspondent emma simpson. Just talk us through what they have announced. Simon, this is a big restructuring. If we start with argos, i think it was clear they we re argos, i think it was clear they were going to be Many Store Closures long before the pandemic. Remember, sainsburys bought argos back in 2016 and it was clear then that many would be replaced because it would be creating argos concessions inside sainsburys supermarkets and this has already been hampering. But the pandemic i think has accelerated these plans because of this huge shift to online. Just one statistic today that argos managed to grow
sales by 11 despite all its doors being closed during lockdown. As you say, 420 stand alone stores are going to go over the next three yea rs, going to go over the next three years, including 120 which havent reopened since lockdown and will remain permanently closed. That will leave about 100 stand alone stores overall. It is also closing all of its fresh fish, meat and deli cou nters its fresh fish, meat and deli counters saying the demand just isnt there any more. Of course, this is a business that is having to save money and cut a lot of cuts. It will be tough news for the workers affected and the company says it will redeploy as many as possible and despite these cuts, it is increasing the workforce overall by about 6000 by the end of the year. But clearly, not everyone whose job is now at risk will be able to, or wa nt to is now at risk will be able to, or want to go for some of these new roles created to deal with the boom in online sales. Emma simpson, thank you very much. Denmark is to cull its entire population of minks an estimated 17 million animals, after a mutated version of the coronavirus that can spread to humans was detected on mink farms. The authorities said 12 people had become infected. The countrys Prime Minister said the mutated virus posed a risk to the effectiveness of a future covid 19 vaccine. Frankie mccamley reports. Theyre one of denmarks big money makers mink. Their fur is worth around £300 million to the country each year. Aside from attracting money, Authorities Say they catch, mutate and spread coronavirus to humans. The disease has now been found on more than 200 mink farms. Emergency services and government workers are being deployed to sites across the country to cull around 17 million of them. In a digital presser, the danish Prime Minister said. We have observed a very Serious Development in the coronavirus infected mink, the virus mutates in mink and the mutated virus has spread to humans. Authorities have found five examples of the mutated virus in mink farms and 12 examples of this in humans that showed reduced sensitivity to antibodies. The mutated virus in mink may therefore pose the risk that the upcoming vaccines will not work as they should. As the cull intensifies, so do lockdown restrictions, especially in the north of the country, home to most mink farms. Its hoped this drastic action will help contain the spread of coronavirus with nothing left to chance. Frankie mccamley, bbc news. Often we look to sport for examples of resilience
never more so than now. Greg silvester, like so many athletes with a disability, lost his access to sport when covid began. But he improvised and used his street. Now, as millions go into lockdown again, and sports facilities close once more, hes hoping to keep going. Joe wilson reports. Now the other way. If you cant go to the sport, bring the sport to you. When covid stopped greg silvesters regular indoor sessions he started coaching keep fit on his street, safe and distant. We filmed him on november the 3rd, a familiar sight in this corner of wolverhampton. Ive been doing it for the very first time in. Well, since the very first lockdown we had, since march. We all seem to enjoy it, you know. We get an atmosphere going and its nice that were doing it in the neighbourhood. Straighten that leg and bend your other knee. Greg silvester excelled in the Special Olympics as a gymnast. When he qualified as a mainstream coach, he made history. Recently named an unsung hero of the volunteering sector, he represents himself and the 1. 5 Million People in britain with an intellectual disability. Greg is phenomenal and not because hes got downs syndrome, but the man he is. You know, hes a driven man, he is passionate about inclusion, he is passionate about Special Olympics. Hes put 30 years of his life and he puts his heart and soul into everything he does. We know that people with an intellectual disability have been disproportionately affected right through the pandemic. Whether its Underlying Health conditions, problems accessing information or facilities, those issues arent going away. But neither is greg. These sessions are his, no charity, nobody else organises them. By happy chance we were there the gregs birthday. If he can, if theres a way, hell still be doing something
like this christmas. Joe wilson, bbc news, wolverhampton. Tonight is, of course, bonfire night, and in other years, many of us would be enjoying fireworks at an organised display. But most have been cancelled because of the pandemic so many more people may be tempted to plan their own event at home, leading to concerns from safety groups and medics. Tim muffet reports. Edenbridge in kent, where for almost 100 years each november there has been a bonfire and a parade. The streets here where im standing, you cannot move through them. They are sort of from the edge of the kerb, up until the walls, just spectators watching and cheering on the parade as it goes by. This year, it aint gonna happen, is it . Its not going to happen, no. Its very sad really. Its a Massive Community event. With organised firework displays cancelled, its thought that a third of uk households are considering having fireworks at home this year a trend that had been going away
seems to be back with a bang. Its kind of fun and you dont just miss the bonfire. At least its better than nothing because otherwise we wouldnt be able to do anything at all. Weve had neighbours behind us actually set them off regularly and we have holes in some of our shed roofs from it, so im not a huge fan. But there are renewed warnings about the potential danger fireworks pose. Alistair brown is a Consultant Plastic Surgeon at the ulster hospital in belfast. I mean, were quite shocked by what came in over the past week or two. One child had damaged near their eye, the other nearly lost an eye. If the fireworks had been closer, could have lost her life. This year, more than ever we really do urge people to think twice because of the fact they are explosives, because of the fact of the inherent danger. In the best of hands they can go wrong and the nhs simply is under
immense pressure at the minute. The British Fireworks Association has said sales have been very good this year. It says theres been a surge in demand for traditional selection boxes to be used at home. In 2020, the moments of brightness have been rare. Those planning to have fun and with fireworks are being urged more than ever to do so safely. Tim muffett, bbc news. Time for a look at the weather. Any plans for november the 5th. I was expecting a bit of a sparkle from you, simon. Looking at the satellite picture, a of cloud across the central portion and some across the central portion and some across the north. At the temperatures will be vastly different different. 10 degrees in parts of devon but in northern scotland it will be more
warmer with