their barrister says the proposals are a step forward. throughout their time with awaab, they built up a bit of a distrust with authority because of their experiences. so i m pleased for them that they re now seeing awaab s law get the consultation stage, and it sjust really important now that awaab s law is able to have the intended bite. so for us, it s particularly important that people really do engage with this consultation. the process will last eight weeks, with the government promising to bring measures into force as soon as possible after that. more than three years on from the death of awaab ishak, his legacy moves another step closer to becoming law. rowan bridge, bbc news. let s take a look at some of the day s other news. there was little christmas cheer on the high street, according to the latest industry figures. total uk retail sales were up byjust1.7% in december compared to growth of 6.9% a year earlier. the british retail consortium, who monitor sales, warns