is it worth being a city of culture? i'll be chatting to businesses all morning about how things have changed for them this year. good morning. in sport, liverpool net seven goals, making england the first country to have five teams through to the champion's league knockout stages in the same season. and carol has the weather. good morning. storm caroline will make its presence felt in the north of scotla nd make its presence felt in the north of scotland today. 90 miles per hour gusts. blizzards as well. a mild and a wet start to the day away from that. it will be noticeably windy. i will have more details in 15 minutes. thank you, carol. good morning. first, our main story: the number of patients experiencing long waits in accident and emergency departments in the uk has more than doubled in the last four years. research by the bbc found that more than three million people waited longer than the four—hour target in the last year. doctors say it shows the nhs can no longer cope. the department of health said more money had been made available to nhs england. here's our health correspondent, dominic hughes. right across the uk, accident and emergency departments have been working at full capacity. now, bbc analysis shows how an already busy system is struggling to cope. the waiting time target to treat or deal with 95% of patients within four hours has been missed across the country. in the past year, more than 3 million patients waited longer than four hours, an increase of 120% on four years ago. but visits to a&e are up by only 7%, to nearly 27 million. to ensure the target is met, the nhs would need to build an additional 20 a&e departments. there is no more capacity in the system. our staff are working really hard, our nurses, our doctors. and we have reached a point where we unfortunately cannot meet that demand. scotland has come closest to hitting the target, while england has seen the biggest increase in those facing a long wait. but performance is even worse in wales. and northern ireland manages to see three quarters of patients within four hours. a busier nhs means longer waiting times. and as we head into what could be a very hard winter, there's little sign of respite for staff or patients. dominic hughes, bbc news. and you can find out how your local hospital service is performing by using the bbc nhs tracker, which you can find on the bbc news website. the irish prime minister has said theresa may wants to put forward a new plan for the future of the irish border after brexit. negotiations with the eu stalled earlier this week when a proposal on the issue was rejected by northern ireland's democratic unionist party. 0ur political correspondent, iain watson, is in westminster this morning. ian, the pressure on the prime minister is really growing now? deadlines keep coming thick and fast. definitely. people talk about ha rd fast. definitely. people talk about hard and soft borders between northern ireland and ireland. this was supposed to be sorted out before the crucial summit next week which will decide whether theresa may can get trade talks with the eu under way. the latest deadline, if you like, is effectively tomorrow night. the chief negotiator of the eu says u nless the chief negotiator of the eu says unless a deal is struck, eu ambassadors will not have time to go back to their leaders and prepare for the crucial summit next week. certainly, as we heard, the irish prime minister seems to be upbeat. he thinks he will get new word from theresa may which will solve the problem of the northern ireland border either today or tomorrow. however, the problem is that the dup, the party propping up theresa may at westminster, seemed to be more downbeat. they were talking about radical surgery, talking about what would have to be agreed on this issue, more or less hinting there may not be a deal this week. if there is no deal, it will be hugely difficult for theresa may to hold the party together because the thing thatis the party together because the thing that is currently keeping them together is the prize of the crucial trade talks. if that is moving further into the distance, political problems here at are about to grow. for the moment, thank you, iain. no british citizen who has fought for the islamic state group should never be allowed back into the country,says the defence secretary. gavin williamson, who was promoted to his post last month, told the daily mail that british fighters should be "hunted down" and killed because "a dead terrorist couldn't cause any harm to britain." widespread condemnation of president trump's decision to recognise jerusalem as israel's capital. the un security council will hold an emergency meeting. donald trump said the decision was long overdue and reflected the reality in the city. he says this does not mean an end to the strong commitment to peace of the us in the middle east. tom bateman is in jerusalem. we can talk to him. good morning. the reaction internationally has been quite interesting to this. absolutely. jerusalem itself last night was relatively calm, although there were protests elsewhere niger the west bank town of hebron and also in gaza. it continued into the evenings. —— near the. gaza. it continued into the evenings. —— nearthe. further afield, i think donald trump has galvanised the condemnation of the opposition of muslim countries and the arab world, starting with president mahmoud abbas. he said donald trump's actions were reprehensible and disqualified the us from its historic role as a broker of peace. that is in direct contrast to what you just said about donald trump's second half of his speech, commitment to the peace process remaining absolute. the list of countries that are either criticised, condemned, expressing concern about what donald trump as that continues to grow overnight. most notably, perhaps, a key strategic ally of the us in the region, saudi arabia, who said that they condemned the israeli recognition of tourism as the capital of israel. they expressed deep regret over it. —— jerusalem. later today we expect more protesting. there is concern among critics of donald trump that for calm to prevail will be hard, and the opposite might happen. a fast—moving wildfire in southern california has jumped the us state's main costal highway and reached the pacific ocean according to firefighters tackling the blaze. the homes of more than 150,000 people have been evacuated in an area north of los angeles and hundreds of buildings have been damaged. strong winds are expected to further hinder efforts to contain the fire which is still endangering some 12,000 properties. the departing vice chancellor of bath spa university received £808,000 last year in pay and benefits. professor christina slade wasn't the highest paid vice chancellor in the uk. from next year, universities in england will have to justify pay of more than £150,000. the labour peer, lord adonis, is calling for an independent inquiry into senior university pay. the royal navy's new aircraft carrier hms queen elizabeth will be commissioned into service later today. the queen will be guest of honour at the ceremony which marks the carrier's official handover to the navy. the ship is the most expensive in british naval history, costing around £3 billion to build. it won't be operational until 2021, but its captain says today marks an important milestone. it is symbolic. it formally recognises her as a warship legally. but for us it is more than that. it says here we are. we have arrived. this says a lot about the country. the flag has been flying in the service of the country for many yea rs. service of the country for many years. for us, it is a magnificent day, a very proud day, and, yeah, it isa day, a very proud day, and, yeah, it is a major day for us. the uk's next city of culture will be named later today as hull's year—long celebration in the spotlight nears an end. coventry, paisley, stoke—on—trent, sunderland, and swansea are in the running for the 2021 title. 0ur entertainment and arts correspondent, colin paterson, has been taking a look at the contenders. we have moved on. coventry has grown. coventry's uk city of culture's bid draws on the history of invention and reinvention, from bicycle to the jet engine to music. the average age is 33, seven years younger than the national average, so younger than the national average, so there is a big focus on youth. paisley is best known for the paisley is best known for the paisley pattern, created in the 19th century by the town's weavers. it 110w century by the town's weavers. it now has some of the worst pockets of scotland's depravation, and believes that being the city of culture would turbocharge regeneration. they enlisted the help of a local boy as well. it has always been my home. i love my town and you want to see it grow. stoke-on-trent is six towns in one city. something special is happening. its bid aims to both celebrate its title as the world's capital of ceramics, while also changing perceptions of the place by highlighting that it is one of the uk's fastest growing economies. also in the running is sunderland. this honour and title is because we believe in ourselves. they say they would use the national glass centre asa would use the national glass centre as a starting point from which to deliver a celebration of art and culture to make the whole country proud. swansea is culture. and the final city in contention is that swa nsea, final city in contention is that swansea, who argue they are the ideal choice as they are a creative city rich with heritage and culture. and reece hands is backing their bid. —— and reece hands is backing their bid. -- rhy and reece hands is backing their bid. —— rhy fans. the result will be announced live on the one show this evening. colin paterson, bbc news. the art of neapolitan pizza making could be included on a cultural heritage list. a decision will be made by unesco in the next few hours after a petition was signed by more than two million people. in anticipation of the news, the italian minister of culture lit up the oven at the neapolitan museum of capodimonte, where the first ever margherita pizza was baked in 1899. do you know, i think it is never too early in the day for pizza. if someone early in the day for pizza. if someone brought me a lovely, big, thin, chris vui, juicy, oh, cheesy pizza... extra garlic! definitely! no pineapple. i am sorry, i love it. you will be chucked out unless the sport news is exceptional. it is u nless sport news is exceptional. it is unless you are a liverpool fan. sport news is exceptional. it is unless you are a liverpoolfan. no, but i am interested. liverpool were the only team last night not booked in the last 16 and they did it in style. they have done it before. they are through to the knockout stages, making it five english teams, record—breaking! no other tea m teams, record—breaking! no other team has ever had five teams in the knockout stages of the champions league. liverpool scored seven goals at home to make it a record five english teams through to the knockout stages of the champions league in the same season. sadio mane scored twice with philippe coutinho helping himself to a hat—trick. jurgen klopp's side are joined in the last 16 by tottenham who beat apoel nicosia and manchester city, who lost at shakhtar donetsk. ben stokes has been named in england's squad for the one—day international series in australia next month. but stokes, who is playing in new zealand, is unlikely to feature unless his circumstances change. the all—rounder is waiting to hear if police will take any action over an incident in bristol in august. there's been another upset at the uk snooker championship as three time winner, john higgins, was knocked out in a deciding frame by mark king. 13 of the top 16 seeeds are now out of the tournament in york. serena williams has entered next yea r‘s australian open, just four months after giving birth to her first child. she's the defending champion and won in melbourne injanuary for a seventh time, while also in the early weeks of pregnancy. that is extraordinary, isn't it? that is extraordinary, isn't it7m she won in january, that is extraordinary, isn't it7m she won injanuary, that would be a lovely way to bookend the baby. we did know she was planning to play in january, it's been confirmed? she has formally entered but it's never 100%. certainly seems fit. good luck to her. absolutely. the papers in a moment but first carol with the weather. a storm almost your namesake, which is wreaking a bit of havoc? it will be through the day, storm caroline will be showing her hand in the north of scotland. the forecast for everyone today is windy generally with strongest winds where we have the storm. wet, rain clearing, and turning colder so for many maximum temperatures likely at the moment. look at the isobars, across—the—board, quite the moment. look at the isobars, across—the—boa rd, quite tightly packed, so windy, but the big squeeze is packed, so windy, but the big squeeze is across packed, so windy, but the big squeeze is across the north of scotland, still pretty tightly packed in northern ireland and also the rest of scotland. the met office has warnings. an and the be prepared warning for the far north, 80 mph gusts, maybe 90, maybe even more possible. —— amber. in northern ireland, 70 mph gusts so bear that in mind if you're travelling. a wet start in scotland and northern ireland, showers falling as snow in lower levels in scotland. cooler behind the rain in northern england where it has been wet overnight and the rain in western england, wales and the south—east but look at the temperatures, still on the mild side, 11 and 12, but that will change. then the dregs of earlier rain continuing to push from the south—east so a bit of a lull them back into the heavier rain as it moves south. behind that in northern england it will brighten up but feel colder. the wind arrows are on, indicating it will be windy, storm caroline moving from the west to the east, snow falling at low levels so blizzard conditions in the north of scotla nd blizzard conditions in the north of scotland and some atrocious travelling conditions if you're heading out. further snow showers coming in across northern ireland and also northern england. meanwhile, the rain clears the south—east and the temp starts to fall but the sun will come out, but even so we fall but the sun will come out, but even so we could see some showers through the day. through the evening and overnight, still windy, not as windy as caroline pulls away, but then we'll see a lot of showers, not unusual to see snow showers at this time of year in northern scotland but we will see some in northern ireland, parts of north—west england, wales and the north—west midlands and they will accumulate because they will keep piling in. tomorrow morning at low levels some could have between 2—5 centimetres of lying snow and at higher ground it could be ten centimetres. a cold night, highs and a widespread frost. tomorrow we start with that scenario and we continue with it. snow showers coming in with the wind piling into scotland, snow showers in northern ireland, north—west england, wales, the midlands, and even flurries in london. in between, sunshine, but not feeling warm, despite the temperatures there, this is how it will feel if you're exposed to the wind so feeling more like —5 in newcastle, —6 in aberdeen, freezing towards london. 0n aberdeen, freezing towards london. on saturday things settle down a touch. still blustery, not as windy as today, and we will still see showers. sunday's forecast has rain and snow, we will get to that later, but still quite a bit of uncertainty about the forecast for sunday. because i been listening to you all week i have swapped a game of golf for a nice lunch and a bowl of soup because it is too horrible to be out there. i like the sound of that! i would swap golf for that any time of the week! i know you would but i will convince you to play one—day! what type of soup? i don't think it will be bland, not potato and leak. just checking, we like to know these things. i like good old-fashioned tomato. and pineapple on your pizza, which we have outlawed already! let's take a look at today's papers. the front page of the daily mail, the interview with the new defence secretary, britons who have fought for islamic state shouldn't be allowed home, gavin williamson, an interview with the daily mail, the estimated 270 uk jihadists interview with the daily mail, the estimated 270 ukjihadists in interview with the daily mail, the estimated 270 uk jihadists in syria and iraq will be hunted down and killed. the guardian is looking at a couple of stories we're covering this morning, anger as trump declares jerusalem israel's capitol and we have been speaking to tom bateman in israel. looking at the international reaction. and theresa may given 48 hours to seal brexit deal over ireland. the uk chief brexit negotiator michel barnier has told the uk they have 48 hours to secure a deal or trade negotiations will suffer on the 14th of 15th of december. 0n the front page of the daily telegraph, theresa may will fall without deal, a warning from the eu, and the big picture is the much talked about musical, hamilton, which has gone to previews in the west. worth talking about the eu brexit issue, we will have chris grayling, the memo of the cabinet, we will get an insight into what it's like sitting around the cabinet table over the next 2a to 48 hours. 0n the front page of the sun, simon cowell has upset his neighbours over parking issues. we all understand when people get upset in front of his house. car parking is a bit of an issue. 0ne his house. car parking is a bit of an issue. one of his neighbours had an issue. one of his neighbours had a rant over it and was waving a golf clu b a rant over it and was waving a golf club at him. what have you got? liverpool's scoreline dominating a lot of the back pages. magnificent seven there. the full english is probably my favourite with five english teams in the champions league knockout stages for the first time. steve smith, the australian captain, has revealed he took a sleeping pill on the fourth evening of the match because he was so nervous. make of that what you will, insert joke here. what time of day did he do that? before he went to bed presumably, not before the match on the fifth day. if he took a sleeping pill and they won in the fashion that they did, that really would be worrying, wouldn't it? that's why i said insertjoke here. and the daily telegraph talking about how the rfu world spend what it takes for eddie jones to win the world cup injapan. —— would spend. what this one, reaction to christmas presents? i think if i bought you a christmas present you wouldn't like... in the unlikely event. i have already bought your present. i think you would be polite whether you like it or not, but you would be one of these people who would say something tactful if you didn't like it. what phrase is that? the phrase is it's just what i've always wanted, or this will go really nicely with my... insert word. this is about how you know if someone really likes your christmas present when they've given you something really awful. we have to practise those phrases. are you good at buying presents? i am great at buying presents? i am great at buying presents? i am great at buying presents but i'd tell people not to buy me stuff because i'm afraid of having to save things like that. you need to practise these phrases! —— to say. you're watching breakfast from bbc news. the main stories this morning: the number of patients having to wait more than four hours in a&e has more than doubled in the last four years. the irish prime minister says theresa may wants to put forward a new plan for the future of the irish border after brexit. the royal navy's new aircraft carrier will be commissioned into service by the queen at a ceremony in portsmouth later today. the event marks the official handover of hms queen elizabeth to the royal navy. it's one of two new british aircraft carriers and cost around £3 billion to build. up to a0 aircraft will be able to be transported on board, including the f—35 b fighterjet, which the ship has been built around. it's due to come into active service by 2021 and will be joined by sister ship hms prince of wales in 2023. 0ur defence correspondent jonathan beale has this report. this is a big day for the royal navy. a moment to forget about recent cuts and fears of even more. the crew of hms queen elizabeth has been rehearsing for the arrival of the monarch here in the carrier's giant aircraft hangar. today the queen will be welcome on board to officially commission a ship that bears her name into service. it's been a long wait. work began on this, the first of the royal navy's two new aircraft carriers in 1998. slowly changing shape, she was built with the help of 10,000 people right across the uk. for the past few months, hms queen elizabeth and her 700 crew have been at sea testing her systems. this is the largest and most expensive warship ever built for the royal navy, at a cost of more than £3 billion. and today, now at her new home at portsmouth, she officially becomes a royal navy warship where they'll raise the white sign for the very first time. hoisting the white sign is symbolic, it formally and legally recognises her as a warship but for us it's much more, here we are, we've arrived and everyone synonymous with british warships says a lot about the country, a lot of pride and it's been flying for many hundreds of yea rs, been flying for many hundreds of years, the service to the country and the sovereign at the time so for us, a magnificent day. next year hms queen elizabeth will begin flight trials from this massive deck, first with helicopters and then jets, the new f—35bs which is cost £100 million each, which will take off from that ski ramp. but she won't be operational until 2021. russia's already dismissed her as a large convenient target, but the royal navy believes hms queen elizabeth and her sister ship hms prince of wales will be a potent show of british military power for the wales will be a potent show of british military powerfor the next 50 yea rs. british military powerfor the next 50 years. jonathan beale, bbc news, portsmouth. you're watching breakfast from bbc news. still to come this morning: there'll be a new uk city of culture crowned this evening, but how much is it worth to the local economy? how much do cities benefit from it? steph is in the hull, which is the current title holder, to find out. it is very windy, how are you doing? good morning. good morning, everyone. it is very windy here this morning. carol was talking about it in the weather and we're feeling the full force of storm caroline. if we lose you that's because our signal has been blown off back because we're working on a satellite. this is hull marina and as you were saying, it was this city which was crowned the city of culture last year. we looking at the difference it can make to an area. around here there's been a lot of development, we've heard people talk about the inward investment in the area and the general boost in confidence which can be so important but some research has been done on this to look at what difference it can make to an area in terms of the money it can create. there's an estimate that around £60 million is boosted into the economy because of it becoming city of culture, and there's lots of ways you can look at this. for example, if you look at the number of new businesses that have been created over the last few years, there is around 89 of those, there's more people using the trains in the area, and hotels and things like that as well. you can't exactly tell what's come... inaudible. .. that as well. you can't exactly tell what's come... inaudible... using the trains in the area. certainly here they think it's made a big difference. will be talking to council leaders, business owners and in the cafe we're in this morning we will be having a look around, because this is one of the businesses that was pleased that this area got the city of culture because it's made a difference for them. lots of may through the morning if the wind doesn't knock us off but first, let's get the news, travel and weather where you are —— lots of me. good morning from bbc london news, i'm sonja jessup. the widow of a man who died in the croydon tram crash has vowed to campaign to improve safety on public transport. marilyn logan's husband philip was one of seven people killed in the derailment last year. she's seen a preview copy of the final report by the rail accident investigation branch, which is due to be released later today. she says she wants to see safety measures improved. i would love to see it and i will campaign to see that it is eventually done, because it could save so many eventually done, because it could save so many lives... because it will happen again. transport for london says it welcomes the report from the rail accident investigation branch and will continue to work to ensure all of the recommendations outlined are met. survivors of the fire at grenfell tower have demanded urgent action on rehousing after it emerged four out of five families are facing christmas without a proper home. last night, the leader of kensington & chelsea council said it could be another six months before everyone's permanently rehoused. now, have you put your christmas tree up yet? it's 70 years since the first christmas tree was lit up in trafalgar square. it was donated by norway to the people of britain for their help and support during the second world war. this year's tree is due to be switched on in the square tonight. travel now. we're off to a good start with the tube, no reported problems, other than the continuing works on the 0verground, it's closed between barking ands gospel 0ak. there's been an accident in south tottenham the seven sisters road is closed between st ann's road and moreton road, apparently three lorries were involved in a collision under the rail bridge. and the chelsea embankment is still closed westbound from chelsea bridge road to battersea bridge for works. let's get the weather now, here's elizabeth rizzini. hello, good morning. an interesting few days of weather. now, in contrast to the dull, cloudy, mild couple of days we've just had it will turn wet and really very windy through this morning and then it will be cooler and brighter later on this afternoon. we're getting off to a very michael stipe, outbreaks of rain through the early—morning rush hour and some strong gusts as well, a very windy start to the day. a very strong band of rain is reaping through the west as we had from the late morning into the early afternoon pushing eastwards and temperatures behind this weather front are going to go down so we'll see a cooler into the day but also lots of sparkling winter sunshine around. we're letting the really cool air around. we're letting the really coolair in as around. we're letting the really cool air in as we had through the course of the night so starting to get very cold indeed. there could be some showers, some could be wintry in nature, especially up to the north—west and some frost in more sheltered areas as we head to tomorrow morning. tomorrow, a lot of wind chills from this cold north—westerly wind, a very cold feeling day but lots of sunshine around as well. always the chance of one or two wintry showers so yumi may see some sleet or snow particularly in north—western areas and over high ground. a dry day on saturday and still feeling chilly with some sunshine. you can hear more of today's top stories and travel updates from us in around half an hour. for now, though, it's back to charlie and naga and bbc brea kfast. bye bye. hello. welcome back. this is breakfast with charlie stayt and naga munchetty. we'll bring you all the latest news and sport in a moment. but also on breakfast this morning. amsterdam is the only city in europe to have brought down childhood obesity rates in the past five years. but how have they done it? we'll have some tips from dutch parents later. books about hobbies are now three times more popular with children than the classics. we're finding out what's making it onto children's christmas lists, and asking if if it really matters what they're reading about. #a beautiful sound, we're happy tonight... he's the pointless host, who's a man of many talents, and now he's gifting us an album of christmas classics. alexander armstrong will be here later. good morning. here's a summary of this morning's main stories from bbc news. the number of patients experiencing long waits in accident and emergency departments in the uk has more than doubled in the last four years. research by the bbc found that more than three million people waited longer than the four—hour target in the last year. doctors say it shows the nhs can no longer cope. the department of health said more money had been made available to nhs england. there is no more capacity in the system. staff are working really hard, the nurses and doctors, and we have reached a point where u nfortu nately we have reached a point where unfortunately we cannot meet that demand. and you can find out how your local hospital service is performing by using the bbc nhs tracker which you can find on the bbc news website. the irish prime minister has said theresa may wants to put forward a new plan for the post—brexit future of the irish border by friday. negotiations with the eu stalled earlier this week when a proposal on the issue was rejected by northern ireland's democratic unionist party. downing street said work was ongoing with all parties but it wouldn't provide a running commentary. no british citizen who has fought for the islamic state group should never be allowed back into the country,says the defence secretary. gavin williamson, who was promoted to his post last month, told the daily mail that british fighters should be "hunted down" and killed because "a dead terrorist couldn't cause any harm to britain." the un security council is expected to hold an emergency meeting after president trump made an historic decision to recognise the disputed city ofjerusalem as israel's capital, overturning decades of us policy. mr trump said the decision was long overdue and reflected the reality of israel's presence in the city. he said this doesn't mean an end to the united states' "strong commitment" to peace in the middle east. the fate ofjerusalem is one of the thorniest issues between israel and the palestinians. a fast—moving wildfire in southern california has jumped the us state's main costal highway and reached the pacific ocean according to firefighters tackling the blaze. the homes of more than 150,000 people have been evacuated in an area north of los angeles and hundreds of buildings have been damaged. strong winds are expected to further hinder efforts to contain the fire which is still endangering some 12,000 properties. the departing vice chancellor of bath spa university received £808,000 last year in pay and benefits. professor christina slade wasn't the highest paid vice chancellor in the uk. from next year, universities in england will have to justify pay of more than £150,000. the labour peer, lord adonis, is calling for an independent inquiry into senior university pay. a feathered dinosaur resembling a mutant swine... well, we all know what that looks like, don't we —— swan. there we go. the description is pretty accurate. a graceful neck, claws, a reptilian tail, and a beak lined with teeth. this is fascinating. it is thought to have lived 75 million years ago and was a theropod like to run as. ——t rex. what was its name? theropod. no, that was the type of dinosaur. apparently, you cannot pronounce the name, so that is why we weren't given it. was it a meat eater? well, it has sharp teeth. this is one of those conversations which is not really working. we do not know enough. here's the name. liverpool scored seven goals at home to make it a record five english teams through to the knockout stages of the champions league in the same season. sadio mane scored twice with philippe coutinho helping himself to a hat—trick. jurgen klopp's side are joined in the last 16 by tottenham who beat apoel nicosia and manchester city, who lost at shakhtar donetsk. this year is special. not often can you go against bayern munich and real madrid in the top 16. so, that is quite interesting. spurs finished the group stages on a high with a 3—0 win at wembley over apoel nicosia. fernando llorente scored his first for the club in a much changed side. son heung—min scored a well worked second before half—time. tottenham were already sure of finishing above real madrid in the group. manchester city lost for the first time this season at shakhtar donetsk. bernard scored a terrific first for the home side in freezing temperatures in ukraine. ismailly added a second for shakhtar before half—time. and there was no way back for a changed city side despite sergio aguero's late penalty. ben stokes has been named in england's squad for the one day internationals in australia next month. stokes is currently in new zealand while he waits to find out if he will be charged for an altercation in bristol in august. the bbc understands stokes is highly unlikely to be involved in the series unless his circumstances change. meanwhile, england's ashes hopes with or without stokes are hanging by a thread after defeat in the second test yesterday. test match special‘s geoffrey boycott says england's batting isn't good enough. we do not make enough runs. we made 302, 190, 150 in two innings, 460! you need to make 460 in one innings. then you give the bowlers something to bowl at! we do not make enough runs. russia's president, vladimir putin, says he won't stop russian athletes competing independently at february's winter olympics in south korea. the ioc banned russia from the games this week but athletes are proven to be clean can compete as neutrals. former british athlete, kelly sotherton, is set to be awarded a bronze medal from the 2008 summer olympics after russian rivals were banned for doping. she says the ioc‘s decision doesn't go far enough. i personally think it should be a blanket ban. no russians. for the sake of the many clean athletes at the olympics, you sacrifice a few to save the many. even if some are potentially clean, they are still russian. the three time champion, john higgins, is out of the uk championship at the quarter—final stage, after being beaten by world number21, mark king. king won four of the last five frames in york to squeeze through 6—5. while higgins is the 13th player among the top—16 seeds to go out. britain's number one, johanna konta, has a new coach and it's the american, michaeljoyce. he spent six years as part of maria sharapova's team, and also worked with victoria azarenka earlier this year. joyce willjoin the wimbledon semi—finalist from new year's eve at the brisbane 0pen. serena williams has entered next yea r‘s australian open, just four months after giving birth to her first child. she's the defending champion and won in melbourne injanuary for a seventh time, while also in the early weeks of pregnancy. can she make more history by retaining the title? it would be extraordinary! some have done it! many women do it! thank you. we will see you later roll in. —— later on. jerusalem has long been synonymous with the palestinian—israeli conflict as well as being of important religious significance to the muslim, jewish and christian faiths. it's now the focus of the international community after the united states became the first country to recognise jerusalem as israel's capital, decision dubbed a "kiss of death" for the middle east peace process. joining us now to discuss the issue is lauren banko, a specialist on the region from the university of manchester. good morning. good morning. thank you forjoining us. a kiss of death. what do you make of that phrase regarding what donald trump has done? it is inflammatory language. it depends on how things play out on the ground whether or not what donald trump is saying and what the rest of the middle east is saying whether it will really inflamed the region. -- inflame. who will object? what will be the consequences? first and foremost, it is quite a radical break with the past 50 years and the status quo and with the international community's recognition of eastjerusalem and the holy city as occupied. the israeli perspective since 1967 is jerusalem has been unified and it is the undivided capital of the state of israel. the united nations and even the united states and the rest of the international committee have long recognised it as annexed and illegitimately annexed. the new recognition of jerusalem illegitimately annexed. the new recognition ofjerusalem by the us, not only to remove the embassy from tel aviv to jerusalem, but to endorse... which has not been done yet? and will probably take some time. but the process of doing so inherent in that, the recognition of jerusalem as the capital of israel, certainly will spell trouble for the... any attempt in the future of the... any attempt in the future of the peace process based on the 2—state solution. the peace process based on the 2-state solution. pursuing that thought, because many commentators are saying that although donald trump used the phrase 2—state solution, officially, they still support that, many people are saying that from the point of view of the palestinians, the notion of that solution with jerusalem palestinians, the notion of that solution withjerusalem removed from any discussions can never happen. right. yeah, ithink any discussions can never happen. right. yeah, i think to not recognise jerusalem as right. yeah, i think to not recognisejerusalem as a future palestinian capital would mean that the palestinians will likely refuse to go to the negotiating table because this has been such a sticking point since the oslo accords and certainly up until the early 2000 as well. umm, the recognition as a palestinian capital, there is no recognition. and to recognise it as the undivided capital of israel and under full israeli sovereignty certainly is problematic for the palestinians living in east jerusalem problematic for the palestinians living in eastjerusalem but also the 200,000 israeli settlers in the east of the city. talk us through the diplomacy. many supporting donald trump say this can only be resolved by the two nations, if you like, involved, not by outside forces, ironically given what donald trump has done. if that is the case, what discussion can there be if israel are now saying this is a done deal, which is jerusalem israel are now saying this is a done deal, which isjerusalem is ours? certainly, the united states' recognition of jerusalem certainly, the united states' recognition ofjerusalem under israeli sovereignty, i mean, it is a major endorsement. i don't think the peace process will be restarted without the us there as the sort of middle man, but we will see, there will have to be a radically new platform to think about a solution to the conflict if the israelis and the us stand firm in their recognition of jerusalem the us stand firm in their recognition ofjerusalem as the capital. what about the countries in the middle east? how do they react and what does it do to those relations? i think it will be a tricky issue, especially because in recent years there has been an almost warming of relations between israel and some of the other middle eastern countries, like turkey and even saudi arabia. i think probably the only thing that can really possibly change the relations between israel and the wider middle east are the extent to which the populations in the wider region put pressure on governments to actually perhaps withdraw, measures of support, withdrawal diplomacy from israel. that all seems very long—term. diplomacy from israel. that all seems very long-term. yeah. in the short term... the big statements of opposition from the wider middle east and the palestinian side against what donald trump has done has been there. in recent days, the last couple of days, there's been calls for a general strike on the palestinian side, even going further than a general strike, the beginning ofa than a general strike, the beginning of a third uprising. i certainly think if that does occur the population of the wider middle east will be in support of the palestinians, which will put the leadership in quite a precarious position as to who to them support, the palestinians, or to continue negotiations with the israelis. we will keep a close eye on that. thanks for talking to us. here's carol with a look at this morning's weather. we have seen some windy conditions, we saw stephanie and hull earlier, it's going to get windy, isn't it? —— steph in hull. storm caroline showing her hand in the outer hebrides with 70 mph gusts, that will strengthen but for eve ryo ne gusts, that will strengthen but for everyone today, very windy, rain clearing and then turning much colder behind the rain. already cold in scotland and northern ireland as the rain has cleared. storm caroline coming in from the west will be drifting east through the day. you can see the isobars via. windy wherever you are today, but look at the squeeze in the north and west of scotland. —— isobars here. storm caroline moving from west to east. the wind is still strong in western scotla nd the wind is still strong in western scotland and northern ireland. the met office has an ambo a weather warning out for the north of scotland, 80 mph plus gusts —— and ambo weather warnings. we could get maybe 90 mph as it crosses the northern isles. 70 mph in western scotla nd northern isles. 70 mph in western scotland and northern ireland. showers in scotland and northern ireland, wintry, coming down to lower levels. quieter in northern england but we've had heavy rain pushing south. watch out for service water and spray this morning. lots of rain moving across the midlands to the south. —— surface water. behind it a bit of a gap but the one thing you will notice is the temperatures, 11 and 12, those temperatures, 11 and 12, those temperatures are at their height now, they are going down during the day as they will do in the north of england. through the day this rain will rattle south with the wind is attached. snow progressively goes down to lower levels in the north of scotland. ashwin is attached. blizzard conditions, some atrocious conditions —— winds attached. it will feel better. as well as that, as temperatures struck and the showers continue, the showers will be wintry across northern ireland —— temperatures drop. for the south we should see a return to dry conditions but note how the temperatures have gone down, 11 and 12 this morning, by mid—afternoon, close to seven or eight but only three orfour in close to seven or eight but only three or four in the north, feeling much colder than temperatures are suggesting in the wind. as we go through the evening and overnight, storm caroline goes to scandinavia and we see most snow showers coming in across the north of scotland. still a windy night. further snow showers coming in across northern ireland, northern england, wales, heading to the midlands. we will keep on piling in. by the end of the night we will see the snow accumulate. at lower levels we could have between 2—5 centimetres, on higher ground, we could have up to ten centimetres. as well as that, the ground is wet and the temperatures are low, there is likely to be ice and there will be a widespread frost, something to consider if you're travelling early. for the rest of tomorrow that scenario continues. we have these strong north—westerly winds coming m, strong north—westerly winds coming in, bringing more snow across scotla nd in, bringing more snow across scotland and also northern ireland, again northern england, wales and the midlands and some of them will blow to the london area as well. temperatures regardless of what it says on your thermometer, when you add on the strength of the wind, will feel colder against your skin. -6 will feel colder against your skin. —6 in aberdeen, —5 in newcastle, freezing as we push down towards plymouth. then into the weekend, a ridge of high pressure building in on saturday so things settle down a bit more. a lot of dry weather around. not as windy, but blustery, and still a few showers knocking around, some of which will be wintry but many will stay dry and the temperatures, 2—5, maybe eight towards the channel islands. sunday is giving us such a headache. at the moment it looks like it will start ona moment it looks like it will start on a cold and frosty and dry note but we do have a weather system coming in from the west that will bring in rain and on its leading edge it will also bring in some snow. the snow could be significant. where we think at the moment it will fall is from the midlands northwoods, as you can see in the charts. that could change so keep in touch with the forecast but look at the mild air following touch with the forecast but look at the mild airfollowing in, so all to play for, charlie and naga. thanks very much, carol. from the snowman to scrooge, some of the most popular christmas characters originated in a good old fashioned book. but are these classics still on children's christmas lists? research suggests books on hobbies are three times more popular, but does it really matter what young people are reading? brea kfast‘s tim muffett has been finding out. twas the night before christmas when all through the house not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. the stockings were hung... gadgets and books. not always a great mix. at the discover children story centre in east london, we're looking at the impact of devices and gaming on reading and story telling. when you play gadgets it's like a waste of time, you can do something else. play gadgets it's like a waste of time, you can do something elselj always liked reading more because you canjust always liked reading more because you can just sit always liked reading more because you canjust sit down always liked reading more because you can just sit down and relax and read a book, and it's quite nice to just sit down and read a book. parents tend to put kids in front of their devices very young. my sun loves the mist men books on the tablet, is that a bad thing? i can see the sleigh. today's storyteller is lee is patient, author of the hugely popular tom gatesjordans books. she's reading a christmas classic. it was the night before christmas was first published in 1823. there are some things thatjust don't and you can't replace having a physical book. it's the rhyming as well. and laying this finger the side of this nose and giving a nod. up side of this nose and giving a nod. up the chimney he rose. book trust isa up the chimney he rose. book trust is a charity that once kids to read. gadgets for many armore appealing indeed. in its survey they said a quarter of all parents say the same, they would give their children a book rather than a game. parents give their kids a gadget because that's what they kid once, they don't make the effort to give their child a good book. the charity found a fifth of parents said books bought as christmas presents wouldn't be read but even authors can see why. when i was younger if the digital devices were around i would be using them. my dad moaned about me watching tv all the time. last christmas children's printed book exceeded £100 million. the biggest seller was the midnight gang by david walliams but four of the top 20 were books about pokemon or minecraft. does it matter if a child wants to read a book about gaming? no, the most important thing is we encourage children to get reading and to like reading. for these children the message has already got through. if you've got a gadget you will be too tempted to, like, play a game. it is peace and quiet and not bright and shining at you. this christmas big sales are expected for philip pullman and david walliams but some christmas stories remain timeless. merry christmas to all and to all a good night. tim muffet, bbc news. a therapeutic way to finish a book. brought back some memories. we were told to look at the books we enjoyed reading when we were young, what about you ? reading when we were young, what about you? you brought in some of the original is. this took me back, enid blyton, big favourite in the office. carol is a big fan of enid blyton and roald dahl, how can you not read him? thejungle book, roger kipling. on enid blyton... tracy has got in touch, saying, i love the famous five, i used to get lost in them, in my mind i was on the adventure with them, i've lost count on hamon the times i read them, a0 yea rs on hamon the times i read them, a0 years on i'm still an avid reader. —— lost count on how many times. years on i'm still an avid reader. -- lost count on how many times. you associated yourself with the characters, i was george in famous five. elizabeth said the secret garden, tom's midnight garden, heidi, black beauty, mary poppins, secret seven. you're watching breakfast from bbc news. still to come this morning: the journalist jane merrick made headlines when she claimed she was sexually harassed by the former defence secretary michael fallon, and she's just been named in time magazine's person of the year piece. we're talking to her later. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning from bbc london news, i'm sonja jessup. the widow of a man who died in the croydon tram crash has vowed to campaign to improve safety on public transport. marilyn logan's husband philip was one of seven people killed in the derailment last year. she's seen a preview copy of the final report by the rail accident investigation branch, which is due to be released later today. she says she wants to see safety measures improved. i would love to see it and i will campaign to see that it is eventually done, because it could save so many lives... because it will happen again. transport for london says it welcomes the report from the rail accident investigation branch and will continue to work to ensure all of the recommendations outlined are met. survivors of the fire at grenfell tower have demanded urgent action on rehousing after it emerged four out of five families are facing christmas without a proper home. last night, the leader of kensington & chelsea council said it could be another six months before everyone's permanently rehoused. now, have you put your christmas tree up yet? it's 70 years since the first christmas tree was lit up in trafalgar square. it was donated by norway to the people of britain for their help and support during the second world war. this year's tree is due to be switched on in the square tonight. travel now. we're off to a good start with the tube, no reported problems other than the continuing works on the 0verground, it's closed between barking ands gospel 0ak. meanwhile on the roads, the chelsea embankment is still closed westbound from chelsea bridge road to battersea bridge for works. hello, good morning. an interesting few days of weather. now, in contrast to the dull, cloudy, mild couple of days we've just had it's going to turn wet and really very windy through this morning and then it will be cooler and brighter later on this afternoon. we're getting off to a very mild start, outbreaks of rain through the early—morning rush hour and some strong gusts as well, a very windy start to the day. a second band of rain is reaping through the west as we had from the late morning into the early afternoon, pushing eastwards and temperatures behind this weather front are going to go down so we'll see a cooler end to the day but also lots of sparkling winter sunshine around. we're letting the really cool air in as we had through the course of the night, so starting to feel very cold indeed. there could be some showers, some of which could turn out to be wintry in nature, especially up to the north—west and some frost in more sheltered areas as we head to tomorrow morning. tomorrow, a lot of wind chill from this cold north—westerly wind, a very cold—feeling day but lots of sunshine around as well. always the chance of one or two wintry showers so you may just see some sleet or snow particularly in north—western areas and over higher ground. a drier day on saturday and still feeling chilly with some sunshine. you can hear more of today's top stories and travel updates from us in around half an hour. there's plenty more on our website too at the usual address. bye bye. hello. this is breakfast, with charlie stayt and naga munchetty. missed targets on accident and emergency waiting times. more than three million people in the uk were not seen for more than four hours in the last year. the number of people waiting has more than doubled since 2013. doctors say they can't meet demand. good morning. it's thursday the seventh of december. also this morning. pressure on the prime minister. ireland and the eu call for theresa may to have more clarity on brexit by the end of the week. widespread condemnation of president trump's decision to recognise jerusalem as israel's capital. the un security council will hold an emergency meeting. it took 10,000 people and £3 billion to build. the hms queen elizabeth aircraft carrier will be commissioned today. good morning. we are at hull marina. is it worth being a city of culture? the businesses here in hull think so, with an estimated £60 million boost to the economy. i'll be chatting to businesses all morning about how things have changed for them this year. good morning. in sport, liverpool net seven goals, making england the first country to have five teams through to the champion's league knockout stages in the same season. and carol has the weather. good morning. storm caroline will make its presence felt in the north of scotland today. 90 miles per hour gusts. the met 0ffice 90 miles per hour gusts. the met office has an amber warning. for the rest of us, a wet and mild start to the day. cooling down considerably. very windy. details on all of that in15 very windy. details on all of that in 15 minutes. thank you, carol. good morning. first, our main story: the number of patients experiencing long waits in accident and emergency departments in the uk has more than doubled in the last four years. research by the bbc found that more than three million people waited longer than the four—hour target in the last year. doctors say it shows the nhs can no longer cope. the department of health said more money had been made available to nhs england. here's our health correspondent, dominic hughes. right across the uk, accident and emergency departments have been working at full capacity. now, bbc analysis shows how an already busy system is struggling to cope. the waiting time target to treat or deal with 95% of patients within four hours has been missed across the country. in the past year, more than 3 million patients waited longer than four hours, an increase of 120% on four years ago. but visits to a&e are up by only 7%, to nearly 27 million. to ensure the target is met, the nhs would need to build an additional 20 a&e departments. there is no more capacity in the system. our staff are working really hard, our nurses, our doctors. and we have reached a point where we unfortunately cannot meet that demand. scotland has come closest to hitting the target, while england has seen the biggest increase in those facing a long wait. but performance is even worse in wales. and northern ireland manages to see just three quarters of patients within four hours. a busier nhs means longer waiting times. and as we head into what could be a very hard winter, there's little sign of respite for staff or patients. dominic hughes, bbc news. the irish prime minister has said theresa may wants to put forward a new plan for the future of the irish border after brexit. negotiations with the eu stalled earlier this week when a proposal on the issue was rejected by northern ireland's democratic unionist party. 0ur political correspondent, iain watson, is in westminster this morning. ian, the pressure on the prime minister is really growing now? good morning. the prime minister needs an acceptable solution. huge pressure on the prime minister. the chief negotiator, michel barnier, said they have just entered tomorrow evening to get this problem sorted out if eu ambassadors are going to recommend that britain has made sufficient progress in its discussions to let trade talks begin, which is what she wants. so, she does not have long. positive words from the irish prime minister is expecting to see new proposals either today or tomorrow. he is saying he will compromise a little bit and respect the integrity of the uk. but the dup's views are crucial. they are propping up the prime minister at. they sound more down on the issue. they feel a lot more needs to be done. in effect, although the eu is saying they will sort this out by tomorrow night, there needs to be more flexibility in the face of the hard deadline of next week's summit. theresa may's leadership on this issue could be called into question. thank you. no british citizen who has fought for the islamic state group should never be allowed back into the country,says the defence secretary. gavin williamson, who was promoted to his post last month, told the daily mail that british fighters should be "hunted down" and killed because "a dead terrorist couldn't cause any harm to britain." widespread condemnation of president trump's decision to recognise jerusalem as israel's capital. the un security council will hold an emergency meeting. donald trump said the decision was long overdue and reflects the reality of israel's presence in the city. tom bateman is injerusalem. we can speak to him now. donald trump said some time ago he was going to do this and made the announcement yesterday. talk us through some of the reaction. on the ground in jerusalem overnight through some of the reaction. on the ground injerusalem overnight things we re ground injerusalem overnight things were relatively calm. there were small protests in the gaza strip and hebron near the west bank. they burned pictures of american flags and donald trump. more broadly, i think donald trump's declaration that he would recognisejerusalem as the capital of israel has galvanised condemnation from leaders across the arab and muslim world, and as the night wore on, other countries added to the long list of those either criticising, condemning, or expressing concern over that action. now, there will be, as you said, a meeting of the un security council tomorrow. in the meantime, there are more demonstrations planned here. in bethlehem last night in the occupied west bank, the christmas tree's lights were turned off in the main square to be a visual sign of their displeasure. as for the israelis, benjamin netanyahu hailed this as an historic decision, he said, by donald trump. he has called on other countries now to move their embassies from tel aviv to jerusalem. but he was keen to stress that he says those key and very sensitive holy sites in the old city ofjerusalem will sensitive holy sites in the old city of jerusalem will not sensitive holy sites in the old city ofjerusalem will not have their status quo, the arrangements around how they are listed, changed by israel. for the moment, thank you. a fast—moving wildfire in southern california has jumped the us state's main costal highway and reached the pacific ocean according to firefighters tackling the blaze. the homes of more than 150,000 people have been evacuated in an area north of los angeles and hundreds of buildings have been damaged. strong winds are expected to further hinder efforts to contain the fire which is still endangering some 12,000 properties. the departing vice chancellor of bath spa university received £808,000 last year in pay and benefits. professor christina slade wasn't the highest paid vice chancellor in the uk. from next year, universities in england will have to justify pay of more than £150,000. the labour peer, lord adonis, is calling for an independent inquiry into senior university pay. the royal navy's new aircraft carrier hms queen elizabeth will be commissioned into service later today. the queen will be guest of honour at the ceremony which marks the carrier's official handover to the navy. the ship is the most expensive in british naval history, costing around £3 billion to build. it won't be operational until 2021, but its captain says today marks an important milestone. swapping the blue ensign and war ensign is symbolic. it formally recognises her as a warship legally. but for us, it is much more than that. it is saying "here we are." "we've arrived." the war ensign says a lot about the country. the flag has been flying in the service of the country for many years. for us, it is a magnificent day, a very proud day, and, yeah, it is a major day for us. the uk's next city of culture will be named later today as hull's year—long celebration in the spotlight nears an end. coventry, paisley, stoke—on—trent, sunderland, and swansea are in the running for the 2021 title. 0ur entertainment and arts correspondent, colin paterson, has been taking a look at the contenders. the ghost town's gone. we've moved on. coventry has grown. coventry's uk city of culture's bid draws on their history of invention and reinvention, from the bicycle to the jet engine to two—tone music. the average age there is 33, seven years younger than the national average, so there is a big focus on youth. paisley in renfrewshire is best known for the paisley pattern, created in the 19th century by the town's weavers. it now has some of scotland's worst pockets of depravation, and believes that being the city of culture would turbocharge regeneration. they've enlisted the help of local boy, paolo nutini. it has always been my home. i love my town and you want to see it grow. stoke—on—trent is six towns in one city. something special is happening again. we're a city on the up. its bid aims to both celebrate its title as the world's capital of ceramics, while also changing perceptions of the place by highlighting that it's one of the uk's fastest growing economies. also in the running is sunderland. why give us this honour, this title? because in spite of a few hard decades, we still believe in ourselves. they say they would use the national glass centre as a starting point from which to deliver a celebration of art and culture to make the whole country proud. swansea is culture. and the final city in contention is that swansea, who argue that they are the ideal choice as they are a creative city rich with heritage and culture. and the actor, rhys fans, is backing their bid. i feel good about this, i feel lucky. the result will be announced live on the one show this evening. colin paterson, bbc news. the art of neapolitan pizza making could be included on a cultural heritage list. a decision will be made by unesco in the next few hours after a petition was signed by more than two million people. in anticipation of the news, the italian minister of culture lit up the oven at the neapolitan museum of capodimonte, where the first ever margherita pizza was baked in 1899. ijust want i just want pizza. ijust want pizza. that is all i wa nt ijust want pizza. that is all i want is now. it is funny, it does not have that effect on it. if i see a curry, i want one in the morning, though. the weather and sport later on. winter is a busy time of year for accident and emergency departments, as they try to deal with the extra pressures the season brings. but bbc analysis of nhs figures shows the number of patients waiting more than four hours to be seen has more than doubled in the past four years across the uk. we can talk now to the president of the royal college of emergency medicine, dr taj hassan. good morning. why are we seeing this significant increase in the amount of patients waiting to be seen? more than doubling. it has been clear those attending emergency departments as well as the complexity of the care in terms of elderly patients has steadily increased. however, we have not had the resources to meet that increased demand. that has affected the overall system performance and the overall system performance and the ability of the staff to be able to cope with this extreme challenge, which isjust this to cope with this extreme challenge, which is just this winter, it has been getting worse over the last five years. what is the answer? there are three things. the first is leadership. the second is we have to have the tools to be able to cope. thirdly, what were we do in the immediate term? in terms of leadership, there is absolutely no doubt i think we have some of the finest leadership in the world running the nhs. simon stevens has done an incredible job for us. jim matthews just retired. and collea g u es matthews just retired. and colleagues as well at health education england, they are people i have worked within the nine months. indeed, we secured a workforce strategy for emergency medicine which was the most comprehensive thing going. but it will take 6—9 months to kick in. simon stevens and others have been clear about the resources we need in order for the nhs to function as we the public and the people who worked in the nhs wa nt the people who worked in the nhs want it to. so, that goes onto the tools. and the tools are that there is no doubt we can improve processes , is no doubt we can improve processes, but the bottomline is that we need more for bad, we need more money for staff, and we need more money for staff, and we need more money for social care and community care. —— beds. more money for social care and community care. -- beds. sorry, please continue. and i suppose the last thing, as i said, is what are we going to do in the meantime? in the meantime, at the moment, it is just allowing the staff to work to their very best to deliver safe care, to try to deliver performance in the 9—5 hour standard, which we all aspire to. but many of the staff working in departments with tighter performance is at 60— 70— 80%, there area performance is at 60— 70— 80%, there are a small number of systems doing really well, and they managed to connect the sector and community really well we have to find ways to support them. talking about the tools in the immediate term, the department of health has given us a statement, it says, the government is supporting the nhs with an extra a35 and pounds to cope with winter, including making sure people get directed to the right service if they go to a&e -- a35 the right service if they go to a&e —— a35 and pounds. money is being given to the nhs to allow these tools to be in place. is it simple enough to say that's just not enough? -- £475 million. you should look to independent observers —— a35 and pounds. we very grateful for the money. we are grateful they can find some money in these very tough times but the reality is we are trying to deal with and manage and care for the most vulnerable in our society, the most vulnerable in our society, the young, the old, the ill and injured, and we as a speciality, representing my colleagues, are finding that an extreme struggle for the last few years and increasingly worse. explain to me this statistic, visits to a&e have risen by 7%. so why are we seeing, as we began this interview, such a jump in the number of people waiting longer and the number of people that aren't being seen number of people that aren't being seen within the targeted timeframe of four hours? visits to emergency departments have risen steadily approximately 2% every year for the last 15 years, and the 7% that you describe for the last few years is consistent. the reason is that unfortunately we don't have the resources to be able to manage the whole chain, the money to manage the whole chain, the money to be able to and the staff to be able to cope in emergency departments, the staff to have acute beds and the ability for patients who are really well enough to get them back into the community where they and their families want them to be. the extra money that we were talking about, the a00 plus million, is that not going to make any difference? i think one of the things that i'm sure sandra stevens and others are working really hard for is as much of that money as possible really gets truly to the front line, truly gets to patients and staff on wards and staff in the emergency department so we can get through the winter as safely as possible. i think that money is good but probably nowhere near good enough and for simon stevens, the king's fund and others have clearly described that for us. i would say to the secretary of state, who i think has acquired money for us, u nfortu nately we think has acquired money for us, unfortunately we do need more. doctor taj hassan, president of the royal college of emergency medicine, thank you for talking to us this morning. here's carol with a look at this morning's weather. what's happening, carol? snow in the forecast, and we have storm caroline today. good morning. starting with the whole of the uk today, a windy day wherever you are, we have that at the moment. rain pushing south and as that clears that will turn colder behind it and the rain showers we have will increasingly be wintry or falling as low generally. storm caroline is coming in from the west, affecting the outer hebrides with gusts around 7a mph —— as snow. pushing east in the north of scotland through the day and the wind will strengthen, just look at the squeeze in the isobars, but windy wherever you are. the met office has an amber be prepared warning for the north of scotland, 75 and 80 mph gusts, for the rest of scotland and northern ireland, gusts of 70 mph, damaging gusts, and we have snow falling and increasingly the snow will fall at low levels so blizzard conditions. in northern ireland increasingly your showers will turn wintry, northern england, a quieter start but wet, lots of surface water and spray on the roads and now turning colder. for wales and the rest of england, heavy rain moving to the south—east, but much milder temperatures. 0ur earlier band of rain drifting towards kent and that will eventually clear. some of the rain will be heavy as it moves south—east, drier and brighter conditions in the north of england, but the temperature now falling and that will be the process today as this band of rain and windy conditions go to the south—east. it will dry conditions go to the south—east. it willdry up and conditions go to the south—east. it will dry up and brighten up but the temperature will fall, so our maximum temperature around now. the showers keep piling into northern ireland, northern england, north wales, some wintry, but in the north of scotland, atrocious blizzard conditions. it will feel cold, bitter in the north and it will feel cold in the rest of the uk. through the evening and overnight the showers keep piling in, the wintry showers, falling as low in scotland and northern ireland and parts of northern england, wales, down towards the midlands —— as snow. a covering of snow, some of it will be quite significant, and as we head towards the london area, a dusting of snow first thing. also ice and frost to look out for. tomorrow sees a replay of what happens overnight. we continue with the snow and the wind in scotland, northern ireland, parts of northern england, wales, the midlands, and snow flurries across london. in between that it will be sunny, regardless of the temperatures on your thermometers, this is how it will feel with the wind against your skin. naga and charlie, more snow in the forecast as we head to the weekend. thank you very much, carol. the royal navy's new aircraft carrier will be commissioned into service by the queen at a ceremony in portsmouth later today. the event marks the official handover of hms queen elizabeth to the royal navy. it's one of two new british aircraft carriers and cost around £3 billion to build. up to a0 aircraft will be able to be transported on board, including the f—35b fighterjet which the ship has been built around. it's due to come into active service by 2021 and will be joined by sister ship hms prince of wales in two years later. 0ur defence correspondent jonathan beale has this report. this is a big day for the royal navy. a moment to forget about recent cuts and fears of even more. the crew of hms queen elizabeth has been rehearsing for the arrival of the monarch here in the carrier's giant aircraft hangar. today the queen will be welcome on board to officially commission the ship that bears her name into service. it's been a long wait. work began at rosyth on this, the first of the royal navy's two new aircraft carriers, in 1998. slowly taking shape, she was built with the help of 10,000 people right across the uk. for the past few months, hms queen elizabeth and her 700 crew have been at sea testing her systems. this the largest and most expensive warship ever built for the royal navy, at a cost of more than £3 billion. and today, now at her new home at portsmouth, she officially becomes a royal navy warship where they'll raise the white ensign for the very first time. swapping the blue ensign and white ensign is symbolic. it's formally recognising her as a warship legally. but for us it is more than that. it says, "here we are, we've arrived. the white ensign says a lot about the country. the flag has been flying in the service of the country for many years. for us, magnificent day. next year, hms queen elizabeth will begin flight trials from this massive deck, first with helicopters and then jets, the new f—35bs which each cost £100 million, which will take off from that ski ramp. but she won't be operational until 2021. russia's already dismissed her as a large convenient target, but the royal navy believes hms queen elizabeth and her sister ship, hms prince of wales, will be a potent show of british military power for the next 50 years. jonathan beale, bbc news, portsmouth. still to come this morning: a new uk city of culture crowned this evening. at the moment it is hull and we've been looking at how that's been benefiting from being the titleholder. steph is in a very windy hull this morning. good morning, steph. good morning to you and good morning, everyone, i'm at hull marina this morning and as carol was talking about, it is quite windy today! this of course was the city that was crowned city of culture last year and tonight we will find out who will be the next one. a lot of talk at the moment about what difference it can make to a city by getting this status. we'll be talking to people through the morning about that and we can chat with the council leader stephen about the difference it has made. good morning. tell us about what it has meant for hull. there's been a huge surge in confidence and a real pride that we've given a real good show this year. 90% of the residents in this city have taken part in cultural events, 350,000 in the first week alone in the cold days of january in the city centre. records have been broken in the museums and art galleries in the first quarter, over1 million people visited the city to have a look at what we've gotan city to have a look at what we've got an offer. there's been a new... there's been an increase in business. a3 new businesses in the city centre alone. and, yeah, it's been really good hull has been able to get its message across, what a lovely city it is and we've found it difficult over time to put that across. as you say, there's been lots of different benefits, is it sustainable? we are in an area that's been regenerated, is it something you can carry on using?|j do something you can carry on using?” do believe that. there's been an 80% increase in the night—time economy, over £3 billion since it was announced we got city of culture, £3 billion has been invested into the city and there's a real confidence there. we will chat to some of the business people here with us this morning. but first, back out in the wind, let's get the news, travel and weather where you are this morning. good morning from bbc london news, i'm sonja jessup. the widow of a man who died in the croydon tram crash has vowed to campaign to improve safety on public transport. marilyn logan's husband philip was one of seven people killed in the derailment last year. she's seen a preview copy of the final report by the rail accident investigation branch, which is due to be released later today. she says she wants to see safety measures improved. i would love to see it and i will campaign to see that it is eventually done, because it could save so many lives... because it will happen again. transport for london says it welcomes the report from the rail accident investigation branch and will continue to work to ensure all of the recommendations outlined are met. survivors of the fire at grenfell tower have demanded urgent action on rehousing after it emerged four out of five families are facing christmas without a proper home. last night, the leader of kensington & chelsea council said it could be another six months before everyone's permanently rehoused. now, have you put your christmas tree up yet? it's 70 years since the first christmas tree was lit up in trafalgar square. it was donated by norway to the people of britain for their help and support during the second world war. this year's tree is due to be switched on in the square tonight. travel now. tfl trains have minor delays between liverpool street and shenfield because of slippery rails apparently. and the continuing works on the 0verground mean it's closed between barking ands gospel 0ak. southern and thameslink trains via peckham rye are running with delays following a faulty train. and here's how it looks on the a23 streatham high road, it's closed northbound at gleneagle road for works. it's causing delays northbound back through streatham common. let's get the weather now, here's elizabeth rizzini. hello, good morning. an interesting few days of weather ahead. now, in contrast to the dull, cloudy, mild couple of days we've just had it's going to turn wet and really very windy through this morning and then it will be cooler and brighter later on this afternoon. we're getting off to a very mild start, outbreaks of rain already through the early—morning rush hour and some strong gusts as well, a very windy start to the day. a second band of rain is reaping through the west as we had from the late morning into the early afternoon, pushing eastwards and temperatures behind this weather front are going to go down so we'll see a cooler end to the day but also lots of sparkling winter sunshine around. we're letting the really cool air in as we had through the course of the night, so starting to feel very cold indeed. there could be some showers, some of which could turn out to be wintry in nature, especially up to the north—west and some frost in more sheltered areas as we head to tomorrow morning. tomorrow, a lot of wind chill from this cold north—westerly wind, a very cold—feeling day but lots of sunshine around as well. always the chance of one or two wintry showers so you may just see some sleet or snow particularly in north—western areas and over higher ground. a drier day on saturday and still feeling chilly with some sunshine. you can hear more of today's top stories and travel updates from us in around half an hour. for now, though, it's back to charlie and naga and bbc brea kfast. bye bye. hello. welcome back. this is breakfast with charlie stayt and naga munchetty. we'll bring you all the latest news and sport in a moment. but also on breakfast this morning. the number of patients experiencing long waits in accident and emergency departments in the uk has more than doubled in the last four years. research by the bbc found that more than three million people waited longer than the four—hour target in the last year. doctors say it shows the nhs can no longer cope. the department of health said more money had been made available to nhs england. the number of people attending departments as well as the complexity of care in terms of elderly patients has increased. u nfortu nately, we elderly patients has increased. unfortunately, we have not had the resources to meet- unfortunately, we have not had the resources to meet thatl unfortunately, we have not had the resources to meet that - the and that affected the increasing . the last the un security council is expected to hold an emergency meeting after president trump made an historic decision to recognise vote this . ‘ law could - place £808,000 last year in pay and benefits. professor christina slade wasn't the highest paid vice chancellor in the uk. from next year, universities in england will have to justify pay of more than £150,000. the labour peer, lord adonis, is calling for an independent inquiry into senior university pay. a feathered dinosaur resembling a mutant swan has been discovered by scientists. it is quite an accurate description. it has a graceful neck at clause and a long neck. —— but claws. it lived 75 million years ago. it is the first dinosaur to adopt the lifestyle of a modern—day water bird. the idea of a teethed beak scares me. i always think about that. how often? lots of goals for liverpool last night. absolutely. they wanted to go to the champions league. 7—0. that confirms it. it means they have scored the most goals in the group stages over any other club now. manchester united got the last with 23. england have become the first country to have five teams in the champions league knock—out stage. manchester united, manchester city, chelsea, tottenham, were already through to monday's draw. and liverpooljoined them last night with a brilliant 7—0 win over spartak moscow at anfield. phillip coutinho scored a hatrick, while sadio mane got a couple of goals too. jurgen klopp's side topped their group so he might not be too happy with who they draw to face next. the last 16 have always been strong. this year is special. not often can you go against bayern munich and real madrid in the top 16. also juve! and all alsojuve! and all the others! so, that is quite interesting. spurs finished the group stages on a high with a 3—0 win at wembley over apoel nicosia. fernando llorente scored his first for the club in a much changed side. son heung—min scored a well worked second before half—time. tottenham were already sure of finishing above real madrid in the group. manchester city lost for the first time this season at shakhtar donetsk. bernard scored a terrific first for the home side in freezing temperatures in ukraine. ismailly added a second for shakhtar before half—time. and there was no way back for a changed city side despite sergio aguero's late penalty. ben stokes has been named in england's squad for the one day internationals in australia next month. stokes is currently in new zealand while he waits to find out if he will be charged for an altercation in bristol in august. the bbc understands stokes is highly unlikely to be involved in the series unless his circumstances change. meanwhile, england's ashes hopes with or without stokes are hanging by a thread after defeat in the second test yesterday. test match special‘s geoffrey boycott says england's batting isn't good enough. we do not make enough runs. we made 302,190,150 in two innings, a60! you need to make a60 in one innings. then you give the bowlers something to bowl at! we do not make enough runs. russia's president, vladimir putin, says he won't stop russian athletes competing independently at february's winter olympics in south korea. the ioc banned russia from the games this week but athletes are proven to be clean can compete as neutrals. former british athlete, kelly sotherton, is set to be awarded a bronze medal from the 2008 summer olympics after russian rivals were banned for doping. she says the ioc‘s decision doesn't go far enough. i personally think it should be a blanket ban. no russians. for the sake of the many clean athletes at the olympics, you sacrifice a few to save the many. even if some are potentially clean, they are still russian. the three time champion, john higgins, is out of the uk championship at the quarter—final stage, after being beaten by world number21, mark king. king won four of the last five frames in york to squeeze through 6—5. while higgins is the 13th player among the top—16 seeds to go out. and 23—time grand slam champion serena williams has entered herself into the 2018 australian open, after giving birth to her first child four months ago. the defending champion won in melbourne injanuary for a seventh time, while in the early weeks of pregnancy. she gave birth to her daughter in september, but can she now make even more history by retaining the title? ijust want i just want to revisit the results last night. now then, make of this what you will. the coach of shaktar donetsk celebrated his side qualifiction for the champions league knockout stage by dressing up as zorro. paulo fonseca had said he would wear a zorro outfit, the the fictional masked vigilante, if shakhtar advanced. as we heard earlier, they beat manchester city and go into the hat... not that one... ..for monday's draw for the next stage. this could start something. costumes that press conferences.” this could start something. costumes that press conferences. i think they should all do it. and he kept it on through the whole thing? he takes it off now. towards the end. he did most of it. it probably got hot. there you go. that was the end. make sure the hair is in place. thank you. hull was the city of culture for 2017. it is a knock—on effect for the local economy. we are there this morning. good morning. good morning. iam out morning. good morning. good morning. i am out hull marina. it is a bit wet and windy. that has not stopped the city from celebrating the fact that for over a year now it has in a city of culture. they think it has made a difference of £60 million in terms of the economy. tonight, we find out who gets the crown next. we are looking this morning at what difference having that title means to an area. we have some local businesspeople we can talk to. first of all, laura, what difference has it made? a huge difference. it has given the city confidence, which has been seen to be local businesses established this year. our business has had that. we went on and have not looked back. it has been an amazing year and have many clients in the city. do you think you would not have had that if this area had not have had that if this area had not had the city of culture. we could still have made a success, but it gave us the opportunity to start are in agency and leave our previous job and follow our dreams. —— our own. and you have a 3d printing business. has it made a difference? having the creative culture of the uk focused on hull has made it easy to be nationwide rather than local. infora to be nationwide rather than local. in for a business like yours, one of the criticisms of him in the act one is the transport is not great. —— being in the north. there are slight concerns about that. but the fact of having everything focused on us for a yearand going having everything focused on us for a year and going on from that, the barriers are overcome quite quickly. especially with the internet. you are from siemens, a huge company, tell us what it has meant for your business. i work for the wind turbines division. it is not a great retail impact, because we will not sell more wind turbines for the back of it, but it is critical we get behind the city. it is critical for us behind the city. it is critical for us to employ people who feel involved in the culture. for you guys, involved in the culture. for you guys, it is about the skills it can bring to the area. are people who could potentially work for you. one of the major installations was a giant wind turbine in the centre of town. if it inspires people, that is fantastic for everyone. and let's talk about some pies. we have the local pie man. your business supplies lots in the area. it has been great. it increases tourism, bringing a focus on the brand on the brand and the awareness. we supplied e engaging and going back to city and engaging and going back to their home city to tell other people. it is a lot of confidence as well. totally. the city has grown within itself this year. the confidence is high. everyone is excited, and they love the fact everyone is looking at us and thinking, wow, check them out, they can go the extra mile. that is a boost this area needed. like my hometown, it can often get a lot of bad press because people say they are struggling withjobs bad press because people say they are struggling with jobs and that kind of thing. it is important. are struggling with jobs and that kind of thing. it is importantm is. you can feel the increased confidence, you can feel the boost the city has had. people talk about hullness. i have heard that since i have been here. the pride in the area has increased. can i ask you a bit about how sustainable this is in terms of, you know, you have the title now but it goes somewhere else soon. title now but it goes somewhere else soon. can it continue, the investment and confidence?” soon. can it continue, the investment and confidence? i am confident. it has been a springboard for the city. it has awakened people. there is creative curiosity. there is momentum. i don't think people want that to stop. with that backin people want that to stop. with that back in the city and the new energy we have seen invigorating everyone, i feel confident. we have a lot to offer. even i feel confident. we have a lot to offer. ed? 1; 7 i feel confident. we have a lot to offer. e' the freedom festival;, ,. i i feel confident. we have a lot to offer. e' the freedom festival has 7 ,. i i feel confident. we have a lot to offer here re freedom festival has 7 ,. i i your e7.—f7§ 7. 7 . . . is it is t later. , . 7 talking again so is again so - is a theme about food again so be it is a theme this morning! does look like some really tasty pies. pies. —— again. tomorrow we will be live from the newly crowned winner of city of culture 2021, it will be sunderland, commentary, paisley, or stoke—on—trent. —— coventry. this was meant to be a decisive week when it came to brexit but there's no sign theresa may has found a solution to the sticking point of the irish border issue. there have been hints from dublin that a new offer from downing street been hints from dublin that a new offerfrom downing street is been hints from dublin that a new offer from downing street is on its way but no details have yet emerged. our next guest may have more of an idea, we can welcome the transport secretary chris grayling from westminster this morning. what can you tell us? we're in the middle of a negotiating process, i can't give you a running commentary on the detail, but i'm optimistic we will return an agreement that allows us will return an agreement that allows us to move to the next stage of negotiations. this isjust a bridging agreement, allowing us to broaden the discussion is to discuss the future of trade which is crucial to working out what happens on the irish border. i hope there will be free trade and no real change. this stock line, not going to give you a wierling commentary, isn't good enough. given the chaos that has surrounded this process, i think you and your cabinet colleagues of people more —— running commentary. —— owe people more. i think many people would want to know what you, theresa may and the cabinet and the brexit secretary are doing between now and then to change things? we are aiming at four things, we are not going to... we are working very ha rd to not going to... we are working very hard to make sure we have a sensible agreement for the future, that we have a partnership in trading terms, that we continue to work together closely in areas like security and we have a smooth transition out of the european union. you were doing those things before, you are giving me generalities, what we're trying to establish and the clock is ticking here, you know that more than anyone, what's going to be different about the wording of the proposals that you are hopefully going to put forward? let's start with some basics, is there going to bea with some basics, is there going to be a new forming of words that you put forward by tomorrow night? i'm not going to go into the specifics of the discussion that is taking place. that's a very simple question, is there going to be one? we're very clear, look at the irish border, we're not going to impose a ha rd border, we're not going to impose a hard border on the divide between northern ireland and the republic of ireland. we're not going to do a deal that undermines the integrity of the united kingdom. what we are going to do is come up with what we believe will be a strong partnership for the future, one where there is free trade and actually the whole issue of the free movement of goods across the irish border becomes superseded by the partnership we put in place for the future. that the cotia asian is taking place right now and we're working towards a negotiating council next week —— that negotiation. you wouldn't expect massive details at this stage. you are misunderstanding me, the irish are expecting to hear from theresa may either today or tomorrow, are they going to hear from her today or tomorrow and are you relaxed about the idea of this deadline disappearing and we are talking about next year for the trade talks? there are discussions taking place all the time and they will continue up to the european council. of course that's happening. i'm confused, if you can't tell me theresa may is going to come up with a new proposal, that's a bit alarming, isn't it? that means everything will be pushed into the long grass possibly into the new year. i'm saying there are discussions taking place through the new goal mike week and i'm confident they will get us to a point that by they will get us to a point that by the time we get to the european council we will have an agreement to have constructive trade talks —— through the week. those talks will ta ke through the week. those talks will take place through the week. how close is the government now involving the dup in any wording of any proposals? we talk to the dup regularly of course. but you didn't before, that's the problem, that's why i asked the question. this isn't about the relationship between two parties, it's about doing the right thing for the people of northern ireland as well and we are clearly mindful of that as we do this. we're not going to do anything that undermines the integrity of the uk. it's not just undermines the integrity of the uk. it's notjust a question of the dup, as the conservative and unionist party we wouldn't do anything to undermine the integrity of the uk. maybe you could reassure people, if that's what you're seeking to do, given what happened on monday too many people's shock that the negotiations, the discussions had not included the dup, who then stopped the whole process, maybe you could reassure people that this time around the dup will be across the wording so they don't scupper it again. we will be very careful to make sure as we go through the rest of the process we are mindful both of the process we are mindful both of the process we are mindful both of the concerns and interests of people in northern ireland, but also the need to maintain the integrity of the united kingdom. that's git but of aren't to sign ‘fori't to sign see! ‘for the to sign see! 22 can - bad i; can - about at of this we of agreement at the end of this we of course expect to fulfil the terms... if you don't reach an agreement will do pay anyway? there won't be an agreement on money until we get to a com plete agreement on money until we get to a complete agreement. we have always said and we say now that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. this is a staging post on the way to a second phase of talks. we are agreeing principles about the final settlement, we will then talk about trade but nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. david davis also gave people a bit of a shock yesterday by informing us that there is no strategic plan, no calculations made about the impact of brexit. 0ther politicians were aghast at the notion that your government is not making those plans, not trying to make those calculations. how on earth is that responsible? well, i think there's a misunderstanding over these papers. what we have done over 800 pages of analysis is look at how european law impacts different sectors in the country to sort out different areas. we aren't looking at fighting the referendum campaign again to say what the impact of different scenarios of brexit, because ultimately what we are aiming for is a sensible free trade agreement and that we are not in the job of the economic forecasting you see from organisations like the office for budget responsibility. 0urjob is to work out exactly what we need to negotiate and there are 800 pages of impact analysis of european law on individual sectors of the economy that we provided to the committee in the house of commons that help us shape that negotiation. i'm not quite sure what your role was today in being sent out and doing media interviews, i know you're doing the rounds today, but was yourjob to reassure people that things are going well and things are in hand, because i'm not sure you've done that! my job very simply is to say to people, look, we're in the middle ofa to people, look, we're in the middle of a negotiation, it's a complex negotiation, they have their ups and downs and we're confident we will have a sensible basis to move to the next stage of talks. 0ur have a sensible basis to move to the next stage of talks. our goal is to secure a sensible free—trade partnership for the future with the eu and not have any kind of border between northern and southern ireland, we are clear, we won't impose a border between the two and our goal is to make sure we do the right thing to support the union of great britain and northern ireland and our goal is to get a good deal for britain and not a bad dealfor britain. one more thing, if in the middle of next week when in theory we are meant to celebrate the trade talks beginning, if that doesn't happen, for whatever reason, how much of a calamity is that? look, i am an optimist. i understand you're an optimist but if it doesn't happen... we doing all the preparations people would expect for all scenarios. we are preparing for all scenarios. we are preparing for ano all scenarios. we are preparing for a no deal scenario and a free—trade agreement. all the work people would expect us to do is being done. chris grayling, thanks for your time this morning. speaking from weston is that this morning, the transport secretary. let's talk to carol to look at the weather. it's getting very chilly. it is getting chilly today, you're quite right, but as well as that we have a storm on the way, some feeling the impact already, storm caroline. wherever you are today it will be very windy but the storm force winds in the north of scotland are strong. the rain clearing and behind the rain it's turning much colder. the met office has an amber weather warnings out for storm caroline. you can see it here, 80 mph gusts, even 90 mph gusts. for the most of the rest of scotland and the most of the rest of scotland and the north of northern ireland, 70 mph gusts, they are damaging and could cause power cuts and bring down power lines and other root trees. that's half the story because in the north of scotland we've also got snow and that will be increasingly falling at low levels so increasingly falling at low levels so blizzard conditions. moving away from scotland, rain continuing to move from scotland, rain continuing to m ove a cross from scotland, rain continuing to move across england and wales, pushing into the south—east and behind it, brighter skies and the temperature will drop and it will be a windy day wherever you are. as the temperature drops the showers and rain showers we have will increasingly turn wintry in northern ireland, northern england and north wales. through the evening and overnight it will still be very windy, storm caroline pushes off to the net continent and we continue with our snow piling in cross northern scotland —— near continent. northern scotland —— near continent. northern ireland, northern england and wales and the midlands. we could see lying snow first thing, significant amounts, even at lower levels and a dusting across much of the rest of england and down to the south, including the london area. a cold night with the risk of ice and a widespread frost. tomorrow, an action replay of what happened overnight, more snow coming in a cross northern scotland, northern ireland, parts of northern england, around cheshire for example, manchester, wales and the midlands, snow flurries across the london area. but showers and so not all will see them and in between will be some sunshine. temperature wise, whatever you see on your thermometer, it will feel colder, it will feel like —6a example of the windchill —— —6 four example in aberdeen because of the time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning from bbc london news, i'm sonja jessup. the widow of a man who died in the croydon tram crash has vowed to campaign to improve safety on public transport. marilyn logan's husband philip was one of seven people killed in the derailment last year. she's seen a preview copy of the final report by the rail accident investigation branch, which is due to be released later today. she says she wants to see safety measures improved. i would love to see it and i will campaign to see that it is eventually done, because it could save so many lives... because it will happen again. transport for london says it welcomes the report from the rail accident investigation branch and will continue to work to ensure all of the recommendations outlined are met. survivors of the fire at grenfell tower have demanded urgent action on rehousing after it emerged four out of five families are facing christmas without a proper home. last night, the leader of kensington & chelsea council said it could be another six months before everyone's permanently rehoused. now, have you put your christmas tree up yet? it's 70 years since the first christmas tree was lit up in trafalgar square. it was donated by norway to the people of britain for their help and support during the second world war. this year's tree is due to be switched on in the square tonight. travel now. the bakerloo line is not running between elephant & castle and paddington at the moment. tfl trains have severe delays between liverpool street and shenfield. the continuing works on the 0verground mean it's closed between barking and gospel 0ak. southern and thameslink trains via peckham rye are running with delays due to a faulty train. and here's how it looks on the a23 streatham high road, it's closed northbound at gleneagle road for works. let's get the weather now, here's elizabeth rizzini. hello, good morning. an interesting few days of weather ahead. now, in contrast to the dull, cloudy, mild couple of days we've just had it's going to turn wet and really very windy through this morning and then it will be cooler and brighter later on this afternoon. we're getting off to a very mild start, outbreaks of rain already through the early—morning rush hour and some strong gusts as well, a very windy start to the day. a second band of rain is reaping through the west as we had from the late morning into the early afternoon, pushing eastwards and temperatures behind this weather front are going to go down so we'll see a cooler end to the day but also lots of sparkling winter sunshine around. we're letting the really cool air in as we had through the course of the night, so starting to feel very cold indeed. there could be some showers, some of which could turn out to be wintry in nature, especially up to the north—west and some frost in more sheltered areas as we head to tomorrow morning. tomorrow, a lot of wind chill from this cold north—westerly wind, a very cold—feeling day but lots of sunshine around as well. always the chance of one or two wintry showers so you may just see some sleet or snow particularly in north—western areas and over higher ground. a drier day on saturday and still feeling chilly with some sunshine. you can hear more of today's top stories and travel updates from us in around half an hour. there's plenty more on our website too at the usual address. bye bye. hello, this is breakfast, with charlie stayt and naga munchetty. missed targets in accident and emergency. more than 3 million people in the uk waited more than four hours in the last year. the numbers have more than doubled since 2013. doctors say they can't meet demand. good morning, it's thursday, 7th december. also this morning... pressure on the prime minister — ireland and the eu call for theresa may to have more clarity on brexit by the end of the week. widespread condemnation of president trump's decision to recognisejerusalem as israel's capital — the un security council will hold an emergency meeting. good morning from hull marina. this area was declared the city of culture last year. tonight we will find out where the crown will be going next so i have come here to find out what difference it has made to the city. good morning. in sport, liverpool net seven goals to make it a record—breaking five english teams through to the champions league knockout stages. # silent night, holy night... # he's the pointless presenter turned singing star — alexander armstrong will be here. and carol has the weather. good morning. stallman caroline crossing the north of scotland —— storm caroline. falling snow at snow levels, blizzard conditions. forthe rest of us, windy, the rain clearing, temperatures falling. the rain showers will turn wintry. all of the details and 15 minutes. good morning. first, our main story. the number of patients experiencing long waits in accident and emergency departments in the uk has more than doubled in the last four years. research by the bbc found that more than 3 million people waited longer than the four—hour target in the last year. doctors say it shows the nhs can no longer cope. the department of health said more money has been made available to nhs england. here's our health correspondent, dominic hughes. right across the uk, accident and emergency departments have been working at full capacity. now bbc analysis shows how an already busy system is struggling to cope. longer than four hours — an increase of 120% on four years ago. but visits to a&e are up by only 7%, to nearly 27 million. to ensure the target is met, the nhs will need to build an additional 20 more a&e departments. there is no more capacity in the system. staff are working really hard, our nurses, our doctors, and we have reached a point where we, unfortunately, cannot meet that demand. scotland has come closest to hitting the target, while england has seen the biggest increase in those facing a long wait, but performance is even worse in wales. northern ireland manages to see just three quarters of patients within four hours. a busier nhs means longer waiting times and as we head into what could be a very hard winter, there is little sign of respite for staff or patients. dominic hughes, bbc news. you can find out how your local hospital is performing by using the bbc nhs track on the bbc news website. the irish prime minister has said theresa may wants to put forward a new plan for the future of the irish border after brexit. negotiations with the eu stalled earlier this week when a proposal on the issue was rejected by northern ireland's democratic unionist party. 0ur political correspondent, iain watson, is in westminster this morning. the message we are hearing, we spoke to chris grayling, transport secretary, it is fine, and control, but we are still negotiating, yet there is pressure on the prime minister to come up with something solid. is huge pressure. but irish prime ministers is expecting new proposals from theresa may today or tomorrow and the chief negotiator of the eu is suggesting that if he does not see them by tomorrow evening, the eu ambassadors cannot go back to their individual countries to prepare the way for trade talks, the big prize, the european summit meeting next week. chris grayling on this programme earlier, i am not quite sure he regarded it as a deadline. the deadline he was working towards and the government was the summit which is actually in a week. he tried to reassure people that the negotiations were on track. 0ur that the negotiations were on track. our goal is to not have any kind of border between northern and southern island, we will not impose a fixed border. 0ur island, we will not impose a fixed border. our goal is to make sure we do the right thing to support our union of the uk and great britain and northern ireland and our goal is to make sure we sign up to a deal thatis to make sure we sign up to a deal that is good for britain, not a deal that is good for britain, not a deal thatis that is good for britain, not a deal that is bad. chris grayling making the point the government does not wa nt the point the government does not want a bad deal, no surprise there, but how it can get to a good deal is very much in theresa may's focus because she does not have to simply keep the irish prime ministers at the or even the eu, she has to get on board, the dup, the party propping up. they sounding less upbeat, suggesting there will not be a deal this week. that will make it difficult. you will see a lot more criticism of the prime minister at westminster. we will keep following it. thank you very much. british citizens who leave the country to fight for the islamic state group shouldn't be allowed back into the country — that's according to the defence secretary, gavin williamson. mr williamson told the the daily mail that such british fighters should be hunted down and killed because, as he put it, "a dead terrorist couldn't cause any harm to britain." the un security council is expected to hold an emergency meeting of the president trump made the historic decision to recognise the disputed city ofjerusalem as israel's capital overturning decades of us policy. mr trump said the decision was long overdue and reflected the reality of israel's presence in the city and said it does not mean an end to the us's commitment to peace in the middle east. we can speak to our correspondent injerusalem in the middle east. we can speak to our correspondent in jerusalem now. explain to us what the reaction has been because donald trump said he would do this and he has now made the announcement, it is a reality, what has the reaction been? in jerusalem, things on the streets we re jerusalem, things on the streets were calm last night. there are however demonstrations planned for later today, particularly in the occupied west bank. there were protests yesterday into the evening particularly in gaza where demonstrators were burning american flags and pictures of donald trump, more broadly, in terms of the diplomatic reaction, it has not gone down well, to say the least. with just about every other country in the world, aside from israel. palestinian authority said donald trump 0zma speech was reprehensible and mahmoud abbas said the decision to recognise jerusalem and mahmoud abbas said the decision to recognisejerusalem as the capital in effect disqualified the us from having its historical role asa us from having its historical role as a brokerfor us from having its historical role as a broker for peace between israelis and palestinians. the list grew overnight as to the number of countries particularly in the arab and muslim world who have condemned or expressed concern over this. there will be a un meeting tomorrow, an emergency session, to address this. as for israel, the prime minister benjamin netanyahu hailed the speech as historic, recognition from the us of their true place as having israel's capital is jerusalem. there has been many pride among israelis particularly on the front pages of the newspapers about the decision. benjamin netanyahu stressed there would be no change to the status quo, the arrangement around the holy sites, very sensitive sites, in the old city of jerusalem. for the moment, thank you. a fast moving wildfire in southern california has hit the highway and reached the pacific ocean according to firefighters. the homes of more than 150,000 people to firefighters. the homes of more than 150 , 000 people have to firefighters. the homes of more than 150,000 people have been evacuated in an area north of los angeles. hundreds of buildings have been damaged. strong winds are expected to further hinder efforts to contain the fire which is endangering 12,000 properties. legislation for same—sex marriage has been passed by the. a public vote earlier this year, the majority of people supported the change. —— passed by the australian government. the first weddings under the new law could take place early next year. fresh controversy over the pay of senior academics after it emerged bath spa university paid its departing vice chancellor more than £800,000 last year in pay and benefits. university said the figure reflected her entitlement under the contract and was agreed following legal advice. the royal navy's new aircraft carrier hms queen elizabeth will be commissioned into service later today. the queen will be guest of honour at the ceremony marking the official handover to the navy. the ship is the most expensive in british naval history. it cost around £3 billion to build. it will not be operational until 2021 but the captain says today marks an important milestone. the sport for us a little later. and the weather later. childhood obesity is an issue the uk government has been trying to tackle for a number of years and a new report is suggesting the answer may be to go dutch. the independent think tank, the centre for socialjustice, says we should be following the example of amsterdam, which is apparently the only city in europe to have reduced obesity in the last five years. so, what can we learn from them? we spoke to parents in amsterdam to find out what they've been doing. it is really, really important that they have enough exercise and i think that's the advantage of living in a big city like amsterdam. we don't always have the luxury to move by car. when i go shopping and do the groceries, i also think about, well, what do i want to eat myself, but also, what do i want to learn the kids? and i teach them about what's healthy and what's not. no cola, no fanta or something like that. so a lot of water. we try to give him healthy foods and make sure that he has a decent breakfast. sometimes if they ask for more sugar and for more chips and for more... you can say no. we're joined now by paul gately, who's a professor of exercise and obesity from leeds beckett university and has helped create that report. he also travelled to amsterdam to see for himself what they've been doing. all the advice is good and parents are saying, we all the advice is good and parents are saying, we are all the advice is good and parents are saying, we are being much more mindful, schools getting involved and banning children from drinking certain things, it feels a little bit nanny state, or is that not the feeling you got? no, what i got was an action by parents, children, public health officials, companies across amsterdam, they were really working together to save, childhood obesity is a major issue, we see the impact it is having on our children and economy and health care system, we need to work collectively. it is not about saying ban this, it is about educating, living and living more effectively. if a child is sent to school in amsterdam with a sugary drink, are they allowed to drink it at lunchtime in the school? there are restrictions during school time. the school have control over what they eat and drink? absolutely. but they eat and drink? absolutely. but they are not restricting outside of school. it is about a balance, creating an environment that does not create obesity but at the same time says, there are plenty of times to eat healthily and unhealthily.” do not think anyone would disagree. but i wonder how it would go down here in the uk. the point is, there are many lessons to learn from amsterdam. first and most important, the deputy mayor of amsterdam, he has taken on this as an agenda and driven it collectively. that political collective myth is critical. we do not have government leadership on childhood obesity —— that political collectivity is critical. they have looked at children that might be overweight and obese in the future and put things in to help them address the problem. they have also focused on the one in five children in amsterdam that have a problem and they have tackled that problem directly. we have got some bits of that in the uk, we have done great work recently on sugar tax and other things that will prevent children getting overweight and obese. ten yea rs getting overweight and obese. ten years ago, we gave up on getting overweight and obese. ten years ago, we gave up on the one in three children that already have the problem and those are the children who will cost the nhs a lot of money in the future. it is the leadership across the population that amsterdam have pulled together and also the different partners. it is very much a partnership approach, it is not one blaming another, not parents or schools or the government being blamed, everybody working collectively and that is the critical thing they have that we have not achieved in the uk. how do we square have not achieved in the uk. how do we square what you have said with what the department of health have told us? they say, the government is delivering the most ambitious childhood obesity plan in the world. yeah. you said yes? are they? no. that is what we hear. there is no political leadership. jamie oliver flagged last year the childhood obesity plan was ripped apart. the original one set by david cameron was ripped apart, and then it was a 12 page document. help us with some of the practicalities. at the moment, they say they have got an ambitious plan, most ambitious in the world. if you have the wherewithal, you were within whitehall, what is this thing you wa nt to whitehall, what is this thing you want to start? what is it, a whole new department? what is it that sta rts new department? what is it that starts the process? as a scientist, i would say, what does the data tell us? yearon i would say, what does the data tell us? year on year, obesity rates are going up. in amsterdam, it is going down. you cannot have the most ambitious plan in the world if our rates are going up and other people's are going down. the second point is, it is ambitious on things like sugar tax and reformulation but that only prevents the problem in those that do not have the issue. those who have the problem, we gave up those who have the problem, we gave up on them ten years ago, all of the... 2.5 million children in the uk are obese. services provided by the nhs for 133 of those children. you cannot tell me that is world leading. in an ideal world what does it look like? the first thing is political leadership driving all partners together, not one saying one thing and the others saying another thing which is what happens in the uk. that political leadership drives direction. second, we have to look at those who have already got a problem and not give up on them. third, amsterdam have been very careful to make sure that they do not widen the health issues. we are seeing an increase in obesity rates in the most deprived communities. it is about leadership in action at all levels and focusing on those most in need. paul, very interesting, thank you very much. here's carol with a look at this morning's weather. there is going to be some snow on the way, and it is windy as well. for the whole of the uk we have a very windy day in prospect. storm caroline is coming in and we have got some rain. it clears away from the south—east and it will turn much colder. the rain showers will turn wintry. storm caroline is coming in from the west and heading eastwards. it is also going to be very windy across scotland and northern ireland and also in england and wales. the met office has an amber weather warning out for the north of scotland, gusts of wind are lucky to be 80 miles an hour. for the rest of scotla nd be 80 miles an hour. for the rest of scotland and northern ireland, 70 miles an hour. they could take slaves of the roof and cause power cuts. something to be aware of. as well as that we have got wintry showers in the north of scotland progressively turning to snow even at lower levels and that combination means blizzards. as the rain pulls away from the south east it will still be windy behind it, but there will be sunshine coming through. the showers will be wintry in nature as well. this afternoon we have got the snow, the wind, the storm crossing and it will feel bitter with blizzards. for northern ireland, southern scotland and northern england there will be wintry showers and it will feel cold. for wales and into the south west it will brighten up into the south west it will brighten up and we will see some sunshine. the maximum temperature now is 1ath in exeter and that will go down during the day. in the south—east it will be dry this afternoon with sunny spells. showers continue across northern england and some of them will be wintry. this evening and overnight we continue with the snow falling across scotland and further snow will fall across northern ireland, parts of northern england and wales and the midlands. it will be called with the risk of ice and frost. tomorrow we continue with that scenario, still more snow coming into the same areas, northern scotland, northern ireland, wales and the midlands. we could see some snow flurries in london as well. despite the temperatures it will feel cold because of the wind. more snow in the weekend. but not everywhere. when a group of women including singer taylor swift came forward to speak out about sexual misconduct, little did they know they would be honoured on the front cover of the american weekly news publication time magazine. they have been named as person of the year. the journalist jane merrick also spoke out against the practice following her own personal experience. she joins us down the line now from west london. thank you for talking to us. how does it feel to be part of the person of the year? it is amazing. i am proud to be on that list, it is extraordinary. when i and others started to talk about this we had no idea about the impact it would have. being caught up in it you do not get the chance to step back and see. the recognition they have given to this is one of the major stories of the year is important. we are talking about the #metoo campaign. did you have any idea about the momentum it would gather at all when the harvey weinstein allegations were coming out of hollywood i was aware of my own experiences and when it came to westminster the stories were gathering pace and it seems to have taken the momentum of its own and what is really important is that it carries on having that momentum, it just does not become a story about 2017, it carries on about being something we can shed light on. in the previous year time magazine named donald trump as person of the year. do you take anything from that? it is quite a nice symmetry that? it is quite a nice symmetry that donald trump beat the woman to the white house last year and he also beat hillary clinton as time magazine person of the year. he was elected against a backdrop of allegations of misconduct against him, so it is a nice symmetry that for me and other women who have suffered sexual harassment like a setback for equality last year but because of the things we have done we have beaten him and he is a runner—up to us. we have beaten him and he is a runner-up to us. how do you encourage people who are not in high profilejobs to come encourage people who are not in high profile jobs to come forward about their experiences? it is important to hear from people their experiences? it is important to hearfrom people who have significant profiles that people recognise, but how does that translate? that is a really good question and what the #metoo movement provided was a hash tag that other people could jump onto. what the time cover shows is it not just hollywood actors and musicians and journalists with huge followings, but there is a strawberry picker and a hotel worker and you are right it is notjust about the people on this list. it is about the people on this list. it is about the people who do not have a platform and they need to be thought about in this conversation and we need to change things culturally by carrying on talking about this to make sure that people who want to harass and assault people cannot and will not be tolerated any more. but also companies need to have much more proactive, anti—harassment policies, and employees need to have confidence to come forward and make complaints about people who are more powerful and that is what has to change after this. it cannotjust be about this list. you said you had spoken from your own experience and you have been following other people who have been vocal about their experiences and what needs to be done. the campaign has gathered momentum very quickly, rightly so perhaps. how quickly do these changes feed into everyday life do you think? i think a really good test would be if he were to take a poll of 100 women or men, mainly women because they are mainly affected day, and ask them in a year plus that time to see how their experiences have changed. 0bviously this has had a huge impact and it has been very quick in two months, but this will trickle out to society? will people in a year's time say they are suffering sexual harassment? i think the jury is still out on this. that is why i am keen we have to carry on talking about this. it cannot be a story about this. it cannot be a story about 2017, it has to carry on being about 2017, it has to carry on being a real change in society. jane merrick made it onto the list of person of the year. still to come: a new uk city of culture will be crowned this evening. how much is it worth to the local economy. ui either in whole, how bracing is it? yes, it is a bit windy outside and we are in hull harbour this morning and we are talking about what the impact the city of culture can have on the city. they won it last year and later on we will be finding out who will get that crown next time. stephen here is the council leader. what impact has a tab? a huge impact. 350,000 people in the centre of hull on a cold january day, the start of the year, 90% of the public in hull have been to cultural events. 1 million people have been through in the first quarter in museums and art galleries, so it has been a very good year. do you think it is something you can continue to do given that the crown will go to someone do given that the crown will go to someone else? is it sustainable? the city has changed for ever. the people are full of confidence and proud. we will deliver and this city will move on from this event. thank you very much for your time. later on we will be talking to some of the local business people here as well about what it has meant for them. winning this is great for optimism and the question is how do you keep hold of that? more from me later. first, let's get the news, travel and weather where you are. the weather will cause some disruption of the next few days. today stormed caroline is moving its wing to the north of scotland, the isobars, really close together indicating very strong winds, storm force winds in the far north. an amber warning force winds in the far north. an amberwarning in force winds in the far north. an amber warning in force from the met 0ffice, damage and disruption very likely. elsewhere across scotland, far north of northern ireland, gusts up far north of northern ireland, gusts up to 70 miles an which could cause issues. heavy rain moving south and east this morning with strong winds, that will clear and ease, the strongest winds in the north of scotla nd strongest winds in the north of scotland will continue into this afternoon. increasingly turning much colder as the rain clears away. snow across northern scotland with the strong winds, blizzards over the higher ground. snow showers in northern ireland, north—west england and wales and the midlands. tonight, as the air gets colder, higher risk of the snow falling to low levels by tomorrow morning. ice risk again in northern parts. temperatures in the south staying above freezing. tomorrow morning, quite a bit of snow falling even to low levels in mid—wales, west midlands, north wales, wintry flurries into central and southern england, . wales, wintry flurries into central and southern england,. by the end of the day, 15—20 centimetres of snow. it will feel cold. feeling like —6 in the north of scotland. saturday, brief respite for many of us, dry, some sunshine, a few wintry showers in the north and west, then sunday, this rain moving in, as it hits colder air, increasing the likelihood of snow from the midlands north. some uncertainty, quite a bit of uncertainty, about how much of the snow will fall at low levels. stay tuned to the forecast over the next few days. this is business live from bbc news with jamie robertson and sally bundock. banking regulation — will europe's new financial rules prevent another crisis or just choke off investment? live from london, that's our top story on thursday, 7th december. it's ten years since the financial crisis, but up until now, there's been no agreement across europe on how to stop it happening again. that could change at a meeting in frankfurt later. we will tell you all you need to know. also in the programme... sins of emission — a vw executive is jailed for seven