Caused travel chaos and is being blamed for up to 17 deaths. And well be finding out why irn bru fans are stockpiling the soft drink ahead of a planned recipe change. Good evening. Theres even more evidence today of the mounting pressure on the nhs in england this winter. New figures compiled by the bbc show that for the last six weeks of 2017 more than 75,000 patients were left in ambulances for 30 minutes or more. Thats one in every eight patients enduring a delay. And last week was the busiest ever for the nhs111 helpline it received more than 480,000 calls. Today theresa may apologised for the thousands of operations that have already been cancelled. 0ur health editor, hugh pym, reports. But were in a queue with lots of other people who are clearly very sick. Everybodys waiting to get in. A patients eye view of the stress across the nhs. A queue of ambulances waiting to hand over patients at a hospital. Leah was stuck for more than an hour in the ambulance with her mother, who was at that moment having a stroke. Its just. Its just gobsmacking. Its gobsmacking, and its devastating. Its really. It feels like a sick feeling, like a sickening feeling that this is how bad it is. 0ne chief executive even tweeted a picture of ambulances at his hospital, wigan infirmary. A lovely fleet of 1a parked outside the door, he said. Handover delays at hospitals are not good news for patients, and they stop ambulances getting back on the road again. The process at a e units is supposed to take no more than 15 minutes, but the latest figures for england show a sharp increase in the numbers waiting more than 30 minutes. Bbc Analysis Shows that across the system since the end of november, one in eight have been held up more than half an hour. The northwest and eastern regions saw some of the biggest numbers of long ambulance waits at hospitals. Some of the best performers were in london and the west of england. The Prime Minister was asked again about the governments response with nhs england to the extreme pressure in many hospitals, postponing a months worth of non urgent operations. I recognise that its difficult if somebody is delayed on their admission to hospital, or if somebody has an operation postponed, and we will hope to ensure that those operations can be reinstated as soon as possible. I know its difficult, i know its frustrating, i know its disappointing for people, and i apologise. No, ijust wondered if you had had any update on daddy . There are problems for the nhs across the uk. Karens 86 year old father in Northern Ireland, who had a chest infection, had to wait more than 26 hours for a hospital bed. There were people on the floor, there were people sitting on chairs. Most of them were elderly. There was an elderly lady that i remember very vividly was slumped in a chair in her nightdress the whole night. Nooiie came near her, no one even put a blanket around her. It was really very distressing. There were police everywhere, there were people with blood pouring out of them. It was just like a battlefield. And now there are official figures showing that flu is putting more pressure on hospitals. What we are seeing is a significant increase in this particular week, from the last week, in terms of the number of people being admitted to hospital, and the numbers of people who are being admitted to intensive care. Its too soon to say how severe the flu season will be, but it wont take much to add to the long waits and delays, as illustrated in these pictures, already evident across the nhs. Hugh pym, bbc news. Lets speak now to professor carl heneghan, director of evidence based medicine at the university of oxford, and also an out of hours gp. I know nhs officials are not saying this is a crisis, but clearly severe problems this winter what are the root causes . First of all, go back to january the 13th 2017, same problem has occurred year on year on year, so problem has occurred year on year on year, so we problem has occurred year on year on year, so we have to get realistic about these problems that will occur ina way about these problems that will occur in a way that starts to happen, but what is different is our rising elderly population, who are complex and difficult to manage. That is a problem that we are now seeing add to the problems, and there is this persistent problem where it is difficult to discharge these people because there is a disconnect in social Care Provision, a disconnect in how we value and treat the elderly, and we have to start thinking differently about what is a good news story, and increasing elderly population, but they provide a huge problem. When social Care Provision spending is being reduced, this is the symptom you see at the front end of a e. This is the symptom you see at the front end of me. Critics of government policy would say that with that rising need in the Health Service that you have identified, there needs to be rising funding levels. Butjust putting in more money doesnt get rid of this, it provides a short term solution, and when we are back to where we start in two weeks, this is an ongoing problem where we need a realistic debate about what we are prepared to do, and what we value, because we have got to do Something Different. Ican have got to do Something Different. I can tell you this we will be back next year and it will just i can tell you this we will be back next year and it willjust be a little bit more complex, because by then more authorities will have more elderly population, and it is not fairto elderly population, and it is not fair to say that some are dealing better than others, because in three are over the age of 65, and it is not the same everywhere. When you understand that translates into complex patients, we need a transformation in how we understand social Care Provision, how we look after the elderly, not all of them need to be in a hospital, we may need to be in a hospital, we may need to be in a hospital, we may need to return to situations with low Tech Community hospitals, where these people can be managed outside of the real battlefield. We have just had new year, people turning up drunk, providing more impact on a e services, so we have got to value how we use the services and do Something Different going forward. When you say do Something Different, ina nut when you say do Something Different, in a nut shell, what is that . |j would in a nut shell, what is that . would do something radically different, i would connect social ca re different, i would connect social Care Provision to the nhs. At the moment, it is disconnected, looked after by local authorities which are cutting budgets because they do not see the impact, because they do not have to worry about a e. The second aspect is to think about how we treat more of these elderly people in the community. So i would see the re emergence of community hospitals, low tech environments where we can look after these people and they can bypass a e and these 20 hour wait. Thirdly, our community, charities like help the aged, they need much more input, because they have a huge role to play. All right, thank you very much for being with us. And well find out how this story and many others are covered in tomorrows front pages at 10 40 this evening in the papers. Our guests joining me tonight are dia chakravarty, brexit editor at the daily telegraph, and laura hughes, Political Correspondent at the financial times. The row between donald trump and his former top aide steve bannon has intensified, with lawyers for the president threatening legal action. It follows comments attributed to mr bannon in a new book hes quoted as saying that a meeting between mr trumps son and a group of russians during the president ial campaign was treasonous. The president says that he does not speak to steve bannon anymore. 0ur north america editor, jon sopel, reports. Hell hath no fury like a bannon scorned, it would seem. Steve bannon, who was described as the brains behind donald trump, is now out in the washington cold after his extraordinary attack. The warm words of last summer but a distant memory. I like him, hes a good man. He is not a racist, i can tell you that. Hes a good person. He actually gets a very unfair press in that regard. But well see what happens with mr bannon, but hes a good person, and i think the press treats him frankly very unfairly. But bannon was fired soon afterwards and has now had his revenge, rounding on the president and president s son in law during the campaign, saying and thats provoked rage and fury in the white house. The president issuing this unprecedented statement about a close colleague. Today at the white house, they re lawyering up, orders to Stephen Bannon to cease and desist. Threats to the publisher, too. And the response from mr bannon last night, why, to declare his unfailing support for the president. And that brought this response from mr trump today. He called me a great man last night, so he obviously changed his tune pretty quick. The white house is pushing back hard on the contents of this book, describing the author, michael wolff, as an unreliable witness and a fa ntasist. That despite him being given unprecedented access to the workings of the west wing and recording hours and hours of conversations. And even if only 50 of the book is accurate, it still paints a damning portrait of a white house that is dysfunctional and a president whos paranoid. No wonder donald trump is so angry. Jon sopel, bbc news, washington. Lets speak now to frances stead sellers, Senior Writer at the washington post, who has studied Steve Bannons career closely. Shejoins me on webcam from huntingdon beach in california. Thanks so much for being with us, we heard how angry donald trump is, why is he so hot under the collar about this book, do you think . Well, this isa this book, do you think . Well, this is a very expected reaction from donald trump to criticism, and you can go back away into his private career in business, when he could rule his own empire, and he used all sorts of tactics that are coming out 110w sorts of tactics that are coming out now to silence his tactics. You never broached criticism and enforced loyalty through strict confidentiality agreements, which he has had people sign. When he was running his campaign, there was a fascinating interview between one of my colleagues and donald trump in which trump was speculating about how to keep that loyalty going with federal government employees, who have freedom of speech protected by the constitution. They dont need to say nice things about their boss, and he clearly bound is worrisome back then, he thought people should work for you and then say bad things. You can go back to 1991, there was a book called trumped, very critical of donald trump, who had been portraying himself with self congratulatory autobiographies asa self congratulatory autobiographies as a hero of the business world, and in this booty was portrayed as a crude belly who didnt know much about running casinos. Soon after that, trump started having everyone around him sign these nondisclosure agreements. It is not clear that it isa agreements. It is not clear that it is a tactic that can work in the federal government atmosphere. Not only do federal employees have the right to speak out, but it is very ha rd to right to speak out, but it is very hard to think trump can actually get beyond this being a thread to a lawsuit that could work to his behalf. It is very hard to sue somebody, a public figure like donald trump for defamation. So, you know, there are high barriers of proof going ahead. Steve bannon seems to have said some pretty bruising things about donald trump, why is that . They were very close ideological soul mates, why has he turned on him, if you like . 0ne has he turned on him, if you like . One wonders how close they were you can see banner as the architect of what we now think of as trumpism. If you go back and listen to Breitbart News daily, his daily programme, you can hear him articulating all these views, the nativism, the opposition to multilateral agreements, the islamophobia, the suspicion of science, these things we associate with trump were articulated by bannon before trump became a leader of that movement. Without bannon, the trump believe all those things . Much less clear. For congressional republicans, this may mean there is a change from the extremism that bannon was promoting. He always said he was a disrupter, he wanted to upton government, which is what hes doing now in a extraordinary way. Upturn. Thank you for being with us. The headlines on bbc news. More evidence of the nhs under pressure this winter one in eight patients in england were kept waiting in an ambulance for more than 30 minutes when they arrived at hospital. Lawyers for donald trump threaten legal action against former aide steve bannon after comments he made one of britains most prolific sex offenders, john worboys, who raped and sexually assaulted women who were passengers in his black cab, has been approved for release from prison. Right, lets get a round up of all the very latest sport, it is holly this evening. We start with Tonights Premier League action from wembley where tottenham are hosting west ham. Both teams second game in just three days, and top them need to win to stay within touching distance of the top four. Not a great deal of action so far, but harry kane was involved as he looks for his first goal of 2018. 18 year old declan rice clearing things up for west ham, just 16 minutes gone in that game. Stoke city manager mark hughes says he didnt seek assurances over his future when he met with club owners this morning. Stoke are in the premier leagues bottom three after a seven game run featuring only one win and five defeats. But hughes remains defiant ahead of the clubs third round fa cup tie against coventry this weekend. Why would i seek it . I dont need it. From my point of view, it is just business as usual. I didnt attempt to ask the owners about my future, i went there with the sole purpose of getting an understanding of what were doing injanuary, purpose of getting an understanding of what were doing in january, that is what i got, an indication in terms of that. It was a good meeting, one that we can forward from. Liverpools Philippe Coutinho and Mohamed Salah will miss tomorrows fa cup third round derby with everton due to injury. Coutinho has a thigh injury which comes amid increasing speculation about his future at the club. The bbc understands that liverpool expect another bid from barcelona for the brazilian during the january transfer window. Butjurgen klopp is remaining tight lipped about the situation. Look, all the things that i could say now would only create stories, you write the stories anyway. So i have nothing to say about it. That is actually how it is. That is how it is so it is the transfer window, but that is all, that is all, i know that means already i have opened the door halfway, because i mentioned that it door halfway, because i mentioned thatitis door halfway, because i mentioned that it is the transfer window. But there is nothing to say about it what would help me or the player or the club. 0k, what would help me or the player or the club. Ok, that was now the wrong direction, but that is the only thing i am interested, that is all. Andy murray has pulled out of the Australian Open after failing to recover from an ongoing hip injury. The three time grand slam tennis champion hasnt played a competitive match since wimbledon last summer. Former british number one Andrew Castle has been speaking to bbc sport and says while murrays career may not be over, it will be along way back to recovery. It is very sad when somebody has to retire, and of course i am assuming that this is the end of his career, and it may not be. Forgive me, but i have got a new hip, and it is an awful long way back, a real uphill struggle, if surgery is required. But decided, not a disaster, not tragic, he has had the most marvellous career, two lovely children and a fantastic marriage, so the positives are there. It is just that his retirement, if that is what this is, his inability to go ahead and challenge majors again, is not on his terms, which is a shame. And it was very poignant when he put on instagram that he just wanted to compete again, you just wanted to play, really like a child, and that is where everybody comes in, people just want to play, feel the ball on the racket, commit everything. People always assume that it is something you have always wanted to do, you are always going to be a pro and win wimbledon, but it is a love for the game that comes first and it has been taken away from andy, which isa has been taken away from andy, which is a shame. Thats all the sport for now. Ill have more for you in sportsday at 10. 30. I some breaking news coming into us from washington. The Us State Department are saying that the United States is suspending National Security assistance to pakistan. This is unless the pakistani Government Take Action against the network of militants and the Afghan Taliban, that is the state department suggesting they will suspend National Security assistance to pakistan unless they take action against the Afghan Taliban and militants along the afghan border. The negotiations over the brexit deal are farfrom over but the environment secretary, michael gove, is setting out proposals for what farming in england might look like once we leave the eu. He wants to replace the current eu subsidy which is based on how much land you own with one based on what you do with the land. But his proposals wouldnt come into effect till 2024, well after another general election. Heres our Business Editor simonjack farming is perhaps the industry most closely entwined with the eu. For 45 years, those who work on this green and pleasant land had been regulated, protected and paid by the eu. Three billion a year in subsid