of ancient life on mars, as it sends back its first pictures of the planet's surface after a successful landing uber loses its case at the uk supreme court, which ruled that drivers should be classed as workers and not independent third—party contractors a 20—year—old woman becomes the first protester to die in the anti—coup demonstrations in myanmar, after she was shot in the head and millions of texans are still without water and electricity in extreme sub—zero weather conditions — while their senator ted cruz flew to mexico for a family holiday hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world. borisjohnson will pledge today to donate the majority of the uk's surplus covid vaccines to developing countries. the british prime minister is chairing a virtual summit of the g7 nations — where he'll encourage other leaders, including us presidentjoe biden, to follow suit. our global health correspondent, naomi grimley reports. more and more britons are getting their vaccine shots. today, the prime minister will be chairing a g7 meeting to talk about those countries which haven't got started. in the global scramble to secure vaccines against covid—19 many wealthy countries which funded a lot of the research, have ended up buying more supplies than they need. new figures from the anti—poverty pressure group, the one campaign, revealed that australia, canada, japan, the uk, the us and the eu have already secured more than 3 billion doses, 1.2 billion more than they need to give their entire populations two doses. the uk government is now talking about sharing some of its surplus, but campaigners say they want hard facts on how many actual doses it will be donating. there's over a billion excess doses that are being tied up in a pipeline in these countries and we need to make sure that they're not sitting, stockpiled in just a few countries, but indeed they're going back to poorer countries and middle income countries so that we can actually get this virus under control everywhere. the uk has also given half a billion pounds to covax, the un—led programme to get vaccines out to poorer countries. but that project has yet to launch its first vaccinations. so 130 countries in the world haven't administered any shots, leaving health care workers at high risk. naomi grimley, bbc news. well, this morning the uk foreign office minister, james cleverly, has said that the uk would never use vaccines as diplomatic leverage — and would be sharing them through the international body, covax to ensure equitable distribution. he said the government had to ensure uk citizens were vaccinated, as well as focus on being a good player on the global stage. we made the decision earlier on in this pandemic to spread our risk and buy vaccine doses from a number of vaccine providers. that means we know that we are going to have surplus, we don't know exactly when and we can't say exactly how many, because that will be dependent on which vaccines ultimately get the green light from the regulators. but it does mean that we will be able to both protect british people, which is our first duty, but also be a good player on the international stage, be a real force for good and help make sure that we are collectively, internationally, vaccinating as many people as possible to keep us all safe. we know that we have been very effective in the roll—out of our vaccination programme, one of the most speedy and effective in the world, and we can be incredibly proud of that. and that means that we will probably be one of the first countries that are able to do this. but we can't say exactly when, but we have been consistently right at the forefront of vaccine research, vaccine production and getting vaccines agreed by the regulators. because of our fast actions, we will be able to, in the future, help make the world safe. let's look at some tweets you've been sending us about this. president macron of france saying wealthier countries should be sharing vaccines with poorer countries. ross says i can't believe the prime minister is considering sharing vaccines when we have an administered room population, look after your own people first, that yourjob, but to be fair i think the prime minister says he wants to see uk citizens vaccinated as well as sharing the surplus, no date for when that might happen has been announced. another tweet on a similar vein. announced. another tweet on a similarvein. let announced. another tweet on a similar vein. let mejust go announced. another tweet on a similar vein. let me just go to that. people's brexit at last on twitter it says people will be vaccinated, or most of our country first, we paid for it and developed it, the first priority of the government is to protect its people and they will then after, we are safe, we will give to the world. sorry about that, but that's what the government said and that's how it will be. i've had more tweets on a similarvein, if it will be. i've had more tweets on a similar vein, if you want to add your thoughts to that conversation your thoughts to that conversation you can't do that on twitter. please use the hashtag bbc your questions. let's stay with this very subject. jose manuel barroso is chair of gavi, the vaccine alliance, which is the global health group that aims to increase access to immunisation in poor countries. he is also the former prime minister of portugal and a former president of the european commission. thank you very much forjoining us on bbc news today and it's good to see you. my pleasure. you said ensuring the success of covax, the initiative to ensure their access to covid vaccines around the lower income countries should be the top priority for the virtual g7 meeting today that the uk prime minister borisjohnson is chairing. from your previous experience of representing the eu at g7 meetings, how effective can this platform be in ensuring that kind of ambition is realised? first of all, we very much welcome this initiative from the prime minister borisjohnson, convening minister boris johnson, convening this minister borisjohnson, convening this first g7 under his presidency, the first where we have the new american presidentjoe biden, we expect very important results. in terms of global solidarity. no one is safe until everyone is safe. and i would say the single global effort we have now in place is precisely covax. so it's cooperative, global effort to reach all the world. we have already 190 countries that are part of covax, in fact, 190 plus one because the united states just don't covax now, with this new administration. and we are on track to deliver, this year, more than 2.3 billion doses of vaccines, at least 1.8 billion of those doses will be for lower income countries. so i think it's important to understand that while there will be virus circulating there will always be risks of reinfection so of course, i understand the point, i was prime minister of my own country, as you know. we of course understand that first of all, the heads of government have to take care of their own countries, but it is important that they also commit to share excessive doses and there are many countries that have excessive doses and that's why i really welcome the very great generosity of the british government towards covax and tim ic3, there's been a push for global solidarity and i heard president macron of france yesterday, and i know other countries from canada, they are committing to dose sharing of excess doses and this is certainly a way to doses and this is certainly a way to do it, not only because of the moral imperative of solidarity but in our own interests because we cannot close the door to the world, we need, if you want, the economy to come back to some kind of normality, we need the world to be open for people, for goods, for travel, for its services, and this is the way to fight this pandemic. you its services, and this is the way to fight this pandemic.— fight this pandemic. you say it's morally right — fight this pandemic. you say it's morally right thing _ fight this pandemic. you say it's morally right thing to _ fight this pandemic. you say it's morally right thing to do, - morally right thing to do, economically it's an countries self—interest as well but the world health organization says three quarters of all vaccinations have happened in ten countries that account for 60% of global gdp. it seems that vaccines nationalism is already very evident. so would you like to see wealthier countries like the uk, us, etc, do more in terms of donating vaccine supplies right now, rather than in some yet to be defined period of months the future? of course the sooner the better but of course the sooner the better but i'm a realistic person, i understand that the governments, first of all, they think about own populations. but what they can do it now and i hope it will come out of this meeting today, is a clear commitment on doing it, either in parallel or at least when they believe their populations basically reaching the of immunisation. and in covax, it is a facility created by gavi, the global alliance for vaccines but also the world health organization, other partners like unicef, we expect to start the roll—out of vaccines probably as early as next week. this february, so still this february, and it's very good news, |, february, and it's very good news, i, in the past, they delay of vaccines coming to developing countries was much bigger. i understand the frustration and the anxiety about some countries are doing faster than others, the united kingdom is going very, very fast, faster also than other developers economy so not all is going at the same time. there are logistical problems, regulatory issues, some problems, regulatory issues, some problems also in terms of the legal requirements, some of them quite challenging. this is going to be the biggest ever, ever in history, the biggest ever, ever in history, the biggest ever, ever in history, the biggest ever logistical distribution of vaccines in the world, completely unprecedented shall i share the anxiety but i think we have to say that we can deliver, we will be on track and the generosity shown until now, not only by the uk but we expect today to have an important announcement from germany, from the european union, yesterday, the white house announced $2 billion for gavi, to covax and that will be part of a 4 billion commitment to help vaccinate the world, that was a bipartisan agreement.- vaccinate the world, that was a bipartisan agreement. clearly very sianificant, bipartisan agreement. clearly very significant. if _ bipartisan agreement. clearly very significant. if i _ bipartisan agreement. clearly very significant, if i can _ bipartisan agreement. clearly very significant, ifi can interrupt, - significant, if i can interrupt, that the us is back in this multilateral sense but you talked a moment ago about you understand the frustrations and you understand that individual leaders in various countries absolutely want to ensure that their populations are vaccinated. ijust that their populations are vaccinated. i just wonder looking backin vaccinated. i just wonder looking back in a few weeks to the ram, the heated exchanges between the eu and the uk over vaccine supply, whether you think the eu has gone down the right route in trying to have a pan— eu agreement on vaccine supply rather than really expecting individual countries to look after their populations supply needs. i think it was the right way, i understand that you place and there are criticisms and i understand that but let's see what will be the alternative. would it have been better if you had a competition, competitive bids, let's say, between france and germany and italy and spain and the netherlands, trying to bite vaccines at the higher price western market would be disruptive for the european union and probably also the whole world so while i understand there were some delays, partly also because the regulatory process in europe, the european medicines agency has very strict rules and it took some more time than for instance, the united kingdom but the reality was that it was good that the european union could have a holistic perspective. if not, i can tell you, it would be much more complicated, not only for european countries including those with less financial power but also for the whole world because then we will have much more competitive bids, with the different let site providers of vaccines. if if i can touch briefly on brexit, that point very much relates to brexit, we saw that you talk about wriggling article 16 of the northern ireland protocol. ' . , , ., protocol. effectively putting a border on _ protocol. effectively putting a border on the _ protocol. effectively putting a border on the island - protocol. effectively putting a border on the island of - protocol. effectively putting a i border on the island of ireland. protocol. effectively putting a - border on the island of ireland. it suggests and that was in the very early days, after brexit, it does suggest that the fundamental agreement might be susceptible to further tension, agreement might be susceptible to furthertension, it agreement might be susceptible to further tension, it might be very susceptible to difficulties emerging like this, we've seen it over the vaccines, between the eu and the uk. so what are your thoughts on how to avoid getting to that point in the first place, in the future? i mean, nobody said _ first place, in the future? i mean, nobody said it _ first place, in the future? i mean, nobody said it would _ first place, in the future? i mean, nobody said it would be _ first place, in the future? i mean, nobody said it would be easy, - first place, in the future? i mean, nobody said it would be easy, i i nobody said it would be easy, i mean, we knew from the beginning, by a separation like that, brexit will bring some tensions and friction and we saw that. i think that decision of the european union by the way was not the finest hour of the european union but at the same time, let's be fair and objective. some time ago the united kingdom also had announced in his legislation in parliament that day could not implement their withdrawal agreement that had already been signed with the european union so let's be fair about this. in this separation, there is always a trauma, psychologists will speak about sometimes a period of denial, a period of anger and afterwards, a period of anger and afterwards, a period of anger and afterwards, a period of acceptance. i think we are coming towards the period of acceptance where both the european union and the united kingdom are left to accept a new kind of relationship and because it's i believe in the interests of both sides to be together, of course, respecting the decision of the united kingdom to leave the european union, but to work together in so many issues like, for instance, finding the pandemic and that's why today, around the table, the majority of leaders from the european union in the g7 and i'm sure they will try to do the best to make it a success. the uk, as the presidency of the g7, it makes sense in his very complicated world of today. it in his very complicated world of toda . , . , in his very complicated world of toda. , today. it is a very complicated world, a today. it is a very complicated world. a very _ today. it is a very complicated world, a very interconnected l today. it is a very complicated - world, a very interconnected world, let's talk about climate while you are with us. your 2008 climate and energy package would be regarded as one of the key legacies of your time as president of the european commission. now the us is back in the paris climate accord, under president biden. how important will that be in your estimation and also, if you look at the urgency with which the world has responded to the pandemic, do you think we have ever actually seen the same level of urgency at international cooperation over the climate emergency? irlat urgency at international cooperation over the climate emergency? not yet. but i ho -e over the climate emergency? not yet. but i hope that — over the climate emergency? not yet. itut i hope that it _ over the climate emergency? not yet. but i hope that it will _ over the climate emergency? not yet. but i hope that it will come, _ over the climate emergency? not yet. but i hope that it will come, the - but i hope that it will come, the fact the united states is rejoining the paris agreement is great news. i also want to congratulate president biden, i've been working with him and we were both in office, and john kerry, now the special envoy, that will sign this agreement back. but now, it's extremely important because the united states with china are the two biggest producers of greenhouse gases in the world. so without them, it's impossible to have a global agreement stop now, we know from experience that unfortunately, it's easier to sign agreements to than to get them ratified. the united states signed the the kyoto protocol, it wasn't ratified, president 0bama signed the paris agreement, it wasn't ratified, the united states left the agreement, now the united states is going to recommit and let's hope congress will also ratify the agreement and then we will have binding legislation to commit to the big organisation. 0nce binding legislation to commit to the big organisation. once again, here, europe, including the united kingdom, we are leading the world. and the united kingdom and european countries are leading the world in a very ambitious goal, i believe it's ambitious of 20% of decarbonisation so it's of critical importance than the two biggest economies, the united states and china, are also leading this effort and i think that's one of the best news we had recently, received, that the united states is rejoining the paris climate agreement. you think, finall , climate agreement. you think, finally, there _ climate agreement. you think, finally, there is _ climate agreement. you think, finally, there is a _ climate agreement. you think, finally, there is a unique - finally, there is a unique opportunity as governments talk about building back after the pandemic, to build back greener, to build back better and these issues, dovetail? , , ., . ., dovetail? yes, there is a clear connection — dovetail? yes, there is a clear connection between _ dovetail? yes, there is a clear connection between public- dovetail? yes, there is a clear. connection between public health dovetail? yes, there is a clear- connection between public health and climate and the environment. i think, in fact, climate and the environment. i think, infact, one climate and the environment. i think, in fact, one of the consequences of this pandemic, it's too soon to measure what the consequence will be, but it's to call the attention of mankind, all of us, to these challenges and hopefully to work together for what we call global public good, we have differences, let's not underestimate it, politicaland differences, let's not underestimate it, political and ideological differences between the big powers but at least, those common public goods, like public health, like the environment, like protecting the future of our planet, protecting against climate change, i think it makes sense to work together, we can no longer say your side of the boat is sinking. either we do it together or we may be thinking ourselves, thatis or we may be thinking ourselves, that is probably, if there is leadership, without leadership, that will not happen, but if there is intelligent and determined leadership from the leaders, that's why the g7 is important, hopefully the 620 why the g7 is important, hopefully the g20 or so later in the year will be important, i believe we can use this dramatic and terrible pandemic for a more cooperative approach to solve the problems in the world. i have no illusions, there will be competition between countries, has always been but it is important that competition takes place in a framework of cooperation and not in a framework of confrontation. bier? a framework of confrontation. very aood to a framework of confrontation. very good to talk _ a framework of confrontation. very good to talk to _ a framework of confrontation. very good to talk to you, _ a framework of confrontation. very good to talk to you, mr _ a framework of confrontation. very good to talk to you, mr barroso, chair of the global vaccine alliance. thank you. back now to that breaking news that uk supreme courtjustices have ruled against the technology company uber and concluded that drivers in the uk should be classed as workers, not independent third—party contractors. let's talk to our international business correspondent, theo leggett. very significant ruling, take us through the implications. absolutely. this is a significant ruling for not only to mac to workers and let's not forget, there are 115,000 of them in london and 60,000 across the uk but also for workers in the wider gig economy and it all comes down to that distinction which the court has backed up between what meant to said were independent contractors who were independent contractors who were working on their own behalf with uber acting simply as a technological platform and the idea that those drivers were actually workers, subordinate to uber and therefore entitled to employment benefits such as holiday pay and the minimum wage. now thejudge benefits such as holiday pay and the minimum wage. now the judge was quite forthright when he read out his reading, he described the criteria for deciding that uber drivers for workers, not contractors so for example it was about the fact uber always sets the fare for allah to make to write, the contractors for that ride are said by uber, once a driver has logged on to the uber app a driver has logged on to the uber app theirfreedom to a driver has logged on to the uber app their freedom to reject any work thatis app their freedom to reject any work that is offered to them is restricted and they are penalised if they do reject work. and also, uber restricts the contacts between the passenger and driver to the absolute minimum required fora passenger and driver to the absolute minimum required for a single ride so there is no scope for example for a driver to make his own arrangement with a passenger. so on all of these grounds, the ruling suggested that uber was in the superior position, the drivers were subordinate, therefore they should be treated as workers and not as independent contractors. 0k, workers and not as independent contractors. ok, so this case concerned only a small handful of uber drivers but there are hundreds more cases waiting in the wings and the legal ramifications as i said, go beyond that and affect the wider gig economy. go beyond that and affect the wider gig economy-— go beyond that and affect the wider nieconom. ., , . ., gig economy. thank you very much for that. a young woman has become the first protester to die in the anti—coup demonstrations in myanmar after she was shot in the head. 20—year—old mya thwe thwe khaing was critically injured last week when police tried to disperse protesters using water cannon, rubber bullets and live rounds. ms khaing's sister told reporters at the hospital that she wanted to encourage people to continue to protest. translation: her condition - was getting worse a few days ago. she passed away today around 11am. we will bury her on sunday. that's all. please alljoin this protest to be more successful. that is all i want to say. 0ur south east asia correspondent jonathan head told us more about the public anger over her death. well, i think this was something everyone knew was coming. she had been on life support, the doctors had said there was no hope of recovery for her, and it is not clear whether they turned off life support or whether she just died from her injuries. the doctors have said quite clearly they believe it was a live round that went into her head. she has already become a very potent symbol in a civil disobedience movement. those moments immediately after she was shot, where she was captured on somebody�*s phone being cradled by another protester. she had been wearing a motorbike helmet, the bullet had gone through that and they had taken it off. that has been reproduced. we have seen it in paintings and posters. the photograph itself reproduced. inevitably, this will help fuel the anger of a civil disobedience movement which is already very angry about the way in which they have been dealt with by the security forces, but most of all about the original coup. what we don't have yet are any absolute details about why she was shot. the authorities, the military government, has said it will investigate, although there is no sign of that yet. she was turning away from the video we have seen, from the police, and some distance from them when the bullet struck her. the government spokesman a couple of days ago did suggest that perhaps she had been throwing bricks, but there was no evidence of that in the videos. it does appear that the bullet must have come from police lines. but beyond that, we don't know the details of her death, but it will undoubtedly add to the anger that is already being felt, and i am sure we will see far more of her image being used in the protests. the united states has officially rejoined the paris climate agreement today, in a major change of direction from the approach of donald trump. president biden asked for the us to be readmitted to the deal as soon as he took office, and the required 30 day notice period has now passed. nearly 200 countries are part of the accord — a global action plan to fight climate change. let's talk to beth gardiner, author of choked: the age of air pollution and the fight for a cleaner future whojoins me now. very good to have you with us. this is obviously hugely important symbolically that the us is back in the paris climate accord but on a practical level, what difference will it make?— practical level, what difference will it make? just signing up or siuanin will it make? just signing up or signing back — will it make? just signing up or signing back no. _ will it make? just signing up or signing back up, hopefully, - will it make? just signing up or. signing back up, hopefully, we'll give a really big shot in the arm i think to the negotiations, as countries sort of move to increase their commitments ahead of the big climate summit at the end of this yearin climate summit at the end of this year in glasgow. but you know, as you say, this is a symbolic step, the fact that biden signed just hours after becoming president i think was a very clear signal and intentionally so that he intends to move very aggressively to sort of restore the united states reputation and to push forward with climate action and i think we are seeing some pretty strong signs of that already. he appointed a really, really high—powered team to work on climate in the white house and across the government, including john kerry, the former secretary of state and a bunch of other big heavyweights. and has already taken steps in various policy areas. so, you know, yes, it is symbolic, it is an important symbol, joining, rejoining the paris agreement is only a first step but i think we are seeing some pretty clear signs from the biden administration already that they are very serious about this and prepared to go well beyond even the 0bama administration in terms of action. but even the obama administration in terms of action.— even the 0bama administration in terms of action. but the us is one ofthe terms of action. but the us is one of the world _ terms of action. but the us is one of the world 's _ terms of action. but the us is one of the world 's biggest _ terms of action. but the us is one of the world 's biggest emitters i terms of action. but the us is one of the world 's biggest emitters of of the world �*s biggest emitters of greenhouse gases currently. how ready is the us to go greener, to take a lead, to put its money where its mouth is, effectively? i take a lead, to put its money where its mouth is, effectively?— its mouth is, effectively? ithink the biden administration - its mouth is, effectively? ithink the biden administration is - its mouth is, effectively? ithink the biden administration is very| the biden administration is very ready to do that and they are very eager to do that but you know, certainly, it's no secret to anyone that the united states is very, very divided, politically, and indeed that sort of denial of climate science and opposition to climate action, is at the heart of it, one of the issues, and i think you will see biden pushing across the government even within the treasury department, the defence department, the transportation department, to try to push forward big emissions reductions. but opposition from republicans is a big obstacle and as i think you were hearing a few minutes ago from your previous guest, it raises the very obvious question across the world how can we trust the united states to stick with this, we've just come off four years of the complete opposite and everyone knows the next election could swing the table right around again, another 180 degrees. beth again, another180 degrees. beth gardner, again, another180 degrees. beth gardner. good — again, another180 degrees. beth gardner, good to _ again, another180 degrees. beth gardner, good to talk to you, thank you for your thoughts today. the duke of edinburgh has spent a third night in hospital. prince philip, who's 99, was admitted to london's king edward vii hospital as a precautionary measure on tuesday after feeling unwell. he's said to be in good spirits. his stay is not related to coronavirus. the headlines on bbc news... borisjohnson will pledge to donate the majority of the uk's surplus covid vaccines to developing countries and encourage fellow leaders to do the same, as he chairs a virtual g7 summit today. nasa's perseverance rover begins looking for signs of ancient life on mars, as it sends back its first pictures of the planet's surface after a successful landing. uber loses its case at the uk supreme court, which ruled that drivers should be classed as workers and not independent third—party contractors. a 20—year—old woman becomes the first protester to die in the anti—coup demonstrations in myanmar, after she was shot in the head. and millions of texans are still without water and electricity in extreme sub—zero weather conditions, while their senator, ted cruz, flew to mexico for a family holiday. nasa has successfully landed its most advanced spacecraft yet on mars, where it will search for signs of ancient life. the rover, called perseverance, travelled nearly 300 million miles before navigating a risky landing phase dubbed the "seven minutes of terror". here's our science correspondent rebecca morelle, whose report contains flashing images. perseverance is going about one kilometre per second. a nerve—racking wait at mission control. perseverance is safely on the surface of mars. then celebrations as a signal is received from mars. it's touchdown for nasa's perseverance rover. and these are its first images, a view of its landing site. the rover has even started tweeting. there really is no good way to describe that moment when it's over, and you hear those words, touchdown confirmed. it's just a remarkable feeling of pride in the team, relief, and, and reallyjoy, thinking forward to this remarkable service mission we have coming up. it survived a fiendishly difficult landing, burning through the atmosphere at the speed of a bullet, before a complex landing system brought it to the ground. the rover will now be seeking answers to a crucial question. this mission is all about finding signs of life. and the best place to do that is here, thejezero crater. today it's dry and dusty but billions of years ago it was a huge lake, and you can clearly see a river running into it. this gives you an idea of what it would have looked like. if we zoom in a bit more, these green areas on the edge of the crater were once beaches on the lake's shore, and the hope is any microscopic creatures that once lived there are still preserved. perseverance is the most advanced rover that nasa has ever built, and it's jam—packed with instruments. its robotic arm is equipped with a drill to collect rock samples. so, what forms of life could they contain? i'm not talking about martian little green men. probably not even fish. we are looking for microbial life, maybe microbes that have made a little mat or a slime, of the sorts that you might find on the bottom of a pond. those are the types of things that are likely to, well, they did exist on earth 3.5 billion years ago. the question is, did they exist on mars at the bottom of lakes? and in a first, nasa's mini mars helicopter will take off. it's a new way to view the planet. its test flight will be in a few weeks. but getting to the red planet is just the start. now the hard work begins on a mission that could transform our understanding of mars. rebecca morelle, bbc news. i'm joined now by sanjeev gupta, professor of earth science at imperial college london, who is one of the scientists involved with the mission. professor, very good to have you aware that on bbc news. we will talk about your involvement in just a few minutes but first of all, i want you to talk as through yesterday when you were watching and listening for the sounds to say that perseverance had landed safely, what was that like for you? good morning. well, had landed safely, what was that like foryou? good morning. well, it was an incredibly tense moment, actually. those moments passed by, and yet it was fantastic when it all happened and it was successful. gosh, all kudos to those nasa engineers, they made it look simple. butjust amazing, extraordinary but just amazing, extraordinary feat. butjust amazing, extraordinary feat. and actually landing in such a generous spot. the landing place is very small, it has many rocks and craters and cliffs where things could go wrong, and the engineering systems and the whole procedure worked flawlessly and the rover is very healthy, on the surface. find very healthy, on the surface. and then very. _ very healthy, on the surface. and then very. very — very healthy, on the surface. and then very, very quickly see in those first images, talk to as about those, and what they told us, in those, and what they told us, in those initial minutes?— those initial minutes? yes, so, those initial minutes? yes, so, those are _ those initial minutes? yes, so, those are images _ those initial minutes? yes, so, those are images from - those initial minutes? yes, so, those are images from the - those are images from the engineering cameras, the hazard cameras, and actually, we are seeing very low resolution thumbnails at the moment, very small images, not full resolution, and also we have clear lens caps, so we are going to get even better images, colour images, coming soon, but that is what we have on the ground at the moment, and we can see our landing site and we can see a soil covered surface with boulders in places. and so we are already thinking about what those rocks might mean and speculating wildly as a team, thinking about what we are going to be doing, but awaiting the really high—resolution data to come down. i love the idea of scientists speculating wildly. that was exciting enough see in pictures from that camera, so one can only imagine what it will be like when we get pictures at a much better resolution from other cameras. so, tell us more about your involvement in this project, professor? 50. about your involvement in this project, professor?— about your involvement in this project, professor? so, i am a geologist— project, professor? so, i am a geologist at — project, professor? so, i am a geologist at imperial - project, professor? so, i am a geologist at imperial college | project, professor? so, i am a i geologist at imperial college and project, professor? so, i am a - geologist at imperial college and my role in the mission is twofold. firstly, i have expertise in deltas and legs so myjob really on the mission is to try to reconstruct what the ancient landscape on mars 3.7 billion years ago was like. —— lakes. we think from the orbital images that there was a lake in the crater with a delta feeding into it but we need to look precisely and carefully at the rocks to piece together the puzzle and then work out, where are the best places to sample the rocks, basically. these samples will be returned by a future mission to earth. we can only bring back 30 samples, so it is a hard task, there is a lot of rock on mars, it is a hard task to select those rocks. mars, it is a hard task to select those rocks-— mars, it is a hard task to select those rocks. ~ , ., , ., those rocks. will you be part of the team selecting _ those rocks. will you be part of the team selecting which _ those rocks. will you be part of the team selecting which ones - those rocks. will you be part of the team selecting which ones to - those rocks. will you be part of the team selecting which ones to bring | team selecting which ones to bring back? , , , ., ., , ., team selecting which ones to bring back? , ,, ., ., ., back? guess, we all operate as a team, it is _ back? guess, we all operate as a team. it is a _ back? guess, we all operate as a team, it is a huge _ back? guess, we all operate as a team, it is a huge team - back? guess, we all operate as a team, it is a huge team of- back? guess, we all operate as a team, it is a huge team of 400 l team, it is a huge team of 400 people and i am part of the smaller group that works with the engineers in making sure we fulfil scientific objectives and making sure everything happens, because as you can imagine, it is quite hard to keep a whole group of 400 scientists together. so, ourjob is to kind of orchestrate that, and we are already working on that, thinking about where we are going to investigate next, where we are going to drive first, where we are going to have our first first, where we are going to have ourfirst campaigns of first, where we are going to have our first campaigns of scientific investigation. the first few months are going to be commissioning of the rover, making sure everything is working, but we are already planning our strategies of where we are going to drive and where we are going to sample. 50 to drive and where we are going to samle. to drive and where we are going to samle, ,., to drive and where we are going to samle. i. .., to drive and where we are going to samle. i. ., , to drive and where we are going to samle. ., ,~ ;;:: sample. so if you can only choose 30 samles, sample. so if you can only choose 30 samples. that _ sample. so if you can only choose 30 samples, that choice _ sample. so if you can only choose 30 samples, that choice is _ sample. so if you can only choose 30 samples, that choice is obviously - samples, that choice is obviously critical, and i can see how your role looking at the landscape could be crucial in deciding the right samples to take back to earth. 0bviously samples to take back to earth. obviously it is going to be a while, years, before they arrive back, in the meantime, how important are the images from the cameras on perseverance in helping you study the landscape?— the landscape? well, they are crucial, basically. _ the landscape? well, they are crucial, basically. if— the landscape? well, they are crucial, basically. if you - the landscape? well, they are l crucial, basically. if you imagine we bring back the samples and we find evidence for life in those samples and scientists ten years in the future might say, yes, but tell me about the context, and we haven't worked out the context, we haven't said what the environment was like, that would be a failure. so ourjob on the perseverance team is not only to collect the samples but to make sure that we understand the context of those samples really well. and we collect the right data. because obviously once we have been to a site and sampled it, we will drive further on and we won't go back so we have to make sure that when collecting the samples, we collect all the data that we need, the minimum dataset that we need, before we drive on. ., ,,., minimum dataset that we need, before we drive on. ., , we drive on. professor san'eev gu ta, we drive on. professor san'eev gupta. moi we drive on. professor san'eev gupta, really good i we drive on. professor san'eev gupta, really good to h we drive on. professor san'eev gupta, really good to talk h we drive on. professor sanjeev gupta, really good to talk to i we drive on. professor sanjeev i gupta, really good to talk to you, really good luck with all of that work. professor of earth science at imperial college in london. i have been asking you to send in your thoughts about vaccines is the uk chairs a virtual g7 summit today. the uk says it is promising to send surplus covid vaccines to the developing world. the uk prime minister, borisjohnson, is calling on other leaders to do the same. we were asking you what you thought about this idea. lots of you getting in touch on twitter. this one says... i don't think that we should donate surplus vaccines until all of our own citizens have been vaccinated. this one says... i think all uk adults must be vaccinated before the government starts handing vaccines to other countries. then on the other side of the coin, this one says... vaccination should be simultaneously taken worldwide to recover movement and economy. worldwide. this one says... it is utterly selfish of some developed, rich countries, leaving poor and developing nations behind. it is a global pandemic and we should tackle this together. then this one... it says... when flying we are told to put on our own masks before helping others in an emergency. countries should ensure that the vulnerable are protected, then give vaccines to the vulnerable in poor countries before the rest of their non—vulnerable. this one won't as no one is saying that vaccines are being taken away from brits to be given to other countries. covid knows no boundaries. if we want to travel the world again, then we must do our part and share their surplus vaccines with less—developed countries. and one more if i can find it again... from someone who works in the nhs... this is madness, i work in the nhs and vaccine appointment rollouts. we aren't west if we have a surplus yet. although i think lots of calculation is suggest that the uk will have one very soon. he says, we aren't west if we have a surplus yet and if we do, how much we need. big numbers, no facts, he says. thank you for those, keep sending them in. millions of people in the us state of texas have been told to boil water amid severe winter weather that's brought chaos and disruption. texans face more power failures, burst pipes and empty supermarket shelves. lebo diseko reports from houston. this is one of the richest states in one of the richest countries in the world. around half of texans are experiencing disruptions to water supply. for others, burst pipes and melting snow have caused flooding. last night, we got power, after two days, and we didn't have water. but finally we got water. now we have water everywhere! water companies have battled with frozen wells, treatment plants have been hit by power outages. it's meant 13 million people have been told to boil their water before drinking it. the supply of electricity is slowly being restored, but there are still at least half a million people without it. we know because of this storm that will continue to sweep across parts we know because of the storm that will continue to sweep across parts of texas tonight that we are not yet out of this — but we're closer to this challenge being behind us. we will not stop until normalcy is restored to your lives. until that moment comes, though, i ask all texans to continue your efforts to take the proper precautions that are needed to stay safe and to stay warm. if they manage to do that, and find water, getting food may still be hard. supermarket shelves are running dangerously low on supplies. while ordinary texans were freezing, their senator, ted cruz, headed for the beaches of mexico. it was obviously a mistake, and in hindsight, i wouldn't have done it. i was trying to be a dad. and all of us have made decisions, when you've got two girls who've been cold for two days and haven't had heater power, and they're saying, hey, look, we don't have school, why don't we go, let's get out of here? i think there are a lot of parents that would be, like, if i can do this, great, that's what i wanted to do. back now after a public outcry over his absence while his state was in crisis. lebo diseko, bbc news, texas. dan henry is chief meteorologist at fox4 news in dallas. it is very cold, we are growing icicles very well in texas. very used to 100 degrees temperatures but not the type of extreme cold that we are dealing with right now. it is minus seven celsius going down to -10 minus seven celsius going down to —10 tonight. two mornings ago we dropped to —19 celsius, that was the second coldest temperature ever in recorded history here. and the coldest in over 70 years. it is just truly remarkable at how cold it has been, and not only how cold, but the duration of this. we are going on day ten now of temperatures below freezing across just about all of north texas. they have shutdowns transit, many cars, i mean, this is a neighbourhood, many of these cars have not moved at all. nobody wants to venture out on the roads because they are too icy and snow—covered to travel. i am only seven miles from downtown dallas and what is normally a very quick, ten minute trip took me about 45 minutes tonight because you had to drive at about 15—20mph, no more than that, for fear of losing control. 0ur power grid nearly had a catastrophic failure a few days ago, and so to try to prevent that, they went into rolling blackouts. 0nce prevent that, they went into rolling blackouts. once they did rolling blackouts, the system became so unstable that they couldn't restore power to those that they had turned off, and so there were many people here in north texas that today, for the first time, had their power restored in five or six days. and so, many people are dressing just like i am right now inside their home, they're huddled together, they're erecting tents, they have got space heaters, they're doing whatever they can just to stay warm. 0ur infrastructure can't handle this type of cold. we live in an older home, by american standards, it was built back in the 1930s, and so we are very concerned about our plumbing. we have got heaters that are heating the plumbing. we have got the faucets, every single one in the house, dripping water, to try to keep the water moving. but yet one out of every eight homes here in the dallas area has had pipes burst and once that happens inside your home, everything can be ruined, unless you find a way to shut off the water very quickly. find a way to shut off the water very quickly-— find a way to shut off the water ve ruickl. , around four million people in the uk sufferfrom diabetes, including around a million who have not been diagnosed, according to the charity diabetes uk. and while it's already known that diabetics are more at risk of suffering severe cases of covid, new evidence suggests the virus could actually be triggering the condition in some patients. 0livia sopel reports. first step is taking my blood sugar... this isjordan's daily routine. after contracting covid—19 last year, he developed type 2 diabetes, which went undiagnosed for months and resulted in a 23—day hospital stay and being put in an induced coma. a normal blood sugar is between, kind of, five and seven. they will usually say you have diabetes if you have a blood sugar of between, like, 15 and 20. when i went into hospital, my blood sugar was 127. it was the highest blood sugar they'd ever seen in that hospital, it was incredible, they said that if i had waited another hour before i went into hospital, that i wouldn't have made it. jordan's case is just one experience, and there is still much scientists don't know about what triggers the condition. professor francesco rubino has been studying the connections between covid—19 and diabetes and has established a global registry for medical professionals to track cases. the coronavirus, that causes covid—19, can bind to cells not only in the airways, where it could cause typical pneumonia and other problems, but also to cells in other tissues, including the pancreas, the liver, even the gut or the adipose tissue. and of course, those organs are so crucial for sugar metabolism that if the virus is able to cause dysfunctions there, then obviously one could expect problems. in england, as many as 5% of people hospitalised with severe covid have developed type 1 or type 2 diabetes. although it's a serious condition affecting 4 million people in the uk, around one in eight are thought to be undiagnosed, and this was the case forjordan. pretty much every organ in my body failed, i had to be put on a ventilator, i had pancreatitis, i had an acute kidney injury, all of this had come from this diagnosis that i didn't know i had, which was diabetes. and that had been triggered by me having covid all the way back in march, and so from march up until september, i had been living with diabetes and not knowing it. we have heard that people can live for up to ten years without being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. and what that means is that they are more at risk of being diagnosed when they have complications already. complications can be things like heart problems, sight loss, nerve damage, that type of thing, so it is really important to identify it early and get the correct treatment and management. first thing in the morning, i take out this... since his diagnosis, jordan's life has completely changed, from taking various different medications to injecting insulin every day and having to strictly control what he eats and drinks. diabetes is a condition... experts like professor rubino are continuing to study the connection between covid—19 and diabetes, and research into the links between the two diseases is still in the early stages. in the meantime, anyone concerned they have symptoms of diabetes is advised to ask their gp for a test. 0livia sopel, bbc news. dutch politicians have given initial approval to a law that was hastily drafted to preserve a nationwide coronavirus curfew. the legislation was drawn up after a court said the curfew in the netherlands must be lifted. the senate will vote on the bill on friday. the united states has accepted an invitation from the european union for talks involving iran to jumpstart efforts to revive a nuclear deal. the shift in approach was signalled after talks between the us, britain, france and germany on the 2015 nuclear accord. azadaeh moshiri reports. it was widely seen as the crowning achievement of the 0bama administration, an iran nuclear deal worth the painstaking negotiations and injuries it brought along the way. but forward a few years, a new president pulled out and imposed stringent sanctions. then, three years later, another one wants back in. it is a dizzying state of affairs affecting one of the most volatile security concerns in the world, and leading iran to act out. in response to the sanctions, it incrementally breached the terms of the deal. in its latest move, tehran says it will dramatically scale back its co—operation with the un's nuclear watchdog in mere days, unless the sanctions which are crippling iran's economy are removed. translation: words and promises are of no use. this time only action — action. if we see action from the opposite side, we will act, too. the islamic republic will not be satisfied this time with words and promises, that we will do this or that. it will not be like before. on thursday, foreign ministers from the united states, the united kingdom, france and germany held a meeting, and out of it came an invitation. secretary of state antony blinken told his european allies that the us is willing to hold direct talks with iran about a direct return to the deal, but there is a caveat — iran must return to full compliance first. we're obviously concerned about the risk of further non—compliance by iran with thejcpoa, the nuclear deal. all the more reason to reinvigorate the transatlantic diplomacy, which is why i've been here with my french and german colleagues, but also speaking to tony blinken in the us and making sure we chart a way forward and look to find a way to re—engage diplomatically in order to restrain iran but also bring it back into compliance with its nuclear obligations. it's a delicate dance, so who will make the first move? a un nuclear inspection is due in tehran this weekend, but what happens in the coming days will determine whether iran will continue to comply, or step up its nuclear activities. azadeh moshiri, bbc news. some of the key players in the gamestop saga have testified to the us congress. lawmakers are struggling to understand what happened last month when shares in gamestop, a computer game store chain, rose by more than 2,000 percent over two weeks. we know that dogs have helped millions of us to get through the last year or so, but you don't necessarily have to own one to feel the calming benefits of man's best friend. max the springer spaniel has been sharing his walks with the world via social media. now he's become the first pet dog to receive a very special award for his efforts. max lives with his owner in the lake district but has fans across the world. the 13—year—old springer spaniel belongs to kerry irving, who has been live streaming their walks during lockdown. you all right, maxy? we started living live feeds on our daily walks, because we have got the lake district here, this is our home, this is where we can walk and exercise but some people are trapped in cities, tower blocks. max's walks with fellow springer spaniels paddy and harry have brought comfort to hundreds of thousands of people, and max's companionship to kerry has been life changing. following a road traffic accident 15 years ago, he was suffering from severe depression. the anxiety it caused me to walk out of a door on my own and not have somebody with me was, for me, a terrifying experience. every step i took, max was with me. and every time i stopped and faltered, he stopped with me as well. the psa order of merit rewards animals that show outstanding contribution to society. you can see how max has not only had a massive impact on kerry's life, but his activities, all the stuff that kerry has been filming with him, have reached the lives of hundreds of thousands of people right across the world. four—year—old evelyn is one of them. # happy birthday to max! kerry and max's videos have been an absolute godsend to us during lockdown. helping with stress relief at the end of the day, make every day during lockdown a fresh start. evelyn suffers from febrile convulsions, seizures that can happen at any time. her mum, hannah, believes max has had a profoundly positive impact. when you see max's videos, how does max make you feel? happy! the impact that dogs have both on mental well—being and on general well— being is fantastic. the animal equivalent of an obe. richly deserved. tim muffett, bbc news. a seabird has ended up in the middle of the desert after getting caught up in the winter storms that have hit texas. this magnificent frigatebird is usually found in tropical ocean areas, but ended up at the el paso zoo in texas after being blown out of its normal range by the storms. a good samaritan found the bird and took it to the zoo. vets there are planning on sending the bird by private plane to the florida keys once she's well enough to travel. you're watching bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather. there will be some sunshine over the next few days, and if you do get it, it will certainly feel like spring. but the problem is, some of you will not see much sunshine, there will be a lot of wet and windy weather to come for the rest of today and tomorrow. this shows where the wettest spots will be. the rainfall totals are totting up in the west. on the hills we could see over 100 millimetres of rain. flooding could be an issue. and this is the stream of cloud which has been coming up from the mid atlantic. it will continue to be wet for much of the afternoon in the west. and in addition, we will see the winds strengthening even further, maybe even more than 60mph for some in the irish sea and western parts of scotland. it will be whipping up some rough seas. you can see how the rain dominates on the chart, particularly on the hills exposed to the southerly wind. to the north of the hills, it will not be quite as wet. there will be some brightness in northern ireland and the used of scotland. this evening and overnight, the rain keeps coming and the east of scotland. this evening and overnight, the rain keeps coming and going across those western areas of england and wales. it eases off for a bit in scotland and northern ireland. some clear skies, not much rain, if any, for the south—east. temperatures tonight barely dropping as we go into tomorrow morning. another mild day tomorrow. western areas, wet and windy, eastern areas, best chance of some hazy sunshine and the highest temperatures. we will start with some sunshine in northern scotland before the cloud and rain comes northwards. potentially so, too, in northern ireland. even in the west, temperatures will be up on today. no real wind chill this weekend, even though the breeze is still strong, coming from the south, feeding in the mild air. brightness just about holding on for east anglia and the south—east, the rest of england and wales, fairly cloudy with rain. confirmation that it stays mild all the way through to the end of the weekend. this is bbc news. the headlines at 11am... a significant ruling for the so—called gig economy — uber loses its case at the supreme court, which says drivers should be classed as workers — entitling them to minimum wage and holiday pay. the ruling could leave the ride hailing taxi app facing a hefty compensation bill. borisjohnson will pledge to donate the majority of the uk's surplus covid vaccines to developing countries, and encourage fellow leaders to do the same, as he chairs a virtual g7 summit today. nasa's perseverance rover begins looking for signs of life on mars, as it sends back its first pictures of the planet's surface after a successful landing. a 20—year—old woman becomes the first protester to die in the anti—coup demonstrations in myanmar, after she was shot in the head. and millions of texans are still without water and electricity in extreme sub—zero weather conditions — while their senator ted cruz flew to mexico for a family holiday. hello, good morning. the supreme court has ruled that the ride hailing taxi app uber must classify its drivers as workers and not self—employed — meaning that thousands of uber drivers are entitled to the minimum wage and holiday pay. uber had argued its drivers were independent contractors — but now this binding decision could leave the firm facing a hefty compensation bill, as well has having wider consequences for the gig economy. the gmb union described it as a �*historic win'. and said "uber must now stop wasting time and money pursuing lost legal causes and do what's right by the drivers who prop up its empire. in response to the verdict — uber say they �*will now consult with every active driver across the uk to understand the changes they want�*. we'll be getting more reaction to that verdict from the supreme court — but first here's our business correspondent theo leggett. this is a significant ruling for not only uber workers and let's not forget there are 45,000 of them in london and 60,000 across the uk, but also for workers in the wider gig economy. and it all comes down to that distinction which the court has backed up between what uber said were independent contractors, who were independent contractors, who were working on their own behalf with uber acting simply as a technological platform, and the idea that those drivers were actually workers. subordinate to uber and therefore entitled to employment benefits such as holiday pay and the minimum wage. thejudge was quite forthright when he read out his ruling. he described the criteria for deciding that uber drivers were actually workers, not contractors. so for example there was the fact that uber always sets the fare for an override. the contract terms for that ride are set by uber. once a driver has logged onto the uber app, their freedom driver has logged onto the uber app, theirfreedom to reject driver has logged onto the uber app, their freedom to reject any work thatis their freedom to reject any work that is offered to them is restricted and they are penalised if they do reject work. and also that uber restricts the contact between the passenger and the driver to the absolute minimum required for a single ride, so there is no scope for example for a driver to make his own arrangement with a passenger. so on all of these grounds, the ruling suggested that uber was in the superior position, the drivers were subordinate, therefore they should be treated as workers and not as independent contractors. ok, so this case concerned only a small handful of uber drivers but there are hundreds more cases waiting in the wings and the legal ramifications, as i said, go beyond that and affect the wider gig economy. we are hoping to speak to the legal director of the gmb union in a moment but ijust want director of the gmb union in a moment but i just want to director of the gmb union in a moment but ijust want to read you out some of the reaction being pointed out on the pa news agency. which says one of the lead claimants in the case said i'm overjoyed and greatly relieved by the decision, which will bring relief to so many workers in the gig economy who need it so desperately. during the six years of these proceedings we have seen the government shelf enquiry. the government will enforce its law and protect the most vulnerable from exploitation. we also hear that lord leggett says in a ruling that i think it is clear they climb in tribunal was entitled to find the claimant drivers were workers. uber have given some reaction to this also and they have said that, as we heard there, they will be now talking to drivers to see what exactly they want. they have said that some of their drivers want flexibility. mark cairns, and uber driver in london, said in a statement, it has been a long time coming. i'm delighted we have finally got the victory we deserve. being an uber driver can be stressful, they ban you from driving for them at the drop of a hat and there is no appeal process. at the very least we should have the same rights as every other worker. let's speak now to susan harris, she is the legal director at the gmb union, which represented some of the drivers involved in the case. your reaction to this ruling. well, it is just a fantastic decision for our members that uber but it has been a long time coming. i think it really is a fantastic judgment for workers, i think it really is a fantastic judgment forworkers, people i think it really is a fantastic judgment for workers, people who really are workers, throughout the gig economy. really are workers, throughout the gig economy-— gig economy. what is it going to mean in practical _ gig economy. what is it going to mean in practical terms? - gig economy. what is it going to mean in practicalterms? well, | gig economy. what is it going to l mean in practicalterms? well, in terms of our— mean in practicalterms? well, in terms of our members _ mean in practicalterms? well, in terms of our members at - mean in practicalterms? well, in terms of our members at uber i mean in practicalterms? well, in| terms of our members at uber we mean in practicalterms? well, in - terms of our members at uber we are going to have to now fight fire with fire in terms of getting their holiday pay that they haven't received. so they haven't been entitled to any holiday or received any holiday pay. there is the issue about the national minimum wage, paid breaks, so there is still some arguments to be had in terms of compensation issues. but i do think if you read the judgment and it is very lengthy but it is to really set out very well in terms of, as i say, the implication for other individuals working in the gig economy. 50 individuals working in the gig econom . ., individuals working in the gig economy-— individuals working in the gig econom. ., ., .,~ , individuals working in the gig econom . ., ., ., ~ , ., economy. so what sort of workers are ou talkin: economy. so what sort of workers are you talking about? _ economy. so what sort of workers are you talking about? and _ economy. so what sort of workers are you talking about? and how— economy. so what sort of workers are you talking about? and how will- economy. so what sort of workers are you talking about? and how will this i you talking about? and how will this be enforced?— be enforced? well, again, we may have to take _ be enforced? well, again, we may have to take it _ be enforced? well, again, we may have to take it further _ be enforced? well, again, we may have to take it further claims - be enforced? well, again, we may have to take it further claims but l have to take it further claims but the judgment have to take it further claims but thejudgment and, as i say, paragraph 85 may only be of interest to lawyers, i realise that, but it is making it clear that what tribunal has to look at his not what is in the contract because big business will inevitably be able to put all sorts of things in a contract which working people won't understand. they sign up to contracts because they have to sign their rent, they have to feed their kids. and so big business has the upper hand. and what this judgment is saying, once and for all, is they have to look at the reality of the situation. don'tjust look at have to look at the reality of the situation. don't just look at what is in the contract, look actually what the relationship is, who really has to control? and if it is not the individual, so if it is not the self employed person, then your conclusion should be a person is a worker and is entitled to certain legal rights. worker and is entitled to certain legal rights-— worker and is entitled to certain leaaalrihts. �* ., , legal rights. and part of the uber statement which _ legal rights. and part of the uber statement which has _ legal rights. and part of the uber statement which has come - legal rights. and part of the uber statement which has come from | legal rights. and part of the uber- statement which has come from jamie hayward, their regional general managerfor north and hayward, their regional general manager for north and eastern hayward, their regional general managerfor north and eastern europe says thejudge does managerfor north and eastern europe says the judge does not classify all uber workers as workers. work is not the same as an employee. can you explain they mean with that? fiifi the same as an employee. can you explain they mean with that? ok, so the law, employment— explain they mean with that? ok, so the law, employment law _ explain they mean with that? ok, so the law, employment law recognises three different categories of person. somebody who is an employee, and they get the full gambit of rights so that is unfair dismissals and unfair selection for redundancy and unfair selection for redundancy and so on and so forth, holiday pay and so on and so forth, holiday pay and national minimum wage. then it recognises a worker and they get a more limited set of rights, that's the right to holiday pay, national minimum wage, not to be treated unfairly for whistle—blowing worker rights. and then the genuinely self—employed. so thisjudgment self—employed. so this judgment doesn't self—employed. so thisjudgment doesn't say that drivers are employees, it says they are workers. and strictly speaking, the judgment applies only to those individuals that were involved in the case. but we say it actually has wider ramifications than that. read the judgment, see what it says about the actual relationship between uber and its drivers and we say that it will apply to people now. they will still be operating under that same model, which the court has quite clearly indicated is a worker model, not a self—employed model. fiifi indicated is a worker model, not a self-employed model.— indicated is a worker model, not a self-employed model. ok, so 'ust to be clear, self-employed model. ok, so 'ust to be ceanl does — self-employed model. ok, so 'ust to be clear, does this i self-employed model. ok, so 'ust to be clear, does this ruling h self-employed model. ok, so 'ust to be clear, does this ruling thenh self-employed model. 0k, sojust to be clear, does this ruling then say i be clear, does this ruling then say that the people involved in bringing the case, ok, they should be reclassified or classed as workers but it doesn't necessarily bind uber orany but it doesn't necessarily bind uber or any other firm to treating everybody as a worker and giving them the rights. it doesn't necessarily say that? than? them the rights. it doesn't necessarily say that? any legal 'ud . ment necessarily say that? any legal judgment can _ necessarily say that? any legal judgment can only _ necessarily say that? any legal judgment can only apply - necessarily say that? any legal judgment can only apply to - necessarily say that? any legal judgment can only apply to the parties that are involved in the legal case, that must be right. you know, the brought on behalf of a certain category of individuals against a certain respondent. so the legaljudgment only applies to those parties. but thejudgment legaljudgment only applies to those parties. but the judgment is so far reaching, i say, parties. but the judgment is so far reaching, isay, it parties. but the judgment is so far reaching, i say, it is going to apply in a whole host of other big employment situations. so it is a really fantastic victory. iii employment situations. so it is a really fantastic victory.— really fantastic victory. in terms of also the _ really fantastic victory. in terms of also the drivers _ really fantastic victory. in terms of also the drivers involved, - really fantastic victory. in terms | of also the drivers involved, uber have said nearly 90% of drivers have told us that flexibility is the most important they choose to earn on the uber app. are there some drivers that might presumably not want to formally register with, you know, the official authorities in this country and who perhaps work on uber on the side, they perhaps don't have full immigration status. they might want the freedom to still earn as they go but without having all the legal protections. you know, will this force drivers to make a choice and could therefore some people be forced out of a job? ida. and could therefore some people be forced out of a job?— forced out of a “ob? no. that is the m h isn't forced out of a “ob? no. that is the myth isnt it — forced out of a “ob? no. that is the myth isnt it of— forced out of a job? no. that is the myth isn't it of big _ forced out of a job? no. that is the myth isn't it of big business, - forced out of a job? no. that is the myth isn't it of big business, that l myth isn't it of big business, that somehow if legal things happened then it's going to prevent individuals having rights. and choice. that is just a nonsense. individuals having rights. and choice. that isjust a nonsense. you can choose, in this country, if you want to be self—employed or an employee or a worker. what shouldn't happen is that big business dictates and tells you that you are self—employed when in fact you are a worker because of the way that they treat you. and then they try to deny you your worker rights because they classify you as being self—employed. so if people choose to be self—employed, somebody genuinely want to be self—employed, that is perfectly fine. thisjudgment want to be self—employed, that is perfectly fine. this judgment isn't going to change that. what this is going to change that. what this is going to change is the fact that big business can't try and work contract so it removes workers's rights from individuals. �* so it removes workers's rights from individuals-— so it removes workers's rights from individuals. �* , individuals. and, soon, can you 'ust exlain individuals. and, soon, can you 'ust explain for— individuals. and, soon, can you 'ust explain for me �* individuals. and, soon, can you 'ust explain for me a fi individuals. and, soon, can you 'ust explain for me a little i individuals. and, soon, can you 'ust explain for me a little bit �* individuals. and, soon, can you 'ust explain for me a little bit about i explain for me a little bit about what these workers that you were representing were facing in their living conditions and their working conditions that will now hopefully change? conditions that will now hopefully chan . e? ~ . conditions that will now hopefully chan . e? . , ., change? well, in terms of the workinl change? well, in terms of the working conditions, _ change? well, in terms of the working conditions, i- change? well, in terms of the working conditions, i mean, i change? well, in terms of the i working conditions, i mean, the change? well, in terms of the - working conditions, i mean, the very lengthy hours that they work in order to be able to make ends meet. hopefully, we will be able to address that with the whole issue of the national minimum wage claims because obviously that is saying as soon as i log on for call, i ought to be, or a soon as i log on for call, i ought to be, ora ride, i ought to soon as i log on for call, i ought to be, or a ride, i ought to be entitled to be receiving pay. because otherwise it is only when they actually do a journey and they only get a percentage of the fare thatis only get a percentage of the fare that is paid by the passenger. and then, you know, they will be earning less than the minimum wage. so it will have an impact in respect of that. but as i say, for the first time these people are going to be able to take holidays and know that they're going to be paid during their holidays. that is the tremendous thing, we'll take that for granted. we all think that being entitled to have a paid holiday is what everybody gets. but these uber drivers haven't been getting that, they haven't been getting that rest. they haven't been spending that time with their families.— with their families. susan harris, leial with their families. susan harris, legal director _ with their families. susan harris, legal director at _ with their families. susan harris, legal director at the _ with their families. susan harris, legal director at the gmb - with their families. susan harris, legal director at the gmb union, | legal director at the gmb union, many thanks indeed for your time. thank you. borisjohnson will pledge today to donate the majority of the uk's surplus covid vaccines to developing countries. the british prime minister is chairing a virtual summit of the g7 nations — where he'll encourage other leaders, including us presidentjoe biden, to follow suit. our global health correspondent, naomi grimley reports. more and more britons are getting their vaccine shots. today, the prime minister will be chairing a g7 meeting to talk about those countries which haven't got started. in the global scramble to secure vaccines against covid—19 many wealthy countries which funded a lot of the research, have ended up buying more supplies than they need. new figures from the anti—poverty pressure group, the one campaign, revealed that australia, canada, japan, the uk, the us and the eu have already secured more than 3 billion doses, 1.2 billion more than they need to give their entire populations two doses. the uk government is now talking about sharing some of its surplus, but campaigners say they want hard facts on how many actual doses it will be donating. there's over a billion excess doses that are being tied up in a pipeline in these countries and we need to make sure that they're not sitting, stockpiled in just a few countries, but indeed they're going back to poorer countries and middle income countries so that we can actually get this virus under control everywhere. the uk has also given half a billion pounds to covax, the un—led programme to get vaccines out to poorer countries. but that project has yet to launch its first vaccinations. so 130 countries in the world haven't administered any shots, leaving health care workers at high risk. naomi grimley, bbc news. well this morning the foreign office minister, james cleverly, said the uk would never use vaccines as diplomatic leverage — and would be sharing them through the international body, covax to ensure equitable distribution. he said the government had to ensure uk citizens were vaccinated, as well as focus on being a good player on the global stage. we made the decision earlier on in this pandemic to spread our risk and buy vaccine doses from a number of vaccine providers. that means we know that we are going to have surplus, we don't know exactly when and we can't say exactly how many, because that will be dependent on which vaccines ultimately get the green light from the regulators. but it does mean that we will be able to both protect british people, which is our first duty, but also be a good player on the international stage, be a real force for good and help make sure that we are collectively, internationally, vaccinating as many people as possible to keep us all safe. we know that we have been very effective in the roll—out of our vaccination programme, one of the most speedy and effective in the world, and we can be incredibly proud of that. and that means that we will probably be one of the first countries that are able to do this. but we can't say exactly when, but we have been consistently right at the forefront of vaccine research, vaccine production and getting vaccines agreed by the regulators. because of our fast actions, we will be able to, in the future, help make the world safe. mayor of london sadiq khan has received his first dose of the covid—19 vaccine. an asthmatic, he's beenjabbed in the current phase of the roll—out at a centre in south—west london. mr khan urged other londoners to get theirjabs, and said he was "delighted, relieved and incredibly grateful to notjust the scientists who invented this vaccine but to the nhs and volunteers who are working so hard. nearly 20 organisations representing health care workers have appealed to borisjohnson and the health ministers in all the uk nations to provide staff with better protection from coronavirus. the group — which includes the british medical association and the royal college of nursing — says a measures to prevent the spread of the virus through the air are inadequate. well, we can speak now to simon walsh, emergency medical consultant and spokesperson for the british medical association. thanks very much forjoining us. what exactly are you worried about in terms of protection? our staff really not getting what they need? good morning. well, yes, i mean this letter has been signed by many agencies, including the british medical association, who are represent today. and what we're really concerned about is the fact that in the face of growing evidence of airborne transmission of covid—19, and also in the setting that we know that health care workers are between three and four times more likely to contract covid an die from covid than the rest of the population. there is a real concern, understandably, from health care workers, who want to go in and do their very best to care for patients with covid—19 but who don't feel that they have been adequately protected by the current recommendations. and particularly of note is those workers who are working in the sort of highest intensity areas, where aerosol generating procedures are being carried out frequently, such as intensive care. the rates of it infection among health care workers infection among health care workers in those settings is actually much lower than more general settings and thatis lower than more general settings and that is most likely reflects the fact that the highest level of personal protective equipment, including the fsb three respirator masks, they are worn absolutely diligently because that is what is recommended in those areas. but in more general areas such as emergency departments and general practice, where patients are unknown covid status when we see them, the recommendation is for a lower level of bbe and that we believe is placing those health care workers at increased risk. —— ppe. what placing those health care workers at increased risk. -- ppe. what exactly are ou increased risk. -- ppe. what exactly are you calling _ increased risk. -- ppe. what exactly are you calling for? _ increased risk. -- ppe. what exactly are you calling for? presumably - increased risk. -- ppe. what exactly are you calling for? presumably thatj are you calling for? presumably that those top—quality masks are given to everybody working in hospital? yeah. everybody working in hospital? yeah, we're notjust — everybody working in hospital? yeah, we're notjust talking _ everybody working in hospital? yeah, we're notjust talking about _ we're notjust talking about hospitals, we are talking about general practice and people working in delivering health care in people's homes. where ever there is a risk to patients that wants treating may have covid—19. and given that we are asking for the uncertainty, particularly in the face of the evolving new variant, where we are told that there is an increased risk of transmission with those new variant, we are asking for the respirator masks to be, or at least for the guidance to be reviewed by the government, because the bma has asked public health england to review this back in january, we sent a letter on the 13th of january, january, we sent a letter on the 13th ofjanuary, but january, we sent a letter on the 13th of january, but we haven't seen any results of that. and the surveys that we are doing of our members showed that on the bma point of view, so doctors, less than a third of doctors are going to work confident that the ppe that they are being provided with as recommended by the government is adequate to protect them satisfactorily. so 'ust to be eeanl — protect them satisfactorily. so 'ust to be clear, doctors, i protect them satisfactorily. so 'ust to be clear, doctors, nurses, h to be clear, doctors, nurses, reception staff, whoever is in these health care settings, i mean, how many more of those very high quality masks are needed do you think? what proportion? masks are needed do you think? what -ro lortion? ~ masks are needed do you think? what --roortion? . �* i. proportion? well, i can't tell you the actual— proportion? well, i can't tell you the actual numbers _ proportion? well, i can't tell you the actual numbers but - proportion? well, i can't tell you the actual numbers but what - proportion? well, i can't tell you the actual numbers but what i i proportion? well, i can't tell you i the actual numbers but what i was told in the early days of the pandemic a year ago as they were certainly issues with the supply of ffp three respirator type masks, which adequately filter out the virus particles when there airborne. and what we are told now is that supply is not an issue. and so what we are asking for, therefore, we believe that the guidance in the initial stages of the pandemic was affected by the supply. and we want that to be reviewed because if the supply is no longer an issue we want to make sure that health care workers can go to work, look after patients with covid—19, which of course they want to do, and it is ourjob to do, but it shouldn't be expected that we are putting our lives and our health and that of our families at risk by doing so. fiend families at risk by doing so. and what about _ families at risk by doing so. and what about ventilation within certainly hospitals, gp practices? is it adequate? it is it being monitored that it's everywhere? what about doctors and nurses dealing with covid patients and then non—covid patients because this is how this virus can be transmitted, isn't it? . how this virus can be transmitted, isn't it? , ,., ., ,., isn't it? yes, so the letter also makes reference _ isn't it? yes, so the letter also makes reference to _ isn't it? yes, so the letter also makes reference to the - isn't it? yes, so the letter also - makes reference to the ventilation of health care settings and other settings where patients have been treated and this is not new stuff. i mean, for many, many decades, hospitals have been built with required numbers of air changes so the rate at which the air is changing in certain clinical areas has certain standards. so as you might expect in an operating theatre, where it is absolutely important to keep the air is clean as possible to prevent infection for patients who are having an operation, there is a high number of air changes recommended. and that is achieved by ventilation systems. what this letter is also calling for is for a review of the ventilation of clinical areas and areas where patients have been treated because there is wide variation. and many hospitals have been able to adapt clinical their ways to improve the ventilation and put into place systems which ensure that those air changes are adequate to reduce the risk of infection both health care workers and spreading the infection to other patients. but that is by no means across the board and is the older buildings there is more of a challenge there, so we are calling for that to be reviewed with engineers people who are experts in being able to achieve that. can i ask ou being able to achieve that. can i ask you finally — being able to achieve that. can i ask you finally very _ being able to achieve that. can i ask you finally very briefly, - being able to achieve that. can i ask you finally very briefly, how are people feeling about this? because we know that staff in the nhs are overworked, hugely stressed, giving everything they can. people must be upset if they feel that goodman is not doing all that they can to protect them?— goodman is not doing all that they can to protect them? yes, when we surve ed can to protect them? yes, when we surveyed members, _ can to protect them? yes, when we surveyed members, when - can to protect them? yes, when we surveyed members, when the - can to protect them? yes, when we surveyed members, when the bma| surveyed members, when the bma surveyed members, when the bma survey is members, every time we survey is members, every time we survey members we hear the same theme that doctors absolutely want to go in and do their best to look after patients who are affected with covid—19 and all the other health care needs that are ongoing of course. but they feel that this is one of the things that is most distressing for them, causes them great psychological stress and undoubtedly this will be one of the biggest effects of the ongoing burden on health care workers in the recovery phrase from the pandemic. this is contributing to burn—out, stress and actual physical and mental health problems. doctor simon walsh of the bma, — mental health problems. doctor simon walsh of the bma, thank _ mental health problems. doctor simon walsh of the bma, thank you - mental health problems. doctor simon walsh of the bma, thank you very - walsh of the bma, thank you very much for your time. all primary school children in wales could return to classes by the middle of next month, if covid rates continue to fall. the first minister mark drakeford will set out his plan today for lifting lockdown restrictions — and it's expected to start with a gradual re—opening of schools. younger primary children are set to return on monday and older pupils could join them on march the 15th. our correspondent in cardiff, tomos morgan, explained what we can expect to be announced by wales's first minister, mark drakeford, later on today. i think what the first minister was saying really, kind of what he's been saying all along, he wants things to be moving in the right direction before he starts making decisions, the kind of key factors and measures he bases those decisions on, the rate of vaccinations, currently the highest levels yet in terms of the number of people getting vaccinated and the number that have been vaccinated, the highest of the four nations. the case rates of people, that number of people that have coronavirus in wales, again, the lowest of the four nations. and the number of people in hospital, continues to decrease and the r rate, as well, decreasing so because those are moving in the right direction, the first minister has said today and will say in his press conference he is looking ahead to what can ease next so there won't be any big changes in a stay at home, lockdown restrictions. what there will be is the potential for children, the rest of primary schoolchildren, to be coming back to the classroom on the 15th and some high school children as well, probably exam grades like gcses that kind of age group. he's also talking about nonessential shops opening, he did say "phased reopening" so it will be interesting if there's some clarity on that in the press conference and also, beauty aspects will be opening so hairdressers. but he also touched on the tourism sector and said if things move in the right direction, some aspects of tourism could open before easter as well. begin to think is not a bad assessment of where we are. i met our tourism task force in wales yesterday, the people working in the sector. what we will work on with them is the possibility and it is only that, of some limited reopening around easter. of self—contained accommodation only. places where people don't mix with other people, where there aren't shared facilities, that is how we began the reopening of tourism in wales last year. if we can bring that forward to easter, if conditions allow, i know that will be a huge relief to many, many hundreds and thousands of families in wales. so on monday, the youngest primary school ages, those three—to—seven—year—olds will be back in the classroom and the first minister and the welsh government will look and see what impact that has on case rates before making a definite decision on the next phase we've just been speaking about there. mark newbold is the owner of the star inn in treos in the vale of glamorgan. thanks very much forjoining us. how difficult has it been for you and what are you hoping for now? it has been really. — what are you hoping for now? it has been really, really _ what are you hoping for now? it has been really, really difficult, - what are you hoping for now? it ia; been really, really difficult, these last 12 to 18 months has been horrendous. i'm really worried about the clarity for us in this industry. we are not being told the full information. if we are going to be planned to be opening sometime in the easter holidays or even in may orjune then we need to prepare for that. it's notjust a case of give us a week's notice and open the doors. we need to have support, we need clarity, and i don't think mark drakeford and the team have given us enough support in south wales. i know they have given us support but i really don't think it is enough. can you explain for me a bit more what you needed and what you still need? ~ ., ., . ., need? well, we need more financial su lort. need? well, we need more financial support- we — need? well, we need more financial support- we have — need? well, we need more financial support. we have had _ need? well, we need more financial support. we have had £5,000 - need? well, we need more financial| support. we have had £5,000 which was given to us in novemberfor the final lockdown, then there were grants available injanuary, which we still haven't received the money for and we applied injanuary. we were told it could be up to 11 weeks before we received any funds. now, we are running a business, we still have bills to pay. £5,000 doesn't cover the rent, let alone any of the utility bills on a business like ours. we have 40 odd staff on furlough. i still have to pay their pension contributions, i still have to pay their nhs, ni contributions. and it is worrying. i'm quite concerned that when we do get the go—ahead to open that i'm going to be somewhere in the region of 50,000 to £70,000 in debtjust to open the doors. ii to £70,000 in debt 'ust to open the doors. , ., ., ., to £70,000 in debt 'ust to open the doors. i. ., ., ., to £70,000 in debt 'ust to open the doors. ., ., ., ., doors. if you have to go into lockdown — doors. if you have to go into lockdown again, _ doors. if you have to go into lockdown again, supposing i doors. if you have to go into - lockdown again, supposing things do open now but there is another lockdown, whether it is in the next few months or autumn again, what is not going to mean? fill. few months or autumn again, what is not going to mean?— not going to mean? oh, it will be devastating- _ not going to mean? oh, it will be devastating. if— not going to mean? oh, it will be devastating. if we _ not going to mean? oh, it will be devastating. if we are _ not going to mean? oh, it will be devastating. if we are told - not going to mean? oh, it will be devastating. if we are told we - not going to mean? oh, it will be| devastating. if we are told we can open and then we go into another lockdown, i think us as an industry, done, devastation. because there is no way we can come back from it. we are not making... we have had to open our pub is a little village corner shops selling milk and bread and some of the basic utilities that our customers require. that is not enough money to pay the bills. it keeps me sane but it is not going to pay the bills. keeps me sane but it is not going to pay the bills-— pay the bills. obviously everyone is waitinl for pay the bills. obviously everyone is waiting for the _ pay the bills. obviously everyone is waiting for the vaccine _ pay the bills. obviously everyone is waiting for the vaccine programme | pay the bills. obviously everyone is l waiting for the vaccine programme to roll out and allow more mixing, even at a distance potentially. have you had the vaccine yourself? do you no other people?— other people? yes, i have. i was in one of the — other people? yes, i have. i was in one of the categories _ other people? yes, i have. i was in one of the categories where - other people? yes, i have. i was in one of the categories where i - other people? yes, i have. i was in one of the categories where i do i one of the categories where i do have quite a bad illness, so i was fairly lucky to have the vaccine. and moving forward from that, there is a question i need to ask the welsh government and even boris that when we get the chance to reopen, how are we going to discriminate between those people that haven't had the vaccine? are we going to allow those into our operations? who is going to police that? what support we be kept for that? that is another major issue that is going to affect the hospitality industry. fiend affect the hospitality industry. and i don't want _ affect the hospitality industry. and i don't want to _ affect the hospitality industry. and i don't want to invade your privacy in any way but are you able to talk about your illness? because obviously having that as well as this huge economic factor must have been immensely stressful. it this huge economic factor must have been immensely stressful.— been immensely stressful. it has been. unfortunately, _ been immensely stressful. it has been. unfortunately, i've- been immensely stressful. it has been. unfortunately, i've been i been. unfortunately, i've been battling cancer for 25 years and two years ago was given the ultimatum that i have three months to live. so we have been fighting every day, every month, every week, everything we can just to get through this and also at the end of it as a family it has brought us closer together. but we know that it is really testing and troubling times for us. not only have we got our own family issues, we have to worry about the other business as well when we have the opportunity. i’m business as well when we have the opportunity-— opportunity. i'm very sorry to hear that but obviously _ opportunity. i'm very sorry to hear that but obviously you _ opportunity. i'm very sorry to hear that but obviously you are - opportunity. i'm very sorry to hear that but obviously you are still- that but obviously you are still clearly a fighter and you are still going! in terms of the business and in terms of your family, which is great to see. you talked about another lockdown been very difficult. if you were able to open up difficult. if you were able to open up now and still say the autumn or winter, would that give you enough of a buffer, even if next winter does bring a new difficult strain that does mean closure? no. i would say that if we have to open now, a four—month training window on the basis of closing sometime in august, that would be devastating. i mean, we have a restaurant and it would normally be a week or ten days before you can get a table in a restaurant, people come for the service and the quality of my special charisma. but unfortunately, if we get locked down again... i mean, we are running 32 covers, that is with a two metre distance, and if we open the doors now, i've got to take three or four times the amount of customers coming through the doorjust to get anywhere near where we were before. so i would not support another lockdown again. we so i would not support another lockdown again.— so i would not support another lockdown again. so i would not support another lockdown alain. ~ ., ., , ., lockdown again. we have all seen a taste of your— lockdown again. we have all seen a taste of your charisma _ lockdown again. we have all seen a taste of your charisma and - lockdown again. we have all seen a taste of your charisma and the - lockdown again. we have all seen a taste of your charisma and the last| taste of your charisma and the last few minutes. all the very best to you and your family, few minutes. all the very best to you and yourfamily, thank few minutes. all the very best to you and your family, thank you for talking throughout —— talking to us about what you're going through at the moment. about what you're going through at the moment-— about what you're going through at the moment. ., ,, ., , ,, the moment. thank you and god bless ou. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport center, here's gavin. the chair of football's anti—discrimination group kick it out says he agrees with crystal palace striker wilfried zaha that taking a knee before matches has lost its meaning. sanjay bhandari believes that while such gestures are valuable to attract attention, they have a finite life cycle. for zaha it's hugely frustrating. growing up, my parents let me know that i should be proud to be black, no matter what, and ijust feel like we should just stand tall. i think it's becoming something that wejust do now, you know? that's not enough for me, i'm not going to take the knee, i'm not going to wear black lives matter on the back of my... because it feels like it's a target. we're isolating ourselves, we're trying to say we're equal, but we're isolating ourselves with these things that are not even working anyway. fulham are looking into a possible breach of lockdown rules involving midfielder terence kongolo. it's alleged that kongolo returned to his flat in the early hours of monday morning after their win at everton to find friends were there to give him a surprise birthday party. it's understood he had no idea it had been planned. we should learn more when manager scott parker gives his news conference in around an hour. ryan shawcross has left stoke city by mutual consent, ending a 14—year spell with the club. he plans to explore new playing opportunities in the united states. stoke were promoted to the premier league in shawcross's first season there. he made over 400 appearances, most of them as captain, but he's struggled to keep his place since breaking his leg in the summer of 2019. england's most capped player, fara williams, has revealed that she's been battling a rare kidney condition called nephrotic syndrome for almost a year. she said it "broke" her. and williams told us she pushed herself too hard to return to action. through many different times throughout my career, football has been my go—to. so, maybe i also believed that i needed to be in it to get through this illness, but actually, on reflection, i didn't need to be in it, and i was ok in dealing with it away from there. and probably when i did take the time off, i could recover my mind better, took a few weeks out and actually mentally feel so much more refreshed and ready to go. whereas i think dealing with it at the time, just keep trying to push as much as i was, but feeling like i was just failing at every attempt. we were expecting a really tight men's semifinal at the australian open, but daniil medvedev has beaten stefanos tsitsipas in straight sets. he was totally dominant at the start, winning the first two sets fairly easily — 6—4, 6—2 — without much of a sweat! tsitsipas did put up more of a fight in the third, but medvedev eventually won it by 7 games to 5. he's on a great run of form — this is his 20th victory in a row, but he's yet to win a grand slam. he'll face novak djokovic for the title on sunday. and joe salisbury won the battle of the brits in the men's doubles. he and rajeev ram, who are the defending champions, beatjamie murray and bruno soares, to reach the final. britain's giro d'italia winner, tao geoghegan hart, has announced he'll be mentoring a young rider next season to help increase diversity in professional cycling. he's joined up with his former team, hagens berman axeon, to find, and then coach, the rider. he said cycling's problem with diversity and inclusivity wasn't unique within sport, but they had to face it head on. that's all the sport for now, but there's more on the bbc sport website, including reaction to last night's europa league games — good wins for tottenham, manchester united and rangers — and also the latest premier league manager news conferences. i'll be back with more later. natwest has announced a pre—tax loss of £351 million last year. the loss ends three straight years of profit for the lender after it was bailed out in 2008. the bank says it's set aside £3.2 billion to cover loans to people and businesses that might not be paid back, to a large extent because of the pandemic. let's get more on this from our presenter ben thompson. thanks very much. yes, we pay particular attention to natwest because it is still 62% owned by us as taxpayers. that coming after that big bailout in the financial crisis of 2008 that kept the bank afloat, so we pay particular attention to how the bank is faring. and what is interesting in the set of figures is the amount of money that the bank has put aside for bad loans. that is essentially the amount of money that it potentially could not get back if the economy takes a turn for the worst. and it also tells us a little bit about what the bank is thinking about the economic prospects, and may our incomes and jobs and the success of businesses that it lends to in the months and years to come. so let's get the thoughts now of alison rose, the chief executive of natwest. good morning to you, good to see you here. let's talk first of all about the set of figures, we will go on to bad debts in a minute, tipping into a loss. perhaps no great surprise giving the circumstances we find yourself in, but talk to me about this number. a big loss, and the loss caused, in some respect, by the pandemic. absolutely, so we have announce results _ absolutely, so we have announce results today, strong underlying resilient — results today, strong underlying resilient performance with profits of almost — resilient performance with profits of almost 3 billion, but we put aside — of almost 3 billion, but we put aside 32— of almost 3 billion, but we put aside 3.2 billion for potential future — aside 3.2 billion for potential future losses as a result. what we're — future losses as a result. what we're seeing today is actually very little in _ we're seeing today is actually very little in terms of actual losses happening as businesses are coping the pandemic. clearly it is a very difficult — the pandemic. clearly it is a very difficult time for businesses, the economy— difficult time for businesses, the economy has been put in a hard stop and lots _ economy has been put in a hard stop and lots of— economy has been put in a hard stop and lots of businesses are really struggling. but the underlying munson — struggling. but the underlying munson in terms of profits is very strong, _ munson in terms of profits is very strong, but — munson in terms of profits is very strong, but it is appropriate that we take — strong, but it is appropriate that we take a — strong, but it is appropriate that we take a prudent view about provision _ we take a prudent view about provision. so around 3.2 billion that— provision. so around 3.2 billion that we — provision. so around 3.2 billion that we put aside at this point as a forward—looking provision. it�*s forward-looking provision. it's worth forward—looking provision. it�*s worth saying that your arrival yesterday reporting a profit of £3.1 billion, another bank —— they are facing similar challenges to you, put more money aside for bad debts as well, but it was able to fall back on its investment bank to make money. something that you can't do. yes, we have a small investment bank that we _ yes, we have a small investment bank that we shape to really focus on supporting our customers, and that business _ supporting our customers, and that business has had a very strong performance. what we are really focus _ performance. what we are really focus on — performance. what we are really focus on is — performance. what we are really focus on is making sure we can step up focus on is making sure we can step upand— focus on is making sure we can step up and support our customers through this period _ up and support our customers through this period and putting out 14 billion— this period and putting out 14 billion of— this period and putting out 14 billion of government lending as well as— billion of government lending as well as mortgage repayment holidays, capital— well as mortgage repayment holidays, capital repayment holidays and all the support in place to help businesses. i think what is really important — businesses. i think what is really important is at the bank, we are really— important is at the bank, we are really strongly positioned to help our customers as the economy hopefully— our customers as the economy hopefully reopens and rebuilds and grows _ hopefully reopens and rebuilds and grows. we are one of the strongest capital— grows. we are one of the strongest capital ratios of any bank in europe, _ capital ratios of any bank in europe, 18.5%, and we are really position— europe, 18.5%, and we are really position alongside our customers to help fund _ position alongside our customers to help fund and support them through the recovery. but clearly they are tough _ the recovery. but clearly they are tough times ahead and it is really difficult _ tough times ahead and it is really difficult for businesses right now. i difficult for businesses right now. i would _ difficult for businesses right now. i would say that what we have seen from _ i would say that what we have seen from business, and i talked to lots of entrepreneurs and businesses, and we try— of entrepreneurs and businesses, and we try to _ of entrepreneurs and businesses, and we try to put — of entrepreneurs and businesses, and we try to put as much support in place _ we try to put as much support in place as— we try to put as much support in place as we _ we try to put as much support in place as we can, his incredible resilience _ place as we can, his incredible resilience and entrepreneurial spirit — resilience and entrepreneurial spirit to— resilience and entrepreneurial spirit to cope with this period. and ithink— spirit to cope with this period. and i think that — spirit to cope with this period. and i think that is why as a result of the support, as a result of their actions. — the support, as a result of their actions. we _ the support, as a result of their actions, we are saying very little impairments right now. but as the economy— impairments right now. but as the economy recovers, as businesses have to make _ economy recovers, as businesses have to make choices around what they're going _ to make choices around what they're going to _ to make choices around what they're going to do. — to make choices around what they're going to do, i think you will see then— going to do, i think you will see then what— going to do, i think you will see then what the real impact is going to be _ then what the real impact is going to be. . ., ., then what the real impact is going to be. , ., ., ., , to be. yes, and i mean that is the issue, to be. yes, and i mean that is the issue. isn't _ to be. yes, and i mean that is the issue, isn't it? _ to be. yes, and i mean that is the issue, isn't it? a— to be. yes, and i mean that is the issue, isn't it? a lot _ to be. yes, and i mean that is the issue, isn't it? a lot of _ to be. yes, and i mean that is the| issue, isn't it? a lot of businesses at the moment are sort of weight at sea —— wait and see, what sort of restrictions can be eased, and it is difficult to find out what the reality can be. unfurlough is propping up personal incomes right now people are unable to work. the chancellor has warned that it will get worse before it gets better, and clearly your bad debt provision sort of agrees with that. they reflect that reality that things could get worse before they start to improve. yes, i think the outlook still remains _ yes, i think the outlook still remains very uncertain. i think the thing _ remains very uncertain. ! think the thing to— remains very uncertain. i think the thing to remember, this is an economic— thing to remember, this is an economic crisis triggered by a health— economic crisis triggered by a health crisis, and for lots of businesses they are really facing into the — businesses they are really facing into the issues that they have taken onto a _ into the issues that they have taken onto a lot _ into the issues that they have taken onto a lot of debt to get them through— onto a lot of debt to get them through this period. and they are really— through this period. and they are really being very entrepreneurial about— really being very entrepreneurial about how they do that. but it is really _ about how they do that. but it is really how — about how they do that. but it is really how does businesses are going to recover— really how does businesses are going to recover going forward. and i think— to recover going forward. and i think until— to recover going forward. and i think until we get the economy moving — think until we get the economy moving on reopening, you're not really— moving on reopening, you're not really going to come as a business owner, _ really going to come as a business owner, being able to make those decisions — owner, being able to make those decisions as to what that means for you. they're — decisions as to what that means for you. they're still inserting ahead, the vaccination programme is positive, _ the vaccination programme is positive, we see that there is still uncertainty — positive, we see that there is still uncertainty for businesses in myjob and the _ uncertainty for businesses in myjob and the jobs of all of my colleagues up and the jobs of all of my colleagues up and _ and the jobs of all of my colleagues up and down the countries, ourjob is to— up and down the countries, ourjob is to work— up and down the countries, ourjob is to work with our customers really closely _ is to work with our customers really closely through the spirit as we happen— closely through the spirit as we happen the pandemic. —— through the period _ happen the pandemic. —— through the period and— happen the pandemic. -- through the leriod. . i. �* happen the pandemic. -- through the leriod. �* �* , ., happen the pandemic. -- through the leriod. . �* , ., _ period. and you're still owned by tax-a ers period. and you're still owned by taxpayers after _ period. and you're still owned by taxpayers after that _ period. and you're still owned by taxpayers after that big - period. and you're still owned by taxpayers after that big bailout l period. and you're still owned by| taxpayers after that big bailout in the last financial crisis of 2008, so we all are mistaken it. i wonder whether you feel a responsibility in terms of what you —— so we all have a stake in it, and so beyond that date, we are known of another financial crisis and you are still no closer to handing that back to the private sector. my no closer to handing that back to the private sector.— the private sector. my “0b is to make the private sector. my “0b is to male fl the private sector. my “0b is to make sure that h the private sector. my “0b is to make sure that i h the private sector. my “0b is to make sure that i build _ the private sector. my job is to make sure that i build a - the private sector. my job is to make sure that i build a bank. the private sector. my job is to i make sure that i build a bank that is robust — make sure that i build a bank that is robust and safe and can stand alongside — is robust and safe and can stand alongside our customers, and i think that is— alongside our customers, and i think that is what— alongside our customers, and i think that is what you have seen with one of the _ that is what you have seen with one of the strongest capital ratios of any bank— of the strongest capital ratios of any bank in the market at 18.5%. i have _ any bank in the market at 18.5%. i have been— any bank in the market at 18.5%. i have been able to stand alongside my customers— have been able to stand alongside my customers and support them through this period. _ customers and support them through this period, and support them coming out the _ this period, and support them coming out the other side. the decision to sell down — out the other side. the decision to sell down the government stake is for the _ sell down the government stake is for the government to decide. i have sufficient _ for the government to decide. i have sufficient capital that in the event that they— sufficient capital that in the event that they do decide to do that, we look to— that they do decide to do that, we look to participate. so we have set aside _ look to participate. so we have set aside capital to do that. we've have announce _ aside capital to do that. we've have announce the dividend today, some of that will— announce the dividend today, some of that will go— announce the dividend today, some of that will go back to the government as a shareholder. in myjob is to make _ as a shareholder. in myjob is to make sure — as a shareholder. in myjob is to make sure i_ as a shareholder. in myjob is to make sure i continue to build a solid. — make sure i continue to build a solid. safe _ make sure i continue to build a solid, safe bank, driving good returns — solid, safe bank, driving good returns for shareholders. and as and when _ returns for shareholders. and as and when the _ returns for shareholders. and as and when the government decide to shayla, — when the government decide to shayla, -- _ when the government decide to shayla, —— to sell it, we would be happy— shayla, —— to sell it, we would be happy to— shayla, —— to sell it, we would be happy to participate. shayla, -- to sell it, we would be happy to participate.— shayla, -- to sell it, we would be happy to participate. something we will talk about _ happy to participate. something we will talk about again _ happy to participate. something we will talk about again i'm _ happy to participate. something we will talk about again i'm sure, - will talk about again i'm sure, thank you very much alison rose, the chief executive of natwest, formerly the rbs group. a big rebranding exercise that took place last year to maybe shake up some of the —— shake off some of the connotations that were so present in the financial crisis, and so publicly taking taxpayer stake. so changing the name to natwest, when they say is more associated with retail customers on high streets as well. but hearing there from the chief executive. and it is also worth saying in the announcement today, natwest think it would close down its ulster bank business in the republic of ireland. so quite a departure there, but it says it is just not able to make that work in the way that it would want to. so it will close down a part of its business to concentrate elsewhere instead. �* ., , ,., business to concentrate elsewhere instead. �* ., ., ,, instead. ben thompson, thank you very much- — after almost a year of unprecedented restrictions on family life, a new investigation by a leading children's charity has found that the uk's most vulnerable children and parents are at rock bottom, with huge concern about the mental health, finances and safeguarding of families they support, as well as fears for their future. action for children carried out interviews with key workers representing front line services across the uk including children's centres, services for disabled children and young carers. let's get more on this and speak to imran hussain, director of policy and campaigns at the charity �*action for children'. thanks forjoining us. who are you most concerned about at this particular moment? we're coming up to budget, where there has been talked about changes to the extension in universal credit. 50 talked about changes to the extension in universal credit. so we are concerned _ extension in universal credit. so we are concerned about _ extension in universal credit. so we are concerned about children, - extension in universal credit. so we are concerned about children, their| are concerned about children, their childhood, but we also concerned about parents, who have been isolated. so what we are asking the government to do is look at the evidence we have provided and recognise that we need to put children at the heart of the debate, and that isn't happening at the moment. so, or investigation, what we have found, that families, children, orthe we have found, that families, children, or the breaking point. we are being warned that families are breaking point. they are also saying that they fear that things will get worse in the next few months, so the worries about life chances, but also about parents and the support they need. �* . about parents and the support they need. �* , ., , ., need. and in terms of the budget and universal credit, _ need. and in terms of the budget and universal credit, there _ need. and in terms of the budget and universal credit, there has _ need. and in terms of the budget and universal credit, there has been - universal credit, there has been talk, for example, changing the weekly top up to a one—off payment. would not be difficult for some families? with that not be helpful in a way to give them a boost in one go? in a way to give them a boost in one lo? in a way to give them a boost in one to? , , ., in a way to give them a boost in one lo? , ,., , in a way to give them a boost in one to? , , ., , ., in a way to give them a boost in one lo? , , in a way to give them a boost in one go? the person is to say that when the government _ go? the person is to say that when the government increase _ go? the person is to say that when the government increase universal| the government increase universal credit last year by £20 a week, that made a huge difference in families. it is a real lifeline, but it is also worth recognising that wasn't enough for many families. for many families, the hardship is still there, but we have a set up an emergency fund last year, which was given out money to families for basics. food, utility bills, learning equipment, so kids can learning equipment, so kids can learn at home. so we have had to do that with the £20, so taking it away from families right now, just as unemployment is about to peak, would be a real blow to families. a lot of the families that we work with, one of the care worker sent to us at one of the care worker sent to us at one of the care worker sent to us at one of the families they see used to be a family who used to buy food in a weekly shop to get to the food bank, and now that same family are relying on a food bank. so we have seen in the past year a huge increase in the numbers of people going onto universal credit, people who may be a year ago thought that they were maybe not rich, but were comfortable. and their lives have been uprooted and they are relying on support. so, taking it away now, or replacing it with a one—off payment for six months isn't enough. if it is six months extension, the net family will lose over £500 a year, a huge amount for a family on universal credit. and of course, they will lose out on over thousand pounds in the future. flan they will lose out on over thousand pounds in the future.— pounds in the future. can you give me the examples _ pounds in the future. can you give me the examples -- _ pounds in the future. can you give me the examples -- can - pounds in the future. can you give me the examples -- can you - pounds in the future. can you give me the examples -- can you give| pounds in the future. can you give i me the examples -- can you give me me the examples —— can you give me any examples of the families with children that you've heard about who are most vulnerable? we know that those children who need to go to school have been able to go to school, if they want to, but that still leaves people in vulnerable positions at home, not being able to escape abusive situations. in all that has been extremely toxic and difficult in the last 12 months. absolutely. often we spot problems around abuse or neglect through teachers or through children's centre workers, so not having those open or having fewer people at them, we are missing out of fewer referrals, so that is a major issue around safeguarding and something our staff and workers have highlighted. we are also seeing this right from the beginning, but there are parents who had kids last year, and it'sjust are parents who had kids last year, and it's just really tough for them being really isolated. i spoke to a mum who had a child, it wasn't her first child, having a child, being away from everyone, just really highlighted her the need for support. so we're saying that, and those children, as they grow and develop and learn their communication skills, just being isolated, away from other children and family and friends just makes it tougher to get those children the best life. so the big worry that we've got that even once a health crisis dissipates, we are still going to have a poverty crisis amid the health crisis. we know that in the health crisis. we know that in the last two or three years, the number of children estimated to have a mental health disorder shot up from one in nine to one in six last year, and that one in six figure is before the second lockdown. so we anticipate it will be worse. so none of this should be... the wording we are giving, we have got to invest in children, we get that right, we have a chance to repair some of the damage that has been done to life chances and to childhood. from the charity action _ chances and to childhood. from the charity action for _ chances and to childhood. from the charity action for children, - chances and to childhood. from the charity action for children, thank i charity action for children, thank you very much indeed. a young woman has become the first protester to die in the anti—coup demonstrations in myanmar after she was shot in the head. 20—year old mya thwe thwe khaing was critically injured last week when police tried to disperse protesters using water cannon, rubber bullets and live rounds. ms khaing's sister told reporters at the hospital that she wanted to encouarge people to continue to protest. translation: her condition - was getting worse a few days ago. she passed away today around 11am. we will bury her on sunday. that's all. please alljoin this protest to be more successful. that is all i want to say. the sister there at the first protester to die in the myanmar protest. texas senator ted cruz has attempted to defend taking a family trip to mexico amid a winter storm that left millions in his state without power and power. mr cruz said on thursday he planned the holiday for his daughters, "wanting to be a good dad", but had returned because it "didn't feel right". texans have been facing power failures, burst pipes and empty supermarket shelves. lebo diseko reports from houston. this is one of the richest states in one of the richest countries in the world. around half of texans are experiencing disruptions to water supply. for others, burst pipes and melting snow have caused flooding. last night, we got power, after two days, and we didn't have water. but finally we got water. now we have water everywhere! water companies have battled with frozen wells, treatment plants have been hit by power outages. it's meant 13 million people have been told to boil their water before drinking it. the supply of electricity is slowly being restored, but there are still at least half a million people without it. we know because of the storm that will continue to sweep across parts of texas tonight that we're not yet out of this — but we're closer to this challenge being behind us. we will not stop until normalcy is restored to your lives. until that moment comes, though, i ask all texans to continue your efforts to take the proper precautions that are needed to stay safe and to stay warm. if they manage to do that, and find water, getting food may still be hard. supermarket shelves are running dangerously low on supplies. while ordinary texans were freezing, their senator, ted cruz, headed for the beaches of mexico. it was obviously a mistake, and in hindsight, i wouldn't have done it. i was trying to be a dad. and all of us have made decisions, when you've got two girls who've been cold for two days and haven't had heater power, and they're saying, hey, look, we don't have school, why don't we go, let's get out of here? i think there are a lot of parents that would be, like, if i can do this, great, that's what i wanted to do. back now after a public outcry over his absence while his state was in crisis. lebo diseko, bbc news, texas. nasa has successfully landed its most advanced spacecraft yet on mars — where it will search for signs of ancient life. the rover — called perseverance — travelled nearly 300—million miles before navigating a risky landing phase dubbed the "seven minutes of terror". here's our science correspondent rebecca morelle, whose report contains flashing images... perseverance is going about one kilometre per second. a nerve—racking wait at mission control. perseverance is safely on the surface of mars. then celebrations as a signal is received from mars. it's touchdown for nasa's perseverance rover. and these are its first images, a view of its landing site. the rover has even started tweeting. there really is no good way to describe that moment when it's over, and you hear those words, touchdown confirmed. it's just a remarkable feeling of pride in the team, relief, and, and reallyjoy, thinking forward to this remarkable service mission we have coming up. it survived a fiendishly difficult landing, burning through the atmosphere at the speed of a bullet, before a complex landing system brought it to the ground. the rover will now be seeking answers to a crucial question. this mission is all about finding signs of life. and the best place to do that is here, thejezero crater. today it's dry and dusty, but billions of years ago it was a huge lake, and you can clearly see a river running into it. this gives you an idea of what it would have looked like. if we zoom in a bit more, these green areas on the edge of the crater were once beaches on the lake's shore, and the hope is any microscopic creatures that once lived there are still preserved. perseverance is the most advanced rover that nasa has ever built, and it's jam—packed with instruments. its robotic arm is equipped with a drill to collect rock samples. so what forms of life could they contain? i'm not talking about martian little green men. probably not even fish. we are looking for microbial life, maybe microbes that have made a little mat or a slime, the sorts that you might find on the bottom of a pond. those are the types of things that are likely to, well, they did exist on earth 3.5 billion years ago. the question is, did they exist on mars at the bottom of lakes? and in a first, nasa's mini mars helicopter will take off. it's a new way to view the planet. its test flight will be in a few weeks. but getting to the red planet is just the start. now the hard work begins on a mission that could transform our understanding of mars. rebecca morelle, bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with matt taylor. there will be some sunshine over the next few days, it will certainly feel like spring. but the problem is, some of you will not see much sunshine, there will be a lot of wet and windy weather to come for the rest of today and tomorrow. this shows where the wettest spots will be. the rainfall totals are totting up in the west. on the hills we could see over 100 millimetres of rain. flooding could be an issue. and this is the stream of cloud which has been coming up from the mid atlantic. singing across the same areas for much of the day, so if you start wet, you continue to be wet for much of the afternoon in the west. and in addition, we will see the winds strengthening even further, maybe even more than 60mph for some in the irish sea and western parts of scotland. it will be whipping up some rough seas. you can see how the rain dominates on the chart, particularly on the hills exposed to the southerly wind. to the north of the hills, it will not be quite as wet. some brightness in northern ireland and the east of scotland. temperatures around where they should be over the year, 9—30 c. this evening and overnight, the rain keeps coming and going across those western areas of england and wales. it eases off for a bit in scotland and northern ireland. some clear skies, not much rain, if any, for the south—east. temperatures tonight barely dropping as we go into tomorrow morning. another mild day tomorrow. western areas, wet and windy, eastern areas, best chance of some hazy sunshine and the highest temperatures. we will start with some sunshine in northern scotland before the cloud and rain comes northwards. potentially so, too, in northern ireland. rained on and off here, most persistent round southwest scotland and england, but even here temperatures around 12—13 c, maybe even 17 degrees across parts of eastern england. . and last weekend we had a wind—chill of —10. no real wind chill this weekend, even though the breeze is still strong, coming from the south, feeding in the mild air. a brighter day on sunday for many across scotland and northern ireland. brightness just about holding on for east anglia and the south—east, the rest of england and wales, fairly cloudy with rain. confirmation that it stays mild all the way through to the end of the weekend. this is bbc news. the headlines... a significant ruling for the so—called gig economy — uber loses its case at the supreme court, which says drivers should be classed as workers — entitling them to minimum wage and holiday pay. the ruling could leave the ride hailing taxi app facing a hefty compensation bill. borisjohnson will pledge to donate the majority of the uk's surplus covid vaccines to developing countries, and encourage fellow leaders to do the same, as he chairs a virtual g7 summit today. nasa's perseverance rover begins looking for signs of life on mars, as it sends back its first pictures of the planet's surface after a successful landing. a 20—year—old woman becomes the first protester to die in the anti—coup demonstrations in myanmar, after she was shot in the head. and millions of texans are still without water and electricity in extreme sub—zero weather conditions — while their senator ted cruz flew to mexico for a family holiday. hello, i'm geeta guru—murthy. thanks forjoining us. the supreme court has ruled that the ride hailing taxi app uber must classify its drivers as workers and not self—employed — meaning that thousands of uber drivers are entitled to the minimum wage and holiday pay. uber had argued its drivers were independent contractors — but now this binding decision could leave the firm facing a hefty compensation bill, as well has having wider consequences for the gig economy. the gmb union described it as a historic win. and said uber must now stop wasting time and money pursuing lost legal causes and do what's right by the drivers who prop up its empire. in response to the verdict, uber say they will now consult with every active driver across the uk to understand the changes they want. first, let's hear the ruling being handed down by supreme court justice lord leggatt. the supreme court unanimously dismisses uber�*s appeal. myjudgment, with which all the other members of the court agree, outlines the proper approach to determining whether or not an individual is a worker within the meaning and intent of the relevant employment legislation. the legislation is intended to give certain protections to vulnerable individuals, who have little or no say over their pay and working conditions. because they are in a subordinate and dependent position in relation to a person or organisation, which exercises control over their work. our business correspondent theo leggett explained the significance of the ruling. this is a significant ruling for not only uber workers, and let's not forget there are 45,000 of them in london and 60,000 across the uk, but also for workers in the wider gig economy. and it all comes down to that distinction which the court has backed up between what uber said were independent contractors, who were working on their own behalf with uber, acting simply as a technological platform, and the idea that those drivers were actually workers subordinate to uber and therefore entitled to employment benefits such as holiday pay and the minimum wage. the judge was quite forthright when he read out this ruling. he described the criteria for deciding that uber drivers were actually workers, not contractors. so for example, there was the fact that uber always sets the fare for an uber ride. the contract terms for that ride are set by uber. once a driver has logged onto the uber app, theirfreedom to reject any work that is offered to them is restricted and they are penalised if they do reject work. and also that uber restricts the contact between the passenger and the driver to the absolute minimum required for a single ride, so there is no scope, for example, for a driver to make his own arrangement with a passenger. so on all of these grounds, the ruling suggested that uber was in the superior position, the drivers were subordinate, therefore they should be treated as workers and not as independent contractors. ok, so this case concerned only a small handful of uber drivers, but there are hundreds more cases waiting in the wings and the legal ramifications, as i said, go beyond that and affect the wider gig economy. ijust want i just want to bring you ijust want to bring you some breaking news we are getting from buckingham palace. the duke and duchess of sussex have confirmed to her majesty the queen that they will not be returning as working members of the royal family. not be returning as working members of the royalfamily. this is a statement that has come in from our royal correspondent nicholas witchell. it says following conversations with the duke, the queen has written confirming that he is stepping away from work as part of the royal family, is stepping away from work as part of the royalfamily, which is not possible to return with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service. the only military duties will therefore be returned to her majesty before being redistributed between working members of the royalfamily. while we are all saddened by their decision, the duke and duchess remain much loved members of the family. and that statement has come in from buckingham palace. in this boatman for the duke and duchess of sussex says we can all live a life of service, service is universal. so just hearing in the last few seconds that the duke and duchess of sussex confirming to her majesty the queen that they will not be returning as working members of the royalfamily. we know of course that they stepped away last year as working members. they have moved of course to the us, where they are now bringing up their young son and the duchess of sussex is expecting her second child. and there has been much coverage of course of this huge break within the royal family course of this huge break within the royalfamily and we course of this huge break within the royal family and we have also heard reports that there is going to be a public interview by the couple with oprah winfrey in the united states. it all comes of course as there is a lot of focus on the royal family and the duke of edinburgh's health, which is of course ongoing. he is currently in hospital for observation. said to be in good spirits, i should say. and we know that the royal family remain close and enclose touch. but there has been a lot of speculation about whether harry and meghan could really retain these links and it is just being confirmed that prince harry is now going to lose all honorary titles. that is coming from buckingham palace. we know that he is of course set up his own charity to help ex servicemen, that he served in the army, that he served in the military and that it was a very important and happy part of his life, very fulfilling part of his life, very fulfilling part of his life, we are told. and that he had very strong attachment to the british military, as all members of the royalfamily do british military, as all members of the royal family do of course. they all have honorary titles. but it is clear now that this break that we have seen unfolding in the last year causing a lot of speculation in the press about the relationship between the royal brothers, harry and william of course, always seen as very, very close in childhood. and as young adults. and now confirming that harry and meghan are going to be stepping away fully. but the couple saying that of course they can continue their work of service. their statement reportedly saying we can all live a life of service, service is universal. we know that they have made their own commitments very clear. that they want to continue with their own work, in their own way, which they're able to do more freely the united states. and therefore perhaps this clean break with the royal family gives them more freedom to take up any commercial contracts that they wish to proceed with. we have already seen some of those unfolding of course. and there was seen to be a bit of a conflict with having that independent life in the united states, meghan of course, herfamily from the us, her childhood very much in california. and clearly some unhappiness as well in the past with how the couple have been covered in the press here. the question of race relations of course raised its head last year throughout the world and that has also been part of the commentary on whether meghan has been given a fair hearing, certainly here in the british tabloids. but also of course many feeling that they wanted the couple to stay within the royal fold and wanted them to be able to continue with those royal charities and the patron edges that they had been awarded. but of course it has now become clear that that break is going to be confirmed now. that statement coming in from the palace. we can speak i hope to nicholas witchell, our royal correspondent, just to give us more detail. nicholas, can youjust confirm now exactly what buckingham palace is saying. confirm now exactly what buckingham palace is saying-— palace is saying. yes, quite a detailed statement _ palace is saying. yes, quite a detailed statement and - palace is saying. yes, quite a detailed statement and the i palace is saying. yes, quite a - detailed statement and the suffixes have confirmed to the queen that they will not be returning as working members of the royalfamily —— the sussexes. as you say, it is clear now that the breach is absolute and complete for the foreseeable future. and the palace says it is really, i think, quite abrupt in the way this is being portrayed. following conversations with the duke, the queen has written confirming that in stepping away from though work of the royal family, it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service. interesting the choice of words there. so consequently it will be necessary to remove all the patronises that come as part of life with the royal family. no doubt this will hurt for harry, he will be losing the honorary military appointments, particularly the position as captain general of the royal marines. that was a position that he was given following the retirement of the duke of edinburgh. the duke of edinburgh who had been captain general of the royal marines the decades. it was a significant military appointment and it is no longer now to be an appointment that will be held by prince harry. he has, in effect, yes, been stripped of his remaining honorary military positions. and these will now be redistributed, the statement says, among the working members of the royal family. statement says, among the working members of the royalfamily. the statement finishes, we are all, while all are saddened by their decision, the duke and duchess remain of course much loved members of the family. so there is regret and sadness but it is quite sharp, the way that itjust phrases that they are stepping away from the work of the royal family, they are stepping away from the work of the royalfamily, it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and the duties that come with a life of public service. the life of course that the queen has led with pretty universal distinction over the many years of her reign stopped she in particular i think must feel really rather let down by prince harry and by the duchess of sussex by their decision. saddened of course that there is apparently no way back in the foreseeable future for them as working members of the family. nicholas witchell, our royal correspondent, thank you very much indeed. and just to let you know a little bit more detail coming from another of our royal correspondence. he says the military, commonwealth... will now revert to the queen are the royal marines, royal navy small ships and diving, the queen's commonwealth trust, the rugby football union, the rugby football league, the royal national theatre and the association of commonwealth universities. we know that the commonwealth was very important to the couple with the international link that the national theatre, important to meghan given her career as an actor. those sporting and military links of course very important we believe to prince harry. so that break is no doubt going to be difficult for them but that statement has come in now confirming a split that had been speculated about in the press that the duke and duchess of sussex confirming to her majesty the queen that they will not be returning as working members of the royalfamily. we will get you more on that in the coming minutes. but let's go back now to our other top stories today and news on uber of that ruling that means that uber drivers are going to be treated as workers and notjust self employed, and that gives them certain rights. with me now is nigel mackay — he is a partner in the employment team at law firm leigh day, which represented some of the uber drivers involved in the case. and former uber driver dennis bartholomew — he represents uber drivers for gmb union and he joined the case as a respondent following an appeal. dennis, if i can start with you. how are you feeling seeing this ruling coming in today? this are you feeling seeing this ruling coming in today?— are you feeling seeing this ruling coming in today? this is a fantastic da for coming in today? this is a fantastic day for poorly _ coming in today? this is a fantastic day for poorly paid _ coming in today? this is a fantastic day for poorly paid drivers - coming in today? this is a fantastic day for poorly paid drivers and - coming in today? this is a fantastic day for poorly paid drivers and a i day for poorly paid drivers and a fantastic day for the trade union movement. fantastic day for the trade union movement-— fantastic day for the trade union movement. . ., , ., ., ., movement. what is it going to mean? it means that — movement. what is it going to mean? it means that a _ movement. what is it going to mean? it means that a huge _ movement. what is it going to mean? it means that a huge pressure - movement. what is it going to mean? it means that a huge pressure will. it means that a huge pressure will be lifted from those drivers, who are currently working for these companies. and it extends beyond into the other areas of the so—called gig economy, which are not gig economy is, they are precarious work. so deliver rude drivers, and so on will feel —— deliveroo drivers. the poorest workers will be reinstated to a certain extent. nigel, if i can bring you in from the law firm, can you give us a sense of how important this ruling is? ., ., , ,., , ., is? yeah, i absolutely agree with dennis, is? yeah, i absolutely agree with dennis. this— is? yeah, i absolutely agree with dennis, this ruling _ is? yeah, i absolutely agree with dennis, this ruling is _ is? yeah, i absolutely agree with dennis, this ruling is extremely i dennis, this ruling is extremely important, not only for the 60,000 people _ important, not only for the 60,000 people who drive for cuba in the uk but also _ people who drive for cuba in the uk but also across the gig economy because — but also across the gig economy because you see gig economy operators trying to mask —— who drive _ operators trying to mask —— who drive for— operators trying to mask —— who drive for uber in the uk. through the use _ drive for uber in the uk. through the use of— drive for uber in the uk. through the use of a — drive for uber in the uk. through the use of a series of complex contracts— the use of a series of complex contracts and so on and the supreme court _ contracts and so on and the supreme court has _ contracts and so on and the supreme court has said today that that just won't _ court has said today that that just won't work. what you need to do is look at _ won't work. what you need to do is look at the — won't work. what you need to do is look at the reality of the situation, if somebody working for one of— situation, if somebody working for one of these companies is a worker one of these companies is a worker on the _ one of these companies is a worker on the ground because of the control that that _ on the ground because of the control that that company asserts over them and the _ that that company asserts over them and the subordination to that company— and the subordination to that company then they should be entitled to work— company then they should be entitled to work on's rights such as holiday pay and _ to work on's rights such as holiday pay and to— to work on's rights such as holiday pay and to be paid a minimum wage. does— pay and to be paid a minimum wage. does this— pay and to be paid a minimum wage. does this ruling don't necessarily apply to everyone who is in the gig economy or even all those working for uber because technically only applies to people who brought the case? ~ , ., , case? well, there were 25 people, uber drivers _ case? well, there were 25 people, uber drivers as _ case? well, there were 25 people, uber drivers as part _ case? well, there were 25 people, uber drivers as part of— case? well, there were 25 people, uber drivers as part of this - uber drivers as part of this judgment. we have 2000 uber drivers who are _ judgment. we have 2000 uber drivers who are sitting behind this. and as far as _ who are sitting behind this. and as far as we _ who are sitting behind this. and as far as we can see, uber's practices havent— far as we can see, uber's practices haven't changed since 2016 to any great _ haven't changed since 2016 to any great extent that would mean that the supreme court ruling would apply to them _ the supreme court ruling would apply to them. we think any driver can now 'oin to them. we think any driver can now joina_ to them. we think any driver can now joina claim— to them. we think any driver can now join a claim for compensation and i think— join a claim for compensation and i think it _ join a claim for compensation and i think it is _ join a claim for compensation and i think it is something that will have a huge _ think it is something that will have a huge impact across the gig economy because, _ a huge impact across the gig economy because, as _ a huge impact across the gig economy because, as i say, this model that uber— because, as i say, this model that uber have — because, as i say, this model that uber have put forward that it merely connects _ uber have put forward that it merely connects drivers with passengers has been shown to not really reflect the reality— been shown to not really reflect the reality of— been shown to not really reflect the reality of the situation. and, dennis, reality of the situation. and, dennis. if — reality of the situation. and, dennis, if you _ reality of the situation. and, dennis, if you could - reality of the situation. and, dennis, if you could just - reality of the situation. and, i dennis, if you could just explain reality of the situation. fific dennis, if you could just explain to me when you were working as a driver, not having the minimum wage rights or not having holiday, how did that affect you, your family, your pattern of work? let did that affect you, your family, your pattern of work?— your pattern of work? let me ex-lain, your pattern of work? let me explain. when _ your pattern of work? let me explain, when i _ your pattern of work? let me explain, when i first - your pattern of work? let me explain, when i first started i explain, when i first started working for uber i had in between regularjobs worked as a minicab driver and there were certain if you like favouritism in those organisations. with uber, i thought it was great. i have to say i will repeat, the app itself is wonderful. it's a wonderful piece of kit. however, the way it was operated by uber or such that after a year i realised that uber was cutting what were already very low earnings even lower. and there are some formulation of the uber app which means that you are actually working free. there was a time when i calculated my wages and i realised i was subsidising uber. now what this meant for me is that personally i was fine because i had retired and i was fine because i had retired and i was looking for something to do. representing the drivers, 80% of them i estimate are salvation, bangladeshi, kashmiri, pakistani. they are very poorly paid yet they have to take on board huge expenses to work for uber. a car that costs probably about £20,000, insurance that costs about £4000 a year, health checks and your licensing from tfl. those costs are not borne by uber, they are borne by the driver yet uber has the right to switch you offer no reason. i represented 80 drivers in taking cases against uber without any response from uber. it is a very, very, very precarious situation. and now coupled with covid, those drivers are facing hell. i would say that the business model that uber operates is a business model to make profits out of paying drivers a low amount of money. it is not business model where the wealthy are paying and i hope that this business model changes. and i hope that this business model chanies. �* ., . changes. and, nigel, how much in -ractice changes. and, nigel, how much in practice could _ changes. and, nigel, how much in practice could people _ changes. and, nigel, how much in practice could people now - changes. and, nigel, how much in practice could people now be - changes. and, nigel, how much in| practice could people now be given in compensation? can uber afford to pay all these people? will these people have to battle to get the money that they might rightly now deserve? ~ ., money that they might rightly now deserve? . ., ., , , , ., money that they might rightly now deserve? . ., ., ,, , ., , ., deserve? what happens now is that the case goes _ deserve? what happens now is that the case goes back— deserve? what happens now is that the case goes back to _ deserve? what happens now is that the case goes back to the _ deserve? what happens now is that the case goes back to the tribunal i the case goes back to the tribunal to work— the case goes back to the tribunal to work out— the case goes back to the tribunal to work out how much compensation drivers— to work out how much compensation drivers are _ to work out how much compensation drivers are owed. i mean, the calculations that we've done we think— calculations that we've done we think it — calculations that we've done we think it is — calculations that we've done we think it is about £2000 on average, which _ think it is about £2000 on average, whichiust_ think it is about £2000 on average, whichjust shows you think it is about £2000 on average, which just shows you how they have been _ which just shows you how they have been underpaid and how they have been _ been underpaid and how they have been -- _ been underpaid and how they have been —— £12,000 on average. when you look at _ been —— £12,000 on average. when you look at the _ been —— £12,000 on average. when you look at the impact of covid on uber drivers— look at the impact of covid on uber drivers and — look at the impact of covid on uber drivers and how little someone who is using _ drivers and how little someone who is using it _ drivers and how little someone who is using it as their main source of income. — is using it as their main source of income. this— is using it as their main source of income, this will make a huge difference. whether the business model— difference. whether the business model can survive, it is not right that a _ model can survive, it is not right that a company can say, well, we wouldn't — that a company can say, well, we wouldn't survive if we had to comply with the _ wouldn't survive if we had to comply with the law because every other company— with the law because every other company has to comply with the law. just because you operate in the gig economy— just because you operate in the gig economy doesn't mean that you are able to— economy doesn't mean that you are able to pay— economy doesn't mean that you are able to pay your workers below the minimum _ able to pay your workers below the minimum wage. they should be subjected — minimum wage. they should be subjected to the same rules as anyone — subjected to the same rules as anyone else. subjected to the same rules as anyone else-— subjected to the same rules as anyone else. subjected to the same rules as an one else. ., , , ., ,, anyone else. nigel and dennis, thank ou both anyone else. nigel and dennis, thank you both very — anyone else. nigel and dennis, thank you both very much. _ anyone else. nigel and dennis, thank you both very much. we're _ anyone else. nigel and dennis, thank you both very much. we're out - anyone else. nigel and dennis, thank you both very much. we're out of - you both very much. we're out of time afraid but thank you very much indeed for talking us today. ijust want to bring you a big piece of breaking news we're getting this hour. in wales we are getting the day one stats in fact across the uk, and the —— covid. in wales one in 125 people had covert, that is down from one in every 85 injanuary. in northern ireland, estimates one in 185, down from one in 75. and down in scotland as well, all figures for people in private households. in england, down in england to one in 115 people. and that is down from one in 80, so again we are seeing further decrease in the number of infections across the population according to the ons stats in the latest data. that is office the good news, it comes as the whole of the uk is still in lockdown. it shows that lockdown, as confirmed in other data that we have seen the study this week, does appear to be bringing the infection rate down. that is honestly all coming out ahead of monday's announcement from the prime minister on the next phase of the lockdown and whether there is going to be any significant reopening or how that is going to happen. ijust want reopening or how that is going to happen. i just want to bring reopening or how that is going to happen. ijust want to bring you another piece of news that has come from the courts and this, you might remember, is to do with how ppe contracts have been awarded by the government. the high court has ruled that the government acted unlawfully by failing to publish details of covid related contracts. thejudge in this case has said the secretary of state acted unlawfully by failing to comply with the transparency policy and quotes there is now no dispute that in a substantial number of cases the secretary of state reached his legal obligation to publish contract award notices within 30 days of the award of contract. thejudge has gone on within 30 days of the award of contract. the judge has gone on to say the obligations and the transparency policy serve a vital public function and that function was no less important during a pandemic. that case was brought by the good law project. that has had a significant coverage linked with those at the top of government, whether they were awarding ppe contracts to people that they knew, as a favour rather than going through the very rigorous process of awarding those private commercial contracts. of course, the government was under immense pressure to sort out ppe contracts and no doubt this case is going to get again some more coverage. but that is the latest line, the high court ruling against the secretary of state in that case. just to remind you, the news that has come out from buckingham palace in the last few minutes and it is confirming the news that there is going to be a full break with prince harry losing all his honorary titles. both the sussexes, the duke and duchess of sussex confirming to her majesty the queen that they will not be returning as working members of the royal family. not be returning as working members of the royalfamily. and not be returning as working members of the royal family. and following conversations with the duke, the queen has written confirming that stepping away from the work of the royal family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service and therefore a number of honorary military appointments will be returned to her majesty the queen before being released distributed to working mums of the royal family. released distributed to working mums of the royalfamily. the released distributed to working mums of the royal family. the statement from buckingham palace says while we are all saddened by the decision, the duke and duchess remained much love members of the family. well, i believe we can speak now to journalist angela levin. angela, thank you forjoining us. what are your thoughts on this? it had been speculated about hadn't it whether harry and meghan could really maintain any link with the working family on this has finally come. it is an interesting example, we see it now and then, of the queen splitting her decisions between her duty as a monarch, which are paramount to her, and her role as a grandmother. and she loves her grandchildren, she loves her great—grandchildren, but she is trying here by saying, you know, you cannot be part of the royal family if you don't work within it. you can't do that. on the other hand, you know, harry, i love you, at the end. so i find it immensely touching. it must have been very hard for her but, as in so many cases, duty wins with her majesty. many cases, duty wins with her ma'es . �* . many cases, duty wins with her ma'es . �* , ., ., majesty. and in terms of the actual charities that _ majesty. and in terms of the actual charities that they _ majesty. and in terms of the actual charities that they are _ majesty. and in terms of the actual charities that they are losing, - majesty. and in terms of the actual charities that they are losing, the i charities that they are losing, the royal marines, the royal navy, the queen's commonwealth trust and so on, these were sort of charities and military organisations that the couple had made clear they felt personally strong about. yes. well, i remember — personally strong about. yes. well, i remember when _ personally strong about. yes. well, i remember when i _ personally strong about. yes. well, i remember when i was _ personally strong about. yes. well, i remember when i was talking - personally strong about. yes. well, i remember when i was talking to i i remember when i was talking to prince harry when i was writing the biography about him that he had wanted to leave the royal family but he said at that time prince philip stepped back and the queen asked him if he would help. and he said he loved the queen and admired her so much that he would do that. so they went through what would be his favourite things out of the many that she stepped back on, she had left because it was just too much for her to do in her 90s. and the military ones of course were uppermost in harry's mind and thoughts and cares about that. on the commonwealth of course was very important to him because he said originally to me that he would like to go away and live in africa and look after endangered species. so he had always had a soft spot for africa. the first charity he helped set up was in africa for children who were orphans from parents who had died of hiv and aids. and he really cares. and when harry does something, he does it properly. i mean, this was then. now, you can't really stay in touch with people via zoom once every so often. i know that the marines wanted him there. they wanted someone to be there but most of all he is representing the queen in these engagements. and that is not right, she doesn't want a secondary service. she wants a top surface, where people are devoted to the cause and have a huge sense of duty. —— she wants a top service. and i think she has now brought forward from the end of march was the original decision because she is jolly fed up with their behaviour. i think the last two things that they have done have really upset her enormously. and even though her husband who, you know, she has been with for so long and they adore each other and that is a priority, she just felt that she couldn't let it go any longer. we saw the same with diana and charles when they spoke on television and it was awfully embarrassing what they revealed. and she suddenly went down and said, right, you have got to get divorced. there is no option about this. and two weeks later they were negotiating the deal. i think she is very tolerant, she is not a micromanager. she loves herfamily and then you cross a red line and they have crossed it. they must know that. ~ ., ., they have crossed it. they must know that. . ., ., ., , ., that. what are the two things that ou refer that. what are the two things that you refer to? _ that. what are the two things that you refer to? and _ that. what are the two things that you refer to? and what _ that. what are the two things that you refer to? and what is - that. what are the two things that you refer to? and what is it - that. what are the two things that you refer to? and what is it that i you refer to? and what is it that has finally led to this decision do you think? has finally led to this decision do ou think? ~ .. has finally led to this decision do you think?— has finally led to this decision do ou think? ~ ~' ., ., you think? well, i think going on o-rah you think? well, i think going on oprah and _ you think? well, i think going on oprah and having _ you think? well, i think going on oprah and having a _ you think? well, i think going on oprah and having a tell- you think? well, i think going on oprah and having a tell all- oprah and having a tell all discussion is too risky for a member of the royalfamily. and i think especially if meghan is talking mainly, which we have led to believe, and she will talk about her family's towards the royal family, how she was treated. i can't imagine that won't be touched on. of course none of us know exactly what she's going to say. i think everybody is going to say. i think everybody is going to say. i think everybody is going to look for comments about the royals and she might put on her victim face and say, you know, poor me. and i think theyjust don't want to know too much. me. and i think they 'ust don't want to know too much._ me. and i think they 'ust don't want to know too much. some people might think that that — to know too much. some people might think that that is — to know too much. some people might think that that is all _ to know too much. some people might think that that is all a _ to know too much. some people might think that that is all a bit _ to know too much. some people might think that that is all a bit unfair- think that that is all a bit unfair to this couple. they have been enduringly popular certainly among the international population on young population and people who think that meghan was given a pretty rough time in parts of the british press, perhaps by the establishment, perhaps because of her background as an american child of mixed race parentage etc etc, not coming from the traditional aristocratic background of the royalfamily the traditional aristocratic background of the royal family and others might favour and therefore thatis others might favour and therefore that is the reason that harry felt he had to stand up for his wife, stand up for his family and in doing so he has had to make a really tough choice. yes, i quite agree with all of that, but i think when you make such a big decision, an important decision like that, you still have to negotiate. there has to be a bit of give and take. they wanted their freedom, they wanted privacy, that was a huge word, they wouldn't privacy. they to live in ordinary life. well, they haven't lived in ordinary life at all. they can have privacy, they want privacy on their terms... but want privacy on their terms. .. but the had want privacy on their terms. .. but they had to _ want privacy on their terms... but they had to make a living, didn't they? if they were losing all of the royal funding, they? if they were losing all of the royalfunding, they they? if they were losing all of the royal funding, they can ever live a normal life in public. so they presumably were trying to tread a very fine line, and new. try and help take the royal family and a new, more modern direction. and it seems that the role family are not going to let that happen. ila. seems that the role family are not going to let that happen. no, they can do what _ going to let that happen. no, they can do what they _ going to let that happen. no, they can do what they like _ going to let that happen. no, they can do what they like now. - going to let that happen. no, they can do what they like now. but - going to let that happen. no, they| can do what they like now. but you can't mess up someone else's role, can't mess up someone else's role, can you? i think as well, good to them that they have got the spot a fight deal, but one of the key rules of the royal family —— the spotify deal, you cannot make money from being a royal, you can do a celebrity or individual, but you can't do that as a royal because that ruins a monarchy. the monarchy has to be neutral in these things, and you can't do that. it wouldn't have been so bad, maybe not to have done that. also i think that the nonstop waves of what we're doing now and what are going to be doing, coming overseas, just makes you feel sort of exhaustion. it is just so much of what they're going to do. and they don't seem to care how they affect the royal family. they've got theirfreedom, they've affect the royal family. they've got their freedom, they've got everything they wanted, they've got one little boy, they are pregnant again with another child. that is all terrific, but you have to understand what the royal family stands for, and prince harry knows that, and they could've done that easily. ifelt that, and they could've done that easily. i felt the way that the quickly —— the way that they quickly left with a message on instagram was very rude. i think they would've discussed it with the royal family, come out a few weeks later, all with agreement between them all. ok. agreement between them all. ok, thank ou agreement between them all. ok, thank you very _ agreement between them all. 0k, thank you very much indeed for your time on this breaking story. just to let you know that a spokesman for the duke and duchess of sussex have said as evidenced by the work of the past year, the dude and essays of sussex remain committed to their duty of —— the duty and —— the dude and duchess remain committed to their official role, and we can all live a life of service, service is universal. that image there released in the last few days by carrie and meghan, as she expects her second child —— harry and meghan. having spoken out about a miscarriage as well, but of course that break now with the royal family confirmed, as we have seen in that statement from both the family and from the duke of —— duchess of sussex. they say that the split now does seem complete. the, the split now does seem complete. detailed statement, and they have confirmed to the queen that they will not be returning as working members of the royal family. will not be returning as working members of the royalfamily. the regiment was due for review at the end of march, which will mark one year since they stepped away. but as you say, it is clear now that the breach is absolute and complete for the foreseeable future, and the palace, i think it is really quite abrupt in the way this is being portrayed. following conversations with the duke, the queen has written that in stepping away from the work of the royal family, that in stepping away from the work of the royalfamily, it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service. interesting the choice of words there. so consequently, it will be necessary to remove all the patronage is that have come with life as a member of the royal family, and most particularly, this will hurt, i have no doubt, for harry, he will be losing the honourary military appointments. particularly the position as captain general of the royal marines. that was a position that he was given following the retirement of the duke of edinburgh, who had been captain general of the royal marines for decades, it was a significant military appointment. and it is no longer now to be an appointment that will be held by prince harry. he has, in effect, been stripped of his remaining honourary military positions, and these will not be redistributed, as the statement said, among the working members of the royalfamily. the statement finishes, we are all saddened, the duke and duchess remain a much love members of the family. so and there is sadness, but it is quite sharp the way that itjust phrases that they are stepping away from the work of the royal family, they are stepping away from the work of the royalfamily, it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and the duties that come with a life of public service. a life that the queen has led with pretty universal distinction over the many years of her reign. and she, in particular, ithink the many years of her reign. and she, in particular, i think must feel really rather let down by prince harry and by the duchess of sussex by their decision. saddened, of course, that there is apparently no way back in the foreseeable future for them as working members of the family. tithe future for them as working members of the family-— of the family. one of the charities that the royal— of the family. one of the charities that the royal couple _ of the family. one of the charities that the royal couple are - of the family. one of the charities that the royal couple are now- of the family. one of the charities i that the royal couple are now having to step away from is england rugby, and they have tweeted saying prince harry will be stepping down from his role as patron... that is just one of the charities. the others that are going to revert to the queen are the royal marines, raf huntington, the queen's commonwealth trust, the rugby football union comedy rugby football league, the association of commonwealth universities. we will see whether any of those organisations also gives their reaction. and of course this all does come ahead of an interview that the couple are due to be doing. meghan, in particular, in the united states as a tell all about life in the royal family. states as a tell all about life in the royalfamily. and of course, images of the couple's wedding day backin images of the couple's wedding day back in summer 2018. and of course, huge crowds, huge support for meghan. she was given much praise when shejoined the meghan. she was given much praise when she joined the royal family, and much attention, as perhaps a new figure who can modernise, help modernise the royal family, make it more inclusive to people around the world from other backgrounds, the question of race relations of course. globally that has been very much to for, and of course whether that was part of the unfavorable coverage in this royal couple's treatment, also has been matured. let's speak now to the journalist of the bbc, jenny bond. how big a split is this? we have heard and read speculation that this might be coming, are you surprised by? ila. i coming, are you surprised by? no, i don't think— coming, are you surprised by? no, i don't think anyone _ coming, are you surprised by? no, i don't think anyone would _ coming, are you surprised by? no, i don't think anyone would be - don't think anyone would be surprised. to live on the other side of the atlantic on the west coast of america and maintain royal duties over here, it was never going to work, now harry and meghan have decided that this is the future they want, away from royal duties, then it was inevitable. i do think the language is quite interesting, the queen saying that they cannot continue with the responsibilities and duties which come with a life of public service. and they shoot back through their spokesperson saying, basically, service is universal, anyone can live a life of service. i think that is rather a bark remark. we shouldn't speculate, but do you think this is something that feels like it has come from her majesty? has been coming along time from the palace as a whole? doing a why this decision is being made now? i palace as a whole? doing a why this decision is being made now?- decision is being made now? i think definitel it decision is being made now? i think definitely it is _ decision is being made now? i think definitely it is our _ decision is being made now? i think definitely it is our ultimate - definitely it is our ultimate decision, but once they made it clear that after this year which they had taken out to see if this is they had taken out to see if this is the way they wanted to live their lives, away from royal duties, they decided, they said, don't come back, and the absolute natural consequent of that is you cannot continue with their duties. this is going to upset harry, particularly the military associations he has. the military titles, captain general of the royal marines, perhaps most interesting was he took over at that point direct from the duke of and —— duke of edinburgh, and meghan, something handed down from the queen herself. so both very prestigious appointments, but i think it is practical as much is symbolic. it is just not going to work. your life is in la, essentially, the lives of celebrities, so you cannot really have royal duties. fiend celebrities, so you cannot really have royal duties.— celebrities, so you cannot really have royal duties. and what about relations within _ have royal duties. and what about relations within the _ have royal duties. and what about relations within the family, - have royal duties. and what about i relations within the family, between harry and william, who the whole world really sympathise with given their traumatic childhood? people their traumatic childhood ? people have their traumatic childhood? people have been quite upset to see this potential split. have been quite upset to see this potentialsplit. do have been quite upset to see this potential split. do we know whether actual personal relations between all of the royal family are ok? actual personal relations between all of the royalfamily are ok? i all of the royal family are ok? i think they are not as bad as the picture is painted, obviously there's a difference between william and harry. the word is that they have been patching things up, but at a distance. i don't think any brothers want to follow forever. and i think perhaps the duke of edinburgh, things like that, bring families together. i have no doubt they have been talking, you can contact more of the last few days. so i don't think it is as drastic. and the queen consistently has said they are much loved members of the royalfamily, even if they they are much loved members of the royal family, even if they are they are much loved members of the royalfamily, even if they are not carrying out royal duties, they don't want to live that life. they are loved members of my family, she said that very clear. it are loved members of my family, she said that very clear.— said that very clear. it comes as the duke of— said that very clear. it comes as the duke of and _ said that very clear. it comes as the duke of and brooke - said that very clear. it comes as the duke of and brooke is - said that very clear. it comes as the duke of and brooke is in - the duke of and brooke is in hospital —— the duke of edinburgh is in hospital, but to renew it —— but do we know it's prince harry is in touch with days grandfather? those links must�*ve been deepened given what happened to those young princes in their childhood. yes. what happened to those young princes in their childhood.— in their childhood. yes, i'm sure he's been _ in their childhood. yes, i'm sure he's been in _ in their childhood. yes, i'm sure he's been in contact _ in their childhood. yes, i'm sure he's been in contact with - in their childhood. yes, i'm sure he's been in contact with his - he's been in contact with his grandfather, certainly with his father and the royal family, grandfather, certainly with his father and the royalfamily, but suggestions that he is self isolating now and suggestions of rumours that he is already arranged a privatejet rumours that he is already arranged a private jet to rumours that he is already arranged a privatejet to bring him back, i don't know if that is true. but there is no doubt that his grandfather did take a turn for the —— that if his grandfather took a turn for the worse, he would want to be here. �* ., turn for the worse, he would want to be here. . ., ., , , ., be here. and what does this mean, the formal — be here. and what does this mean, the formal split, _ be here. and what does this mean, the formal split, doesn't _ be here. and what does this mean, the formal split, doesn't have - be here. and what does this mean, the formal split, doesn't have any i the formal split, doesn't have any implications for... i don't know what whether they are being given any financial support from the royal family, a public or private basis, any security implications? what else is a mean? are the free to do whatever they want as private citizens? ., ., , ., ., ,~ citizens? that what they have asked for, that is what _ citizens? that what they have asked for, that is what they _ citizens? that what they have asked for, that is what they want, - citizens? that what they have asked for, that is what they want, they - for, that is what they want, they are shelter they great pulling power, they are bringing in a lot more money than any of us could ever dream of. but charles always knew it clearly, he is harry's dad, and charles is a wealthy man, and he made it clear that if they needed financial help, it would be coming. but do they? they are striking deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars, soap more than you and i could ever dream of. bud dollars, soap more than you and i could ever dream of. and meghan has 'ust also could ever dream of. and meghan has just also won — could ever dream of. and meghan has just also won a _ could ever dream of. and meghan has just also won a legal _ could ever dream of. and meghan has just also won a legal case _ could ever dream of. and meghan has just also won a legal case against - could ever dream of. and meghan has just also won a legal case against a i just also won a legal case against a newspaper group. data also quite significant for the couple. —— that also quite significant. significant for the couple. -- that also quite significant.— also quite significant. yes, and they have _ also quite significant. yes, and they have one, _ also quite significant. yes, and they have one, consistently i also quite significant. yes, and i they have one, consistently one. harry and meghan have one big time —— they have won this time, their stories i want to be put up at them and their spokespeople and their knocking have any trouble with newspapers chelating —— not going to have any trouble with newspapers invading their privacy and speculating. why they are going on oprah... is speculating. why they are going on o-rah. .. . . speculating. why they are going on o-rah... , , ., , oprah... is this potentially dangerous _ oprah. .. is this potentially dangerous for— oprah... is this potentially dangerous for the - oprah... is this potentially dangerous for the royal i oprah... is this potentially i dangerous for the royal family oprah... is this potentially - dangerous for the royal family to force this total rupture? because it allows carrie and meghan to say whatever they want with no obligation —— harry and meghan, and if things turn difficult, it could be difficult and risky for them. and perhaps backfire for the royal family, because meghan did get a lot of support for people who are not white, anglo—saxon, traditional supporters of the royal family, they thought at last it was opening up. meghan would've been fantastic for the royal family. meghan would've been fantastic for the royalfamily. she was meghan would've been fantastic for the royal family. she was exactly where they should be going, it is a great loss that she feels she can't live this life. guy's also don't think we should see this is some kind of spiteful retribution, or making the rupture, the difficult things in family even worse. i think it is simply, in practical terms, it is not going to work for them to live their private lives, commercialise, on the other side of the atlantic, then to come back occasionally and go to a rugby match and all sorts of rugby, football charities and organisations. itjust wasn't going to work, so i don't agree should go down the road of thinking that it is a spiteful comeback. i thinking that it is a spiteful comeback.— thinking that it is a spiteful comeback. . ., , ., , . comeback. i 'ust finally, any news that is comeback. ijust finally, any news that is reliable _ comeback. ijust finally, any news that is reliable on _ comeback. ijust finally, any news that is reliable on what _ comeback. ijust finally, any news that is reliable on what is - comeback. ijust finally, any news that is reliable on what is going i comeback. ijust finally, any newsj that is reliable on what is going to be in the oprah interview, if indeed it does go ahead?— be in the oprah interview, if indeed it does go ahead? well, we are told it does go ahead? well, we are told it is iloin it does go ahead? well, we are told it is going to — it does go ahead? well, we are told it is going to be _ it does go ahead? well, we are told it is going to be wide-ranging, - it does go ahead? well, we are told it is going to be wide-ranging, we i it is going to be wide—ranging, we are told it is going to touch on why she... how she found royal life and why she left, or why they left. it is mystifying, it is simply going to be perhaps saying this is what we want to do with our lives now, these are the charities and organisations and causes we are going to work with. great, but if they are actually going to... to reveal all, as has been suggested, but really to delve into the depths of why they left the royal family, delve into the depths of why they left the royalfamily, what delve into the depths of why they left the royal family, what went on, thenit left the royal family, what went on, then it is a bit tacky, isn't it? jenny bond, former bbc royal correspondent, thank you forjoining us. some tweets and reaction to that news that of common from some of the organisations —— that have come in from the organisations that will have to break from the royal couple. both princes thought to be rugby fans, and another tweet coming in from the rugby football league, i think we can back that up for you. they have said the rugby football league... and one tweet from the national theatre, close to meghan's heart, her career as an actress preceding all of this, and they have tweeted saying... let us speak now to katie nichol, who is royal editor for vanity let us speak now to katie nichol, who is royal editorfor vanity fair, and all through the book, harry and meghan, thank you forjoining us. your confirmation of the split that has been talking —— talked about. but finally confirmed. we were told to expect an announcement, and it came sooner than some of us expected. the end date proposed was the end of march, this is a little bit ahead of that deadline. at this really does signal the duke absolute in all of this, the final stage we were all waiting for in this very public separation. and i think this is now a new start for the duke and duchess of sussex. the queen made it very clear after that summit that there wasn't a way of being half in and half out of the royal family, and half out of the royal family, and i think as much as the duke and duchess of sussex had hoped to maintain the connections, the military attachments, increasingly what we are saying about their new lives in la, and america, what they're going to be doing, particularly the commercial deals... there is no congress of it, itjust simply cannot be done. and so this is the final parting of ways, and i suspect that in that statement from buckingham palace, you read about the sadness on the part of the royal family, and i'm sure there's an element of sadness, particularly for harry losing those royal patronage is. i think essence of positivity for them that they can move forward and ladies new, independent lives, which is why they left the royal family. which is why they left the royal famil . �* , ., ., ., ., family. and if they are not gonna have funding _ family. and if they are not gonna have funding from _ family. and if they are not gonna have funding from the _ family. and if they are not gonna have funding from the british - have funding from the british taxpayers, did they have to make a living, don't they? and the prove that obviously they can do that very successfully. and inevitably, that focus on prince harry being grandson of the queen is never going to leave him. . , ., �* of the queen is never going to leave him. , , ., �* ., ., of the queen is never going to leave him. , i. �* ., ., ., ., him. listen, you're hearing a lot of --eole him. listen, you're hearing a lot of people talking _ him. listen, you're hearing a lot of people talking about, _ him. listen, you're hearing a lot of people talking about, are - him. listen, you're hearing a lot of people talking about, are they - him. listen, you're hearing a lot of. people talking about, are they going to lose their hrh titles. yes, dave lawson patronage, most people said that was to be expected —— they have lost the patronage, but he was a prince, port—au—prince, and no one can take that away from him. but i think that separating of royal duty from essential commercial gain. we now know that the key reason that the couple left was to pursue financial independence and independence from the royal family. and as you point out, they have been incredibly successful in that within a year of quitting the royal family, they have signed lucrative, multi—million—dollar deals with some of the biggest streaming giants out there. all the signs is that this can be a success. they are no longer dependent on the british taxpayer, they pay back the money that was spent on renovating the house, they paid for their own security entourage, the complication would always have been maintaining an affiliation with royal family while trying to pursue commercial careers. it simply cannot work.— it simply cannot work. thank you very much _ it simply cannot work. thank you very much indeed _ it simply cannot work. thank you very much indeed for— it simply cannot work. thank you very much indeed forjoining - it simply cannot work. thank you very much indeed forjoining us. | it simply cannot work. thank you - very much indeed forjoining us. and just to remind you of the statement from buckingham palace, they have announced in the last half an hour that the... that the duke and duchess of sussex have confirmed to her majesty the queen that they will not be returning to royal duties as members of the royal family. not be returning to royal duties as members of the royalfamily. it not be returning to royal duties as members of the royal family. it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service. the honourary military appointments and royal patronage help at the duke and royal patronage help at the duke and duchess will be returned to her majesty before being redistributed among working members of the royal family. while we are saddened by the decision, the duke and duchess remained much less members of the family —— much loved members of the family. and we know that harry and meghan have issued their own statement saying that everyone can be able to give service, service is universal, and they obviously continue to want to do their own charitable work. author of harry, biography of a prince. it is charitable work. author of harry, biography of a prince.— biography of a prince. it is an interesting — biography of a prince. it is an interesting announcement i biography of a prince. it is an - interesting announcement because it is another example that we see now at the queen bleeding her decisions between her duty —— splitting her decisions between her duty as a monarch, paramount to her, and her role as a grandmother. and she loves her grandchildren, she loves her great—grandchildren, but she is trying here by saying, you cannot be part of the royal family if you don't work within it. you cannot do that. on the other hand, you know, harry, i love you at the end. i found it immensely touching. it must have been very hard for her, but in so many cases duty wins with her majesty. so many cases duty wins with her ma'es . �* . so many cases duty wins with her ma'es . �* , ., ., majesty. and in terms of the actual charities that _ majesty. and in terms of the actual charities that they _ majesty. and in terms of the actual charities that they are _ majesty. and in terms of the actual charities that they are losing, - majesty. and in terms of the actual charities that they are losing, the i charities that they are losing, the president win myint remains —— the royal marines, more comedies were charities and military organisations that the couple had made clear they felt personally strong about. yes. that the couple had made clear they felt personally strong about.- felt personally strong about. yes, i remember when _ felt personally strong about. yes, i remember when i _ felt personally strong about. yes, i remember when i was _ felt personally strong about. yes, i remember when i was talking - felt personally strong about. yes, i remember when i was talking to i remember when i was talking to prince harry before the book i wrote about him. he had wanted to leave the royalfamily, but he said about him. he had wanted to leave the royal family, but he said at that time prince philip's step back and the queen asked him if he would help, and he said he loved the queen so much that he would do that. so they went through what would be his favourite things out of the many that she stepped back on. she left because it was just too much for her to do in her 90s, and the military ones, of course, uppermost in harry's minds and thoughts and cares about that. in the commonwealth was very important to him because he said, originally to me, that he would like to go away and live in africa and look after endangered species. so we always had a spot soft —— soft spot for africa, the first charity that he set up was in africa for children who were orphans from parents with died of hiv and aids. he really cares, and when he does something, he does it properly. this was then, now, you can't really stay in touch with people via zoom every so often. the marines wanted someone there, someone to be there, but most of all is representing the queen in these engagements. and that is not right, she doesn't want a secondary service, she wants a top service where people are devoted to the cause and have a huge sense of duty. and i think she has done it now, not forward from the end of march as the original decision, because she is fed up with their behaviour. i think the last two things that they have done have really upset her and norma sleep. and even though her husband, who she has been with for so long and they door each other, that is a priority, shejust door each other, that is a priority, she just felt door each other, that is a priority, shejust felt she door each other, that is a priority, she just felt she couldn't let him go any longer. we saw the same with charles and diana when they spoke on television, it was awfully embarrassing what they revealed. and she suddenly went down and said, right, you're got to get divorced, there is no option about this. and two weeks later, they were negotiating the deal. and i think she is very tolerant, she is not a micromanager. she loves herfamily. and then you cross a redline, and they have crossed it. they must know that. ., , ., ~ ., ., they have crossed it. they must know that. ., ~ ., ., ,, ., that. harry and meghan have issued a statement saying _ that. harry and meghan have issued a statement saying they _ that. harry and meghan have issued a statement saying they have _ that. harry and meghan have issued a statement saying they have offered i statement saying they have offered their continued support to organisations they have represented, regardless of official role. they added, we can all live a life of service, service is universal. that is it for me today, let's get the weather now with ben richard. two sides, it is going to be particularly mild, but also very wet and windy across western areas. this part shows the rainfall we are expecting to accumulate over the next two days. that rain really tossing upper crust hills in the west, where there could be some issues with flooding. whereas further east, some spots in eastern england will stay pretty much dried there at the weekend, and then southerly winds, temperatures could climb all the way to 17 degrees. this is a recent satellite picture, you can see the swirl of clouds common area of low pressure. this tropical here actually is going to get stuck for the next few days, it will be —— this cloud, bring strong and gusty winds, temperatures around six o'clock in the evening holding up six o'clock in the evening holding up between nine and 11 degrees, so mild as we head into friday night. we will see further operates a rain, particularly across the southwest of england, wales, northern england as well. northern ireland in the northern health of scotland will be more dry, with some clear cells, may be eventually across the far north, but for most it is a mild night and a mild start to saturday. his frontal system here is just a mild start to saturday. his frontal system here isjust going a mild start to saturday. his frontal system here is just going to wriggle around to bring further pulses of rain, especially across western areas and over the hills, that rain is going to start to pile up. there is a potentialfor some localised flooding. the rain taking a while to get up to scotland and parts of east anglia and the far southeast, will stay dry all day long with some spells of sunshine. another windy day, gusts of 50 mph or more, may be touching 60 miles an hourfor or more, may be touching 60 miles an hour for spots or more, may be touching 60 miles an hourfor spots in the or more, may be touching 60 miles an hour for spots in the southwest, but very mild, and you see some sunshine towards the southeast. that is where you can get 16 or 17 degrees. and this weatherfront is you can get 16 or 17 degrees. and this weather front is still on the scene as we getting to sunday. it is likely to be a little bit further east by the stage, some parts of central and southern england, the midlands, could he some wet weather an upfront could move further west or east. sunshine and showers of the north, it is another mild day. and as we headed to the start of next week, it will turn cooler for little while. there will be some more rain towards the northwest, but mild weather set to return. it could get to 17 degrees. the duke and duchess of sussex have told the queen they will not be returning as working members of the royal family. buckingham palace says it is saddened by harry and meghan's decision, and that they remain much—loved members of the family. it means prince harry must lose his honorary military titles and patronages. we'll have the latest from our royal correspondent. also this lunchtime: borisjohnson will pledge to donate the most of the uk's surplus covid vaccines to developing countries, at the g7 summit. wales's stay at home rule may end in three weeks, says the first minister, and the youngest pupils will return to school on monday. the supreme court rules that uber drivers are employees, not third party contractors, in a decision with wide