a deal to support companies struggling with high energy bills the government is expected to announce details in the coming days. the uk will set out demands for changes to the northern ireland protocol today, when brexit minister lord frost makes a speech in lisbon. superman's creators announced that the superhero's son will reveal he is bisexual in the next edition of the comic. and a room with iq, how camping and hh has become the latest unorthodox getaway trend —— and a room with a pew. good morning and welcome to bbc news. an inquiry by mps has described the government's initial response to coronavirus in england as one of the worst failures of public health in the uk's history. the study was carried out by two commons committees, both chaired by former conservative cabinet ministers, and is highly critical. it says both ministers and scientists waited too long to bring in lockdowns last year, costing many lives. the first lab—identified cases of covid 19 in the uk were recorded on 31st january 2020. but it wasn't until eight weeks later, on the 23rd march, that the prime minister ordered the uk's first national lockdown. the report said too little was done in the early weeks, and the uk did not take enough advantage of the learning being generated in other countries. the committee said the response ranked as one of the most important public health failures the uk has ever experienced. despite the uk being one of the first countries in the world to develop a test for covid, the report described the roll—out of the test and trace system as slow, uncertain and often chaotic. but the report has praised the uk's vaccination programme and government support for the development of vaccines desribing the programme as one of the most effective initiatives in history. the pandemic has claimed more than 150,000 lives to date. this report is from our health correspondent, jim reed. we are still living through, says this report, the biggest health crisis of the last 100 years. millions have been infected, many thousands of lives have been lost to covid. when we brought back people from wuhan injanuary... for a year now, two influential groups of mps have been taking evidence on the pandemic from people involved in key decisions at the time. now in this report, they strongly criticise the early response. instead of locking down hard and fast like some other countries, they say ministers, guided by scientific advisers, made a deliberate decision to introduce social distancing rules gradually until it was clear the nhs could be overwhelmed. mps describe that as a serious error which proved fatal to many. we were too slow in that initial lockdown. we were operating in a fog of uncertainty. even the government's advisers, professor neil ferguson, in evidence to my committee said, if we had locked down a week earlier we might even have saved half the number of deaths in that initial wave. everyone accepts that we locked down too late. across 150 pages of the report, there is more criticism. it describes the roll—out of the test and trace programme in england as slow and chaotic. it says the uk did not impose rigorous border controls, letting in high numbers of infections from france and spain. it criticises the treatment of care homes, saying the risks were not recognised soon enough, leading to devastating and preventable repercussions. the report has actually picked up things we were saying from the outset, that social care was an afterthought. the mantra was nhs, we have to keep it safe. we understood some of that. what we did not know was the discharge out of hospitals was actually not through testing. they were not safe discharges. there was though praise for parts of the national response. the vaccine programme was described as one of the most effective initiatives in the history of uk science. treatments for covid were also singled out as well. 0ne, dexamethasone, was widely used first in this country and has saved more than a million lives around the world. the government says throughout the pandemic it has been guided by scientific experts and has not shied away from taking quick action, including on lockdowns. it says it is committed to learning lessons and will hold a full public inquiry in the spring. jim reed, bbc news. 0ur chief political correspondent adam fleming is in westminster. no great surprises, but a damning read? fix, no great surprises, but a damning read? �* ., ., , no great surprises, but a damning read? ., ., , _ read? a lot of this was uncovered by the media at — read? a lot of this was uncovered by the media at the _ read? a lot of this was uncovered by the media at the time _ read? a lot of this was uncovered by the media at the time or _ read? a lot of this was uncovered by the media at the time or revealed i read? a lot of this was uncovered byi the media at the time or revealed by witnesses to this inquiry orjust enfolded in real time in front of our eyes, but this is one of the first attempts to put it in black—and—white, in chronological order, and do serious analysis about what went right, but mainly what went wrong. the phrase the committee has used about the biggest mistake in the history of public health in britain is about the decision of when to introduce the lockdown in march 2020, which they say was the result of groupthink amongst scientists, ministers and others about how the virus would spread in the population, how many people was unacceptable number to die, and as the chairman of the science and technology committee in the house of commons greg clark said, how willing the public would be.— the public would be. there was the assumption — the public would be. there was the assumption that _ the public would be. there was the assumption that public _ the public would be. there was the assumption that public would - the public would be. there was the assumption that public would not l assumption that public would not obey— assumption that public would not obey lockdown measures for a long period _ obey lockdown measures for a long period so _ obey lockdown measures for a long period so you had to delay imposing them _ period so you had to delay imposing them until— period so you had to delay imposing them until almost the last possible moment_ them until almost the last possible moment so they could have the longest— moment so they could have the longest effect. what we discovered in practice — longest effect. what we discovered in practice was that actually people were perfectly prepared to follow instructions to stay at home, because _ instructions to stay at home, because they realise the importance the committee is very scathing about testing. _ the committee is very scathing about testing, the big national test and trace _ testing, the big national test and trace programme which they say was introduced _ trace programme which they say was introduced too late and never really that effective and was quite chaotic, _ that effective and was quite chaotic, they were also very critical— chaotic, they were also very critical about the scale of the testing — critical about the scale of the testing operation right at the start of the _ testing operation right at the start of the pandemic meaning scientists and ministers did not have a clue where _ and ministers did not have a clue where the — and ministers did not have a clue where the virus was and how prevalent— where the virus was and how prevalent it was. we where the virus was and how prevalent it was.— where the virus was and how prevalent it was. we had to stop testin: in prevalent it was. we had to stop testing in the — prevalent it was. we had to stop testing in the community, - prevalent it was. we had to stop testing in the community, if - prevalent it was. we had to stop - testing in the community, if you are not texting you do not have information as to how quickly the virus is spreading, who is getting it and how ill they become. that meant we were operating in the dark. we should have been much quicker in developing our leads in developing into testing capacity. the developing our leads in developing into testing capacity.— into testing capacity. the other area they are — into testing capacity. the other area they are scathing - into testing capacity. the other area they are scathing about i into testing capacity. the other area they are scathing about is| into testing capacity. the other. area they are scathing about is the treatment— area they are scathing about is the treatment of care homes and the affected — treatment of care homes and the affected had on minority communities and deprived communities as well. when _ and deprived communities as well. when they— and deprived communities as well. when they point the finger for these quite major errors they are not pointing — quite major errors they are not pointing at individuals who they name. — pointing at individuals who they name, they pointed systems, structures, policies, mindsets among groups— structures, policies, mindsets among groups of— structures, policies, mindsets among groups of people. if you are angry at looking — groups of people. if you are angry at looking foreclosure, justice or new information, i am not sure you would _ new information, i am not sure you would necessarily find it this report _ adam, thank you. iamjoined by i am joined by an expert in health psychology from the university couege psychology from the university college london he was also a member of the government sage advisory committee and independent sage, but today she is speaking on her personal capacity on bbc news. thank you forjoining us, professor. what struck out the most for you reading this report? in struck out the most for you reading this report?— this report? in addition to the comments — this report? in addition to the comments already _ this report? in addition to the comments already made, - this report? in addition to the j comments already made, one this report? in addition to the - comments already made, one thing that struck out was the failure to learn from other countries, and that struck out because it is really important right now in terms of what lessons we can learn from other countries that are managing the pandemic so much better than we are. i think we can learn three main things that are really relevant right now and going forward into this winter which we know will be a risky time. the first is getting test, trace and isolate into the local public health infrastructure run by the director of public—health. the second is about getting good ventilation or air filtration in all public spaces, including workplaces and schools, anywhere where people are together. 0ther anywhere where people are together. other countries are doing this incredibly well and with very good signage about what the air quality safety is in those spaces. the third is routinely wearing facemasks in indoor closed spaces where there is likely to be transmission. ianthem indoor closed spaces where there is likely to be transmission. when you hear in this — likely to be transmission. when you hear in this report _ likely to be transmission. when you hear in this report that _ likely to be transmission. when you hear in this report that a _ likely to be transmission. when you hear in this report that a lot - likely to be transmission. when you hear in this report that a lot of - hear in this report that a lot of this was a case of groupthink, you stop and wonder, did they underestimate the british public in doing the right thing, and in the corridors of power, with the officials making the decisions, why was the common sense? fin officials making the decisions, why was the common sense?— officials making the decisions, why was the common sense? on the first oint, if was the common sense? on the first point. if you — was the common sense? on the first point. if you look— was the common sense? on the first point, if you look at _ was the common sense? on the first point, if you look at the _ was the common sense? on the first point, if you look at the data, - was the common sense? on the first point, if you look at the data, and i point, if you look at the data, and i am involved in a study which collect data every week or fortnight from people across the country, by and large people were ahead of the government in terms of the extent to which they were prepared to engage with restrictions and protective behaviours when they saw that there was a threat and that what they could do with naked difference. in terms of common—sense, the second point, the important thing is to make sure that there is good scientific advice given in a timely fashion in a way that government ministers and indeed others can engage with. having been involved in both the government's sage structures and in independent sage, i think there is a role for a group like independent sage which speaks directly to the press and the public and answers their questions so that people can have direct access to the scientific thinking at any time. what was the scientific thinking and evidence about going down the route of herd immunity? i am evidence about going down the route of herd immunity?— of herd immunity? i am not an epidemiologist _ of herd immunity? i am not an epidemiologist or _ of herd immunity? i am not an epidemiologist or a _ of herd immunity? i am not an epidemiologist or a virologist, | of herd immunity? i am not an| epidemiologist or a virologist, i work with colleagues in those disciplines and my understanding is that this was always doomed to fail for two main reasons, one is that it would have a huge and unacceptable toll in terms of not only deaths but long—term disability and illness, and the second is because we have waning immunity, it would never work as a strategy. waning immunity, it would never work as a strategy-— as a strategy. when we talk about deaths and _ as a strategy. when we talk about deaths and the _ as a strategy. when we talk about deaths and the toll— as a strategy. when we talk about deaths and the toll it _ as a strategy. when we talk about deaths and the toll it has - as a strategy. when we talk about deaths and the toll it has taken i as a strategy. when we talk about| deaths and the toll it has taken on the public, what about the fact that the public, what about the fact that the voices of the bereaved were not listened to for this particular report, was that a mistake? the behavioural— report, was that a mistake? tie: behavioural science advisory report, was that a mistake? tt2 behavioural science advisory group of sage has made it clear in their reports many, many times about the importance of engaging with the relevant communities and listening to them and allowing those points of view to inform policy. for several reasons, one is you are more likely to get good decision—making if the relevant communities are engaged and secondly communities are more likely to trust government, and here too sometimes challenging measures they are asked to engage with, if they have been involved in the process of decision—making. 50 have been involved in the process of decision-making.— decision-making. so what was the oint of decision-making. so what was the point of this _ decision-making. so what was the point of this report? _ decision-making. so what was the point of this report? why - decision-making. so what was the point of this report? why not i decision-making. so what was the point of this report? why not go . point of this report? why not go straight for the public inquiry? public inquiries take a long time to set up, i do not even know that the chair has been appointed, committee members, these things take months and they can sit for years. what is needed is lessons to be learned rapidly, so i really welcome this report because i think it is very fair and balanced under points fingers to things that we have done badly in the past, but also things we can put right now and going forward. we can save many thousands of lives and people with long—term illness and disability. that in turn puts a huge toll on the health service, and i think really need to be really mindful that our health and social care staff are exhausted and social care staff are exhausted and burnt out and we need to ensure we drive down community transmission to a low level. it is over 40,000 again, this is unnecessary and avoidable and if we can learn the lessons of this excellent report that that community level can be driven right down and we can protect people from death, from long—term illness and protect our health and social care staff.— social care staff. professor susan michie, it has _ social care staff. professor susan michie, it has been _ social care staff. professor susan michie, it has been a _ social care staff. professor susan michie, it has been a pleasure, i michie, it has been a pleasure, thank you very much for your time. my thank you very much for your time. my pleasure. the headlines on bbc news... 0ne my pleasure. the headlines on bbc news... one of the worst public—health failures ever, a report by md —— mps condemned the uk response to the early stages of the pandemic. there was praise for the vaccine roll—out, described as one of the most effective initiatives in british scientific history. aha, of the most effective initiatives in british scientific history.— british scientific history. a deal to support _ british scientific history. a deal to support companies - british scientific history. a deal| to support companies struggling british scientific history. a deal- to support companies struggling with high energy bills, the government is expected to announce details in the coming days. borisjohnson is expected to give his backing to a support package for firms struggling with the soaring cost of wholesale gas. the treasury is considering a proposal submitted by the business secretary yesterday. ceramic, paper and steel manufacturing firms have warned that without an energy price cap some factories could be forced to close. our business correspondent theo leggett reports. forging steel requires a lot of heat and that consumes a great deal of energy. small wonder then that steelmakers want the government to help them cope with a steep rise in energy costs. it isn't just steel. cement manufacturers, chemicals firms, glass—makers and ceramics businesses are also appealing for support. not all companies are affected in the same way by rising costs. some have bought their gas and electricity in advance and are protected from price rises, at least for the time being. 0thers though are not. for them, this is an incredibly serious predicament, leading some to scale back production or to raise product prices. of course the longer this period of high prices continues, the more companies are impacted and the more severe those impacts are and, at some point, it starts to threaten their company viability. the government faces a dilemma. it wants to help viable businesses cope with soaring costs but it doesn't want to prop up failing companies. direct subsidies would add to the burden on taxpayers, while a cap on electricity or gas prices would risk simply passing on extra costs to energy companies. but labour says what businesses are asking for is reasonable. they felt a package of support is needed through the winter when gas and electricity prices are usually higher and to get through this temporary spike in gas and electricity prices. that's what they're looking for. they're not looking for a permanent bailout or a subsidy. what they are looking for is targeted support now, which is what is happening in other european countries. the chancellor now does at least have concrete proposals to look at, passed on by the business secretary after consultations with industry. whatever options he chooses, someone, somewhere is going to have to pay in the end. theo leggett, bbc news. joining me now is gareth stace, director general of uk steel. good morning, thank you forjoining us. what do you hope to hear from the government today, from boris johnson? t the government today, from boris johnson? ., ~' ., johnson? i would like to congratulate _ johnson? i would like to congratulate business i johnson? i would like to - congratulate business secretary kwasi kwarteng for moving so quickly, but one could say perhaps too quickly in that we have not seen at all any details of this proposal which has gone from the business department to treasury. i cannot comment what is in that proposal because i have not seen it, i cannot comment on whether it is enough, whether or not it will fix the problem. to me, if you asked what i wanted to see, the key test will be our we now going to be on an equal footing with steelmakers in germany compared to steelmakers in the uk? if this package results in us still paying 80% more for electricity than our competitors in continental europe, really this willjust perhaps be a flimsy sticking plaster on what is a really major crisis we are going through at the moment. let's start with your first point, where you part of talks with the business secretary? t where you part of talks with the business secretary?— where you part of talks with the business secretary? i spoke to the business secretary? i spoke to the business secretary _ business secretary? i spoke to the business secretary yesterday, i business secretary? i spoke to the business secretary yesterday, he i business secretary yesterday, he said he was preparing a paper. i wanted to confirm with him that he had everything he needed from the steel sector in terms of what we needed to happen and that was the last i heard about it.— last i heard about it. when you say ou hoed last i heard about it. when you say you hoped it _ last i heard about it. when you say you hoped it would _ last i heard about it. when you say you hoped it would put _ last i heard about it. when you say you hoped it would put you - last i heard about it. when you say you hoped it would put you on i you hoped it would put you on an equal footing as manufacturers you hoped it would put you on an equalfooting as manufacturers in europe, paint a equalfooting as manufacturers in europe, painta picture equalfooting as manufacturers in europe, paint a picture for us of what that looks like. at europe, paint a picture for us of what that looks like.— europe, paint a picture for us of what that looks like. at the moment we -a what that looks like. at the moment we pay 80% — what that looks like. at the moment we pay 80% more — what that looks like. at the moment we pay 80% more for— what that looks like. at the moment we pay 80% more for electricity, i we pay 80% more for electricity, say, than our competitors in germany, that is ongoing. in terms of this current energy crisis and wholesale prices, people would say it is a global problem but it is felt much worse here in the uk so we need government to address both the increase in wholesale prices we are paying with our competitors not paying with our competitors not paying as much, and these policy costs the government puts on our bills better when your competitors don't, they would be renewables, carbon and transmission costs, capacity charges that cost us today around £100 million a year and our competitors are not paying that. that is what we need action on and until i see what has been proposed, i cannot say if it will work or not. how soon with this package be needed? ., ., .., how soon with this package be needed? ., ., .. ., needed? now, i am calling on the prime minister _ needed? now, i am calling on the prime minister to _ needed? now, i am calling on the prime minister to step _ needed? now, i am calling on the prime minister to step in - needed? now, i am calling on the prime minister to step in now, i needed? now, i am calling on the | prime minister to step in now, take swift and firm action. everything we are proposing, i know he has the power to do. it is tried and tested, fully costed, we gave them the details and unless the prime minister wants his levelling up economy to suddenly come into tatters because we see job losses in the steel sector, ifeel tatters because we see job losses in the steel sector, i feel he needs to take action because the steel industry delivers on levelling up and on high wage economy, we absolutely do, don't let the steel sector weather. b5 absolutely do, don't let the steel sector weather.— sector weather. as well as 'ob losses, sector weather. as well as 'ob losses. howfi sector weather. as well as 'ob losses, how are i sector weather. as well as job losses, how are consumers i sector weather. as well as job i losses, how are consumers likely to feel the impact of this? tt is losses, how are consumers likely to feel the impact of this?— feel the impact of this? it is very different for— feel the impact of this? it is very different for different _ feel the impact of this? it is very different for different energy i different for different energy intensive sectors, from a steel point of view there might be shortages of certain products that we make that go into the manufacturing and construction sectors, the automotive sector etc, but from our point of view the key thing is that it reports production more and start producing less steel in terms of lesser amounts, it will instantly within weeks have inputs increasing into the uk from turkey, spain and germany and we will very quickly lose market share in our own economy —— the key thing is that if we pause production more. if you lose it hit is very hard to get that market back.— lose it hit is very hard to get that market back. a , , , ., market back. many members of the british public— market back. many members of the british public would _ market back. many members of the british public would say _ market back. many members of the british public would say that - market back. many members of the british public would say that when l british public would say that when there are times like this we have to dip into our savings to see us through. we hear that gas prices will recover, we are hearing quotes of the new year. for a company like yourselves, and industry like yourselves, and industry like yourselves, do you not have financial reserves? irate yourselves, do you not have financial reserves?— yourselves, do you not have financial reserves? we are the sector association _ financial reserves? we are the | sector association representing producers, if it is that temporary, great. government, please step in and help us now. but i would also say that the steel sector is making money now for the first time in about years, or it was, before the crisis. the global price of steel for six to eight years has been very low, companies are not making a profit, they are not making a profit in the uk because cost for energy is much higher than competitors and it is only the last eight—month also that the price of steel has risen so much that thankfully in the uk steel producers are making money, but it is not enough time to fix the roof while the sun shines while we are seeing storm clouds on the horizon with these high energy prices. immediately and for the last two months at least it has wiped out our profits, we do not have those deep pockets at the moment.— profits, we do not have those deep pockets at the moment. gareth stace, director of uk — pockets at the moment. gareth stace, director of uk steel, _ pockets at the moment. gareth stace, director of uk steel, thank— pockets at the moment. gareth stace, director of uk steel, thank you - pockets at the moment. gareth stace, director of uk steel, thank you very i director of uk steel, thank you very much. leaders and senior ministers from 20 of the world's biggest economies are holding a special summit to discuss afghanistan. they'll consider financial support and how best to contain the threat of terrorism. the un secretary general has urged the international community to find ways to get money into the afghan economy to avert its collapse. we need to find ways to make the economy breathe again. this can be turned without violating its national laws or compromising principles. we must seek ways to create the conditions that will allow afghan professionals and civil servants to continue working to serve the afghan population. i urge the world to take action and inject liquidity into the afghan economy to avoid collapse. the bbc�*s yogita limaye is in kabul and joins me now. just tell us more about what is taking place at the moment? this is a virtual summit _ taking place at the moment? this is a virtual summit of _ taking place at the moment? this is a virtual summit of g20 _ taking place at the moment? this is a virtual summit of g20 nations, i taking place at the moment? this is a virtual summit of g20 nations, an| a virtual summit of g20 nations, an extraordinary meeting on afghanistan. at the top of the agenda is expected to be humanitarian assistance for the people in afghanistan. it comes a few weeks ahead of a full g20 summit in rome at the and of this month and the challenge for the international community is how they continue to provide and deliver humanitarian aid in this country to millions of people in dire need, without it falling into the wrong hands of the misuse. the taliban no taliban seized control of this country in august, many countries do not recognise the taliban government and thatis recognise the taliban government and that is what makes this particularly difficult, how you continue to reach the people of afghanistan when you do not want to transfer the money or humanitarian aid to the taliban for fear that might be misused —— the taliban seized control of this country in august.— taliban seized control of this country in august. yogita limaye, thank you- _ the uk will set out its demands for changes to the northern ireland protocol today when the brexit minister, lord frost, makes a speech in lisbon. the protocol, agreed by both sides, prevents a hard border on the island of ireland by keeping northern ireland in the eu's single market for goods. the bbc�*s brussels correspondent jessica parkerjoins me now. jessica, there is a lot that will be said that the timing is interesting? the timing is quite interesting, we only learned the speech was even happening over the weekend and it will happen later today, a day before the eu is going to set out its response to the uk's demands. the change to the northern ireland protocol. some might remember that the northern ireland protocol is designed to prevent checks on the border between the republic of ireland and northern ireland, so you have checked on the irish sea border of goods going from great britain to northern ireland. we expect the eu to offer some concessions, looking at allowing things like the continued important chilled meat from great britain to northern ireland, but they are not really expected to shift on this issue of oversight of the treaty. lord frost, the uk brexit minister, will push that again today, i think, suggesting this issue of how the treaty is policed is not a side issue for him but very fundamental. what about the ecj? the issue for him but very fundamental. what about the ecj?— issue for him but very fundamental. what about the ecj? the european of 'ustice what about the ecj? the european of justice pubs. — what about the ecj? the european of justice pubs. i— what about the ecj? the european of justice pubs, i think— what about the ecj? the european of justice pubs, i think from _ what about the ecj? the european of justice pubs, i think from a _ what about the ecj? the european of justice pubs, i think from a uk i justice pubs, i think from a uk perspective what they are arguing is that for a european to have oversight of an agreement affecting northern ireland it is an issue in terms of sovereignty, but i think from an eu perspective they are saying that you did sign up to this agreement not so long ago knowing what it entailed and the northern ireland protocol means that northern ireland protocol means that northern ireland is effectively in the eu single market for goods, the eu is very keen to protect the single market and the ultimate arbiter of those rules is the europeanjustice. those are some of the issues, i think the british will argue that the northern ireland you cannotjust apply these strict rules according to the european courts, you have to look at a more pragmatic, flexible approach but the two sides will probably enter talks fairly soon on all of those issues and we will have to see how far they could. jessica, thank you. carol, you realise it has been 20 years since we work together? find years since we work together? and the awful years since we work together? situc the awful thing is years since we work together? fich the awful thing is that you have not aged! i look at myself, what happened?! good morning, we saw some fabulous weather watchers pictures this morning, this one was taken last night of the northern lights, which we saw from parts of caithness and shetland. quite a bit of cloud today, baseline of patchy rain is a weather front. today, baseline of patchy rain is a weatherfront. the today, baseline of patchy rain is a weather front. the bottom today, baseline of patchy rain is a weatherfront. the bottom of it moved into the north sea overnight but it will come westwards through the course of the day, further rain in east anglia, the midlands, north wales, parts of north—west england, southern parts of western scotland and northern ireland. sunshine across the south—west of england, south wales, brightening up across north—east scotland and the north—east scotland and the north—east of england but it will feel chilly. moving on land, heights of 16 in the sunshine. clear skies tonight, a lot of cloud, rain moves from the west to the east, bringing heavy rain across shetland and these are the overnight lows. i will have more in half—an—hour. this is bbc news, i am lukwesa burak with the headlines. 0ne this is bbc news, i am lukwesa burak with the headlines. one of the worst public health failures ever. a report by mps condemns the uk responds to the early stages of the covid pandemic.— responds to the early stages of the covid pandemic. early decisions, in articular, covid pandemic. early decisions, in particular. our— covid pandemic. early decisions, in particular, our slowing _ covid pandemic. early decisions, in particular, our slowing is _ covid pandemic. early decisions, in particular, our slowing is to - covid pandemic. early decisions, in particular, our slowing is to lock i particular, our slowing is to lock down, did have consequences, and we've got to confront the need to learn lessons from it.— learn lessons from it. there was - raise learn lessons from it. there was praise for _ learn lessons from it. there was praise for the — learn lessons from it. there was praise for the vaccine _ learn lessons from it. there was praise for the vaccine roll-out, i praise for the vaccine roll—out, described as one of the most effective initiatives in british scientific history. aha, effective initiatives in british scientific history.— scientific history. a deal to su - ort scientific history. a deal to support companies - scientific history. a deal to i support companies struggling scientific history. a deal to - support companies struggling with hi-h support companies struggling with high energy bills. the government is expected _ high energy bills. the government is expected to announce details in the coming _ expected to announce details in the coming days. expected to announce details in the coming days-— coming days. also, the uk will set out to demands _ coming days. also, the uk will set out to demands for _ coming days. also, the uk will set out to demands for changes i coming days. also, the uk will set out to demands for changes to i coming days. also, the uk will setj out to demands for changes to the northern ireland protocol today. when the brexit minister, lord frost, makes a speech in lisbon. superman's creators announced the superhero's sonnet will reveal he is bisexual in the next edition of the comic. —— the superhero's son. sport and for a full round—up, from the bbc sport centre. good from the bbc sport centre. morning. good mornint you good morning. good morning, i hope you all well. wales beat estonia 1—0 to keep their world cup qualification hopes alive. it was a hard—fought win in tallinn and watching was andy swiss. after two consecutive draws, for wales, this was all about winning. they needed to beat estonia to boost their hopes of a play—off place, and the early signs were encouraging. connor roberts soon forced a save. and from the resulting corner, things got even better. it might not win too many goal of the season awards, but kieffer moore wasn't complaining. a good old—fashioned scramble and wales were ahead. but it was a lead they so nearly gave away. a defensive mix—up and it needed joe rodon's goal—line clearance to spare their blushes. and after the break, again, it was estonia asking questions. only a stunning save from danny ward kept wales in front. at the other end, they struggled to create chances. mark harris with one of a select few. it was hardly pretty, but wales held for the victory. and on a night when winning was the key, it was job done. andy swiss, bbc news. it has been a great camp for us, two away games, the performance we gave on friday in the czech republic was outstanding. we're still a young group as well. they're learning from these experiences. to come to a place like this, we knew we were never really going to dominate. we knew it was going to be an ugly game. we had to match that, first and foremost. with the players we have on the pitch, we knew we would cause them problems. and last night, germany became the first country to qualify for the world cup in qatar. tonight, scotland are two more wins away from securing a place in the play—offs, after their thrilling comeback to beat israel on saturday. they've travelled north to face the faroe islands. steve clarke's team are second in group f, seven points behind leaders denmark, but four ahead of israel and austria. and the scotland boss says a lot of what they've achieved is down to the team spirit. england are also in action later they need two wins from their three remaining qualifiers to secure their place. they face hungary at wembley and boss gareth southgate says he's delighted with the stability and proficiency of his current group of players. we can't be a team that has a day off and we want to keep the consistency of performances. we've had that definitely throughout this calendar year. everybody knows there is that competition for places, everybody knows that they can't afford a day off. and they've got pride in putting the shirt on every time they play, and they want to show what they're capable of as a team. but northern ireland's world cup hopes were effectively ended by losing to switzerland on saturday. that left them third in their group on five points, only above tonight's opponents bulgaria on goal difference. and some sad news, preston north end owner and three—time grand national winner trevor hemmings has died at the age of 86. he took over the club in 2010 and was also well known as heavily investing in horse racing and he owned over 100 racehorses including many clouds, who earned him his third grand national win in 2015. british number one dan evans is out of the indian wells masters in california after losing to argentina's diego schwartzman. evans beat us open finalist kei nishikori in the previous round, but his game fell apart. he took the first set and was a break up in the second, but lost eight consecutive games, losing the deciding set 6—love. cameron norrie has come through a three—set battle with the spaniard roberto bautista agut to reach the last 16. the 34 win of the season for cameron norrie. and finally, to california, where all eyes have been at the beach where a whole range of worldwide talent has been on show. not humans. this is the 12th annual surf city surf dog competition. 40 dogs from around the world took part in the event, all showcasing their different skills on the waves in several different classes. luckily, the condition isn't 21. i will get my coat. — luckily, the conditions were not 21. i was very impressed, thank you very much. as we've been hearing, a government support package for businesses struggling with the soaring cost of energy could be announced within days. industry bosses are worried some businesses could be forced to shut down without financial help. nina warhurst has been visiting a paper manufacturer in cumbria. this is crop is, using the power of the river, they have been making power here —— paper here since 1845, incredible. but they have diversified over the years. this is a silicon material for diversified over the years. this is a silicon materialfor man—made fibres and that gets pushed into the roles you can see down here. and that will end up insulating boilers. some are really important part of the business. look around. up and down. you can only imagine how much it costs to run this place. you can'tjust it costs to run this place. you can't just stick another jump on it costs to run this place. you can'tjust stick anotherjump on to keep the prices down, they spend £60,000 every week on energy bills. that translates to over 3 million every year. so when prices go up, they keep a keen eye on what is happening. and, oh, my, they have been going up! 250% since the beginning ofjanuary. we have said that many times and it is worth reiterating it. and for businesses like this, unlike at home, there is no energy price cap. the wholesale buyers need to get their money back somehow and through businesses, it is one way they do it. and there is a warning that as businesses try to absorb the cost of energy prices, rocketing, jobs will have to go. we have had a warning from the head of british glass. 0verall, they employ around 6000 people. they foresee that if things don't change around a quarter ofjobs in that industry could go. suzannejoins me from the chamber of commerce in cumbria. 0ften, chamber of commerce in cumbria. often, we get accused of scaremongering and saying we are exaggerating, but what are businesses saying to you about energy bills? tt businesses saying to you about energy bills?— businesses saying to you about energy bills? it is absolutely not scaremongering. _ energy bills? it is absolutely not scaremongering. almost - energy bills? it is absolutely not scaremongering. almost every l scaremongering. almost every business — scaremongering. almost every business we talk to is really concerned. immediately and moving forward _ concerned. immediately and moving forward. and it is important to remember— forward. and it is important to remember it isn'tjust the energy bills crisis. — remember it isn'tjust the energy bills crisis, we have spirals in wage — bills crisis, we have spirals in wage costs, raw material costs and transport _ wage costs, raw material costs and transport costs at a time many are still recovering from covid. we have heard about — still recovering from covid. we have heard about this _ still recovering from covid. we have heard about this possible _ still recovering from covid. we have heard about this possible deal i still recovering from covid. we have heard about this possible deal withl heard about this possible deal with the government that might come in the government that might come in the form of a loan, is that helpful orjust dealing with the problem later? �* , , , orjust dealing with the problem later? , , , , ., , later? any help is good but that is the wron: later? any help is good but that is the wrong way _ later? any help is good but that is the wrong way to _ later? any help is good but that is the wrong way to go, _ later? any help is good but that is the wrong way to go, a _ later? any help is good but that is the wrong way to go, a lot - later? any help is good but that is the wrong way to go, a lot of i the wrong way to go, a lot of businesses are just having to pay back their— businesses are just having to pay back their covid loan so another loan _ back their covid loan so another loan really— back their covid loan so another loan really isn't helpful. we need support— loan really isn't helpful. we need support in— loan really isn't helpful. we need support in the form of grants, perhaps— support in the form of grants, perhaps vat reductions and removing the levy— perhaps vat reductions and removing the levy temporarily. government can also look— the levy temporarily. government can also look at _ the levy temporarily. government can also look at its contracts with businesses because a number of the businesses — businesses because a number of the businesses run fixed—price contracts with government. that is particularly so in the nuclear supply— particularly so in the nuclear supply chain and it is really fundamental that we protect that because — fundamental that we protect that because that is a really key part of our energy— because that is a really key part of our energy security moving forward. finally, _ our energy security moving forward. finally, do— our energy security moving forward. finally, do you think this period can be fatalfor some finally, do you think this period can be fatal for some of the businesses you have been talking to? absolutely, a lot of businesses are really _ absolutely, a lot of businesses are really concerned. they don't operate on big _ really concerned. they don't operate on big margins and these are not small— on big margins and these are not small price — on big margins and these are not small price increases, this is doubling _ small price increases, this is doubling and it could absolutely be fatal~ _ doubling and it could absolutely be fatal. ., , doubling and it could absolutely be fatal. . , ., , ., fatal. that will be a shame when the have fatal. that will be a shame when they have just — fatal. that will be a shame when they have just come _ fatal. that will be a shame when they have just come through i fatal. that will be a shame when j they have just come through this period to falter at the final moment. and it isn'tjust the industries like this like paper, glass, ceramics, which are energy intensive, think about downstream. this company alone provides to businesses in aerospace, construction, hospitals, retail. so that drip, drip effect further down the supply chain will affect everyone. 0ver there, that is insulation needed in construction. so these energy prices matter and there are thousands of businesses waiting to see what that deal looks like, but also wondering when and how they will be able to pay back the loans. the economic think—tank the institute for fiscal studies has warned there may be no room for big spending announcements on public services in this month's budget. the ifs says the chancellor will need to keep a tight rein on government finances, despite planned tax rises. a treasury spokesman said the budget would reflect the public�*s key priorities. the number of uk workers and company payrolls has risen by more than 120,000, above pre—pandemic levels. vacancies remained above 1 120,000, above pre—pandemic levels. vacancies remained above1 million for the second month running. that is according to official figures. joining me now is carl emmerson, who is the deputy director of the ifs. the institute for fiscal studies. thank you forjoining us this morning. i wonder if we can start with that first point, that warning to rishi sunak that he really doesn't have much room for manoeuvre. just how tight is the government's fiscal position? actually, if you look at the headline numbers, it looks like the chancellor should have lots of money to spend. he has put up taxes significantly in the last year, big tax rises announced. he is looking to push the size of the state level is the uk has really not seen very often outside of rather unusual years. the reason we still think it will be pretty tough for many government departments is no real growth over the next few years, combined with pressures from covid on many public services, combined with the fact he has already tied his hands by allocating money to areas like the nhs, schools, defence and aid. that means that the rest of the budget, about a third of the budget, which is what he will allocate in the next couple of weeks, faces a bit of a spending squeeze over the next two years. and that includes areas like prisons, the courts, local authorities, where there has been a considerable squeeze over the last ten years. so it will be a very tough spending review for at least the next two years and then next few years. boris johnson years and then next few years. boris johnson may — years and then next few years. boris johnson may announce _ years and then next few years. boris johnson may announce a _ years and then next few years. boris johnson may announce a support package for businesses struggling with the high energy costs. what goes through your mind about where that money will be coming from? the chancellor that money will be coming from? tt2 chancellor is going to be rewarded with quite a lot less borrowing this year than at the time of the budget. economic growth so far this year has been strong. that is turning up in government receipts. so actually, if you want short—term, tempe money to spend for things to do for example with the pandemic, he has actually got a reasonable amount of flexibility. —— temporary. but he is trying to set budgets notjust for the coming year but the year after that and the year after that and that and the year after that and that will be much more challenging as we come out of the pandemic, it looks like that is when the squeeze on public spending may well be there. so short—term money isn't such a problem for him, it is the permanent spending commitments. it will be things like where we try to make health and social better, what about the aspirations elsewhere with things like net zero, levelling up, those types of issues? hagar things like net zero, levelling up, those types of issues? how would you describe the — those types of issues? how would you describe the uk's _ those types of issues? how would you describe the uk's tax _ those types of issues? how would you describe the uk's tax burden - those types of issues? how would you describe the uk's tax burden at i those types of issues? how would you describe the uk's tax burden at the i describe the uk's tax burden at the moment? ., . ., , , moment? so, the tax increases we have heard — moment? so, the tax increases we have heard so _ moment? so, the tax increases we have heard so far— moment? so, the tax increases we have heard so far this _ moment? so, the tax increases we have heard so far this year, - moment? so, the tax increases we have heard so far this year, the i moment? so, the tax increases we have heard so far this year, the big tax—raising budget back in march is putting up corporation tax and getting more out of income tax. plus the announcement last month, the manifesto busting announcement of the increase in national insurance contributions. altogether, that will push the tax burden in the uk up to 36% of our national income, we think. that is a level we haven't seen since the mid—1950s and it is a love for the uk has never sustained before. it is still low relative to many western european and scandinavian countries. and it looks like that rise in the tax burden isn't really because of the pandemic, it is because the government is finding it needs to spend more and wants to spend more on things like health and social care, those areas have lots of pressures from rising costs, the changing demographics. it wants to spend more on those areas and it is finding it increasingly hard to cut spending elsewhere to pay for it and therefore is having to increase the size of the state. t therefore is having to increase the size of the state.— size of the state. i wonder if we could turn _ size of the state. i wonder if we could turn to _ size of the state. i wonder if we could turn to the _ size of the state. i wonder if we could turn to the figures - size of the state. i wonder if we could turn to the figures we i size of the state. i wonder if we | could turn to the figures we have had released today. unemployment and vacancies as well. a lot of vacancies, but we can't find the people. what does that say to you, what does that tell is about our economy, what is going on? tt is economy, what is going on? it is worth saying _ economy, what is going on? tt 3 worth saying those unemployment figures are falling and they are low compared to even pre—pandemic. but there is still much uncertainty over there is still much uncertainty over the next few months. we know the furlough scheme only recently came to an end with something like 1 million people still on furlough at that point so there is a risk of rising unemployment in the coming months. in the labour market, it is a complicated picture. in some parts of the economy, there are lots of vacancies and opportunities, but i think in other parts of the economy, large parts of the economy, that is really not the case. for example, some of our analysis has shown, yes, if we want, if you are skilled i'm looking to work as a lorry driver, yes, there are lots of vacancies out there. if you are doing for example there. if you are doing for example the types of roles many older workers do and you are looking for workers do and you are looking for work in london, the vacancy rates actually are really not very high and the competition in the labour market is really quite fierce. ts market is really quite fierce. is there a possibility that the uk economy is overheating? and what is the likelihood that we will see an increase in interest rates? t the likelihood that we will see an increase in interest rates? i think auain, it increase in interest rates? i think again. it is _ increase in interest rates? i think again. it is a _ increase in interest rates? i think again, it is a mixed _ increase in interest rates? i think again, it is a mixed picture. i increase in interest rates? i think| again, it is a mixed picture. there are parts of the uk economy which are parts of the uk economy which are really running quite hot, where there is going to be price increases, there is going to be wage pressures. but there are also large parts of the economy where there is plenty of spare capacity, where you are not seeing that going on. plus parts of the economy that are going to need to adjust to the new ways of working and the new ways in which consumers are behaving oppose the pandemic. there, there is much more spare capacity and overall, it suggests there are reasons to think the economy in many parts of the country and many sectors isn't running that hot. that is what makes the bank of england's challenge very difficult about deciding when and how fast to put up interest rates over coming months and years. cari! over coming months and years. carl emmerson, — over coming months and years. carl emmerson, of— over coming months and years. carl emmerson, of the afs, thank you very much. ., ~ emmerson, of the afs, thank you very much. . ,, i. emmerson, of the afs, thank you very much. ., ~' ,, -- emmerson, of the afs, thank you very much-_ -- the _ emmerson, of the afs, thank you very much._ -- the afs. - emmerson, of the afs, thank you very much._ -- the afs. an i much. thank you. -- the afs. an u date much. thank you. -- the afs. an update now— much. thank you. -- the afs. an update now on — much. thank you. -- the afs. an update now on some _ much. thank you. -- the afs. an update now on some covid i much. thank you. -- the afs. an | update now on some covid figures from the office of national statistics. they are reporting a slight fall in uk covid—19 deaths, which suggests the death registration was stable in the uk in the week ending to the 1st of october 2021. so the number of deaths registered in that week of the 1st of october was 12,132. that was 13% above the five year average. 972 involved covid—19 and 138 fewer than the previous week. so just statistics coming from the 0ns concerning covid—19. the shortlist for this year's riba stirling prize for architecture includes an eco—friendly mosque in cambridge, a museum in the lake district and the centrepiece of a university in south west london. but what makes a good building? today, we're travelling to the north cornwall coast. the tintagel footbridge spans a gorge about 60 metres wide and creates a link that reunites the two halves of tintagel castle for the first time in more than 500 years. when we proposed it to english heritage, i never thought they'd accept. but sometimes, the crazy ideas are actually the best ideas. my name's william matthews and, along with laurent ney and matthieu mallie, from ney & partners, we are the engineers and the designers of the tintagel castle footbridge. the footbridge reconnects the two sides of the medieval castle, built in the 12th century by richard, earl of cornwall. the mainland ward and the island ward were connected by an isthmus of rock which, in a sense, eroded away, and the bridge recreates that link between the two sides. one of the key drivers behind the project — indeed, its very raison d'etre — was to improve accessibility to the site. one of the major problems that tintagel has is this incredibly rocky landscape. we wanted to be able to get lots of people here who couldn't get here _ before. because there were so many steps up to the island, a lot of people couldn't because they had bad knees, they used wheelchairs, whatever it was. now we have essentially step—free access right from the car park all the way through onto the site. and it was so satisfying on the opening day to see literally a queue of wheelchair users from the local village queue up to be the first person to cross the bridge and onto the island. something that they might not have done for many years. in my mind, this was a textbook example of how you should design a major piece of engineering, on a really sensitive heritage or archaeological site. you can look at all sorts of designs for bridges that would have to go through the archaeology on the surface of the island. the elegance of this solution was that it is anchored into the rock on either side, below the sensitive archaeology. very, very clever. the materials we used were important not just structurally, but also, how it would tie into its landscape, its situation. for the bridge deck, we've used slate which is mined from the quarryjust two miles away. 40,000 hand—split and hand—cut slates will have been laid. and it gives that wonderful sound as you walk across and that unique experience that you feel under your foot. when you step out onto the bridge, it is really amazing because - you hear clitter—clatter of the slate. _ it's such a clever design. and the views are i absolutely astonishing. it's wonderful. one word that sort of encapsulates the building, it's not a very architectural word, but for me, it's fun. and it's a kind of project that you can see easily in the cases of users. the fun and enjoyment that they are getting from the project, that's extremely gratifying. the tintagel footbridge on the north cornwall coast is one of six shortlisted entries for the riba stirling prize for britain's best new building. and we will be live at the awards ceremony on thursday at 7.30pm. the creators of superman have announced that the superhero will come out as bisexual in the next edition of his adventures. jonathan kent, the son of clark and lois lane, will share a kiss with a budding journalist. courtney bembridge reports. a superman as we've never seen him before. dc comics say the son of clark kent and lois lane, jon kent, is coming out as bisexual. the creators say the man of steel has always stood for hope, truth and justice and now represents something more. ~ ., , .,' , justice and now represents something more. ~ .,, .,' , .,, more. when i was offered this 'ob, i thou~ht, more. when i was offered this 'ob, i thought. wen. i more. when i was offered this 'ob, i thought, weu. hi more. when i was offered this 'ob, i thought, well, if we i more. when i was offered this 'ob, i thought, well, if we are i more. when i was offered this 'ob, i thought, well, if we are going i more. when i was offered this job, i thought, well, if we are going to i thought, well, if we are going to have a new superman for the dc universe, it feels like a missed opportunity to have another straight white saviour. di: opportunity to have another straight white saviour.— white saviour. dc comics publisher jim lee white saviour. dc comics publisher jim lee said _ white saviour. dc comics publisher jim lee said in _ white saviour. dc comics publisher jim lee said in a _ white saviour. dc comics publisher jim lee said in a statement, i white saviour. dc comics publisher jim lee said in a statement, we i jim lee said in a statement, we couldn't be prouder to tell this important story.— couldn't be prouder to tell this important story. couldn't be prouder to tell this imortantsto .~ �* , ., ., ., important story. we've seen a lot of lgbt superheroes _ important story. we've seen a lot of lgbt superheroes in _ important story. we've seen a lot of lgbt superheroes in the _ important story. we've seen a lot of lgbt superheroes in the past i important story. we've seen a lot of| lgbt superheroes in the past couple of decades. and some of them are not quite household names. but when you can attach _ quite household names. but when you can attach something like this to the name — can attach something like this to the name superman, who is known around _ the name superman, who is known around the — the name superman, who is known around the world, people will pay attention — around the world, people will pay attention. the around the world, people will pay attention. . ., . around the world, people will pay attention. . , �* ., , attention. the comic isn't due to be released until _ attention. the comic isn't due to be released until november, _ attention. the comic isn't due to be released until november, but i attention. the comic isn't due to be released until november, but therej released until november, but there has been plenty of reaction online already. has been plenty of reaction online alread . ., ., ~' has been plenty of reaction online alread . ., , ., already. look, the reactions have been, honestly, _ already. look, the reactions have been, honestly, they _ already. look, the reactions have been, honestly, they have i already. look, the reactions have been, honestly, they have been i been, honestly, they have been overwhelmingly positive, which i wasn't quite expecting. yes, there is a lot of trolling online, but there are so many people reaching out in so many different languages saying what this means to them. i am seeing tweets of people saying they burst into tears when they read the news. that they wished that superman was this when they were growing up, that they could see themselves. people say for the first time ever, they are seeing themselves on superman, something they never thought was possible. his sexuality isn't the only _ thought was possible. his sexuality isn't the only way _ thought was possible. his sexuality isn't the only way the _ thought was possible. his sexuality isn't the only way the character i thought was possible. his sexuality isn't the only way the character hasj isn't the only way the character has been updated. in recent editions, he's been advocating for refugees and fighting the climate crisis. is it a bird, is and fighting the climate crisis. is ita bird, is ita plane, or is it social change? 'champing' — that's camping in a church — has become one of the surprise, if unorthodox, travel trends of recent months. so why is it proving so popular? there's been a church on the site in the somerset town of langport for more than 1,000 years. but with a decreasing congregation, all saints hasn't held weekly services since the 1990s. there was a huge amount of upset. it may not have been that there was a regular congregation that suddenly were thrown out because the numbers were quite small. people who really didn't come to the church still saw it as something that was a precious part of their community. so to save it, in common with 350 others, it's looked after by the churches conservation trust. and one way the charity raises money is through church camping, or champing, as it's known. mirren and her two young sons are the guests tonight. first priority is to explore the unique accommodation. i've seen the pillars, the golden eagle, the stained glass. it certainly makes a change from their usual holidays. well, we normally go to cornwall and stay in a bed—and—breakfast. that's been our idea of a getaway for the last two or three years. so this is different because we've never gone to sleep in a church before. and this is amazing, it's everything i expected. staying here, i really shouldn't be saying this, is like staying inside a ghost story. ghost stories may attract some, but one of the volunteers here, annie, says there's no need to be scared. so, i've been here with a group of young people, there were about 12 of us. you'd think it's scary, but it's not. it's got a really nice atmosphere. you wake up in the morning and the light is coming through the windows. it just feels really calm and relaxing. you've got this glorious space all to yourself and it's really good for hide and seek, really good. her husband bill believes bringing young people into churches is one of champing's great advantages. if i went to church as a youngster, you were dressed in your sunday best. a freer and more easy way to enjoy the space is very much the whole experience of champing for people. like all charities and, indeed, tourist accommodation, the pandemic has has meant a severe loss in revenue. so, there's a determination to bounce back and to breathe new life into history. john maguire, bbc news, somerset. now it's time for a look at the weather. good morning, this morning is a fairly cloudy affair almost across the board. and we have got some patchy rain as well. everything about today says it will be chillier across the north—east of the country and eventually, we will see clearer skies. we have some across the north—east of scotland. this area of cloud here is a weather front. cloud here is a weatherfront. at the tail end of it, it moved into the tail end of it, it moved into the north sea last night, but is coming back our way. but you will hang on to the bright skies across north—east scotland, later across north—east scotland, later across north—east england. and to the west, where we have got the weather front, we are prone to more cloud and some patchy light rain. into the south—west, south wales, we could see sunshine as we head through the afternoon. but our temperatures nothing dry home about down this east coast. nine to 14 degrees, feeling chilly. inland come in the sunshine, we could get up to 16, 17, may be 18 degrees. this evening and overnight, we still have a lot of cloud across central and western areas. thick enough on coasts and hills for drizzle. at the same time, and other weather front is hills for drizzle. at the same time, and other weatherfront is moving across the north of scotland, introducing some rain. some of which will be heavy, especially across the northern isles. these are our overnight lows in towns and cities. in rural areas, they will fall a bit lower than that. tomorrow morning, we say goodbye quite rapidly to that band of rain and we are left with variable amounts of cloud, some sunshine developing and still a few showers blown across the south—westerly breeze, across the north—west of northern ireland and the north and west of scotland. not as cool down this east coast tomorrow as it is going to be today and across the again, roughly 50 —— 15 to 17 degrees. into thursday, things start to change. a cold front introducing heavier rain and also cooler conditions, brisk winds around. you can see from a northerly direction. head of that, still a fair bit of cloud around at times and some sunny breaks. so it will turn coolerfrom the and some sunny breaks. so it will turn cooler from the north. still mild in the south. 0vernight, thursday and friday, our weather front eventually drifts down towards the south of country where there is a band of cloud. behind it, drier and brighter with some sunshine, still areas of cloud flirting with the north and the west. but we are all in cooler conditions now, as you can see. temperatures nine in lerwick to about 14 or 15 down towards london. this is bbc news — these are the latest headlines in the uk and around the world. "one of the worst public health failures ever" — a report by mps condemns the uk response to the early stages of the covid pandemic. early decisions, in particular our slowness to lock down, had consequences, and we have to confront the need to learn lessons from that. there was praise for the uk's vaccine roll—out — described as one of the most effective initiatives in british scienctific history. we want to know what you think. how would you rate the government's response to the pandemic? get in touch with me on twitter @lukwesaburak, or use the hashtag, #bbcyourquestions.

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