news story. when the f-word is the client? fiasco _ news story. when the f-word is the client? fiasco gate - news story. when the f-word is the client? fiasco gate about i the client? fiasco gate about the client? fiasco gate about the fiasco — the client? fiasco gate about the fiasco but _ the client? fiasco gate about the fiasco but it _ the client? fiasco gate about the fiasco but it was - the client? fiasco gate about the fiasco but it was two - the client? fiasco gate about l the fiasco but it was two weeks a-o the fiasco but it was two weeks ago we — the fiasco but it was two weeks ago we said on the audio podcast _ ago we said on the audio podcast we said it could be party — podcast we said it could be party gate and here we are! | party gate and here we are! mean, i've party gate and here we are! i mean, i've got really into pro cable. ., ~' mean, i've got really into pro cable. . ., , ., cable. --poke bowl. what is a oke cable. --poke bowl. what is a poke bowl? — cable. --poke bowl. what is a poke bowl? get _ cable. --poke bowl. what is a poke bowl? get crispy - cable. --poke bowl. what is a poke bowl? get crispy onions | poke bowl? get crispy onions and fish and _ poke bowl? get crispy onions and fish and it _ poke bowl? get crispy onions and fish and it is _ poke bowl? get crispy onions and fish and it is a _ poke bowl? get crispy onions and fish and it is a big - and fish and it is a big combination of quite different things. combination of quite different thins. ., ~' combination of quite different thins. ., ~ ., , things. you think a while, they auoin to things. you think a while, they going to go — things. you think a while, they going to go together— things. you think a while, they going to go together and - things. you think a while, they going to go together and it's . going to go together and it's actually... going to go together and it's actually- - -— going to go together and it's actuall ~., . ., actually... magic in the mouth. it's actually... magic in the mouth. it's tasty! _ actually... magic in the mouth. it's tasty! let's _ actually... magic in the mouth. it's tasty! let's have _ actually... magic in the mouth. it's tasty! let's have some - it's tasty! let's have some magic in your ears on this episode of newscast. hopefully it's episode of newscast. hopefully its magic- _ episode of newscast. hopefully it's magic. newscast _ episode of newscast. hopefullyi it's magic. newscast newscast, from the bbc. hello, it's chris in the newscast studio feeling very humble at myjam sandwich lunch. i very humble at my 'am sandwich lunch. . . very humble at my 'am sandwich lunch. ., ., ., , very humble at my 'am sandwich lunch. . . ., , ., lunch. i had a dairy leave. laura in — lunch. i had a dairy leave. laura in the _ lunch. i had a dairy leave. laura in the same - lunch. i had a dairy leave. laura in the same studiol lunch. i had a dairy leave. i laura in the same studio but lunch. i had a dairy leave. - laura in the same studio but in adam's — laura in the same studio but in adam's seat. laura in the same studio but in adams seat-— adam's seat. and adam in laura's seat _ adam's seat. and adam in laura's seat and _ adam's seat. and adam in laura's seat and i'm - adam's seat. and adam in laura's seat and i'm going | adam's seat. and adam in i laura's seat and i'm going to go in a couple of minutes because we have a former cabinet minister coming in and because of the kofod rules we cannot be in the same rule of the same time, that is ok, i was sitting chris mason's cupboard. was sitting chris mason's cuoboard-_ was sitting chris mason's cuboard. �*, ., ., cupboard. it's one of those weeks are _ cupboard. it's one of those weeks are you _ cupboard. it's one of those weeks are you open - cupboard. it's one of those weeks are you open up - cupboard. it's one of those | weeks are you open up your notebook and tell us about, as you have described it, fiasco of all of this smorgasbord of... . ., ., ., of... hang on, what are we auoin of... hang on, what are we going to — of... hang on, what are we going to take _ of... hang on, what are we going to take from - of... hang on, what are we going to take from the - going to take from the smorgasbord first? shall we talk about plan b and england going into the new kofod measures first? if going into the new kofod measures first?- going into the new kofod measures first? if you are watching _ measures first? if you are watching at _ measures first? if you are watching at home - measures first? if you are watching at home or- measures first? if you are - watching at home or listening to the — watching at home or listening to the podcast, there will be bil to the podcast, there will be big changes again to help people live their lives because the government is tightening restrictions on covid—i9 in england _ restrictions on covid—i9 in england because the omicron variant— england because the omicron variant is— england because the omicron variant is spreading faster than — variant is spreading faster than anybody thought it was going — than anybody thought it was going to. and obviously that matters _ going to. and obviously that matters to businesses and managers to hospitals at matters to help people live their— matters to help people live their lives, of course, but it is already— their lives, of course, but it is already run into pretty significant tory resistance, there — significant tory resistance, there are _ significant tory resistance, there are a couple of dozen tory— there are a couple of dozen tory mps _ there are a couple of dozen tory mps already saying double vote against it and it's really stirred — vote against it and it's really stirred the pot during what has really — stirred the pot during what has really been an awkward political moment. anything that is really— political moment. anything that is really upset about is the introduction of covid classes where — introduction of covid classes where you have to show your qr code _ where you have to show your qr code if— where you have to show your qr code if you — where you have to show your qr code if you want to go to a nightclub or larger venue or even — nightclub or larger venue or even an— nightclub or larger venue or even an outdoor venue with lots of people — even an outdoor venue with lots of people at it and you consider government has tried to blunt — consider government has tried to blunt some of the criticism by saving _ to blunt some of the criticism by saying it isn'tjust to blunt some of the criticism by saying it isn't just two vaccine _ by saying it isn't just two vaccine doses, also they could have _ vaccine doses, also they could have gone _ vaccine doses, also they could have gone further and said you had to— have gone further and said you had to get brewster to get your private — had to get brewster to get your private past, that's it didn't have — private past, that's it didn't have a _ private past, that's it didn't have a negative lateral flow test — have a negative lateral flow test and they are available for free from _ test and they are available for free from the pharmacy if there are no— free from the pharmacy if there are no better intrusion into your— are no better intrusion into your life _ are no better intrusion into your life and there is the sunset— your life and there is the sunset clause in the review point — sunset clause in the review point so _ sunset clause in the review point so they are trying to reassure _ point so they are trying to reassure people but it has not reassured _ reassure people but it has not reassured the people who are annoyed _ reassured the people who are annoyed. it reassured the people who are anno ed. . , reassured the people who are anno ed. ., ., ~ reassured the people who are anno ed. ., ,, ., annoyed. it has that kind of -a ers annoyed. it has that kind of papers please _ annoyed. it has that kind of papers please society - annoyed. it has that kind of papers please society thing| papers please society thing about it. ~ ,,., , papers please society thing about it._ the . about it. absolutely. the conservative _ about it. absolutely. the i conservative backbenchers, about it. absolutely. the - conservative backbenchers, it isn't british.— isn't british. that's right, so ou are isn't british. that's right, so you are hearing _ you are hearing words like draconian, one tory mp yesterday was talking about these — yesterday was talking about these being socialist measures which — these being socialist measures which are — these being socialist measures which are a conservative mp of that flavour isjust which are a conservative mp of that flavour is just about the worst — that flavour is just about the worst insult you could give anyone _ worst insult you could give anyone in their view. the road to hell. yeah, _ anyone in their view. the road to hell. yeah, it's— anyone in their view. the road to hell. yeah, it's really, - to hell. yeah, it's really, really staring _ to hell. yeah, it's really, really staring things - to hell. yeah, it's really, really staring things up l to hell. yeah, it's really, i really staring things up and there — really staring things up and there is— really staring things up and there is a lot of unhappiness about— there is a lot of unhappiness about it _ there is a lot of unhappiness about it. let's be clear — lahour— about it. let's be clear — labour is _ about it. let's be clear — labour is very likely to come in behind _ labour is very likely to come in behind the government, even though— in behind the government, even though they don't like the way the plans have been brought together but they have all the way through this pandemic basically back to the government and it would be pretty— government and it would be pretty astonishing if they didn't— pretty astonishing if they didn't really take the opportunity the moment so this is out _ opportunity the moment so this is out into— opportunity the moment so this is out into the deep anger and anxiety— is out into the deep anger and anxiety and this is why in policy— anxiety and this is why in policy before it even gets to the other shenanigans. party ate, i the other shenanigans. party gate. i am — the other shenanigans. party gate, i am not _ the other shenanigans. party gate, i am not comfortable l gate, i am not comfortable calling at that. i don't think it is rich that yet but when people say what is happening with the party? you mean the conservative party or the party that the conservative party had? the barty party? have to be clear. let's talk about the alleged downing street christmas party on the 18th of december last it is being investigated by simon case the cabinet secretary so does this draw a line under party gate for now? ., draw a line under party gate for now? he. no. you thought it for now? no. no. you thought it miaht for for now? no. no. you thought it might for a _ for now? fin. no. you thought it might for a bit. for now? fin. no. you thought it might fora bit. yes, about five — might fora bit. yes, about five minutes. so might for a bit. yes, about five minutes.— five minutes. so two other arties five minutes. so two other parties or— five minutes. so two other parties or gatherings - five minutes. so two other| parties or gatherings which they euphemistically called by michael ellis and the collins early on,. one from the 27th of november which is what we think is the set of leaving things. we talked about this last week when _ we talked about this last week when a — we talked about this last week when a member of staff of leaving _ when a member of staff of leaving and borisjohnson leaving and boris johnson titled _ leaving and borisjohnson titled along and said a few words _ titled along and said a few words and a few people were sitting — words and a few people were sitting around drinking and it was — sitting around drinking and it was denied this was a party, or of an— was denied this was a party, or ofan impromptu was denied this was a party, or of an impromptu gathering on the crucial distance between that — the crucial distance between that and _ the crucial distance between that and the atvs i have been told _ that and the atvs i have been told by— that and the atvs i have been told by somebody who was there, people _ told by somebody who was there, people were invited outside and invites — people were invited outside and invites went out and they were food, — invites went out and they were food, games and drinks. nibbles. the other is the department of education. they have _ department of education. they have admitted it. i did face up to it _ have admitted it. i did face up to it after— have admitted it. i did face up to it after it was exposed in a newspaper so it's either they proactively came out and confessed! no. it is to point to the — confessed! no. it is to point to the distinction between how you respond to somebody, as you say, _ you respond to somebody, as you say, you — you respond to somebody, as you say, you know what, this was a perception— say, you know what, this was a perception and a kind of hoses it down — perception and a kind of hoses it down. the thing civil servant _ it down. the thing civil servant of the department of education was part of the seiect— education was part of the select committee that day. there — select committee that day. there was that. it was in the canteen _ there was that. it was in the canteen and people bought their own stuff therefore that is the party, — own stuff therefore that is the party, maybe people had poked bowls — party, maybe people had poked bowls i— party, maybe people had poked bowls. i thought it was something in pokemon goal. i thought that was something in pokemon go. i'll buy you a poke bowl one day! the point despite all this, though, isn't it, is the political disturbance it's creating, which is huge. it's not really about whether there were poke bowls or dairylea triangles at a party. as a result of this, i was always surprised when i came back to westminster full time at the start of this year how many people in the conservative party would openly speculate to you about when borisjohnson wasn't prime minister and who could take overfrom him. and i was really surprised that this early in his prime ministership. .. he that's a never—ending westminster conversation, who's the next prime minister. because they all want to be it! as a newbie, i was surprised how easy it was to get people to talk about it, but it's actually become even easier this week! yeah, because it's a real serious conversation now, right? so it's not frivolous leadership speculation, which you're right, politicians in all parties love and adore. they love talking about themselves — sorry, but it's true. they love talking about their own ambitions, and often very noble ambitions, to try to do what they think the right thing is for the country. but the fiasco of the last few weeks has meant that this is a conversation that is now happening very overtly in the conservative party. overtly covertly. yeah, very overtly covertly, but also i think seriously. and i think it's far fetched to consider that right now there's going to be an immediate challenge. although one former minister said to me today he'd had two approaches in the last few days to "put in a letter", and that's tory code for putting a letter to the boss of the kind of shop steward for tory mps, greg brady of the 22... and that's proof of organisationing. ..to trigger a leadership contest. but i'm just saying, to underline it, i think to talk about something immediate is a bit far fetched. but there are absolutely conversations about how they might... ..what life after boris johnson might look like. and there were all sorts of sort of great metaphors whizzing around. i mean, one very experienced mp said to me, look, stage one of the tory leadership transition where everybody agrees that the prime minister might be running out of road, is complete. we are at a stage two where we talk about, you know, who, how and when, and stage two often takes a very long time. so there's two different things, you know, you listen to the first half of that, you go, "oh, my god!" imminent! but these conversations are happening. now, another senior mp said to me, look, this is fixable, it can be fixed, and boris johnson has a chance to do this, but there's such intense pressure on him basically to sharpen up. and i'm going to do it — i'm going to open my notebook because i can't help myself. here we go. so this is someone who backed borisjohnson, ok, just to be clear. "it's like a theme park of soft decision making in number ten." "the helter—skelter, the lost in space, there's the final ride, which is make the decision and if you can stick to it by the end of the ride." "they all have to be shut down — we need not to have a fairground." "this is the big moment when every politician has to face up to the reality of who they are." "he needs to be honest about himself." a colourful phrase maker! isn't it? a very colourful phrase maker who, of course, shall remain anonymous. but it was interesting, this person went on to compare this situation actually to westland and margaret thatcher. so, you know, when a politician, a prime minister, has a terrible moment, they have to look themselves in the mirror and think, "ok, what do i do?" "do i carry on like this, or do i actually make some tough, honest decisions about how i comport myself?" "or do i need other people around me?" and making those comparisons with those affairs of the past that have defined a leadership or pointed to a kind of pivot point in a leadership — quite something. that's what's so interesting about it. also, that theme—park metaphor is quite a good one as well, because everyone loves a trip to a theme park, but actually you wouldn't want to live there. there you go! you go there for a thrill at the weekend, and then the rest of the time you're at work, knuckling down. and you're relieved when you get off the ride. yes! oh, my god, a metaphor a minute, you have to queue for ages for it to start, and it costs a lot of money! someone in cabinet said to me a couple of weeks ago said, we're all living on planet boris, but planet boris doesn't have any rules, right? but there's always a danger in political stories that people just get completely carried away with the narrative. and let's remember, and in fact i think we've sat in the studio and said this literally before, when borisjohnson actually quit as foreign secretary, and i think we were sort of saying anyone whoever says he's a busted flush and it's all over is talking... it was you and i stood in the sunshine outside his place. yeah, they're talking nonsense, you know, this is a man who's made a successful career and ended up in number ten based on a love of flouting convention. and it would be so easy for people to sort ofjust get completely carried away with this inside the tory party and think that somehow the moment is gone. but, you know, two weeks ago when we had the owen paterson affair, we were saying, "oh, could this be a tipping point?" "could it be a turning point?" who's got any idea? does it now feel as if this is quite a criticaljunction? yeah, i've got to tell you two little anecdotes from speaking to cabinet ministers on zoom. so grant shapps, so i was putting to both grant shapps and to the defence secretary, ben wallace, about all this fiasco stuff. all the big names. yes, exactly, staring into my laptop and talking to grant shapps, who said, "i don't really want to get into all of this." i bet he didn't! "my focus is hitachi trains." but it has also today been a really good reminder that just being prime minister is not a normaljob in any sense, and the people that do it are not normal people. and yes, this is yet another reminder this week, isn't it, for the umpteenth time, that borisjohnson is not a normal prime minister, and british politics in the 2020s would yet again be likely to be turned down by any publisher looking for a political drama forjust simply being too far fetched. do you reckon it's time to open the studio door and bring in our newscast guest for this week? i think we should. robert buckland, former cabinet minister, former justice secretary. so, adam, we've got that thing, haven't we, that awkward social moment when the three of us are back in here, but we can't really have a fourth, cos that's a bit much in these covid times. i'm going to listen to robert buckland, but not see him, cos i'm going to go and sit in your cupboard. give him my love! oh, well, thank you, enjoy the the boutique of news. i promise i'll go in the cupboard next week, i've not had a turn in there yet. that's true, but we've had you in your spare room at home. that's true, or in a cab or walking around or wherever else. back of taxis, all of that. well, thank you very much for taking my seat in the studio, and welcome robert buckland, hello! hello, good to see you andl thank you for being so kind! we've done our own reshuffle, hopefully that doesn't bring back too many bad memories for you! 0h! thank you! moving on! you are a trained lawyer, you were thejustice secretary for quite a long time, so a lot of your career has been about fairness, proportionality, what is just. do you think the plan the restrictions, and covid certificates in particular, kind of tick all the boxes of fairness and proportionality? i think that we are getting into the right place. - i think that experience has taught us throughout thisl pandemic that being wise| after the event isn't really good enough when it comesj to what we need to be doing to control the proliferation of this disease. _ and i think we've also learned i about the way in which we bring the public with us i on these measures. this is quite a different - challenge from previous ones where we have done well with delta, we have got. the boosters being rolled out, and the public can be perhaps| forgiven for thinking, . god, not again, really? is this going to be i lockdown territory? are we really going to have . another christmas like the one we had before ? i get all that sentiment. but at the same time, | the british public now, two years into this, . have learned as well, and they are not stupid, i and already you are seeing decisions they are making about their own lives, - you are seeing, even i around london, you are seeing fewer people. you are seeing people scaling back perhaps i on their activities, . and therefore i think they will accept these - measures, or the bulk of these measures, as proportionate, particularly facemasks, - i think, having certainty- and continuity and consistency is helpful. i think stay at home | advice and guidance, again, something l people understand. covid passes, a bit of a more vexed question, i would say. j but i would say there needs to be more of a mission- to explain here, and if there l is new material or information that perhaps i and others haven't seen, well, - bring it on. let's face it, though, robert, a lot of this is made deeply, deeply difficult for the government by the fiasco that has been going on in and around downing street, whether that is over the parties or over borisjohnson and his seeming inability, according to the electoral commission report, to get a grip on his own personalfinances. you know borisjohnson well. how much do you think that the shambles that has developed in the last few weeks is damaging his brand as a leader, and your party's brand in the view of the public? you need public goodwill at the moment to cope with the pandemic. how much damage is being done? we do, and, look, ithink the tone he struck in- prime minister's questions yesterday was actually the right one. - two weeks for an apology? i think he made it very clear that he got public concern. and public anger about this i sort of perception that you do as i say, not as i do, which clearly i thinkl he understands very well and has the capacity- of undermining the messaging and confidence in the system. | let's not dance around this, it's a problem, i of course it is. let's cut to the quick on all of this because the overlapping thing around all of this, whether it be the stuff around the flat or the parties a year ago, is the allegation that gets levelled at boris johnson, by labour and others, it was asked directly in the lobby briefing for westminster reporters at lunchtime today, which is that — has the prime minister lied? that's a huge word and yet it's one now that is being frequently thrown around by the government's opponents. and that's dangerous, isn't it? look, this prime minister. is not unique in having had allegations thrown at them. all right, this particular set of circumstances, l you know, everybody loves — something about wallpaper and westminster. - i remember derry irvine's wallpaper when he was i lord chancellor- a few before me... did you ever buy any flash wallpaper? no, i don't. i much prefer a plain- emulsion, so much easier! magnolia? have you ever tried| hanging wallpaper? it's a nightmare! no ~~ _ cutting around the curtain rails! nightmare! nightmare, and i gather that the wallpaper in - numberten started peeling off or- something, i heard that story. but we won't go there! you just did! _ but look, people accuse politicians, usually- from another party, of being economical with the truth, l lying, this is nothing new. let's just strip away - all of that and come back to, i think, a fundamental point here, which is, - you know, government is really hard. - it is exhausting. | tell me about it! i spent years doing it. notatthe— prime ministerial level, which is anotherl dimension again. and i think it is really. important in those jobs that you work as i smartly as you can. you use all the resources that you have at your disposal, - you trust in some of- the systems of government, and that you have that sort of capacity to govern. - so, what does he need to do now then to get back on the straight and narrow? boris johnson is the _ greatest campaigner of our age, he's a fantastic campaigning politician, but we have got. so much content as a government that we need to do. _ let's actuallyjust get - on with the job of governing. that might sound a bit boring, it might sound a bit mundane, a bit dull, but you know what? i think that's what we need. i have spoken to many, many mps and ministers this week. they are talking, privately and amongst themselves, about whether boris johnson is still the right person to be in number ten. you know that unless you've been going around with your fingers in your ears all week or only talking about wallpaper! do you worry, as somebody who knows him well and as somebody who i'm sure wishes him well, you know, you didn't leave government because you fell out. no, exactly. do you worry that this could turn out to be a very dangerous moment, some kind of turning point? and, actually, a lot of your colleagues have been saying privately, it looks like he is past the peak of his powers. look, you are right, i do wish him well. i i know he can do this. but at the moment i think, if i was him - looking in the mirror, i'd be saying, surely i can do this better. | and that sort of capacity for self—improvement. and intelligent, _ just a recalibration of the way things are done, i think, . would be a sensible move. he can do this, he can do it, but, you know, first- of all, there has to be an acknowledgementl that it can be done better. i promise we will talk about some of the things you are working on now, which are really interesting, but do you think he could do with a different team in number ten to help him do that? well, you know, we can talk about moving scroggins- and boggins and having - new titles and where they sit, it's all nonsense, frankly. it's about him. ultimately, yes, it is, - but it is also about making sure that we attract the sort - of calibre and team who are not frightened to say truth to - power and who work as equals. i'm a great believer- of the doris kearns goodwin school of history, that _ wonderful book, team of rivals, where this hick country lawyer from illinois becomes - president, everybody. thinks he's a bit of a... not up to it, he deliberately fills his cabinet with strongl people who all, by the way, think they can do the job i better than him, and he ends up being one of the greatest - presidents of all time _ because he was confident enough to have strong - people around him. that, i think, is a great model for how run a government. - too many yes men and women around him at the moment? well, i think people have to summon up the blood| and not be frightened. to say what they think. do it in a professional way, of course, that is what - collective decision—making is all about. _ once you have reached the collective cabinet. decision, that is fine, - you stick by it or you get out. but before that point, | there should be plenty of opportunity - for cabinet ministers or others to have - that vigorous debate, probably in committee, that's probably the best place to do it, and then for cabinetl to sign off on those decisions or to have further discussion if there isn't agreement. - i wanted to ask you about your daughter who was diagnosed with autism at ten. it is striking that fewer girls and women are diagnosed than boys. i wonder what your reflection is on your own personal experience is about that and what needs to change. about that and what needs to chan . e. ,, . , about that and what needs to chane. ,, .,, ., , about that and what needs to chance. ,, ., , change. she was a bit younger than that- _ change. she was a bit younger than that- i — change. she was a bit younger than that. l still _ change. she was a bit younger than that. i still find _ change. she was a bit younger than that. l still find it - than that. i still find it quite difficult to talk about, the moment i heard, because part of me was relieved, frankly, that the system was recognising that there was a condition. therefore, statement and was going to follow, but there was part of me that was really upset. suddenly the life path changes and that is something i think a lot of people who have been through the same experience really find it very difficult to talk about. just composing myself for a moment, about. just composing myself fora moment, moving about. just composing myself for a moment, moving the debate more widely, my strong feeling ever since that time was that there are too many families going through this. everything was always a fight. i think where we are now is the diagnosis has improved and we are getting a lot more of it, but the next question of what happens now is not being answered, particularly for young adults. they go through the system and very often has some brilliant special schools like the one in swindon that is fantastic, but they get 19, 20, 21 or 25 and there is nothing and suddenly you have young people sitting at home, doing nothing. the employment rate for autism is to out of ten adults. forthe for autism is to out of ten adults. for the general population, it is eight out of ten. disability it is generally five out of ten. this means there are hundreds of thousands of people who are not fulfilling their potential and it seems to me that unless we scale up research into what type of support and care works, and that sort of drive to open up and that sort of drive to open up potential, then we are just not going to fail people, it will cost us all as a society, a huge amount of resource. autism isn't a disease, it shouldn't be seen as a problem. in many cases, it is a gift, and the human brain, in its different limitations, is an extraordinary thing and people with autism have so much to offer and ijust think with autism have so much to offer and i just think again that sense of wonder and potential is such an important part of what i am trying to do. what are your hopes now for your own daughter? what i have been encouraged by is the support she has hadj in school, and the things- she does and she is able to do with trained support. it isjust wonderful- to be able to have that. but in adulthood, you know, i would like to think - that she is going to be able to live independently- with support and, you know, i maybe even have a job of some sort or some activity - that is meaningful for her. and that we don't sit - injudgment on the quality of her life in a way that - i think actually does damage to the whole issue of autism. and disability more generally. i think we can do that, - but we are going to need them through the autism strategy, - and through the accommodation, the housing issue that is being addressed in the social care i white paper, we really need to focus on that i because in the big social care debate, we naturally talk- about the adult with disability issue and the fact that many. families will have 20, 30, 40, 50 years of caring - responsibility for an| adult with disability. and i was the only one in cabinet who talked i about this back in september. and we've just got to keep on banging the drum. - and that's why i didn't . vote with the government on the health bill recently because if we don't cover| the question of adults with disabilities, - we rearw— not answering the issue. robert, thank you so much. this is why i love doing newscast, because we get to stir the pot with you as a politician and then our little family gets to hear more about yourfamily in a kind of really sweet way. so thank you very much. thank you and you got a lot out of me there! | thank you so much. thank you. thank you, lovely to see | you and to speak to you. thanks for tuning in to this episode of newscast. we will be back with another one very soon. bye. bye, everyone. bye. hello there. thursday brought a day of contrasting weather conditions, glorious blue sky and sunshine in west sussex. nearly six hours of sunshine before the rain arrived late on in the afternoon. as for friday, we could actually see plenty of sunshine yet again in many places. there will be a scattering of sharp showers and it will feel pretty chilly for most of us. however, as we head into the weekend, the story is changing. it will turn increasingly cloudy with some rain around, but, more noticeably, it will turn milder. before that, though, this weather front continues to clear away. the winds swing round to a north—westerly and that's going to feed in some showers from the word go across the far north and west of scotland. it's going to be a chilly start as well first thing this morning with low single figures in the north. now, some of these showers could be heavy with some hail and thunder mixed in there as well. and they will drift their way downwards to the cheshire gap towards the midlands, but you can also see there's a good slice of dry, sunny weather to be found for many particularly sheltered eastern areas, central and southern england as well. temperatures generally around it to 9 degrees, so still a little below par really for the time of year. however, as we head into the weekend, here's the change. and they're going to swing the wind direction around to the south—westerly, so that's going to feed in some milder air from the south—west and that's going to gradually nudge its way northwards for the second half of the weekend. it does come at a price — it means more cloud around. perhaps some early morning brightness in sheltered eastern areas. clouding over from the west with the rain pushing in, and some of it turning quite heavy along west—facing slopes as well. in terms of the feel of the weather, if we keep those clearer skies, 6 or 7 degrees for a time, but out to the west, the milder air showing its hand, we'll likely to see 10 to 12 celsius. then on sunday, it's going to be a rather cloudy, damp, misty, murky kind of day with outbreaks of rain perhaps threatening into the far north and west. but look at the temperatures — widely we're likely to see highs of ii to m degrees. that's just above the average really for this time of year. and that milder trend is set to stay with us for the week ahead, although cloud cover could be a bit of an issue from time to time. that's it. take care. welcome to bbc news, i'm rich preston. our top stories: guilty of faking a hate crime — a jury in chicago convicts the american actorjussie smollett. 26 chicago police officer spent 3000 hours of time for a fake crime that never occurred, and by the way, a fake crime that denigrates what a real hate an unofficial tribunal in london finds evidence of crimes against humanity and genocide against china's uyghur minority. the pressure grows on borisjohnson as an investigation into covid rule—breaking is expanded