another day, another record. more than 93,000 new cases of coronavirus recorded in the uk in the past 2a hours. a fire in south london in which four young boys died. a 27—year—old woman has been arrested on suspicion of child neglect. cancelled by covid — manchester united is just one of several premier league teams that won't be playing this weekend. and the tv presenter aj 0dudu is forced to pull out of tomorrow's strictly final after tearing a ligament in her ankle. and in sportsday at 6:30 on the bbc news channel... england endure another difficult day in the ashes, with victory in the second test looking increasingly unlikely. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. borisjohnson says he takes personal responsibility for the conservatives' crushing defeat in the north shropshire by—election. the liberal democrats overturned a huge conservative majority of almost 23,000 and won by nearly 6,000 votes. the shock result follows a torrid week for the prime minister, who has faced criticism over downing street parties and a rebellion by his own mps over covid measures. 0ur political editor laura kuenssberg reports. three, two, one! they might not do subtle... three, two, one! they might not do subtle--- it— three, two, one! they might not do subtle... it turns _ three, two, one! they might not do subtle... it turns out _ three, two, one! they might not do subtle... it turns out that _ three, two, one! they might not do subtle... it turns out that if - three, two, one! they might not do subtle... it turns out that if you - subtle... it turns out that if you take the people _ subtle... it turns out that if you take the people for _ subtle... it turns out that if you take the people for granted, i subtle... it turns out that if you i take the people for granted, there is a price to pay. but take the people for granted, there is a price to pay-— is a price to pay. but there was nothin: is a price to pay. but there was nothing subtle _ is a price to pay. but there was nothing subtle about _ is a price to pay. but there was nothing subtle about the - is a price to pay. but there was nothing subtle about the lib i nothing subtle about the lib dems' dramatic burst of the tory bubble in this by—election. thousands upon thousands of voters switched sides. anger with the conservatives means a new lib dem is on their way to the commons. i new lib dem is on their way to the common— new lib dem is on their way to the commons. ~ , , ., ., , commons. i think this is a watershed moment. and — commons. i think this is a watershed moment. and i— commons. i think this is a watershed moment, and i think _ commons. i think this is a watershed moment, and i think we _ commons. i think this is a watershed moment, and i think we brought - commons. i think this is a watershed j moment, and i think we brought new hope to the whole nation, who have been so worried and fed up with borisjohnson. we have now beaten the conservatives in two of their safest seats this year.— the conservatives in two of their safest seats this year. that may be ambitious. — safest seats this year. that may be ambitious, but _ safest seats this year. that may be ambitious, but about _ safest seats this year. that may be ambitious, but about 4:15am, - safest seats this year. that may be ambitious, but about 4:15am, the l ambitious, but about 4:15am, the liberal democrats smashed what had been a tory majority of over 20,000 in north shropshire stop tired but jubilant after weeks of claims of sleaze and misbehaviour in downing street. �* ., , sleaze and misbehaviour in downing street. , , street. boris johnson, the party is over. street. boris johnson, the party is over- many _ street. boris johnson, the party is over- many of _ street. boris johnson, the party is over. many of the _ street. boris johnson, the party is over. many of the prime _ over. many of the prime minister's mps blame the result for the cows under his roof. does he? i am under his roof. does he? i am responsible — under his roof. does he? i am responsible for _ under his roof. does he? i am responsible for everything - under his roof. does he? i am responsible for everything the government does, and of course i take a _ government does, and of course i take a personal responsibility. but what people have been hearing is a constant litany of stuff about politics — constant litany of stuff about politics and politicians, stuff that isn't about them. yet politics and politicians, stuff that isn't about them.— politics and politicians, stuff that isn't about them. yet there is more. it isn't about them. yet there is more. it emerged — isn't about them. yet there is more. it emerged that _ isn't about them. yet there is more. it emerged that this _ isn't about them. yet there is more. it emerged that this man's - it emerged that this man's team, simon case, the most senior civil servant in the country, had a virtual quiz in the office called a christmas party in lockdown. he is the one investigating the whitehall parties. that seems unlikely to last. ,': parties. that seems unlikely to last. i: ms parties. that seems unlikely to last. 232. ms began when the government _ last. 44 ms began when the government tried to change the rules on mps' behaviour when a tory was found to have broken them. unleashing a torrent of claims about big money for second jobs. then the cringeworthy footage of number ten staffjoking about cringeworthy footage of number ten staff joking about their christmas party. staffjoking about their christmas party. then on tuesday, the biggest rebellion of this government so far. borisjohnson is no stranger to drama, to epic highs and chaotic lows. but the political danger to him right now is real and intense, being pounded by voters in what should be the safest of tory seats is the finale of a terrible month brought about in part by a series of mistakes and misjudgments in number ten itself. there are strong, public and fierce private calls to change how he does business, and warnings tonight of what might happen if he does not or cannot. the prime minister is _ does not or cannot. the prime minister is now _ does not or cannot. the prime minister is now in _ does not or cannot. the prime minister is now in last - does not or cannot. the prime minister is now in last ordersl minister is now in last orders time. two strikes already, one earlier this week in the vote in the commons, now this. one more strike and heat out. the commons, now this. one more strike and heat out-— and heat out. the prime minister has alwa s had and heat out. the prime minister has always had enemies _ and heat out. the prime minister has always had enemies inside, - and heat out. the prime minister has always had enemies inside, but - and heat out. the prime minister has always had enemies inside, but a - always had enemies inside, but a former leader who backs him warns that he has to change. he former leader who backs him warns that he has to change.— that he has to change. he is our leader and _ that he has to change. he is our leader and he _ that he has to change. he is our leader and he will— that he has to change. he is our leader and he will lead - that he has to change. he is our leader and he will lead us - that he has to change. he is our leader and he will lead us to - that he has to change. he is ourj leader and he will lead us to the next election. pare leader and he will lead us to the next election.— leader and he will lead us to the next election. �* , ., , ., ., next election. are you sure of that? as lona next election. are you sure of that? as long as — next election. are you sure of that? as long as he _ next election. are you sure of that? as long as he wishes _ next election. are you sure of that? as long as he wishes to _ next election. are you sure of that? as long as he wishes to do - next election. are you sure of that? as long as he wishes to do it, - next election. are you sure of that? as long as he wishes to do it, he i as long as he wishes to do it, he has the right to do it. the party has the right to do it. the party has to get behind him, and he has to deliver on the basis that downing street and the departments are themselves structured and disciplined. that will be the litmus test. ., ., ,, ., , test. you are essentially saying he has to change. _ test. you are essentially saying he has to change, and _ test. you are essentially saying he has to change, and he _ test. you are essentially saying he has to change, and he has - test. you are essentially saying he has to change, and he has to i test. you are essentially saying he | has to change, and he has to make sure the way his government operates has to change or else? that sure the way his government operates has to change or else?— has to change or else? that is alwa s has to change or else? that is always the _ has to change or else? that is always the signal sent - has to change or else? that is always the signal sent by i has to change or else? that is always the signal sent by the l has to change or else? that is i always the signal sent by the public when they feel that things have gone wrong, and the answer to that is simple. it's not more of the same. number ten may take some comfort from the fact that this by—election was a lib dem, nota labour breakthrough. but the cold reality — it's the prime minister who is being put on notice. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, downing street. for the first time since 1832, north shropshire no longer has a conservative mp. 0ur political correspondent alex forsyth has been out speaking to voters in the constituency. as the sun came up, north shropshire awoke to a new political landscape. liberal democrats, 17,957. cheering. this solid tory turf had been shaken. north shropshire! by mid—morning, the lib dem victor had arrived in 0wsworth street to much fanfare. as they celebrated, onlookers contemplated what had happened and why. i'm not a big fan of borisjohnson. he's disappointed all of us. not everyone was thrilled the conservatives had lost. it's very sad when you think they've held it for 200 years, nearly. but for others, it was a moment to mark. iam happy i am happy because it has smacked borisjohnson in the face. why did you vote for them? i had to get boris out. why? just everything, all the parties and everything that they've been having, because i lost a sister to covid. there is clear anger here at recent events in westminster, and that fuelled the lib dem campaign. but for some, it runs deeper. saffron's grandfather was a conservative mp for north shropshire. he says he understands why people turned away from the party. it's part of a national mood, but i think also, it's this mood that is here as well. taken for granted that we'd always be conservative. for this councillor and long—standing tory member, it was a combination — recent events and the broader approach. what's coming out of number ten is beyond the control— of north shropshire. what do hope the national party takes away from this? that they can't take i anything for granted. maybe they forgot i their heartlands a bit. just two years ago, borisjohnson won a landslide at the general election, charging through old labour areas in the midlands and the north of england. the question is, can he deliver for those new tory voters without leaving more traditional supporters in places like this feeling overlooked? paul certainly feels that way. a local dairy farmer, he backed the lib dems for the first time, having voted conservative all his life. they want to look at themselves hard and long and say, "look, we need to get our act together and support businesses more and farming as well," from my own personal point of view, but i feel they really have let us down. of course, this was a victory in a single election in particular circumstances, but it is a sign for the conservatives that something is broken. how they respond could determine how long the damage lasts. but, the lib dems threw everything at this campaign. thea;r but, the lib dems threw everything at this campaign-— at this campaign. they bust in hundreds of— at this campaign. they bust in hundreds of activists - at this campaign. they bust in hundreds of activists and i at this campaign. they bust in hundreds of activists and they| hundreds of activists and they dropped thousands of leaflets through doors. they managed to portray themselves as the main challengers to the conservatives, and it paid off. of course there are questions about whether they could replicate that effort in a general election. there are questions about whether labour might have pushed harder here, but the real questions tonight after the conservative party. you can argue over the reasons why. you can argue over whether this was a one—off or something more sustained, but the bottom line is that there has been a direct message from the voters of north shropshire to downing street, and that is one of deep unhappiness. alex, thank you. for the third day in a row, the uk has had a record number of new coronavirus infections. just over 93,000 have been recorded in the past 2a hours, a rise of almost 40% in a week. in scotland, 0micron has become the dominant strain of covid. the first minister, nicola sturgeon, said the "tsunami of cases" she predicted last week is starting. coronavirus cases are surging across other parts of europe too. denmark is closing theatres and cinemas and restricting restaurant opening hours after record cases there. france is also dealing with a rapid rise in cases. at 11pm tonight british time, france is closing its borders to most british travellers to try to slow the spread of 0micron. here's our health editor hugh pym. boosting in barnsley. a walk—in centre set up yesterday, unlike at many other sites this week, there is no queuing. we've got a lot of vaccinators on—site and a lot of admin support, so patients are getting a really good experience. they are in, they are out and away. emily was one local resident who took advantage of the booster offer. we saw the signs up for the booster, and they said the queue was low, so we thought we would go for it and get in early. there was a big queue outside this clydebank centre today, as the first minister said that omicron was now the dominant strain of the virus in scotland and warned people again to limit social mixing. if what matters most to you is spending time with your loved ones on christmas day, and i think that's what matters right now to most or many of us, don't risk that by going out to then and possibly catching covid. because the reality is, if you are mixing with others just now, getting this virus is a real and increasing risk. the spread of omicron in the uk has led to a french government travel ban on british tourists from 11pm tonight. visitors will need a compelling reason to enter france. the virus is already putting pressure on the french health system, with a new wave of cases. translation: the hospital icu is currently at full capacity as i patients have been coming in for the past 20 days. 70% of the icu patients are positive covid cases. concerns are growing around europe. uk's overall case rates relative to the population has gone up sharply, but france is not that far behind, and denmark in recent days has seen a steep increase, and that's been linked to omicron. the danish government is proposing new restrictions, including closing theatres and cinemas and limiting the numbers of people in shops. there were warnings too from the european commission president. we know that the omicron variant is really threatening us. it is spreading at a ferocious pace and potentially has the risk of escaping our vaccines, at least partially. but there's more positive news on the impact of boosters on omicron. a preliminary uk study suggests they may be as much as 85% effective in preventing people needing hospital treatment. hugh pym, bbc news. in the last few minutes, ireland has also announced tighter restrictions until the end ofjanuary, including bars and restaurants, where she will have to close by apn. —— they will have to close by apn. —— they will have to close by apn. —— they will have to close by hpn. the government's latest coronavirus figures for the uk show there were 93,045 new infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. that's the highest daily figure recorded so far in the pandemic. on average, 68,176 cases were reported per day in the last week. 7,611 people were in hospital with covid as of yesterday. there were 111 deaths of people who died within 28 days of a positive test, which means the average number of deaths over the past seven days was 113. the total number of people who've died with covid now stands at 147,048. today's data for vaccinations hasn't been released yet. the first minister of wales, mark drakeford, says people must brace themselves for the "storm of 0micron". he has announced more covid restrictions to try to slow the spread of the new variant. wales has so far confirmed around 100 cases of 0micron and has not yet had the dramatic increase in cases being seen in england and scotland. but from december 27th, all nightclubs in wales will be closed. social distancing in offices and shops will be reintroduced. there'll also be a two—metre rule in workplaces and one—way systems in shops. face masks are still required in most places and on public transport. hywel griffith is in abergavenny. sophie, there is plenty of festive cheer here but for businesses, it is all tinged with some jangling nerves. today they learnt the new rules for december the 27 onwards, but there is an expectation that more measures could soon follow and even before we get to that date, people are being advised to limit their social interactions, families once again having to make tough decisions and scale back their celebrations. christmas isn't cancelled, itjust got a lot smaller. the welsh government wants people to minimise their mixing, trim back the festive timetable. and that's before the new rules come in on december the 27th. it's a shame, because last christmas was small, and we were hoping this christmas with a new baby and the children we would be able to see lots of people, but it might not be that way. it's sad for families that, you know, grandparents you haven't seen know, grandparents who haven't seen grandchildren for a very long time, and, yeah, it's disappointing. after december the 27th, the two metre rule will return for businesses, old signs back in force before the new year. nightclubs will have to close down completely. tighter rules were considered for pubs, bars and restaurants, but the welsh government says westminster won't give it the cash to support it. these schemes should be available for all nations when they are needed and notjust at the point when restrictions are introduced in england. 0micron has brought us to another crossroads in this pandemic, and once again, the welsh government has gone further than the rest of the uk with its restrictions, something people living in a border town like abergavenny are acutely aware of. this man says he'd prefer the freedom of businesses in england, but knows 0micron has already had hospitality across the uk. half of his christmas day customers have already cancelled. he fears more will follow if restrictions here are increased. if they impose a strict rule, i think the hospitality business will die out. if i have to close, i have to close. even tighter rules could come next week, but there is uncertainty here over whether they will bring salvation. hywel griffith, abergavenny. the chancellor, rishi sunak, has been meeting business representatives after cutting short a trip to america. they're calling for urgent help from the government as the wave of covid hits both retail and hospitality hard. hotels and restaurants have reported large numbers of cancellations at one of their busiest times of the year. danny savage reports from leeds. at the packed horse in central leeds this morning, they were getting ready for what should be the busiest day of the year. it is very hard when boris is telling you to work from home, etc. people are getting worried and they are going to be worried, obviously. you know, i am pretty worried for my business because it's going to be a lot quieter, i think. i've got all the staff in today to make sure that mad friday is mad friday and we go full force at it. and shortly after 11 this morning, the first customers were in, everyone fully aware of covid, but also wanting that traditional christmas drink. i've toned down my plan for today. we were supposed to be out all day and going to another function this evening so i'm going home around tea—time before the town gets too busy. i am just carrying on. i am double—jabbed and boosted sojust got to mitigate the risks as much as possible. round the cornerjane and pat carefully planned to meet up. i took a lateral flow test earlier when i got up this morning just to make sure i was ok and there was no danger to my friend. i want to protect my friend as well as myself. what was happening is people were starting to want to pull out of the party. catherine employs 70 people but reluctantly cancelled this week's work christmas party. and ijust thought it was terrible if somebody went back, got covid and then perhaps couldn't go home, spend christmas with their mum, dad, their grandparents. so i wanted to preserve their family christmas because we can have another christmas party at another time. at this stage in december these shopping streets should be busier, but retailers like this one in northampton could really do with some bumper days. it is even more important this year, just to bring as much money in as we can so we can fight another day. it has definitely affected it in the last week or two. not so many people around. staff being hit by covid is a worry as well. the biggest thing retailers are worried about and monitoring on a daily, almost hourly basis is absence rates because that is really critical when the labour market is so tight at this time of year. back in leeds the manager here says this well—ventilated marquee has saved his business, but they are being strict on cancellations. we sent an e—mail on tuesday to everyone who has booked in december and it basically told them you will be charged if you don't let us know, please let us know the circumstances, and we have had probably 150 cancelled, but we've got over 6000 bookings so 150 is not really that bad. all: merry christmas! hospitality and retail need a busy run into christmas. businesses are looking for help again from the government in the form of tax breaks, but they have not come yet. danny savage, bbc news, leeds. our top story this evening... borisjohnson boris johnson says borisjohnson says he takes personal responsibility for the crushing defeat in the north shropshire by—election. and i am at tottenham hotspur monitoring the ongoing effect of covid. coming up in sportsday in the next 15 minutes on the bbc news channel, we'll look at how the rise in covid—19 cases have impacted football fixtures across the uk. the premier league, football league and wsl have all been hit. a 27—year—old woman has been arrested on suspicion of child neglect after four children died in a house fire in south london last night. 60 firefighters were called to a house in sutton. london fire brigade confirmed that the only people in the house when they arrived were two sets of twin boys, aged 3 and 4. an investigation is under way to find out how the blaze began. helen wilkinson reports from the scene. the four little boys who were killed in the fire named locally as kyson, bryson, layton and logan. they were found alone inside the house when crews arrived. richard doores is a neighbour. the fire brigade had came out on the roof, they broke the window, smoke came out. came through the back of my house into the front. by that time, the fire brigade had gone into the front door and started to run. they had a look around and they pulled four children out. the scale of the emergency response was huge. 60 fire fighters tackled the intense flames. they ripped through the entire ground floor. the children were taken to hospital, it is there where they died. emergency services are used to dealing with difficult incidents, this, though, has been felt deeply. 0ur london fire brigade colleagues acted heroically in recovering the children, and i want to pay particular tribute to them. i know this incident will have a lasting impact on them and on the police officers and paramedics who were involved. flowers, teddies and messages of sympathy have been left here. two of the boys' nursery teachers were among those who came. they said the children's christmas presents had been waiting for them. the primary school attended by the four—year—old twins said... at the scene, investigations continue tonight into how the fire started as this community comes to terms with such a tragic loss of four little boys days before christmas. helena wilkinson, bbc news, sutton. a man who stabbed to death one of the uk's richest men and attacked his own mother leaving her paralysed has been found guilty of murder. thomas schreiber, who's 35, killed the hotelier sir richard sutton, who was 83, at his home in dorset in april. andrew plant reports. police shout. april this year, armed police responding to calls for help at a mansion set deep in the dorset countryside. shouting. inside, sir richard sutton had been fatally stabbed, his partner, anne schreiber, knifed multiple times, her spinal partially severed. after the attack, thomas schreiber packed a suitcase and fled to london, his car tracked from a police helicopter. before he was arrested by armed police, he sent this chilling voice message to a friend. i've made a mistake. i've let my anger get the better of me and i've killed my mother and i've killed her partner, and this is the last you'll ever hearfrom me. thomas schreiber thought he'd killed his mother, but anne schreiber survived. she's now paralysed. giving evidence from a spinal unit, she said her son had always had a furious temper. in court, witnesses said thomas schreiber felt hatred towards his mother and sir richard, convinced he'd been unfairly treated when it came to money. sir richard sutton owned a property empire, including the sheraton hotel on park lane and the athenaeum in mayfair. sir richard sutton died from a stab wound that penetrated 12 centimetres into his heart. anne schreiber described what she remembered from that night, saying her son appeared behind her with wild eyes. as he was stabbing her, she said it was like he wasn't really there. thomas schreiber will be sentenced for murder and attempted murder on monday. andrew plant, bbc news. cricket, and england are in trouble in the second ashes test in adelaide. australia piled on the runs before declaring on 473 for 9 as it got dark in the day—night game. as night fell, so did england's wickets — both opening batsmen out forjust 17 runs before a thunderstorm intervened to end the second day early. this weekend's football fixtures have been badly hit by covid, with numerous games off because of outbreaks among staff and players at clubs. laura scott is at tottenham, one of the few games in the premier league still due to go ahead on sunday. laura. as things stand, and things have changed very quickly this week, tottenham are due to play liverpool here on sunday. five of this week's premier league games have been called off. it is notjust the premier league. half of english football league fixtures have been postponed this weekend due to covid and tennis and rugby union are also affected. with the fixture chaos and the recent surge in cases have led to calls for a so—called circuit breaker with managers and players favouring a break of a few weeks. but there is resistance from others and league bosses are keen to keep the show on the road. there were similar debates last december, but one chief executive told me tonight the momentum behind a circuit breaker are greater than they were last year. there was a fresh post to encourage players to get vaccinated after it emerged a quarter of efl players do not intend to getjabbed. given the congested calendar at christmas and the uncontrollable outbreaks at some squads, they will meet on monday to discuss how best to manage this ever worsening crisis. it's the strictly come dancing final tomorrow night but the tv presenter aj 0dudu and her partner kai widdrington have been forced to pulled out of the final show. aj has torn a ligament in her right ankle. she has been on crutches this week. but today it was confirmed she won't be dancing. she says she is "deeply upset" that she can't perform. it means there are just two couples left in the competion. rose ayling—ellis, the first deaf contestant to take part in the series. and john whaite, the first man to dance in a same sex couple. nikki fox has been talking to them both about breaking down barriers. making history as the first deaf contestant on strictly come dancing, rose ayling—ellis has changed the game. moments like this, dancing in silence, has busted myths about what it is really like to be deaf. i know that being deaf, there is nothing wrong, it's such a joy to be deaf. rose has introduced millions to british sign language and just by being on the show made it more accessible on and off camera. i feel really proud of that and i did that while enjoying myself and that is so lovely. i didn't have to fight for it, itjust happened and that is what it should be like for all other disabilities. what are you doing? but for deaf and disabled actors like rose there are many barriers in the way to achieving success. i have been to auditions in a property that is not accessible. this film has been made by a group of people who all work in the industry and they are fed up. having a disabled loo as my green room because the green room is up two flights of stairs, so we thought we would put you a mat down on the floor here in the toilet. jack, what is the state of the industry for deaf and disabled talent? it's pretty abysmal right now. there is exclusion everywhere. the efforts being made to solve that exclusion are pitiful. is seeing somebody like rose on strictly, is that enough? it's not enough but it is glorious. rose isn't the only contestant this year breaking down barriers. john and johannes are strictly�*s first all—male couple. i was wondering how you both feel about being part of what is definitely the most diverse strictly final that there has ever been. it's an honour. to be part of this, we've got rose representing the deaf community, aj is a proud black woman. and we are a same—sex couple but an interracial couple. itjust goes to show how far society has come. even though aj has had to pull out of the final due to injury, all three couples have shown that by expressing themselves through dance every single week, celebrating what makes them who they are, is what has got them to this point. nikki fox, bbc news. time for a look at the weather, here's ben rich. we have had mixed fortunes of weather today, some glorious sunshine in parts of scotland and northern england, elsewhere rather cloudy. tonight some dense mist and fog patches will develop in the north—east of england and it will be problematic tomorrow morning. northern ireland, most of wales and england will be cloudy and mild with temperatures no lower than five to 8 degrees. much colderfurther temperatures no lower than five to 8 degrees. much colder further north. we have got this area of high pressure which will be around with us through saturday and sunday. tending to drift further north which will allow something a bit cooler to spread out across the north sea. that will be noticeable on sunday afternoon. for many