lord frost, resigns — citing concerns about what he called the government's "direction of travel." richard rogers — the architect behind buildings including the pompidou centre, in paris, and the lloyds building, in london, has died at the age of 88. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. the health secretary, sajid javid, has urged us all to be cautious in the run up to christmas and says he can't rule out further restrictions as the government continues to battle the fast—spreading omicron variant. mrjavid said seven people have now died after contracting omicron and it was already the dominant strain in england as well as in scotland. sanchia berg reports. # driving home for christmas...# to the sound of christmas songs, people queued this morning forjabs outside a chilly wembley stadium. omicron accounts for an estimated 80% of cases in london now. people are trying to protect themselves and their family christmas plans. i would prefer to have it done before christmas. i have an elderly grandfather who is 90 years old so i want to be able to see him and get this over and done with. as soon as i heard that they have an event here where they are giving the boosters out, so i decided to book one immediately for myself. it feels really good. but the virus is spreading so rapidly, the health secretary didn't rule out new restrictions even for next week. there are no guarantees in this pandemic. i think at this point we have to keep everything in review. he urged people across the country to be cautious in the days ahead. if i'm going to see my mum for example, who is very elderly, like most older people, she's more vulnerable than younger people, i will take a test and i mightjust not have the usual amount of hugs i get from my mum. you just take a little bit of caution and i think that's a sensible response but the most important thing that anyone can do right now is to get boosted. earlier this week in central london people were still out and about, but venues were generally quieter now as the variant spreads and scientist warn they cannot say how severe it will be. frankly, the evidence is not there that it is either less severe or more severe than the delta variant. we just don't know, but what we do know is that the cases are rising very fast. so far, there are 85 patients in english hospitals with omicron and seven confirmed deaths, but the health secretary said they were typically infected over a fortnight ago, well before omicron became the dominant strain. sanchia berg, bbc news. this afternoon, the uk health security agency has updated us on the latest number of confirmed omicron cases. there were 12,133 new confirmed omicron cases in the uk — though the real number is expected to be far higher because it takes time to confirm cases are omicron and not all positive tests are sampled. there have been a total of 104 hospitalisations with either confirmed or suspected omicron and 12 deaths. we have just heard about the overall number of covid cases for the latest 24—hour period, we know sometimes over the weekend the figure can be lowered because reporting is slower, but the uk is reporting 82 to that among 82,866 covid cases overall of all variants, compared to 94,000 yesterday. joining me now isjohn burn—murdoch, data journalist at the financial times. these statistics are making some of our heads spin. hoping you could help us out with some of them. we are told scientific advisers believe omicron is the dominant variant now in this country and that cases of it are, or it will be, doubling sooner. yet we saw about 10,000 on the growing cases yesterday, 12,000 today. out of the total number of cases, 90,000 yesterday and 88,000 today. can you explain who is right, who is wrong? i today. can you explain who is right, who is wrong?— who is wrong? i think you already alluded to this _ who is wrong? i think you already alluded to this in _ who is wrong? i think you already alluded to this in your— alluded to this in your introduction, which is that we always see smaller numbers reported over the weekend because the amount of resources being mobilised to analyse test results is lowered at the weekend, so i don't think we can read anything into do slightly lower numbers today. read anything into do slightly lower numbers today-— read anything into do slightly lower numbers today. what about the idea ofthe numbers today. what about the idea of the doubling? _ numbers today. what about the idea of the doubling? how _ numbers today. what about the idea of the doubling? how can _ numbers today. what about the idea of the doubling? how can omicron l numbers today. what about the ideal of the doubling? how can omicron be the dominant variant year if we are seeing 80,000 cases today but only 12,000 seem to be omicron. that seeing 80,000 cases today but only 12,000 seem to be omicron.- 12,000 seem to be omicron. that is 'ust 12,000 seem to be omicron. that is just because — 12,000 seem to be omicron. that is just because of _ 12,000 seem to be omicron. that is just because of how— 12,000 seem to be omicron. that is just because of how that _ 12,000 seem to be omicron. that is just because of how that data - 12,000 seem to be omicron. that is just because of how that data is - just because of how that data is collected. the number of cases known to be omicron is a vast underestimate of the true number. obviously it requires special genomic sequencing to be 100% sure a case is omicron. but we have much quicker turnaround methods for calculating whether a case is likely to be omicron. that is where we get those figures of omicron being dominant. the number of concerned on the growing cases is always much smaller because it has to go through extra checks. 50 smaller because it has to go through extra checks-— extra checks. so it's about how you model based _ extra checks. so it's about how you model based on _ extra checks. so it's about how you model based on what _ extra checks. so it's about how you model based on what you - extra checks. so it's about how you model based on what you already l model based on what you already know? , , �* ., , , know? this isn't modelling, this is no wind. know? this isn't modelling, this is no wind- we _ know? this isn't modelling, this is no wind. we know _ know? this isn't modelling, this is no wind. we know some _ know? this isn't modelling, this is no wind. we know some of- know? this isn't modelling, this is no wind. we know some of the - no wind. we know some of the limitations of the omicron variant means it shows up on certain types of tests we can do. not being able to sample one of the specific genes in that sample. it means it is almost certainly omicron. almost certainly a very high percentage of cases in england are now omicron, but because it takes extra time to be 100% sure we don't count those in the concerned number total. but this isn't modelling, this is a quicker way of getting to the answer. i must correct myself. _ way of getting to the answer. i must correct myself. i _ way of getting to the answer. i must correct myself, i said _ way of getting to the answer. i must correct myself, i said there - way of getting to the answer. i must correct myself, i said there were - correct myself, i said there were 88,000 cases today, it is closer to 82,000. we also know the uk have reported 45 deaths today of people who tested positive in the last 28 days with covid—19. where does the government get figures from? the reliable ones, it is very easy to confuse yourself with different graphs from different sources will stop when the government talks about omicron being dominant, a portion of all is cases in england are run through specific equipment. this is exactl the through specific equipment. this is exactly the same _ through specific equipment. this is exactly the same method - through specific equipment. this is exactly the same method that - through specific equipment. this is exactly the same method that was| exactly the same method that was used when the kent variant emerged last december. it is really not modelling, it isjust last december. it is really not modelling, it is just saying that given that it takes substantially more time, effort and resource to be 100% sure something is omicron, we can't use something which gives us more like a 95% chance of knowing it is omicron to give us much quicker numbers. it is not new, we have been doing it for more than a year. this is what is done and every country in the world that has this equipment. so the suggestion that omicron was doubling in case numbers, is that correct? is that we are likely to see? i correct? is that we are likely to see? ~ . correct? is that we are likely to see? ~' ., ., , see? i think there are two things here. see? i think there are two things here- first _ see? i think there are two things here- first of— see? i think there are two things here. first of all _ see? i think there are two things here. first of all the _ see? i think there are two things here. first of all the doubling - see? i think there are two things here. first of all the doubling of| here. first of all the doubling of omicron cases over the last week was definitely real, we have also seen the same thing in denmark, belgium, south africa. that is certainly a very solid finding. but what the likes of sage have been saying for some days now is that with we would not necessarily expect the rapid acceleration of cases to continue. we made gail from acceleration of cases to continue. we made gailfrom it doubling every two days to every three days, and thatis two days to every three days, and that is because of the way that the virus spreads through the population. where is the bulk of omicron in london in the first days were going through people in their 20s and 30s, people who socialise in large numbers, that has since spread into a slightly older populations who do slightly less social mixing, certainly in smaller groups. we might see a slowdown of that doubling rate in the next few days, thatis doubling rate in the next few days, that is probably a function of it having moves from being primarily driven by the groups in their 20s, to slightly older groups. if borisjohnson does decide to go for more restrictions, he could face considerable opposition to them from within his own party. his chief brexit negotiator, lord frost, has resigned from the government — and among the reasons given were his opposition to vaccine passports and further restrictions. here's our political correspondent, charlotte rose. the reaction to news of the chief brexit negotiator lord frost's resignation came quickly, with members in a whatsapp group of 100 tory mps describing it as very worrying and a disaster. in the images of the messages first broadcast by sky news, the culture secretary, nadine dorries, steps in to defend the prime minister, telling mps to show a bit of loyalty to the person who won an 83—seat majority and delivered brexit. the response — she is removed from the whatsapp group by senior brexiteer steve baker, who says enough is enough. reacting to the news this morning, the health secretary paid tribute to lord frost. i'm sorry to see him go. i think he's been an outstanding public servant. he's done great things for this country, not least in helping to get brexit done but he's resigned out of principle. i think you can see that. i know all about resigning from government out of principle, and he has made that decision. and many conservative backbenchers agree with him. the pm suffered his biggest rebellion over that issue last week when 100 of his own mps voted against him. many of the things he worries about, i and many of my colleagues worry about. we want to see the conservative party as a low tax party going forward and we don't want our civil liberties to be restricted. labour says his departure leaves the prime minister in a weaker position. where the prime minister should be leading at the moment, he's in hiding, hiding from his own party, hiding from his backbenchers, and failing to lead, now, that's an abdication of responsibility and our message to the government is you don't have to be held hostage by your own backbenchers. you can work with labour. although sajid javid was keen to insist this morning the government would do whatever is necessary to curb the rise of omicron infections, all of this leaves the pm with less room to manoeuvre. it seems the resignation of the government's key man in brussels may have an impact on policies much closer to home. charlotte rose, bbc news. several european countries have introduced tough new restrictions to tackle covid, as the omicron variant spreads rapidly across the continent. a month—long lockdown has come into force in the netherlands. the dutch prime minister, mark rutte, said immediate action — including the closure of schools — was needed to avoid hospitals being overwhelmed. denmark, ireland and switzerland are all stepping up or re—introducing restrictions. but they've stopped short of full lockdowns. anna holligan reports. a final flourish of festive cheer before dutch cities shut down for christmas. department stores and toy shops weren't ready for this level of footfall. while hair and beauty salons squeezed clients in for a last—minute shave. translation: it was nice to go to the city for a little _ while before the lockdown. it's too busy everywhere, but i have to come to get presents before the christmas holidays. under the new measures outlined on saturday, all nonessential stores, bars, restaurants, and other public places, are to shut from sunday. essential shops, such as supermarkets and pharmacies, must close by 8pm. and, as previously announced, schools are closed until at least january 9. the prime minister delivered the message in a sombre tone. translation: omicron is spreading even faster than feared, _ and so we must intervene now to prevent much worse. this is one of the most popular shopping streets in the heart of the hague, and normally at this time of year it would be heaving. the dutch prime minister said the response to the omicron variant was unavoidable. but the government's critics argue the crisis is partly of their own making — the slow response to the delta variant combined with the slow roll—out of the booster vaccination programme — which has meant hospitals have no extra capacity to deal with an impending surge of omicron cases. the dutch are seeking to speed up that booster programme — the over—60s have just been invited to get theirs, and it's hoped that within a month everyone in the netherlands who wants a booster shot will have the chance to get one. this is usually a highly organised society — the dutch don't like chaos. there is some good news. father christmas will still be allowed to deliver presents. his message to the nation — merry christmas, happy lockdown. piers corbyn has been arrested on suspicion of encouraging people to attack mps' offices. the met police said the arrest related to a video filmed during saturday's rally in london against covid restrictions. he was arrested in south london in the early hours of sunday. the force hasn't named mr corbyn, however it previously said it was assessing a video which appears to show him calling for direct action. a murder investigation has been launched following the death of a woman in north belfast. she has been named locally as caoimhe morgan. her body was found in a house in harcourt drive on saturday morning. a 30—year—old man arrested on suspicion of her murder and remains in custody. vets in argentina have rescued a young turtle with a shocking amount of plastic found in its stomach. the small green turtle — around 35 centimetres long — had a total of 18 grams of plastic expelled from its stomach. it included fragments of nets, plastic caps, styrofoam, nylon, and cellophane. the turtle was found trapped in a fishing net. it continues treatment at a rescue centre in the east of the country. the cold weather and the increasing spread of coronavirus means that homeless people across the uk — and those helping them — are facing a challenging winter. in scotland, a new law could be introduced requiring public organisations to identify those at risk of becoming homeless and refer them for support. emma snow has been to meet a paramedic from derby who helps rough sleepers in the city. there is nothing left in my world and i have nothing, she's my star. tracy is a beacon of hope for the rough sleepers in derby and she currently looks after 200 homeless people. each day i go out on outreach from the city centre and down to normanton, look out for any new rough sleepers or anybody that i need to make contact with, follow up on their health, medication, gp appointments and things like that or see how they got on in hospital and things. it's been difficult for tracy to gain the trust of the rough sleepers in derby. at first, it took me six months to find my footfall with them because they are quite disengaging with any health, they don't attend hospital or gp appointments or engage with other workers, but it's just when i attended one that was having an overdose and since i brought that person back round, that's it, i'm kind of end that's it, i'm kind of in with the gang sort of. so i'm a bit like their mother, to be honest. she chuckles. because of this lady i've never had to spend a night on the streets, she always has my back i have mental health problems, i have alcohol issues, this lady works unbelievable hours. without tracy you'd be dead? and that's the truth. many of us would be, actually, there's a few people whose life she's actually saved. she means everything to me, and some more. she's worth her weight in gold and then some, she's all like a green goddess. tracy cares so much about the homeless people in derby that she rarely has a day off. i think i've had five days off, i had a really bad cold, chest infection. and that's in how long? and that's in the two and a half years. one of tracy's many projects has been overseeing vaccinating rough sleepers in derby. yeah, we've introduced quite a lot of things now and actually when you see them walking round they are quite healthy to what they was when we first started. tracy is making a huge difference to the community and she really is a health care hero. i can see what difference i'm making plus it's nice that they've got that contact whereas they've never had it before so if they are feeling poorly they don't hesitate now in coming to find me or signpost other people to me. so, yeah, it's all about that engagement and that trust now, you see. polls have closed in the first elections in hong kong since china increased its control over the territory — but voter turnout has been very low. only candidates approved by beijing could stand, leading to calls for a boycott of the poll. that decision has been criticised by foreign governments and activists. our correspondent, danny vincent, is in the convention centre in hong kong where the result will be announced. a loud turn out really raises questions about the legitimacy of the doubts. how concerned are the leaders up there? == the doubts. how concerned are the leaders up there?— the doubts. how concerned are the leaders up there? -- a low turnout. the authorities _ leaders up there? -- a low turnout. the authorities he _ leaders up there? -- a low turnout. the authorities he had _ leaders up there? -- a low turnout. the authorities he had pushed - leaders up there? -- a low turnout. the authorities he had pushed quite hard to try to encourage people to vote during this election. they were obviously concerned turn out may be low, and if it was low it indicates that there is perhaps a lack of legitimacy in terms of public support for these electoral reforms. the electoral reforms means that only candidates vetted by pei jing and seen as peter out it counts down in these elections. —— regime. controversially many of the candidates who have won seats in years gone by, pro—democracy candidates, many have been imprisoned, many have fled the city. many have decided not to stand in these elections at all. many critics say that this is another example of the erosion of the peaceable rights that hong kong was granted. many people will say this is no longer and election, it is more of a selection process. regarding who wins, really, is the establishment and played beijing's site that will be victorious. the world—renowned architect, richard rogers — who was behind some of the most striking buildings of the past half—century — has died at the age of 88. he gained international attention in the 1970s with the pompidou centre, in paris, and other works included the millennium dome in london. our correspondent, david sillito, looks back on his life. it's hard to exaggerate what a shock this building was. the pompidou centre's facade with its confusion of pipes, ducts and external corridors was revolutionary — the work of renzo piano and a young british architect called richard rogers. the building itself is inside out. in other words, what you usually see inside, which are those long, dank, dark corridors which you have in big institutional buildings — and it is an institution, theoretically, though i dislike the word, it's an institution — there's long, dark corridors on the outside. they're actually the fun. the inside out design made the interior airy and open and equally important was the public space outside. this was �*60s egalitarianism, inspired by the piazzas of his home town, florence in italy. his parents had arrived in britain in the �*30s. the young richard rogers struggled at school, he was dyslexic, but he got into art college and then trained as an architect, where he met another future superstar of british architecture, norman foster. their high tech style, though, took a while to win favour. his inside out lloyd's building in london was not to everyone's taste. it's what his royal highness, the prince of wales, described as a carbuncle on the face of whatever you like to call it. but his moment had come. madrid airport with its huge bamboo roof won the stirling prize. the millennium dome was signature rogers, again, innovative technology to create a huge, flexible space. how you get from one place to the other. but not all his plans were popular. proposed transformation of london's southbank was fought off by residents, but it didn't stop politicians seeking his advice on reshaping cities. it was a very major part of my outfit which is about trying to create a world which is influenced for the better, through public space, through private space and so on. the welsh sennedd, terminal five at heathrow. he was bold, colourful and has more than left his mark. the richard rogers vision was of a city that was open, sociable, welcoming. the architect, richard rogers — who's died at the age of 88. good afternoon. the health secretary sajid javid says he can't rule out further covid restrictions in england in the run—up to christmas, and he's urged everyone to be cautious given the rapid spread of the omicron variant. mrjavid said the new variant is already the dominant strain in england, as well as scotland. so far, 12 people have died having contracted this latest form of coronavirus. our medical editor fergus walsh has the latest. this christmas, the hot ticket for many is not to see a football match but to get a booster jab. many is not to see a football match but to get a boosterjab. wembley stadium had 10,000 vaccines available today and many were keen to get them before heading home to the family. i to get them before heading home to the famil . ., , ., ., the family. i would prefer to have it done before _ the family. i would prefer to have it done before christmas. - the family. i would prefer to have it done before christmas. i - the family. i would prefer to have it done before christmas. i have i the family. i would prefer to have | it done before christmas. i have an elderly grandfather who is 90 years old, so i want to be able to see him. i old, so i want to be able to see him. ., ., him. i am getting a booster vaccination _ him. i am getting a booster vaccination and _ him. i am getting a booster vaccination and my - him. i am getting a booster vaccination and my family l him. i am getting a booster- vaccination and my family members already— vaccination and my family members already have the vaccinations but i think_ already have the vaccinations but i think it _ already have the vaccinations but i think it is — already have the vaccinations but i think it is best to be as contained as possible. so it's the booster versus the variant. omicron infections are thought to be doubling every two to three days. the epidemic is growing so fast, the health secretary could not rule out fresh restrictions before christmas. there are no guarantees in this pandemic. i don't think at this point wejust have pandemic. i don't think at this point we just have to keep everything under review. he urged --eole everything under review. he urged people across _ everything under review. he urged people across the _ everything under review. he urged people across the country - everything under review. he urged people across the country to - everything under review. he urged people across the country to be i people across the country to be cautious in the days ahead. if i am auoin to cautious in the days ahead. if i am going to see _ cautious in the days ahead. if i am going to see my — cautious in the days ahead. if i am going to see my mum, _ cautious in the days ahead. if i am going to see my mum, for- cautious in the days ahead. if i am l going to see my mum, for example, who is elderly like most old people, she is more vulnerable than young people, i will take a test. i might, you know, just not have the usual amount of hugs i get from my mum. take a bit of caution and that is a sensible response. the most sensible thing anyone can do right now is get boosted. ministers have been given a stark warning from sage, the scientific advisory group on emergencies, that without further intervention, the scale of hospital admissions due to omicron would almost certainly lead to unsustainable pressure on the nhs. the scenarios for curbing omicron are an echo of lockdown controls from earlier this year, including closing indoor hospitality and limits on mixing of households. i think the longer we wait, the more problematic this is going to be. we have learned from previous experience, surely, that if we did that and delay, we get ourselves into more trouble. the problem here is of course we don't fully understand the implications of the omicron pandemic and infection in this country, in terms of severe disease. and that is the dilemma for ministers — do they wait until the threat from omicron becomes clear and hope to avoid lockdown measures, or act now as a precaution and risk the wrath of many in their own party and beyond westminster? fergus walsh, bbc news. the former brexit minister, lord frost, who resigned yesterday, says he hopes the government will not be tempted by what he called �*coercive measures' seen elsewhere. our political correspondent damian grammaticas is here. when we talked about the dilemma facing ministers, how do you see it today? i facing ministers, how do you see it toda ? ~ ., facing ministers, how do you see it toda ? ~ i. ., ., facing ministers, how do you see it toda ? ~' ., ., facing ministers, how do you see it toda ? ~ i. ., ., ., today? i think you have to look at the fact today? i think you have to look at the faet100 _ today? i think you have to look at the fact 100 conservative - today? i think you have to look at the fact 100 conservative mps - the fact 100 conservative mps rebelled against borisjohnson this past week over the measures which were already brought in and essentially many of them agree with lord frost. they don't like what they see as the government telling people what to do. what have we heard this weekend? as we heard, the scientists telling the government if it wants to limit things, it needs to take action. the government said it would come back, bring parliament back if it was going to do that but that could mean a very tricky face up that could mean a very tricky face up with those mps. labour is saying that the government looks like it's running scared from them and decisions need to be made and what we are going to get in about the next hour, the devolved administrations, scotland, wales and northern ireland meeting with government here. that could also pile pressure, decisions do have to be made fast. pile pressure, decisions do have to be made fast-— be made fast. many thanks for the latest there. _ be made fast. many thanks for the latest there, damian _ be made fast. many thanks for the | latest there, damian grammaticas. let's look at the latest official figures for the pandemic in the uk. there were 82,886 new infections recorded, in the latest 24—hour period 45 deaths were recorded, that's of people who died within 28 days of a positive test. on vaccinations — over 28—million people have now had boosters or a third dose. the netherlands has embarked on a month—long lockdown in response to an expected surge in cases of omicron — the first european country to introduce stringent measures in response to the new variant. nonessentialshops, bars, gyms, hairdressers and other public venues will be closed until at least mid—january, as our correspondent anna holligan reports from the hague. silent high streets... a wholly locked down society. last christmas, the dutch thought covid would be under control by now. instead, the netherlands has become the first country in europe to lockdown in response to the highly contagious omicron variant. i feel like it's starting all over again, to be isolated and, yeah... it feels really bad. we're used to going to the cafe, to a bar and with this lockdown, it's impacted me a bit. so, yeah, it's going to be difficult. so, tomorrow i'm working just to throw away a lot i of fresh food, lots of... basically, everything - that we can't sell any more. so that's...uh... the dutch prime minister said the lockdown was an unavoidable response to the omicron variant, but the government's critics argue this covid crisis is partly of their own making. the slow response to the delta strain and the slow roll—out of the booster vaccination programme have meant that hospitals have no extra room to deal with an impending surge of omicron cases. across the border, germany is battening down the hatches. from this evening, most travellers from britain will be banned from entering the country, in an effort to stall the spread of omicron. german nationals and residents will still be allowed to arrive from the uk. they must have a negative test and quarantine for two weeks. france has already introduced similar restrictions, as infections in britain swell. for many people this christmas, coming together will be harder and riskier than anyone would have wished. anna holligan, bbc news, in the hague. let's turn to some of the day's at the news. in australia, police say a sixth child has died as a result of an accident with a bouncy castle in tasmania. the 11—year—old boy was among a group of children who fell about ten metres when the inflatable structure was lifted off the ground by a gust of wind. they'd been celebrating at an end—of—term school party. england's cricketers are heading for defeat in the second ashes test in adelaide, after australia dominated play on the fourth day. set an unlikely 468 to win, the tourists had lost four wickets forjust 82 runs by the close, as our correspondent patrick gearey reports. a meeting without the boss. england's captainjoe root was missing after being hit by a ball in the abdomen. that might have felt like a metaphor for the tour but his side weren't too winded. jos buttler grabbed hold, england held on. but not long after root returned, the game became a phoney war. australia scoring runs they probably didn't need, waiting for the right moment to make england bat. 467 ahead, they declared. england's turn. forget winning — to draw would mean batting more than four sessions. haseeb hameed got through six balls. still, keep smiling. dawid malan's in form but here he was in line. lbw, 48-2. english wickets tend to arrive in flocks. rory burns fought for 34 then took flight. at least england still had root, the best batter in the world, but the aussies found the weakest spot in their strongest point. oh, and that really hurts root! the last thing he'd have wanted. well, the second last... edged, starc with a hammer blow! final over, was that also england's final chance? painful, but predictable. patrick gearey, bbc news. one of the world's best—known and most influential architects, richard rogers, who designed some of the most striking buildings of the past half—century, has died at the age of 88. he came to international prominence in the 1970s, with the pioneering design of the pompidou centre in paris, david sillito looks back at his life. it's hard to exaggerate what a shock this building was. the pompidou centre's facade with its confusion of pipes, ducts and external corridors was revolutionary — the work of renzo piano and a young british architect called richard rogers. the building itself is inside out. in other words, what you usually see inside, which are those long, dank, dark corridors which you have in big institutional buildings — and it is an institution, theoretically, though i dislike the word, it's an institution — there's long, dark corridors on the outside. they're actually the fun. the inside out design made the interior airy and open and equally important was the public space outside. this was �*60s egalitarianism, inspired by the piazzas of his home town, florence in italy. his parents had arrived in britain in the �*30s. the young richard rogers struggled at school, he was dyslexic, but he got into art college and then trained as an architect, where he met another future superstar of british architecture, norman foster.