to ask for help to deal with the impacts of coronavirus. premier league officials will meet clubs later to consider pausing the season over the festive period, after a number of matches were cancelled because of covid cases. australia take a 2—0 lead over england in the ashes, after completing a 275 run victory in the second test in adelaide. borisjohnson is facing calls to bring in tighter measures over the christmas period to stem the rapid rise in cases of the omicron variant of coronavirus. scientists say urgent action is needed to stop a rapid influx of patients into hospital. but the prime minister is facing strong oppostion on further restrictions from within his own party. a virtual cabinet meeting is due to be held at two o'clock this afternoon. civil servants have prepared a menu of three options for covid restrictions ranging in severity. yesterday there were 82,886 new coronavirus cases recorded in the uk and over the last week a record number of daily cases have been recorded on several occasions. last night the treasury doubled the amount of additional funding available for the devolved administrations in scotland, wales and northern ireland to support their response to the virus ahead of christmas many city centres saw footfall down over what would normally be one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year. and there have been calls for further support for the industries hardest hit by pre—christmas cancellations including the hospitality industry. helena wilkinson has the latest. record numbers of people are continuing to come forward for their booster vaccine, with just days to go before christmas. but daily covid cases have also reached record highs. many are wondering if further restrictions are needed in england to slow the spread of omicron. the health secretary, sajid javid, hasn't ruled out possible new measures. there were no guarantees in this pandemic, he said. devolved administrations are also getting additional covid funding. the uk government said it would double the amount available to help administrations take precautions they feel necessary to keep people safe. but the first minister of scotland, nicola sturgeon, said on twitter that they needed much more action and support urgently from the uk government. the rapid spread of the omicron variant has seen london declare a major incident. hospital staff absences in the capital are on the rise. if you look in london, which is the epicentre of where the omicron variant is, we are getting a very significant increase in staff absences. so last week, staff absences in londonjumped from 1900 at the beginning of the week, to a700 by the thursday of last week, and we know it's gone up since. so we are coming under real pressure in terms of the number of staff we have got off work. and that means, given how busy we are with all the other things, that means we are under very, very significant pressure. there are concerns, too, about pressure on schools in the new year, with staff shortages. from today, the government is urging former teachers to apply to join the workforce from january. there is still uncertainty over how much serious illness will be caused by the omicron variant. any decisions about further restrictions will need to be weighed against the cost to the economy, society and wider mental health. helena wilkinson, bbc news. the prime minister is facing fresh questions about alleged breaches of lockdown rules at downing street. the guardian newspaper has published this photograph showing boris johnson and members of staff with wine and cheese in the number ten garden in may last year. at the time, in england, you could only meet one other person, in an outdoor public place, if you kept two metres apart. a government spokesperson has described the event as a "wo k r meeting" our political correspondent, jonathan blake, has more from westminster about the calls to bring in tighter measures over the christmas period. the crucial question in government, and for all of us, really, is whether omicron proves to be more severe than other variants of the virus so far that have circulated. we know that it spreads incredibly quickly, and incredibly widely. but as ministers have been again saying this morning, the crucial detail that we don't yet know is how seriously ill people will get with the virus, and how many more hospitalisations, potentially deaths, it will lead to. but, of course, we are at this point, just a few days from christmas, where everyone wants to know what is going to happen, if anything. will things change? will people's plans be thrown into disarray, or will they need to change at this point? what we do know is that civil servants have prepared three different options for ministers to consider in terms of interventions, restrictions or potentially maybe just at the level of guidance for the public at this point. they are categorised as low, medium and high, in terms of the severity of the measures that may be presented. but i would say at this point, it doesn't necessarily mean, just because there are options there for the prime minister, that he is going to take any of them. and it doesn't necessarily mean that he will pick one of those three options off the shelf and go with it. it may be something in between, it may not be anything at all. but one thing, certainly, the labour leader keir starmer is calling for, is some clarity on what, if anything, is going to happen. we have made it clear to the government that we stand ready to support further measures if necessary, i made that clear to the last week and make it clear again today. but it is for the prime minister to come up with a plan, with support for schools, businesses etc, so the ball is in his court. but where is he? i think this obsession with party management, rather than public health, is the wrong priority, at the wrong time. that picture of borisjohnson in the downing street garden, it is the latest in a series of claims of what has been going on there. does that get added into the inquiry that is being done currently? quite possibly, yes. whether there is any other evidence, or whether staff that are being spoken to, or will be spoken to in the course of that inquiry now led by sue gray, the senior civil servant, to this point, we don't know. what can the picture tell us? according to the guardian it was taken in may of this year and shows the prime minister, his wife and other members of staff in downing street, enjoying a glass of wine, there was cheese as well, and the defence from the number ten that this was a work meeting is something that the deputy prime minister and justice secretary dominic rob this morning stuck to, and suggested in this context, no rules were being broken. number 10 — the garden i there is used for meetings. they were on throughout the day to which the picture relates. - as with many places of work, particularly when you think i about how hard they are working. under those pressures of the week, they would sometimes have a drink. that is what you can see there. that was primarily after the work meetings of the day. _ there is a debate about whether rules were broken in that picture. for the government critics, and people looking on, the rules won't matter. fora people looking on, the rules won't matter. for a lot of people itjust doesn't look good. to have the defence coming forward that this was a work meeting, of course happening at a time when people were living under very tight restrictions, and working, in some cases, an incredibly challenging circumstances, it certainly will be seized upon by labour and others to add to the narrative that the rules were, the very least, least, not being scrupulously followed, at a time when many people were doing their best to do that. breaking news about the world economic forum meeting in davos, scheduled to be happening in january. we are hearing it has been postponed because of covid. so, it will be held in mid—2022, they are saying. it has been held in davos for more than 50 years, and 3000 people also normally go every year. the last time it was held was in january 2020, it did not happen this year. of course, when it happened in january 2020, that was just as covid are starting to pick up in china. obviously things unfolded very quickly from there. so it didn't happen last year. they have been hoping it would be ok to go ahead in 2022, but we are hearing not now in january. it will be happening mid-2022. earlier we heard from professor tim sharpe who is a member of sage�*s environmental and modelling group. i asked him what he thinks should be happening in terms of new restrictions. clearly, what we can see is a very rapid doubling rate, we can see the numbers of infections, most people are much more aware of infections. anything we can do to reduce the number of contacts is really important. that is above and beyond. we know that vaccination is the most important countermeasure. above and beyond that, non—vital interventions, the types of restrictions that are important. reducing contact is properly the biggest one, making sure that people regularly test, so if they are positive then they can take themselves out of the equation. helping people to isolate if they do have a positive test, you know, for some people it is really challenging, in terms of the way that they work and so on. and all of the environmental mitigations we know about, you know, distancing, having good ventilation, high quality face coverings, all of those things help. it's no one single thing which has an effect, it is the combination of a series of things that makes the difference overall. in terms of whether measures should be brought in through compulsion, or people doing it because they want to protect themselves, their loved ones and anyone else that they might come into contact with, what is your view on that? it's a difficult balancing act. what we know is that mandating things is more effective, but there are lots of other challenges in terms of the economy, issues of mental health and so on. it is a genuinely difficult one to call. mandating things is more effective, but there are other knock—on effects that we are trying to balance here. what we are seeing currently is actually the real impact of an infection which is spreading as quickly as this omicron variant is. the latest we have heard, for instance, is that the natural history museum have had to close for a week because of an unprecedented impact on its staff through covid. so, even without enforced lockdowns, there is testing, people are aware of when there are cases and there are rules in place to make people stay at home in that context. so, are we kind of, in context, almost in a quasi—lockdown, in that people have to shut themselves away when they are affected? lockdown is not a helpful term, that is part of the problem here. it is taking measures to keep yourself and other people say. and there are a number of these. what is happening is that people generally come across the whole piece, in spite of everything else, most people have known what to do and have done the right thing. that is the vast majority. what you can see is a lot of people are seeing what is going on and making their own probably quite sensible decisions, to not go to that big office party, to reduce the number of points of contact ahead of christmas. so, they can still do the things they need to do to see family and so on at christmas. that was the message from chris whitty last week, and it was really very clear. you know, you need to make the priorities. and most people are pretty smart and pretty sensible about doing that. us pharmaceutical company moderna have said that a booster dose of its covid—19 vaccine appeared to be protective against the omicron variant in laboratory testing. their research shows that a 50 microgram booster dose — which is standardly given in the uk — increased neutralizing antibodies against the variant 37 fold. a higher, 100 microgram booster dose of the same vaccine drove antibody levels even higher. the company also says it plans to develop a vaccine specifically to protect against omicron, which it hopes to advance into a new covid drug designed to reduce the risk of vulnerable patients needing hospital treatment will be offered on the nhs in england from today. sotrovimab is an antibody given as a transfusion to treat people in high risk groups. it will be offered initially in england, before being rolled out across the uk. the headlines on bbc news... there'll be a virtual meeting of the cabinet later, amid calls for action to tackle surging coronavirus case rates. sources tell the bbc three options have been prepared. a new photo's been published of the prime minister and others with wine and cheese in the no 10 garden during lockdown. ministers say no rules were broken. figures show shoppers avoided high streets and city centres on the weekend before christmas, as hospitality businesses continue to ask for government help. sport, and for a full round—up from the bbc sport centre, here's sarah. england have a mountain to climb if they are to regain the ashes after losing the second test in adelaide this morning and going 2—0 down in the five match series. jos buttler offered some resistance batting for over 200 balls, but england were finally all out for 192 in their second innings, losing by 275 runs. patrick gearey reports so, to the last englishman standing in adelaide, a lonely place on the other side of the world. at the other end, from mitchell starc... edged! ollie pope didn't last ten minutes. five wickets left. the biggest of them was ben stokes. so, australia's fielders made on enclosure around him and then sent in a lion. nathan lyon thought he had him trapped lbw. the umpire didn't. australia reviewed, then rejoiced. england reset. chris woakes made a defiant 1m. jos buttler, a natural cavalier, relied on his shield. no wicket fell for more than two and a half hours. say it quietly — maybe? but english optimism on this tour is no sooner formed than shattered. the end of woakes and, ultimately, hope. the ozzies were closing in. olly robinson lasted an hour before lyon got him. still, perhaps improbably, the match went into the final session. still there, buttler, the adelaide barricade. for 206 balls, he hardly put a foot wrong. watch the lights on the bails. hit wicket. what a way to go. jhye richardson's fifth wicket finished the job for the ozzies. today marks 4,000 days since england last won a test in australia. to regain the ashes, they must somehow win the next three. patrick geary, bbc news. tottenham have been eliminated from the europa conference league with uefa confirming that their postponed match against rennes is to be deemed a forfeit. the match at the tottenham hotspur stadium was due to be played on december 9th, but was called off after a covid—19 outbreak among the spurs squad. the ruling means the rennes have been awarded a 3—0 victory in the game, and spurs finish third in their group, outside the top two quailfication places. the 20 premier league clubs are set to meet at one o'clock this afternoon to discuss the escalating issues around the coronavirus pandemic. six of the premier league's 10 weekend matches were postponed because of covid. managers and captains are also due to hold their own meetings. england manager gareth southgate thinks players need to take responsibility and take the vaccine. i think everybody has that responsibility. we are notjust looking after ourselves, we are looking after other people. actually, all of the restrictions and all of the devastation to health, and as i said earlier, the economy, are down to the fact that we won't get clear unless the numbers are high. so, the league is a little bit complicated, because we've got players who are fully vaccinated, who have also still caught the virus. so we know that is a complex situation for them, which games to be played and which not. but, in the end, everybody has to pull together to get through something like this. meanwhile rafa nadal has tested positive for covid—19 after making his comeback from injury in an exhibition event in abu dhabi last week. the twenty time grand slam champion returned the positive test on arrival back in spain. he said he was having "some unpleasant moments but hopes to improve little by little." nadal has not played a tour event since august, and the australian open begins in melbourne four weeks today. that's all the sport for now. you can find more on all those stories on the bbc sport website. restaurants and pubs are calling for more support from government amid large numbers of cancellations in the run—up to christmas, as fears have risen over the spread of omicron. the boss of pub chain greene king says winter bookings have been decimated by the pandemic, with some of their branch bookings down by 70% or 80% compared to 2019. it comes as the chairman of the company that runs the real greek and franco manca restaurant chains says the chancellor needs to get his act together and announce further support within the next 2a hours. joining me now is george lowe, co—founder of milo and the bull fitness studio, which announced yesterday that it was moving its classes online due to the surge in covid cases in london. welcome, thank you very much for joining us. so, just tell us what the situation is with your gym? thanks for having me on. last week we found bookings were down about 75% in the week before. so we decided, we had a number of covid cases in the community of members, so we decided on saturday to take the classes online for this week, in the classes online for this week, in the run—up to christmas. fire the classes online for this week, in the run-up to christmas.— the run-up to christmas. are you caettin the run-up to christmas. are you getting any _ the run-up to christmas. are you getting any sunport _ the run-up to christmas. are you getting any support through - the run-up to christmas. are you getting any support through what the run-up to christmas. are you i getting any support through what is obviously a difficult financial time? ~ . �* obviously a difficult financial time? ~ ., �* ., obviously a difficult financial time? ., �* ., ., , , time? we haven't heard anything yet. i think that is — time? we haven't heard anything yet. i think that is probably _ time? we haven't heard anything yet. i think that is probably the _ i think that is probably the frustration that is growing amongst business owners. so, it's been a week since, effectively, we announced a stealth lockdown. so, i think now is the time that people are expecting either they are going to announce a plan, or they have to have a plan for businesses, because there is no way it can continue like this. ~ ., ., ~' there is no way it can continue like this. ., ., ~ ., there is no way it can continue like this. ., ., ~ this. what would you like to see? first thing. _ this. what would you like to see? first thing. we — this. what would you like to see? first thing, we want _ this. what would you like to see? first thing, we want transparency j first thing, we want transparency from the government. you need a clear plan. they've had weeks to get their act together. if it's going to be a couple of weeks, that's fine, but we need to know how we will get through that. if it is going to be a month, just give us the options, and the obvious ones are business rates and vat reduction for some businesses, and then it's inevitable, the longer it goes on, the more they will have to assist businesses. the more they will have to assist businesses-— the more they will have to assist businesses. ., ., ~ , ., businesses. can you talk us through some of the — businesses. can you talk us through some of the difficulties _ businesses. can you talk us through some of the difficulties that - businesses. can you talk us through some of the difficulties that you - some of the difficulties that you are facing?— some of the difficulties that you are facing? yes, we have got off well, are facing? yes, we have got off well. there _ are facing? yes, we have got off well, there are _ are facing? yes, we have got off well, there are covid _ are facing? yes, we have got off well, there are covid cases - are facing? yes, we have got off well, there are covid cases in i are facing? yes, we have got off| well, there are covid cases in the community, we have a moral issue with the duty of care, members of staff year. you know, at the moment, the government is giving advice to the government is giving advice to the public, to say, you know, make your own mind up in what is essential. as a business, we have to make the decision for our members, and it is a hard place to be in. then you've got the staff, a lot of our staff are self—employed. if we don't have classes, they are not working, so we want to look after them, but there is only a certain amount we can do to give them work. from what you're saying, it almost sounds like if there had been an ordered lockdown, that would be easier to manage, it would have taken the very difficult decision out of your hands, of having to do what you are doing with the business currently, and also perhaps would have delivered furlough, as happened before? , , ., before? definitely, if we had some warnin: , if before? definitely, if we had some warning. if they — before? definitely, if we had some warning, if they were _ before? definitely, if we had some warning, if they were just - warning, if they were just transparent with the plan, we could then act on that. everything at the moment is ad hoc. it's very difficult for any business to react, and itjust means that, inevitably, we are going to get frustrated, we feel like we need assistance, and we are always... basically you have an option to stay open and run at a loss, because we are in a lockdown, or you close and you are still losing money. it's a no—win situation for us. losing money. it's a no-win situation for us.— losing money. it's a no-win situation for us. obviously you don't have _ situation for us. obviously you don't have to _ situation for us. obviously you don't have to outline - situation for us. obviously you don't have to outline the - situation for us. obviously you i don't have to outline the financial position completely of the business, butjust in terms of paying the bills, that are there, you mentioned about business rates and vat, you also said that a lot of the workers there are freelance, that means, obviously, there will not be a wage bill, but presumably there will be some wages. how are you managing all the different bills? what is the situation? i the different bills? what is the situation? ., . the different bills? what is the situation? ~ ., ., ., situation? i think we are fortunate in some ways. _ situation? i think we are fortunate in some ways, we've _ situation? i think we are fortunate in some ways, we've got - situation? i think we are fortunate in some ways, we've got an - situation? i think we are fortunate i in some ways, we've got an amazing membership base, that are very loyal to us. that is something we have worked very hard on. we learned in the last lockdown that we have got to keep giving a good service, to keep members happy. but it is very difficult. it is difficult to balance keeping the staff happy, keeping staff working, than paying the bills. you know, you got landlords, there has been no advice to the landlords as well at the moment for this period. so, there are so many things you have got to balance, so many decisions that need to be made. it's virtually impossible.— to be made. it's virtually imossible. ~ ., ., to be made. it's virtually imossible. ., ., ., impossible. what would you say to the chancellor _ impossible. what would you say to the chancellor right _ impossible. what would you say to the chancellor right now? - impossible. what would you say to the chancellor right now? i - impossible. what would you say to the chancellor right now? i think. the chancellor right now? i think the chancellor right now? i think the need the chancellor right now? i think they need a _ the chancellor right now? i think they need a clear _ the chancellor right now? i think they need a clear plan _ the chancellor right now? i think they need a clear plan for - the chancellor right now? i think. they need a clear plan for business owners, business leaders. they need to outline what the options are going to be, what they are thinking at the moment. so at least, even if they have three different plans or four different plans, we could make the plans in advance for each option that they choose. at the moment, we get the news, and you have to react on the back of that, and it makes your life so difficult. it's incredibly stressful for business owners. . ~' incredibly stressful for business owners. ., ~ , ., incredibly stressful for business owners. ., ~ ., incredibly stressful for business owners. ., ., ., ~ ., incredibly stressful for business owners. ., ., .,~ ., , owners. thank you for talking to us. i ho -e owners. thank you for talking to us. i hone you — owners. thank you for talking to us. i hope you do _ owners. thank you for talking to us. i hope you do manage _ owners. thank you for talking to us. i hope you do manage to _ owners. thank you for talking to us. i hope you do manage to have - owners. thank you for talking to us. i hope you do manage to have an i owners. thank you for talking to us. | i hope you do manage to have an ok christmas, a good christmas, i hope. thank you, george. a former police officer has won a major legal challenge against a national police policy forforces to record gender—critical views as "non—crime hate incidents". in a significantjudgment, the court of appeal ruled that national guidance had been wrongly used to record comments made on social media by harry miller. our home affairs correspondent, dominc casciani, is at the court of appeal in central london. can you tell us more about this? it's a really interesting case, it is on one of the big issues of our time, the whole issue around transgender rights and also freedom of speech. harry miller, the former police officer who lives in lincolnshire, he says quite clearly he does not accept that somebody can biologically, effectively, change sex, a man cannot become a woman, they can identify as a woman but not change. he has tweeted quite regularly, he is very forthright and often has provocative views on social media. he says some people may take offence at that, but it is not hostility towards people who are transgender. however, in 2019, there was a complaint to humberside police from somebody who perceived one of his comments as hostile. the police investigated, decided there was not a crime, they then recorded it as a non—prime hate incident, which basically meant there was a record on the database for ever —— non—crime, which are linked into a hate incident. he challenge that had won the first stage of the case, about how they dealt with it. more importantly, he has won the court of appeal, which has said the national rules which led to that categorisation of his words were having a chilling effect on free speech. he is absolutely cock—a—hoop about that today. let's hear what he said a few minutes ago. {iii about that today. let's hear what he said a few minutes ago.— said a few minutes ago. of the high court and the _ said a few minutes ago. of the high court and the court _ said a few minutes ago. of the high court and the court of _ said a few minutes ago. of the high court and the court of appeal - said a few minutes ago. of the high court and the court of appeal said l court and the court of appeal said that being — court and the court of appeal said that being offensive, it is one of the fundamental aspects. it's one of the fundamental aspects. it's one of the cornerstones of freedom, because freedom _ the cornerstones of freedom, because freedom that does not allow offence is not _ freedom that does not allow offence is not a _ freedom that does not allow offence is not a freedom that is worth having — is not a freedom that is worth having i_ is not a freedom that is worth having. i stand by that. i stand by that _ having. i stand by that. i stand by that being — having. i stand by that. i stand by that. being offensive is not and cannot, — that. being offensive is not and cannot, should not be an offence. onty— cannot, should not be an offence. only when — cannot, should not be an offence. only when speech turns to malicious communications or targeted harassment against an individual should _ harassment against an individual should it — harassment against an individual should it be a problem. anything else, _ should it be a problem. anything else, this — should it be a problem. anything else, this is britain, mate. this is britain _ else, this is britain, mate. this is britain. . , , britain. the really interesting thin . britain. the really interesting thing about — britain. the really interesting thing about this _ britain. the really interesting thing about this is _ britain. the really interesting thing about this is the - britain. the really interesting. thing about this is the decision britain. the really interesting - thing about this is the decision to record harry miller's words as a non—crime hate incident, it was based on the perception of hostility from the person who complained to humberside police in the first place. today, the court of appeal, dave victoria sharp, one of the country's seniorjudges, said there is still room there for the police to take into account perceptions of hostility reported to them. but there has to be better safeguards for freedom of speech, there has to be better safeguards forfreedom of speech, some common sense, some balancing act there, so that people like harry miller, who have very, very strong views on a topic which does cause potentially offence, and does lead to division, their views can be protected, because it is effectively at the heart of democratic society. the culture of policing behind this guidance, they say they are going to think carefully about how to revise it. critically, it says this has no effect on the recording of actual hate crimes, a very specific fence. it says they will continue to be recorded as they are at the moment. breaking news, it is upsetting some of the detail of this, we are hearing a man from folkestone in kent who killed his girlfriend's three—year—old disabled daughter after she refused to eat her lunch has been jailed for a total of 11 years for manslaughter and child cruelty. the court heard paul marsh, 27, became angry and frustrated with jessica dalglish, and inflicted catastrophic injuries on her. he through her roughly so her head hit a hard surface, and then try to cover up what he had done by claiming she fell down the stairs. she died in hospital on christmas eve 2019. thejudge she died in hospital on christmas eve 2019. the judge said the whole family mourns the life thatjessica will not have, and suffers from the trauma of knowing how she died. it is clear that the death of this lovely, small child has caused great pain and suffering to a large number of people. paul marsh was sentenced to nine years for manslaughter, to years for child cruelty, to run consecutively. lets catch up with the weather. good afternoon, so much cloud around at the moment. more than we saw through the moment. more than we saw through the weekend. sunshine is very limited, the best of which at the moment is across parts of gwyneth and some parts of western scotland, and some parts of western scotland, and the tops of the hills. most of those staying grey all through the afternoon. into the evening, feeling quite chilly, temperatures in single figures. a frost will arrive quite quickly in those areas that see the clear skies. still quickly in those areas that see the clearskies. stilla quickly in those areas that see the clear skies. still a cross in western areas and towards parts of scotland, they are most favoured for some frost, the tops of hills as well. that shows in the blue colours in the chart. even away from that, temperatures dropping down to one or two. cold and damp, one of those mornings with a bit of drizzle around. some optimism tomorrow, and more of a breeze developing across the west. nothing too substantial, but it could be enough to break up the cloud across parts of wales, western england, and more sunshine tomorrow in northern scotland. overall, a chilly start to the week. tomorrow, the arrival of some rain in the north and west, but cold air and snow back later in the week, perhaps. i will have an update later in the afternoon. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines... ministers will hold a virtual cabinet meeting this afternoon, as the government is urged to set out plans to tackle surging coronavirus cases. sources tell the bbc three options of increasing severity have been prepared. the downing street parties saga continues with a photo of the prime minister and others with wine and cheese in the no 10 garden during lockdown. ministers say no rules were broken. this is a workplace, and it is consistent, exactly what you see is consistent, with the rules that applied to workplaces. to suggest that is a work meeting is a bit of a stretch, by anybody's analysis. so i think there are very serious questions to be answered. shoppers avoided high streets and city centres on the weekend before christmas, according to new footfall figures, as hospitality businesses continue to ask for help to deal with the impacts of coronavirus. premier league officials will meet clubs later to consider pausing the season over the festive period, after a number of matches were cancelled because of covid cases. australia take a 2—0 lead over england in the ashes, after completing a 275 run victory in the second test in adelaide let's return now to the growing pressure on the government to announce whether it will be extending covid restrictions to try to stem the spread of the omicron variant. earlier, the deputy prime minister, dominic raab, said the government "can't make hard, fast guarantees" that there will not be a christmas lockdown. what we don't know is the severity of it. none of the scientist can tell us that definitively. i have heard that from chris whitty and patrick balanced themselves. we are relying on real—time data that comes in from the nhs, hospitals and the like. that is the thing that we still have uncertainty around. the most important thing we are doing right now is boosting the vaccine roll—out. the third dose, 53% of adults have now had it. on saturday, 900,000 got their booster, and at the same time we have got this plan b. more wearing of masks and more crowded environments, the work from home where you can guidance, and i think that is the right approach to take. untilwe think that is the right approach to take. until we are at the point where we have got clearer data on the severity of omicron, that is the missing piece right now. of course, we are keeping it under review, hour tjy we are keeping it under review, hour by hour, day by day. do we are keeping it under review, hour by hour. day by day-— by hour, day by day. do you feel that tighter _ by hour, day by day. do you feel that tighter restrictions - by hour, day by day. do you feel that tighter restrictions are - that tighter restrictions are inevitable, and can we expect an announcement before christmas day? what we know is that omicron is spreading. it is doubling something like every two or three days. we also know that if you get your booster, you are over 70% protected. so, against that factual matrix, the data and the certainty that we can have, the most important thing is to encourage people to have their boosters. that is why we are accelerating the boost to have their boosters. that is why we are accelerating the booster roll—out in various different ways between second and third doses, increasing the throughput through vaccination centres. of course, if we need to change the approach, we can't rule it out definitively, that will be reliant on the data that comes through. in particular, we know there has been 104 hospitalisations from omicron. the question really is, does that... and there is a lag time between days if not weeks between finding out their mortality rate of this. but we constantly keep that under review.— rate of this. but we constantly keep that under review. we've heard from the british chambers _ that under review. we've heard from the british chambers of— that under review. we've heard from the british chambers of commerce i the british chambers of commerce that they desperately need more financial support for businesses. can you offer them any hope? the chancellor — can you offer them any hope? tie: chancellor keeps it constantly under review, but particularly people talking about hospitality, there has been extra business rate relief. vat is charged at a lower rate. there are loans. there is an extra pot of money, i think over £200 million for those who are particularly affected by the restrictions applied because of covid—19. we are doing everything we can, and i think one of the things we have done as well as with the vaccines as we have safeguarded jobs and livelihoods through the fellow scheme and bounce back loans and grants, and we will look at doing everything we need to do to stimulate the economy. i would also say that our economy, as a result of the measures the prime minister and chancellor have taken, is one of the strongest in the g7. jobs are up. we are mindful of those that are suffering. we have taken the action to put it in that position. shopper numbers across britain's dropped over the weekend of the 18th and 19th december, as the spread of the omicron variant kept people at home. that's according to research from springboard, which says footfall fell 8.5% in central london, and 6.4% in cities outside the capital let's speak to our business correspondent, emma simpson. the weekend just past. should have seen a surge in shoppers. this is the biggest weekend of shopping in the biggest weekend of shopping in the high street for the whole year, and these figures are disappointing from springboard. if you look at what was happening right across retail for the what was happening right across retailfor the uk what was happening right across retail for the uk at the weekend, we only saw an increase of 0.8% on saturday compared to the previous saturday. so, that surgejust saturday compared to the previous saturday. so, that surge just failed to materialise. on sunday, it was even down. but as you say, central london, really the hardest hit, down 8.5%. cities outside london down 6.4%. but then in market terms, they fared better and were up a bit. retail parks fared best of all, probably because of free parking, more modern stores, people able to quickly coming in to get out again. reflecting perhaps shoppers being a bit more cautious. i would say it is a fairly muted end to the year in terms of football. i a fairly muted end to the year in terms of football.— terms of football. i spoke 'ust a short while i terms of football. i spoke 'ust a short while ago i terms of football. i spoke 'ust a short while ago to i terms of football. i spoke 'ust a short while ago to a i terms of football. i spoke 'ust a short while ago to a gym _ terms of football. i spoke just a short while ago to a gym owner| terms of football. i spoke just a - short while ago to a gym owner who described the current situation is like a stealth lockdown, where he had to make the difficult decision to take all gym classes online, and they are in a situation where there is not the level of financial support that they want to see. lots of business owners saying they want something said quickly from the government in terms of what support there is. what is the situation with that? iii there is. what is the situation with that? , ., there is. what is the situation with that? y ., ., there is. what is the situation with that? ., ., , that? if you are a high street retailer, then _ that? if you are a high street retailer, then your— that? if you are a high street retailer, then your trade - that? if you are a high street retailer, then your trade will| that? if you are a high street - retailer, then your trade will have been impacted a bit in the last week orso been impacted a bit in the last week or so since we saw omicron taking effect in the uk. i think the smaller, independent businesses who perhaps don't have the same online offer, but the british retail consortium, the trade body for retail, as book calling for specific support right now. —— aren't calling for specific support. they just want to avoid a lockdown. sales were pretty strong. in december. look at the grocers, they will be enjoying very strong sales because of course we are going to be working from home. more calories consumed in the home. more calories consumed in the home. overall, for retail, i think it is going to be an ok christmas. just a muted end to the year for the high street, but of course that christmas performance is not as good as it could have been because of all the supply chain problems and labour shortages, and retailers really needed as good a christmas as possible because of all the headwinds coming in on the strength spring. cost of living crisis, consumer confidence, tax rises. they really wanted to bank as good a christmas as possible to put them is in as good as dead as possible for the challenges that will no doubt come in the months ahead. thank you, ed beth. come in the months ahead. thank you, ed beth- -- — come in the months ahead. thank you, ed beth. -- emma. _ the leading infectious disease expert in the united states, dr anthony fauci has warned that christmas travel will increase the spread of the omicron covid—19 variant, even among the fully vaccinated. dr fauci said that on current trends the spread of omicron could put serious stresses on us hospitals. governments in europe are also watching the rapid spread of omicron and debating the introduction of further restrictions to keep the infection rates low. mark lobel reports. testing times in florida — for those waiting to find out if they have the virus. the southern state's republican governor has rejected federal mask and vaccine mandates as its health department reports a doubling of infections and higher hospitalisation rates over the past week. it's going to make an inconvenience but, i mean, florida's not been good about the mask mandate. so, you know, these are the consequences. it's crazy. i wish people got vaccinated. we have so many people in this country who are eligible to be i vaccinated who have not yet been vaccinated, and that's _ going to be a real problem| for stress on the hospitals. there's a surge in new york, too. new reported case on a 70 average — astounding growth. this is the area obviously of tremendous concern. but again, we have tools to fight back. president biden is set to address americans on tuesday to unveil new measures to defeat the growing omicron threat. germany has become the latest european country to ban most travellers from britain to try to slow the spread of the omicron variant. from monday, german nationals and residents will still be allowed to enter from the uk if they have a negative test and quarantine for two weeks — regardless of whether they have been vaccinated. as covid surges across europe, one of the many protests against state action to combat the pandemic took place in greece. here, not everyone is a believer in the power of vaccines. in a country with a comparably low vaccination rate and fines for over 60s who avoid the jab from next month. at this vigil in austria, people mark over 13,400 covid deaths there. as it's announced their lockdown for the unvaccinated will ease for the holiday season as cases fall. but a full lockdown remains underway in the netherlands — until at least mid january. and it's already proving tough for some. translation: i hope that we will tackle it well and in a month - we are further when that booster campaign gets going a bit. but you sometimes miss the long—term vision — that is frustrating. you can no longer plan ahead. that is annoying, i think. but planning ahead remains difficult. with studies into the severity of the new variant ongoing and signs surges are beginning to dissipate in a few countries. the global picture remains mixed. mark lobel, bbc news. a man who beat a 93—year—old widow to death at a care home has been detained in hospital indefinitely. 63—year—old alexander rawson used a crutch to attack grandmother—of—five eileen dean in her bedroom in south london, in january. mrs dean, who had been self—isolating with covid—19, suffered multiple fractures to facial bones and traumatic brain injury, and died in hospital. at least 375 people are now known to be have been killed in a typhoon which struck the philippines last week. typhoon rai has left survivors pleading for urgent supplies of drinking water and food. the philippine red cross describe the scene in some coastal areas as "complete carnage" — after the destruction of, homes, hospitals and schools. howard johnson is in manila and has been following the story super typhoon rai first made landfall in the philippines last thursday and it is only now we are seeing the extent of the damage she had made. that is because of the complicated geography of the philippines. more than 7000 islands, many of them inaccessible and hard to get to. this dumb move because nine of them over a distance of 800 kilometres and packed high winds and heavy rain all the way. that's effectively nine national emergencies all rolled into one. we are seeing people saying that they need water and fuel in cebu city. we saw a big queue for fuel today and thatis saw a big queue for fuel today and that is because they need it for their generators. there is power is down and there is no electricity. in other places there is a need for water. there is a report today from an island where people had died from dehydration. so, what we are hearing is the international federation of the red cross with this appeal, they are trying to raise $20 million. today, the british government committed $1 million to help the people of the philippines. the philippine president committed $14 million take support his people. we are also seeing the death toll rising slowly, and that is because these provincial governments are slowly getting reconnected to the internet and the cellular networks. so, slowly they are able to update the world about what really happened last thursday. the headlines on bbc news... there'll be a virtual meeting of the cabinet later, amid calls for action to tackle surging coronavirus case rates. sources tell the bbc three options have been prepared. a new photo's been published of the prime minister and others with wine and cheese in the no 10 garden during lockdown. ministers say no rules were broken. figures show shoppers avoided high streets and city centres on the weekend before christmas, as hospitality businesses continue to ask for government help. chile has elected the left—wing candidate gabriel as their new president. the former student activist won fifty—five per cent of the vote, well ahead of his far—right rival, jose antonio kast. our south america correspondent katy watson reports within minutes of polls closing, the fans started gathering. the victory was quick and definitive. boric�*s supporters filled the streets of central santiago, happy their man had won. my daughter will grow up in a freer country, this woman told me. with rights for women, better education, we want chile to flourish in freedom. and for 11—year—old amelia, who can't even vote... because he wants to do good things for chile, like protecting the animals, the environment. and the children that is so important for chile. speaking to the nation, gabriel boric promised to lead for everyone. translation: i know that in the coming years, - chile's future is at stake. so i guarantee you that i will be a president that looks after democracy and not risk it, that takes care of what he says, that always looks for unity, that will attend to people's needs every day, that firmly stands up against the privilege of the few, and work every day for the chilean families to have a good quality of life. the many, this is a natural conclusion of the past few years. it was 2019 that protests took over the streets of chile. it began with a rise in transport costs, but they evolved to challenge the deep inequalities in a country known for its economic stability. one year later, chileans voted to rip up its old dictatorship—era constitution and write a newer, more inclusive one. but these elections also revived coast of chile's dictatorship past. those on the left voted to ensure jose antonio kast would lose, a man who talked fondly of a former dictator augusto pinochet. paz marquez is 18 and trying to get to university to study medicine. her whole family voted for kast. she is worried about a future under boric, a man she thinks is influenced by communists. it is a view shared by her mum. translation: i don't like his ideas, l he is charming, but there is no way| they will be stability with him. there are lots of scars in the country, but, unfortunately, the dictatorship was necessary because of the communists. this is a new era for chile, and a very different kind of president — a 35—year—old former student leader who is now the leader of his own country. his biggest challenge will be to unite the millions of chileans who voted for the other side. katie watson, bbc news in santiago. the tennis player, emma raducanu, has been voted bbc sports personality of the year. the 19—year—old, who — at her first attempt — won the us open in september, is the first female tennis player to win the trophy since virginia wade in 1968. though she couldn't attend in person as she's isolating in abu dhabi after testing postive for covid—19, raducanu said winning the public vote capped a remarkable year. it's been 13 weeks of tangos and cha chas, but this year's strictly winners were finally unveiled at the weekend. and history was made as rose and giovanni who took home the prize. actor rose ayling ellis became the first deaf contestant to win the glitterball trophy. rose, giovanni and british sign language interpreter, ray williams joined sally nugent and fellow strictly contestant dan walker on bbc breakfast and rose was asked how she spent yesterday after the highs of saturday night. it was very quiet, and i felt like, whatjust happened? it it was very quiet, and i felt like, whatjust happened?— it was very quiet, and i felt like, whatjust happened? what 'ust happened? it didn't feel real. whatjust happened? it didn't feel real. we whatjust happened? it didn't feel real- we saw _ whatjust happened? it didn't feel real. we saw giovanni. _ whatjust happened? it didn't feel real. we saw giovanni. you - whatjust happened? it didn't feel real. we saw giovanni. you woke | whatjust happened? it didn't feel. real. we saw giovanni. you woke up, i don't know whether you woke up or went to bed with the trophy in your bed. we got the picture. how long did it stay in there with you? it’s did it stay in there with you? it's auoin did it stay in there with you? it's going everywhere with me. we i did it stay in there with you? it's - going everywhere with me. we didn't see that because _ going everywhere with me. we didn't see that because you _ going everywhere with me. we didn't see that because you we _ going everywhere with me. we didn't see that because you we were - going everywhere with me. we didn't| see that because you we were looking at the picture. we chose the trophy? oh, wow. and we didn't hear much from you on saturday night, because many are our view, you were crying for most of it. what are your thoughts now and this monday morning about what you and rose have achieved? i about what you and rose have achieved?— about what you and rose have achieved? i think it has been a fantastic. _ achieved? i think it has been a fantastic, fantastic _ achieved? i think it has been a fantastic, fantastic journey - achieved? i think it has been a l fantastic, fantastic journey from the fantastic, fantasticjourney from the beginning. we put out there are ijil, the beginning. we put out there are big big _ the beginning. we put out there are big, big statement. every time i say to raise _ big, big statement. every time i say to raise the — big, big statement. every time i say to raise the same thing, i think obviousiy— to raise the same thing, i think obviously it is nice to win the show. — obviously it is nice to win the show. but _ obviously it is nice to win the show, but i think we managed to put a statement, very important for rose and the _ a statement, very important for rose and the deaf community, every week we go _ and the deaf community, every week we go there — and the deaf community, every week we go there and we smash our dancing — we go there and we smash our dancing. we just thought everything is possible. dancing. we 'ust thought everything is ossible. ., , dancing. we 'ust thought everything is ossible. is possible. rose, iwas lucky enou:h is possible. rose, iwas lucky enough to — is possible. rose, iwas lucky enough to what _ is possible. rose, iwas lucky enough to what you - is possible. rose, iwas lucky enough to what you dance - is possible. rose, iwas lucky| enough to what you dance the is possible. rose, i was lucky - enough to what you dance the tango life the _ enough to what you dance the tango life the night— enough to what you dance the tango life the night he _ enough to what you dance the tango life the night he did _ enough to what you dance the tango life the night he did the _ enough to what you dance the tango life the night he did the tango- life the night he did the tango one strictly _ life the night he did the tango one strictly it — life the night he did the tango one strictly it was _ life the night he did the tango one strictly. it was incredible - life the night he did the tango one strictly. it was incredible to - life the night he did the tango one strictly. it was incredible to be - life the night he did the tango one strictly. it was incredible to be in. strictly. it was incredible to be in the room — strictly. it was incredible to be in the room. what— strictly. it was incredible to be in the room. what i— strictly. it was incredible to be in the room. what i want— strictly. it was incredible to be in the room. what i want to - strictly. it was incredible to be in the room. what i want to know. strictly. it was incredible to be in| the room. what i want to know is strictly. it was incredible to be in - the room. what i want to know is how did you _ the room. what i want to know is how did you and _ the room. what i want to know is how did you and giovanni _ the room. what i want to know is how did you and giovanni get— the room. what i want to know is how did you and giovanni get to _ the room. what i want to know is how did you and giovanni get to those - did you and giovanni get to those that point — did you and giovanni get to those that point. what _ did you and giovanni get to those that point. what was _ did you and giovanni get to those that point. what was it— did you and giovanni get to those that point. what was it about - did you and giovanni get to those that point. what was it about hisl that point. what was it about his teaching — that point. what was it about his teaching that _ that point. what was it about his teaching that meant _ that point. what was it about his teaching that meant that - that point. what was it about his teaching that meant that every. that point. what was it about his- teaching that meant that every week we saw— teaching that meant that every week we saw more — teaching that meant that every week we saw more and _ teaching that meant that every week we saw more and more _ teaching that meant that every week we saw more and more and - teaching that meant that every week we saw more and more and more . teaching that meant that every week i we saw more and more and more from you? _ we saw more and more and more from you? i— we saw more and more and more from ou? ., we saw more and more and more from ou? ~' , ., , , you? i think i improved every single week because _ you? i think i improved every single week because he really _ you? i think i improved every single week because he really push - you? i think i improved every single week because he really push me - you? i think i improved every single week because he really push me to | week because he really push me to make sure my feet were in the right place, my posture, my frame. the details like that improved each week. i details like that improved each week. ., . details like that improved each week. ~ ., ., ., week. i think that was the amazing thin to week. i think that was the amazing thing to watch _ week. i think that was the amazing thing to watch at _ week. i think that was the amazing thing to watch at close _ week. i think that was the amazing thing to watch at close quarters, i thing to watch at close quarters, rose and giovanni. if you can take us back to the start of all that, when you first viewed it and you are getting rose and she was a deaf contestant on strictly, were you worried at that point about how you would teach her and how quickly into that did you think, dear me, she is actually amazing, this could be brilliant? i actually amazing, this could be brilliant? ., . , actually amazing, this could be brilliant? ~ ., _ brilliant? i think it was obviously a different way. _ brilliant? i think it was obviously a different way. i _ brilliant? i think it was obviously a different way. i knew- brilliant? i think it was obviously a different way. i knew after - brilliant? i think it was obviously | a different way. i knew after that my way— a different way. i knew after that my way of— a different way. i knew after that my way of teaching had to be different. i wasn't worried, i was different. iwasn't worried, i was actually— different. i wasn't worried, i was actually more excited because i had been in _ actually more excited because i had been in the — actually more excited because i had been in the show for so long, so i wanted _ been in the show for so long, so i wanted something to bring the spark back for— wanted something to bring the spark back for me to teach a celeb. and then— back for me to teach a celeb. and then rose — back for me to teach a celeb. and then rose came along and i had to change _ then rose came along and i had to change by— then rose came along and i had to change by way of teaching and it was phenomenal from the beginning. the first dance _ phenomenal from the beginning. the first dance for me, the jive, it was a difficult — first dance for me, the jive, it was a difficult one because we was separated so there was a lot of counting — separated so there was a lot of counting. but when we got to, rose understood — counting. but when we got to, rose understood the way of dancing and we did the _ understood the way of dancing and we did the foxtrot, that's when i realised. _ did the foxtrot, that's when i realised, 0k, she can dance. but realised, ok, she can dance. but every— realised, 0k, she can dance. but every week— realised, 0k, she can dance. but every week has been a different challenge for us because of the timing — challenge for us because of the timing, but it has been phenomenal. you were _ timing, but it has been phenomenal. you were there until almost the end. you were there until almost the end. you talk— you were there until almost the end. you talk about how rose improved week— you talk about how rose improved week on— you talk about how rose improved week on week— you talk about how rose improved week on week on _ you talk about how rose improved week on week on week. _ you talk about how rose improved week on week on week. what - you talk about how rose improved week on week on week. what was| you talk about how rose improved i week on week on week. what was the moment, _ week on week on week. what was the moment, what— week on week on week. what was the moment, what was _ week on week on week. what was the moment, what was the _ week on week on week. what was the moment, what was the dance, - week on week on week. what was the | moment, what was the dance, bearing in mind _ moment, what was the dance, bearing in mind i_ moment, what was the dance, bearing in mind i think— moment, what was the dance, bearing in mind i think you _ moment, what was the dance, bearing in mind i think you have _ moment, what was the dance, bearing in mind i think you have been - moment, what was the dance, bearing in mind i think you have been in - moment, what was the dance, bearing in mind i think you have been in the i in mind i think you have been in the final three _ in mind i think you have been in the final three times— in mind i think you have been in the final three times now, _ in mind i think you have been in the final three times now, when - in mind i think you have been in the final three times now, when did - in mind i think you have been in thej final three times now, when did you think. _ final three times now, when did you think. oh— final three times now, when did you think. oh my— final three times now, when did you think, oh my goodness, _ final three times now, when did you think, oh my goodness, we - final three times now, when did you think, oh my goodness, we could i final three times now, when did you i think, oh my goodness, we could win this thing? _ think, oh my goodness, we could win this thin? . v think, oh my goodness, we could win this thin? ., �*, ., think, oh my goodness, we could win this thin ? ., �*, ., , ., this thing? that's a good question. i think this thing? that's a good question. i think when _ this thing? that's a good question. i think when we _ this thing? that's a good question. i think when we started _ this thing? that's a good question. i think when we started the - this thing? that's a good question. i think when we started the whole l i think when we started the whole foxtrot _ i think when we started the whole foxtrot in— i think when we started the whole foxtrot in week three, i was like this could — foxtrot in week three, i was like this could be something. i know it sounds _ this could be something. i know it sounds a — this could be something. i know it sounds a bit pathetic, but this year the was _ sounds a bit pathetic, but this year the was the — sounds a bit pathetic, but this year the was the hardest that we have ever had — the was the hardest that we have ever had. the competition was the best we _ ever had. the competition was the best we have had. everybody was unbelievable this year. everybody could _ unbelievable this year. everybody could have been fined and everybody could have been fined and everybody could have _ could have been fined and everybody could have been fined and everybody could have been in the final three, and i_ could have been in the final three, and i think— could have been in the final three, and i think we just played our game and i think we just played our game and we _ and i think we just played our game and we were just there every week thinking _ and we were just there every week thinking about our dense and that's it. �* .,, ~ ., it. and rose, i think the other thing that _ it. and rose, i think the other thing that has _ it. and rose, i think the other thing that has really _ it. and rose, i think the other thing that has really inspired i thing that has really inspired people and made them quite emotional watching you is the reaction from so many others who feel that when they are watching you achieve great things and dance the way you do and enjoy the music and be this huge star and strictly when you have had to fight to get there, and as many have been told no so many times because you are deaf, i think the way you inspired so many, notjust in the deaf community but outside as well, that has touched so many people over the last 13 weeks. that must be amazing to be that person who so many people are looking up to. i who so many people are looking up to. ., . �* , who so many people are looking up to. ~ ., �* , who so many people are looking up to. ~ ., ,,, to. i think that's so lovely because i didn't to. i think that's so lovely because i didn't have _ to. i think that's so lovely because i didn't have that _ to. i think that's so lovely because i didn't have that when _ to. i think that's so lovely because i didn't have that when i _ to. i think that's so lovely because i didn't have that when i was - i didn't have that when i was growing up. i didn't have anyone to look up to. but also it is brought in to inspire the hearing people to think about what they are doing and just change their perspective perception. so that when a deaf person comes for a job interview, they don't have to panic or freak out. they can be like, oh, it'sjust a deaf person, that's all. making it accessible. so, i'm very excited, and i'm looking forward to see what will happen next and how it will carry on hopefully. now it's time for a look at the weather with matt taylor. we are and in the important run—up to christmas this week. hat we are and in the important run-up to christmas this week.— to christmas this week. not much chances to christmas this week. not much changes in — to christmas this week. not much changes in weather _ to christmas this week. not much changes in weather today - to christmas this week. not much changes in weather today or - changes in weather today or tomorrow. some milder weather coming mid week with some rain at times. caldaire could fight back as we come to was christmas day. more on that in a moment. don't expect a huge amount of sunshine today. it will turn white chili very quickly as we head into the evening. elsewhere temperatures in mid—single figures. it is a radical day out there and it will be through tonight. they could be a few breaks and ran cheaply across parts of wales and scotland. especially on higher ground, you can see the blue colours here in the chart and you are most likely to see temperatures drop below freezing. it will be a cold start tomorrow and tomorrow is the winter solstice. 49 minutes of daylight in lerwick, but tomorrow signifies the change from their own. the day length starts to draw out a little bit more. not a huge amount of sunshine to enjoy in the winter solstice. across wales in the winter solstice. across wales in the south—western parts of england and the far north of scotland should have a brighter day. elsewhere, plenty of cloud, may be a bit misty, a few spots of drizzle first thing but many will have a dry day. on the chilly side. this big area of low pressure in the atlantic start to exert more thinning influence. hoping to break their cloud up a bit more, so actually in the east it may be a bit sunnier on wednesday. the cloud in the west will thicken up in some outbreaks of rain to northern ireland and scotland and may be the west of wales and isle of man through the end of the day. across eastern parts may be of little bit colder than we have at the moment. into thursday, another bout of rain pushes through on thursday itself. wessex conditions across scotland. more sunshine developing across the south and look at the split temperatures. six celsius in northern scotland compared to 12 or 13 in the south. on friday, heading to was christmas day a bit of a battle heading towards milder air pushing in and caldaire trying to pushing in and caldaire trying to push on from the north. our best chance of that in the caldaire, but where that divides in—line lies be crucial. today at one, boris johnson faces calls to bring in tighter covid restrictions in england over christmas, in the battle against the omicron variant. as the booster drive continues, he'll hold a virtual cabinet meeting this afternoon, to assess different options, for tighter rules. if we need to change the approach and can't rule it out definitively, but that will be reliant on the data that comes through. labour is urging the government to set out as soon as possible any detailed plan, for how to combat the rise in infections. there's a vacuum of leadership at the moment. the infighting is going on in the tory party, when the focus should be on public interest and public health. and there's more criticism, after a picture emerges of borisjohnson in the downing street garden with staff, during the first national lockdown.

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