as she's reunited with her owner. good morning. rain moving from the west to the east. behind it a fair bit of cloud, windy across parts of england and wales but it will turn much milder in the next few days. all the details later in the programme. it's tuesday the 28th of december. the hospitality sector has welcomed the decision not to impose further coronavirus restrictions in england this week — describing it as a "lifeline" to pubs, bars and clubs relying on new year trade for their survival. the health secretary, sajid javid, announced yesterday that the government would wait untiljanuary before re—evaluating the situation. record numbers of coronavirus cases were recorded in england on christmas day. here's our political correspondent, iain watson. with christmas celebrations coming to a close, there had been fears of a much bleaker new year. with covid cases continuing at high levels, scotland, wales and northern ireland have all imposed new restrictions. but in england, the emphasis for the time being is on caution, not compulsion. we think some 90% of cases now across england are this new omicron variant, so it shows you just how quickly it has spread. we have had news in recent days that it's milder. now, that in itself isn't good news enough — that's good news, but we know that it spreads very rapidly, so we have to set that news against that. but whilst we should all absolutely remain cautious, we don't think there's any need for any further measures until the new year but, of course, we will keep that under review. many in the hospitality industry welcomed the fact that there'll be no new restrictions in england before new year — the night time industries association said it was amazing news, — but some businesses say that even the existing restrictions have hit them hard, and they're still looking to the government for more help. it feels that, if there isn't some intervention that happens within the next sort of week or so, there'll be a lot of hospitality business like mine that will go out of business comejanuary, february, because we do not have the reserves to be able to weather the storm. with no new restrictions before the new year, parliament won't need to be recalled from its winter break. the ayes to the right, 369... 100 of borisjohnson�*s own mps rebelled earlier this month against the introduction of covid passes in england. if the prime minister had tried to push more measures through this week, he could have faced even fiercer resistance. as long as the nhs is not overwhelmed, then we stay, keep the uk open for business, keep our schools open — because the collateral damage to wider society and the economy of any lockdown measures are very much underestimated. but ministers are still concerned about the effect of self—isolation and sickness on nhs staffing levels — so they've given no guarantees that there would be more restrictions injanuary. ——that there won't be more restrictions injanuary. and labour is calling for the government to publish the data and advice it receives when making its decisions. england is now on a divergent path from scotland, wales and northern ireland... ..but it's not yet clear whether that will also lead to different results in trying to keep the virus under control. iain watson, bbc news. the french government has defended the introduction of new coronavirus measures as "proportionate". employees will be expected to work from home more — and bars and cafes will only serve customers who are seated at tables. and there are plans to exclude people who aren't vaccinated from some entertainment venues — even if they have a negative covid test. an israeli hospital has administered a fourth covid—i9 vaccine dose as part of a trial to a group of health workers. it's the first major study into whether a second round of boosters will help contend with the fast—spreading omicron variant. results of the trial will be submitted to the country's health department in about two weeks time. record amounts of snow are falling in western and northern japan, blocking roads and railways, and disrupting flights. thousands of homes are currently without power, with forecasters suggesting the amount of snow this season is twice that of an average year, as daniel wittenberg reports. a white christmas, and the nightmare afterwards. japan's freezing weather has generated an amount of snow this winter that in the worst—affected places is twice that of an average year. the heaviest snowfall started on christmas day. in the city of hikone, east of kyoto, 68 centimetres fell in 2a hours. just as people wanted to hunker down, more than 3,000 households were left without power. for those on the move, piles of powder have caused a standstill. traffic lights and motorway signs hide from the chaotic scenes, after a truck driver lost control on a major road, prompting long tailbacks. dozens of flights have been grounded, with holiday travel plans disrupted. planes shiver on the tarmac. and almost 200 passengers had to spend the night on stranded trains. there's no let—up in sight — more snow is forecast along the coast of the japan sea, and residents are being asked to stay at home, with weather officials warning of potential avalanches. a pretty festive picture, perhaps — but, for many, a frustrating one. daniel wittenberg, bbc news. time for a look at some of this morning's front pages. the daily telegraph leads with "no fresh restrictions to spoil new year's eve". the paper reports that the prime minister has made the decision "after reviewing christmas data on the 0micron surge". "where's the pm?" is the mirror's headline, alongside a picture of an empty downing street news conference lectern. the paper says that borisjohnson was not to be seen, as mrjavid made his statement on restrictions yesterday. the times features an image from yesterday's holcombe hunt in lancashire. the meet, which is traditionally held on boxing day, was delayed this year as it fell on a sunday. and this morning's yorkshire post has an image of a traditional sword dance, staged in the south of the county yesterday by members of the grenoside sword dancers. they are one ofjust five remaining traditional longsword dance groups in the uk. i have two little bits from the inside of the paper. the put on instagram yesterday, over the christmas period. a family picture, all the beckhams in front of the christmas tree. if you look closely down here you can see david beckham is actually on his tiptoes because his boys are too tall stop you that there is nothing wrong with that, i am in my tiptoes most of the time. a good photographic technique. i cannot even get served at the bar without being on tiptoes or a stilts i would need. without being on tiptoes or a stilts iwould need. i without being on tiptoes or a stilts i would need-— i would need. i wasn't being heightist! — i would need. i wasn't being heightist! good _ i would need. i wasn't being heightist! good for - i would need. i wasn't being heightist! good for you, - i would need. i wasn't being i heightist! good for you, david beckham- _ heightist! good for you, david beckham- i — heightist! good for you, david beckham. i have _ heightist! good for you, david beckham. i have this - heightist! good for you, david | beckham. i have this beautiful picture. it is a visual one. there we go. picture. it is a visual one. there we no. . , picture. it is a visual one. there we .0_ ., , , ., picture. it is a visual one. there we 90-_ it - picture. it is a visual one. there we 90-_ it is i we go. that is beautiful. it is villaue we go. that is beautiful. it is village on — we go. that is beautiful. it is village on the _ we go. that is beautiful. it is village on the edge - we go. that is beautiful. it is village on the edge of - we go. that is beautiful. it is village on the edge of the i we go. that is beautiful. it is i village on the edge of the test valley in hampshire and this was boxing day and it is so surreal. it was foggy where i was, very mysterious. no snow but beautiful and misty. mysterious. no snow but beautiful and mis . ,, , ., mysterious. no snow but beautiful andmis .,,, ., . mysterious. no snow but beautiful andmis .,,, ., ., and misty. superman comic bought for the equivalent — and misty. superman comic bought for the equivalent of— and misty. superman comic bought for the equivalent of £1.50 _ and misty. superman comic bought for the equivalent of £1.50 in _ and misty. superman comic bought for the equivalent of £1.50 in 1938 - and misty. superman comic bought for the equivalent of £1.50 in 1938 will. the equivalent of £1.50 in 1938 will go the equivalent of £1.50 in 1938 will 9° up the equivalent of £1.50 in 1938 will go up for auction and it is estimated to sell £2 million. believed to be only 77 surviving copies of the comic which had a print run of about 200,000. part of an article which talks about the fact that spider—man, the new one... have you seen it? hot fact that spider-man, the new one... have you seen it?— have you seen it? not yet but it has done well- — have you seen it? not yet but it has done well- it — have you seen it? not yet but it has done well. it is _ have you seen it? not yet but it has done well. it is the _ have you seen it? not yet but it has done well. it is the first _ have you seen it? not yet but it has done well. it is the first pandemic. done well. it is the first pandemic era movie to _ done well. it is the first pandemic era movie to make _ done well. it is the first pandemic era movie to make more - done well. it is the first pandemic era movie to make more than - done well. it is the first pandemic era movie to make more than $1. era movie to make more than $1 billion at the global box office so it has gone beyond everything else. incredibly popular. i watched it yesterday with the kids. fell asleep in the middle. missed the crucial ten minutes. figs in the middle. missed the crucial ten minutes-_ in the middle. missed the crucial ten minutes. as long as you didn't snore and ruin _ ten minutes. as long as you didn't snore and ruin it _ ten minutes. as long as you didn't snore and ruin it for _ ten minutes. as long as you didn't snore and ruin it for everyone - ten minutes. as long as you didn'tl snore and ruin it for everyone else. just had a quiet moment in the middle but i didn't miss the storyline. it's good, the kids enjoyed it. storyline. it's good, the kids enjoyed it— storyline. it's good, the kids enjoyed it. storyline. it's good, the kids en'o edit. , ., ., en'oyed it. may be more than you did if enjoyed it. may be more than you did if they stayed — enjoyed it. may be more than you did if they stayed awake. _ enjoyed it. may be more than you did if they stayed awake. ask _ enjoyed it. may be more than you did if they stayed awake. ask me - if they stayed awake. ask me an hint if they stayed awake. ask me anything about... _ if they stayed awake. ask me anything about... out - if they stayed awake. ask me anything about... out the - if they stayed awake. ask me - anything about... out the middle bit? i can anything about... out the middle bit? | can tell— anything about... out the middle bit? i can tell you _ anything about... out the middle bit? i can tell you that. _ anything about... out the middle bit? i can tell you that. let's - anything about... out the middle bit? i can tell you that. let's get| bit? i can tell you that. let's get the weather. _ bit? i can tell you that. let's get the weather. carol _ bit? i can tell you that. let's get the weather. carol is _ bit? i can tell you that. let's get the weather. carol is with - bit? i can tell you that. let's get the weather. carol is with us. i good morning. we could well hit our record _ good morning. we could well hit our record temperature on new year's day itself. _ record temperature on new year's day itself. the — record temperature on new year's day itself. the record at the moment is 15.6 degrees in cornwall a long time a-o 15.6 degrees in cornwall a long time ago but _ 15.6 degrees in cornwall a long time ago but this year we might hit 16 degrees, — ago but this year we might hit 16 degrees, so something we are keeping a close _ degrees, so something we are keeping a close eye _ degrees, so something we are keeping a close eye on but over the next few days a close eye on but over the next few days it _ a close eye on but over the next few days it is _ a close eye on but over the next few days it is going to turn exceptionally mild for the time of yeah _ exceptionally mild for the time of yeah all— exceptionally mild for the time of year. all this rain is moving from the west— year. all this rain is moving from the west to — year. all this rain is moving from the west to the east. some drizzle and showers to the south, drizzle across _ and showers to the south, drizzle across central and southern scotland, the cloud braking in norihern— scotland, the cloud braking in northern ireland. some sunshine and after a _ northern ireland. some sunshine and after a cold _ northern ireland. some sunshine and after a cold and frosty start in the highlands — after a cold and frosty start in the highlands with freezing fog it will lift and _ highlands with freezing fog it will lift and you will see some sunshine. mist and _ lift and you will see some sunshine. mist and fog across central and eastern — mist and fog across central and eastern areas which will take it's time _ eastern areas which will take it's time to— eastern areas which will take it's time to clear and it will also be a breezy— time to clear and it will also be a breezy day~ _ time to clear and it will also be a breezy day. windy across parts of england _ breezy day. windy across parts of england and wales, especially with exposure _ england and wales, especially with exposure across the west coast and through _ exposure across the west coast and through the english channel. these are our— through the english channel. these are our temperatures. six to about 12 degrees — are our temperatures. six to about 12 degrees. through this evening and overnight. _ 12 degrees. through this evening and overnight. a — 12 degrees. through this evening and overnight, a fair bit of cloud around _ overnight, a fair bit of cloud around but clear skies. once again, some _ around but clear skies. once again, some frost — around but clear skies. once again, some frost across parts of scotland and by— some frost across parts of scotland and by the — some frost across parts of scotland and by the end of the night we have this next— and by the end of the night we have this next system swinging in, bringing _ this next system swinging in, bringing more rain. these are our temperatures, note the contrast. these — temperatures, note the contrast. these are _ temperatures, note the contrast. these are towns and cities. in rural areas _ these are towns and cities. in rural areas they— these are towns and cities. in rural areas they will be lowered substantially freezing in the highlands plus ten across the far south _ highlands plus ten across the far south. through tomorrow there goes our weather— south. through tomorrow there goes our weather front, south. through tomorrow there goes ourweatherfront, pushing south. through tomorrow there goes our weather front, pushing steadily north— our weather front, pushing steadily north and _ our weather front, pushing steadily north and east, taking rain with it. behind _ north and east, taking rain with it. behind it— north and east, taking rain with it. behind it dregs of cloud thick enough — behind it dregs of cloud thick enough for spots of light rain or drizzle — enough for spots of light rain or drizzle in— enough for spots of light rain or drizzle in the south but those temperatures starting to rise. up to 16 in temperatures starting to rise. up to to in the _ temperatures starting to rise. up to 16 in the south and seven to ten in the north — 16 in the south and seven to ten in the north. we could see a 70 before we are _ the north. we could see a 70 before we are through with this week, which is very— we are through with this week, which is very exceptional —— we could see a 17 is very exceptional —— we could see a i7 which — is very exceptional —— we could see a i7 which is — is very exceptional —— we could see a 17 which is exceptional. that doesnt a 17 which is exceptional. that doesn't make _ a 17 which is exceptional. that doesn't make sense _ a 17 which is exceptional. that doesn't make sense at - a 17 which is exceptional. that doesn't make sense at all! - australia have retained the ashes — humiliating england in the third test in melbourne. the overnight play lasted less than 90 minutes, and australia have a 3—0 lead in the five—match series. let's speak to our cricket correspondentjonathan agnew. you were watching that. really nice to speak to you. i you were watching that. really nice to speak to you-— to speak to you. i rather wish i wasn't, actually! _ to speak to you. i rather wish i wasn't, actually! i— to speak to you. i rather wish i wasn't, actually! iwould - to speak to you. i rather wish i wasn't, actually! iwould muchj wasn't, actually! iwould much rather listen _ wasn't, actually! iwould much rather listen to _ wasn't, actually! iwould much rather listen to you _ wasn't, actually! iwould much rather listen to you talk - wasn't, actually! iwould much rather listen to you talk about| wasn't, actually! i would much i rather listen to you talk about the cricket than hearing you talk about another humiliation for england. australia only got 267 in the first innings and have won with an innings to spare. how bad was that performance from england? i am afraid it was _ performance from england? i am afraid it was rather _ performance from england? i —.n afraid it was rather inevitable after that extraordinary our plate last night, the last hour, which blew england's last sense of resilience away. it was really a question of kurt ben stokes and joe root possibly hang on and build some lead but it was very unlikely to happen. ben stokes went quickly and wantsjoe root had gone, that was it. five wickets for eight runs. an extraordinary performance by that debutant scott boland who took 6—7. almost primary school bowling figures, from four overs. and honest medium fast of 82 to 83 mph but i think england's will had gone. you have watched _ think england's will had gone. you have watched every day and australia have watched every day and australia have been on top throughout the series, still two tests to go but what has been the issue for england? is there one thing you can put your finger on? there have been spells of good bowling but the batting has never been good enough to take on this australian side?— this australian side? there are so many things _ this australian side? there are so many things to — this australian side? there are so many things to go _ this australian side? there are so many things to go on _ this australian side? there are so many things to go on and - this australian side? there are so many things to go on and i i this australian side? there are so many things to go on and i know. many things to go on and i know people chunter when i talk about the lack of preparation. zak crawley was sent out to bat in the final hour, 50,000 people roaring the fast bowlers on and he has not batted in the middle since september. good looks, out you go and face that's not! you have to take that into account. however, what you also take into account of the barring, one series in 1978, i will not bore people but england have only beaten australia five times since the first world war in australia. it does not happen very often. it is a completely different type of game here and so to expect england to keep coming here and winning is unrealistic. they won here once in 2010, 2011. they should be better than they are and our championship cricket is so marginalised and so... relegated to the fringes of the season, there is no way we can expect to produce test players who will come to somewhere like australia or india, where they also got hammered, and compete. 0ne australia or india, where they also got hammered, and compete. one day cricket is fine but too much of it is not, and here in australia they have the big bash going, the t20 tournament which was the pinnacle when it started up and for its enthusiasm but they have over killed it. they have too many games now and i have been to some games when nobody is turning up. our problem at home is there is too much one—day cricket impacting on the techniques of our batsmen. it is glamorised, it is the game that everyone is being pushed to watch, the game the players want to play. that is fine, one—day cricket is great but the balance has gone and until they get that back again and give proper priority to championship cricket, four—day cricket, allowing batsmen to learn how to defend and so on... it sounds dull but it is not, it is what pure cricket is. if the ashes means things to people, i think the fact i'm speaking to you out suggests it still does, then they should do something about it. i have talked about this for years and so have many others and until something is finally done we will still keep coming here to australia, i hope, but we will still keep losing and i will be answering the same questions. i will be answering the same questions-— will be answering the same cuestions. . , . ,, . ., will be answering the same cuestions. . , . ,, questions. i really appreciate your brutal honesty _ questions. i really appreciate your brutal honesty this _ questions. i really appreciate your brutal honesty this morning. i questions. i really appreciate your| brutal honesty this morning. thank you very much for talking to us. welcome people anyway. exactly! flexin: welcome people anyway. exactly! flexing there _ welcome people anyway. exactly! flexing there and _ welcome people anyway. exactly! flexing there and giving _ welcome people anyway. exactly! flexing there and giving the i welcome people anyway. exactly! l flexing there and giving the honest assessment that england have just not been good enoughin england have just not been good enough in the entire series losing by an innings and 1a runs. enough in the entire series losing by an innings and 14 runs.- by an innings and 14 runs. brutal honesty but _ by an innings and 14 runs. brutal honesty but that _ by an innings and 14 runs. brutal honesty but that is _ by an innings and 14 runs. brutal honesty but that is what - by an innings and 14 runs. brutal honesty but that is what we i by an innings and 14 runs. brutal. honesty but that is what we need. let's get back to our top story now, and as we've been hearing, despite record numbers of covid cases over christmas, there will be no new restrictions introduced in england before the new year. let's discuss this in a bit more detail now. we're joined by one of our regular gps, dr rosemary leonard. thank you so much forjoining us, rosemary. in terms of the latest covid case numbers we have those, although bearing in mind there may be a slight lag because they have come out of christmas. but do they reflect what you expected to see in terms of this and we can't wave? yeah, i mean we are learning about omicron all the time and we have been seeing that it seems to cause a different type of illness to the initial variance we saw. this time last year, when we were in lockdown, we had people in hospital, thousands and thousands of people in hospital with severe lung disease, real severe disease. it seems, can't multiply is more in the upper part of the respiratory tract and the symptoms are very different. it is causing a milder disease with cold like symptoms with a sore throat and i do think we need to have a look at... when you see the list of, if you have a cough, fever, loss of taste and smell, the loss of taste and smell particularly doesn't seem to be happening nearly so much with this variant and i think we really need to revisit the official symptom list that is put on all the websites of when you need to do a test. this of when you need to do a test. as ou of when you need to do a test. as you mention, we are seeing milder responses to this variant but also being told to still remain cautious. just so people have an idea of how cautious they need to be with this variant, how much less potent is it for people who are from older age groups orfrom more for people who are from older age groups or from more vulnerable groups or from more vulnerable groups than the delta variant? meiji. groups than the delta variant? well, eo - le who groups than the delta variant? well, people who are _ groups than the delta variant? well, people who are vulnerable _ groups than the delta variant? -ii people who are vulnerable are still, as it were, vulnerable, so people, elderly people, those with weakened immune systems, this, like flu, this could still be a killer, and thank goodness the vast majority of them have had a booster but even some who have had a booster but even some who have had a booster but even some who have had that in the vulnerable categories are still becoming extremely ill. so i particularly have not been socialising as normal over christmas. i am with my 93—year—old mother who generally is fit and well, but the fact is she is 93 and i want to take care of her. i think a lot of people actually are being very sensible about it. we saw the figures, the footfall in central london for the new year sales. people were just not going out. i think people are aware this virus is incredibly infectious. if you go out and mix with people and you haven't already had it, the chances are you will get it. now it might be a mild illness for you but some of your nearest and dearest, it might be a lot more serious. {lti nearest and dearest, it might be a lot more serious.— nearest and dearest, it might be a lot more serious. of course we have had people — lot more serious. of course we have had people mixing _ lot more serious. of course we have had people mixing over _ lot more serious. of course we have had people mixing over christmas . lot more serious. of course we have i had people mixing over christmas day and we are likely to have more of that at new year's eve, as well. so what is your advice in terms of how cautious people should be, and what that caution looks like? i cautious people should be, and what that caution looks like?— that caution looks like? i think eo - le that caution looks like? i think people need — that caution looks like? i think people need to _ that caution looks like? i think people need to take _ that caution looks like? i think people need to take their i that caution looks like? i think people need to take their own | people need to take their own decisions and be responsible. the result of the mixing at christmas, we will see coming up this week in the next few days. and we will see just how bad it has been. from that we will be able to see, if you do have a lot of mixing on new year's eve, particularly indoors, there will be a new search. but hopefully, hopefully it won't lead to a surge in hospital admissions. i think the government message is, and it is when i agree with very much, is be cautious, be responsible. if you go out and mix with people, you are likely to get infected.— out and mix with people, you are likely to get infected. england, but in terms of england, _ likely to get infected. england, but in terms of england, there - likely to get infected. england, but in terms of england, there are i likely to get infected. england, but in terms of england, there are not| in terms of england, there are not more restrictions being brought in but there are restrictions, tighter restrictions in place in the other nations. which do you think it is? do you think england is not being strict enough or the others are being overly strict?— strict enough or the others are being overly strict? difficult one but on this _ being overly strict? difficult one but on this one _ being overly strict? difficult one but on this one i _ being overly strict? difficult one but on this one i think— being overly strict? difficult one but on this one i think england i being overly strict? difficult one i but on this one i think england has got it right, asking for a sense of self responsibility rather than imposing rules. ithink self responsibility rather than imposing rules. i think people are actually very fed up with rules being imposed and i think it is time, particularly when we are looking... i mean, we can't be certain but we are looking as if this is more of an illness like flu. yes, it will lay you low, you will feel rough if you get it but hopefully it won't end —— hopefully it won't land you in hospital. you need to decide whether you mix with people.— you mix with people. thank you very much, dr rosemary _ you mix with people. thank you very much, dr rosemary leonard - you mix with people. thank you very much, dr rosemary leonard there. l john is with us. i was watching chris silverwood, the england critic coach, say there are positives to take out of the ashes stops yellow what take out of the ashes stops yellow wha- ., take out of the ashes stops yellow wha | ., ., , take out of the ashes stops yellow wha . . , take out of the ashes stops yellow wha . r take out of the ashes stops yellow wha . �* take out of the ashes stops yellow what what has he said? at joe root has been asked _ what what has he said? at joe root has been asked about _ what what has he said? at joe root has been asked about his _ what what has he said? at joe root has been asked about his future i what what has he said? at joe root| has been asked about his future and said it is far too early to be thinking about that. of course he will say that and produce some kind of performance to make this tour worthwhile because when you think about the ashes and cricket, this is the very pinnacle, this is the best, this is what you strive to play in. for england to go and play so meekly, as they have done, it is embarrassing. they will have to play for some pride now and that is the thing. they do have to stress the positives, albeit there are not very many. england slipping to another heavy defeat in melbourne. joe root and ben stokes resumed this morning on 31—4, but england were bowled out forjust 68, injust an hour and twenty minutes, their lowest score in australia in 117 years. it makes for grim reading, doesn't it? and asjoe root searched for answers behind their poor performance in the series so far, he looked, understandably, incredibly disappointed. everyone in that dressing room is gutted. you know, that's not a good enough performance, we all know that we need to put some pride back into the badge and make sure we come away from this tour with something. it's as simple as that. can't really add any more. we will get plenty of reaction from australia on the programme throughout the morning. a record 103 premier league players and staff tested positive for covid in the seven days up to and including boxing day. 15 english top—flight games have been called off so far this month. but newcastle's match at home to manchester united went ahead last night. and it was newcastle who went ahead early on, thanks to this strike from alain saint maximain. what a not for newcastle. but the substitute edinson cavani equalised for united in the second half and that's how it finished. newcastle stay second bottom with only one win from 19 games this season. very frustrated. i can't praise the players _ very frustrated. i can't praise the players enough for an excellent performance come in and out of possession i thought we were very good _ possession i thought we were very good tonight. good individual performances, so really pleased. we deserved _ performances, so really pleased. we deserved to win and you are left with that — deserved to win and you are left with that horrible feeling of not accomplishing what you deserved to .et, accomplishing what you deserved to get, but _ accomplishing what you deserved to get, but very pleased with the players — we still have steps to go. today was not a _ we still have steps to go. today was not a step _ we still have steps to go. today was not a step forward _ we still have steps to go. today was not a step forward with _ we still have steps to go. today was not a step forward with regard - we still have steps to go. today was not a step forward with regard to i not a step forward with regard to the result — not a step forward with regard to the result may— not a step forward with regard to the result may be, _ not a step forward with regard to the result may be, but _ not a step forward with regard to the result may be, but not - not a step forward with regard to the result may be, but not with. the result may be, but not with regard — the result may be, but not with regard to — the result may be, but not with regard to our _ the result may be, but not with regard to our performance. i the result may be, but not with regard to our performance. we| the result may be, but not with- regard to our performance. we need to get— regard to our performance. we need to get more — regard to our performance. we need to get more physical, _ regard to our performance. we need to get more physical, we _ regard to our performance. we need to get more physical, we need i regard to our performance. we need to get more physical, we need to- to get more physical, we need to decrease — to get more physical, we need to decrease the _ to get more physical, we need to decrease the number— to get more physical, we need to decrease the number of- to get more physical, we need to. decrease the number of giveaways to get more physical, we need to- decrease the number of giveaways and unforced _ decrease the number of giveaways and unforced errors— decrease the number of giveaways and unforced errors when _ decrease the number of giveaways and unforced errors when we _ decrease the number of giveaways and unforced errors when we were - decrease the number of giveaways and unforced errors when we were in - unforced errors when we were in possession — unforced errors when we were in possession of _ unforced errors when we were in possession of the _ unforced errors when we were in possession of the ball. - unforced errors when we were in possession of the ball. steps i unforced errors when we were in possession of the ball. steps ofi possession of the ball. steps of development. _ possession of the ball. steps of development, we _ possession of the ball. steps of development, we to _ possession of the ball. steps of development, we to take. i the defending champion gerwyn pryce survived a huge scare to reach the last 16 of the pdc world darts championship at alexandra palace. the world number one was taken all the way to a sudden—death leg. he kept his cool though as he took out 76 to set up a meeting there was one match in rugby union's premiership, and harlequins moved up to third in the table after they beat northampton saints by 41 points to 27 in the "big game" at twickenham. quins were 21—7 down at the end of the first half but came from behind to comfortably win it it the end. louis lynagh finished off the pick of their 6 tries. and it was a good day all round for harlequins fans. their women's side comfortably beat wasps by 29 points to 5. heather cowell scored the pick of the four quins tries with this brilliant run, almost the entire length of the pitch. it was the first premier 15s match to take place at the ground. there were no fans at the welsh grand national for the second year in a row. the welsh government's introduced covid rules which prevent more than 50 spectators attending a sporting event. 0nly five horses finished a gruelling race which was won by the 13/2 shot i will do it, ridden by sam sheppard and trained by sam thomas. but of course the big story this morning, that defeat, an innings and 14 runs of england in that test in melbourne. 3—0 down and australia very much on top. they have retained the ashes and england will be trying to play for some kind of pride. you are trying to stress the slim positives there are. the are trying to stress the slim positives there are. the rare silver lininu. positives there are. the rare silver lining- the — positives there are. the rare silver lining. the questions _ positives there are. the rare silver lining. the questions i _ positives there are. the rare silver lining. the questions i will - positives there are. the rare silver lining. the questions i will be i lining. the questions i will be asked about _ lining. the questions i will be asked about the _ lining. the questions i will be asked about the preparation l lining. the questions i will be | asked about the preparation of lining. the questions i will be i asked about the preparation of this england team. we know going out there that the amount of preparation they will be able to do was limited, they will be able to do was limited, they had difficult conditions in the first instance with a lot of rain. they were in brisbane for the first test. didn't get much practice. seemingly everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. you think about team selection, dropped catches, poor batting. that about team selection, dropped catches, poor batting. that was what jonathan catches, poor batting. that was what jonathan agnew _ catches, poor batting. that was what jonathan agnew was _ catches, poor batting. that was what jonathan agnew was talking - catches, poor batting. that was what jonathan agnew was talking about, i jonathan agnew was talking about, the deep—rooted problems are and lack of appreciation of the skills needed to last for four days. it is all about the short form of the game, one—day cricket. it is no longer on the technique to survive and england don't have that. ianthem and england don't have that. when ou are and england don't have that. when you are learning — and england don't have that. when you are learning to _ and england don't have that. when you are learning to play _ and england don't have that. tween you are learning to play cricket from a young age you see the weight the game has evolved with the shorter format. the game has evolved with the shorterformat. are the game has evolved with the shorter format. are you the game has evolved with the shorterformat. are you learning the game has evolved with the shorter format. are you learning the basics at the right age? this is where the tipping point has gone. joe root was saying the aftermath of this defeat, there needs to be a reset in test cricket. there was in the shorter formats, which reset in test cricket. there was in the shorterformats, which had led to success there. perhaps the same thing needs to come back in now with test cricket to ensure players are as prepared as they can be for when they go on and play at the highest level because the county championship, the breeding ground to go on and play at the highest level, they are not producing the players and the performances. $5 they are not producing the players and the performances.— and the performances. as brutally honest as aggers _ and the performances. as brutally honest as aggers was. _ and the performances. as brutally honest as aggers was. we - and the performances. as brutally honest as aggers was. we could i and the performances. as brutally. honest as aggers was. we could go out and win — honest as aggers was. we could go out and win the _ honest as aggers was. we could go out and win the next _ honest as aggers was. we could go out and win the next two! - honest as aggers was. we could go out and win the next two! sign i honest as aggers was. we could go out and win the next two! sign but | out and win the next two! sign but there is a silver lining. i5 out and win the next two! sign but there is a silver lining.— there is a silver lining. is never auoin to there is a silver lining. is never going to happen- _ time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning from the news team at bbc london and bbc south east today. the environment agency have issued a flood warning for the buxted area in east sussex overnight. the river uck is high and rising, after the equivalent of an average fortnight�*s winter rain has fallen in just three days, with 20 millimetres recorded in three hours last night. major work is under way in south east london this week to upgrade railway lines. £8 million is being spent improving the tracks in lewisham, a route used by more than half of southeastern services. engineers are also strengthening a cutting near swanley to help protect against landslips. rail replacement buses will be operating on a number of routes. police in sussex are searching for three men who attacked a man at his house in st leonards, punching the man and tying him up. the victim was left with a broken rib and severe bruising, after they forced their way into his home last tuesday and robbed him. the suspects are described as of mediterranean appearance and spoke in a foreign language. research has shown footfall on our high streets on boxing day this year, was down dramatically compared to the same day two years ago before the pandemic. retail experts springboard say that in the south east the number of people out shopping fell by 32%, with a 67% drop in london. what we need to see is the continued investment in retail, both in expanding the digital world, but also improving that experimential retail, so that when, you know, the 0micron variant dies down, as it invariably will, that there is a reason for people to get out to the shops, to visit, and to, you know, good old—fashioned high street retail. a new london—based support service has been launched to help people living with cancer to understand their condition and treatment options. �*from me to you' was started byjudith neptial, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2018. i wanted people to really know, what are your rights? if they're not able to ask the question, then we'll ask that question for you. let's get a look at the weather now with elizabeth rizzini. hello, good morning. well, it's looking very mild indeed for this time of year as we head towards the end of this year across london and the southeast, but it'll also be quite unsettled at times. now, a mild start to this morning, some of our temperatures in double figures. it's quite a messy—looking picture today — there's a bit of an early murk around, but that will lift into low cloud and we'll actually see some spells of brightness and sunshine get going today. watch out for some showers, showery outbreaks of rain on and off. plenty of dry weather, too — particularly towards the south coast. the cloud never too far away and there's a brisk southwesterly wind blowing — the wind has changed direction. quite a blustery—looking day, and it will be feeling increasingly mild — 11 or 12 degrees celsius. and it turns milder still as we head through wednesday, with highs of 16 degrees but, again, wet, very windy at times. if you've got something you think we should be covering or you want to see more stories and videos from across kent, sussex and surrey then go to facebook, twitter, instagram or the bbc news website. that's it from me for now. i'll be back in half an hour. goodbye. hello, this is breakfast with dan walker and luxmy gopal. just gone up past six on tuesday morning. from the battle against the coronavirus pandemic, to the fight to slow climate change, our political correspondent helen catt looks back now at some of the stories behind the headlines over the past 12 months. three, two, one! big ben chimes 2021 was another extraordinary year in politics. the uk stopped following eu trading rules. the biggest vaccination programme the country has ever seen was rolled out. but we all spent months in lockdown while it happened. events in afghanistan tested british foreign policy. have you lied to the public, prime minister? at home, accusations of sleaze and rule—breaking tested boris johnson's authority. disrupt this meeting. a woman named jackie weaver shot to fame for exerting hers. you have no authority here, jackie weaver, no authority at all. 2021 started fresh off the back of a christmas that had been cancelled, virtually at the last minute, for millions of people. nobody quite knew what the new year would bring. apart from one thing. one hour before the end of 2020, midnight in europe, the brexit transition period came to an end. the uk's relationship with the eu was now governed by the terms of a deal finally reached just a week earlier on christmas eve. this is an amazing moment for this country. we have our freedom in our hands. and it is up to us to make the most of it. the deal allowed trade to continue, tariff—free, but there were problems. a row would develop over fishing licences, causing a rift between the uk and france. problems soon emerged with the arrangements for northern ireland. there were supply issues in supermarkets and suggestions that both the eu and the uk could trigger a clause that would rip up the agreement. a solution still hadn't been found by the end of the year when it became liz truss's problem, after lord frost, who had been leading the negotiations for the uk, quit the government. we have never disagreed in any way about brexit policy, right up to the last day we've been absolutely aligned on that. and liz truss and chris heaton harris, i'm sure, are going to do a greatjob. i left the government because, as i think is well—known, i couldn't support certain policies, most recently on the covid restrictions and plan b. dealing with covid dominated 2021. january had brought another full lockdown which lasted until march in england, with many restrictions in place untiljuly, and even beyond then in scotland, wales and northern ireland. across the country, a massive effort continued to get everyone over 50 vaccinated by the spring. meanwhile in cheshire... you have no authority here, jackie weaver. will you please let the chairman... a tense virtual meeting of handforth parish council went, well, viral. you have no authority here, jackie weaver. no authority at all. in february, borisjohnson got a hard time over soft furnishings. it emerged a tory donor had initially covered the costs of a pricey refurbishment of his flat in downing street before the prime minister himself paid. the independent advisor on ministers' interests lord geidt investigated. he said borisjohnson had acted unwisely but he hadn't broken the ministerial code. the issue would return, though, late in the year. wallpaper—gate, as it became known, was among the first of a series of stories that snowballed over the course of 2021 to take in donations, lobbying, how political influence is acquired. the opposition soon had a name for it. sleaze. a former prime minister, david cameron, found himself at the centre of a row about lobbying after he whatsapped ministers on behalf of his new employer, greensill capital. this is a painful day. nothing i did was in breach of the rules, but on the wider test of what is appropriate, as i've said previously, it would be better to use only the most formal means of contact, via a letter. scottish politics was transfixed by a bitter row between two snp first ministers, nicola sturgeon and her predecessor, alex salmond. mr salmond accused his former protege of breaking the ministerial code in how she handled allegations against him, but she was cleared by the independent advisor. a new political force, the alba party... mr salmond set up a new party, but it failed to win a single seat in may's elections. while the uk stayed under covid restrictions, elections were held notjust in scotland, but in wales and across many parts of england. this guy looks like... the tories soared to victory in a by—election in the traditionally labour—held seat of hartlepool. it's a mandate for us to continue to deliver, not just for the people of hartlepool, notjust the people of the north east, but across the whole of the country. i take full responsibility for the result, and i will take full responsibility for fixing things. we have changed as a party, but we haven't set out a strong enough case to the country. brighter news for the party in west yorkshire, where tracy brabin was elected mayor. two months later, kim leadbeater won her batley and spen seat previously held by her own sister, jo cox. the conservatives won mayoral races in tees the valley and the west midlands. but injune, the lib dems inflicted a shock defeat in what had become known as the tories's blue wall — see what they did there — in the chesham and amersham by—election. this wasn't another lib dem by—election victory, it was our best ever and on the swing we achieved, dozens of conservative seats would fall of the liberal democrats in the next election. in scottish parliament elections, the snp emerged as the big winners with what they saw as a fresh mandate for a new referendum. we won the election on a commitment for a referendum when we're through the crisis. we won the election overwhelmingly, and in any normal democracy, that would be respected. in wales, labour remained in charge, agreeing a co—operation deal with plaid cymru. a great pleasure to have the opportunity to sign formally the agreement between our two parties. as northern ireland celebrated its centenary year, arlene foster stepped down as the leader of the dup. did you face a motion of no confidence? are you still the leader? her successor edwin poots lasted just 21 days. then the mp sirjeffrey donaldson took over. in may, dominic cummings, who quit as a number 10 aide in late 2020, made an explosive return to the headlines. in a marathon session at a parliamentary committee looking into the pandemic, the prime minister's former advisor accused his old boss of a list of serious failures. he described it as the new swine flu. did you tell him it wasn't? certainly, but the view of various officials inside number 10 was that if we have the prime minister chairing cobra meetings and hejust tells everyone it is swine flu, "don't worry, i'll have chris whitty "going on tv with coronavirus..." the government rhetoric was putting a shield around care homes, it was complete nonsense. quite the opposite, we sent people with covid back to the care homes. did you hear him say, "let the bodies pile high "in their thousands" or "it's only killing 80—year—olds"? i heard that in the prime minister's study. downing street categorically denied that he had said let the bodies pile high and said that they tried to minimise a loss of life. injune, there was a chance to cool off. the prime minister hosted leaders of the g7 nations at a summit in cornwall. meeting the new us president in person for the first time. i felt it wasn't about me, it was about america. i felt a genuine sense of enthusiasm, that america was back at the table and fully, fully engaged. back in westminster, a good old—fashioned tabloid scoop by the sun was about to bring the career of one of the government's most prominent cabinet ministers to a swift end. the health secretary matt hancock was pictured kissing his aide, gina coladangelo in his office, breaking social distancing rules. i understand the enormous sacrifices that everybody in this country has made, that you have made, and those of us who make these rules have got to stick by them. and that's why i've got to resign. he was replaced by sajid javid the next day. five, four, three, two, one... by the end ofjuly, england had lifted all remaining covid restrictions, and the vaccination programme had offered a jab to all adults in the uk. in scotland, northern ireland and wales, some measures stayed in place. is everybody happy? injuly, guess who was back in the spotlight, giving an extraordinary interview to laura kuenssberg. of course when this emerged, though, and the public realised that one of the most senior people in government had left lockdown at a time when people were unable to go and see sick relatives, there was enormous public rage. why didn't you just tell the truth at the time? everything i said in the rose garden was true. but it wasn't the whole truth, not near it. everything i said was true, but i didn't go into all of the security concerns and the background, no. it was a very different story, mr cummings, a very different story. you and borisjohnson decided it was better to give the public, who many of whom were absolutely furious with what you'd done, you decided together it was better to give the public a story that was not the 100% truth, than to keep silent or even for you to resign. that would have made it go away. i think there's absolutely no doubt that the way we handled the whole thing was wrong on the monday. while westminster was on its summer recess, a rapidly developing situation abroad put the government to the test. the taliban advanced after the us and its allies decided to pull out. there was a scramble to flee. an operation began that would successfully evacuate more than 15,000 people out of afghanistan, operation pitting was the raf�*s largest airlift for more than 70 years. some people won't get back, and we will have to do our best in third countries to process those people. questions soon surfaced about why the foreign secretary had stayed on holiday after kabul fell. first of all, with hindsight, i wouldn't have gone away at all. the idea that i was lounging on a beach or that i was paddle boarding in the ocean, these things are nonsense. the sea wasn't open because there was a red flag. so no—one was paddle—boarding. prime minister, have you let down afghanistan? for many, the fact that 20 years in afghanistan had ended like this was a source of deep regret. when one former soldier spoke in a recalled commons, you could almost hear a pin drop. like many veterans, the last week has been one that has seen me struggle through anger and grief, and rage. the feeling of abandonment, notjust of a country, but the sacrifice that my friends made. i've been to funerals from cornwall to dunblane. i've watched good men go into the earth. taking with them a part of me and a part of all of us. mr speaker, this is what defeat looks like. it's when you no longer have the choice as to how to help. this doesn't need to be defeat. but at the moment, it damn well feels like it. applause as autumn approached, life was feeling a bit more normal. some of the special financial schemes set up for the pandemic, such as furlough and the £20 uplift universal credit, came to an end. to clear the backlog in the nhs, the government broke a promise in its manifesto and put up national insurance by 1.25%. some of the money would also go to fund social care. in order to deal with the problems of the nhs, the backlogs, you also have to fix social care. we are taking the tough decisions that the country wants to see. we are putting another £36 billion in. the plan for social care was the first attempt by a government in decades to tackle the issue of social care funding. it was criticised as being unfair on people in less well—off areas. just the latest on the government reshuffle which is under way. the education secretary gavin williamson has lost his job. in mid—september, it was all change at the cabinet table. are you expecting a promotion? the big winner was liz truss, now the foreign secretary. dominic raab was moved to justice, with the consolation prize of being made deputy prime minister. are you happy? have you been demoted? as politicians headed off to their conferences, drivers found themselves going, well, nowhere. fuel supply issues led to panic buying and lengthy queues at petrol stations. in brighton, labour gathered for its first in—person conference under its new leader. he was determined to show the party was changing, right here, right now. i've waited 17 months, 25 days and two hours to appear in front of you in this hall as leader of our great party. not everyone was happy, though. shouting slogans or changing lives, conference? do you stand by your remarks? the deputy leader caused controversy when she used the word "scum" to describe conservative ministers. she stood by it at the time but apologised unreservedly a month later. in manchester, borisjohnson used his conference speech to buoy up supporters. after decades of drift and dither, this reforming government, this can—do government, the government that got brexit done, that is getting the covid vaccine roll—out done, is going to get social care done. the green party got new co—leaders at their conference. across the country, concern was growing about rising energy prices and the cost of living. and then... tonight, the conservative mp sir david amess has died after being stabbed during a constituency surgery in essex. forensics teams and firearms officers at the methodist church, where the local mp had been holding his fortnightly surgery. sir david amess's meeting with constituents had been from 10am until 1pm, butjust after midday he was stabbed multiple times. he was so nice. loved everyone. to be part of this occasion, to show... how much he was thought of. such a tragedy for the town, it really is. westminster was in shock as it mourned one of its own. sir david was not the only mp who died in office this year. dame cheryl gillan passed away after a long illness. james brokenshire passed away after the return of his lung cancer. the end of the month saw the prime minister in rome for the g20. hearing no objections, it is so decided. followed immediately by the long—anticipated cop26 climate in glasgow. after a major diplomatic effort by the uk, an agreement was reached, but it didn't go as far as had been hoped. i'm deeply sorry. i also understand the deep disappointment, but i think as you have noted, it's also vital that we protect this package. applause meanwhile in westminster, a political storm had been brewing. parliament's standards committee said a tory mp had egregiously broken lobbying rules and recommended a 30—day suspension. the mp 0wen paterson denied all wrongdoing. downing street told tory mps to vote to pause the punishment and try and change the disciplinary process. this is the famous straw that has broken the much—suffering, long—suffering camel's back. if the public believe we are marking our own homework, our reputation individually and collectively will be tarnished. the government was forced into a screeching u—turn. i regret that the amendment conflated an individual case with more general concerns, which was a mistake. more than that, said a former prime minister. the attempt by members of this house, aided and abetted by the government, under cover of reform of the process, effectively to clear his name, was misplaced, ill—judged and just plain wrong. 0wen paterson quit the commons, triggering a by—election. more on that later. but the damage was done, other mps' outside jobs came under the microscope. former attorney—general geoffrey cox was criticised for using special covid rules to vote from the british virgin islands where he was working as a barrister. he said he had checked it was within the rules and appropriate. later in the month, borisjohnson gave a speech in which he... forgive me. oh, yes, slightly baffled business leaders by talking about a cartoon pig. forgive me. hands up anyone who has been to peppa pig world. not enough! which led some people to wonder... is everything ok? i think that people got the vast majority of the points i wanted to make. i thought it went over well. it was the month that the government cancelled the leeds to birmingham leg of hs2, and a tragedy in the channel put ministers under pressure for an issue it had failed to solve through 2021. record numbers of migrants crossed into the uk from france in small boats this year. more than 23,000 by november. on one day late that month, at least 27 people drowned when their dinghy deflated off the french coast. what happened yesterday was a dreadful shock. it was not a surprise, but it is also a reminder of how vulnerable people are put in peril when in the hands of criminal gangs. a few days later, priti patel had a new opposite number to keep the pressure on, when yvette cooper was made shadow home secretary. sir keir starmer had a second go at reshuffling his shadow cabinet, although it looked like he might not have involved his deputy. oh, yes, the reshuffle, how could i forget? look, i don't know the details of any reshuffle. i've been concentrating on thejob i'm doing. then a coronavirus mutation showed the pandemic was far from over. i need to speak to you this evening because i'm afraid we are now facing an emergency in our battle with the new variant, 0micron. and we must urgently reinforce our wall of vaccine protection to keep our friends and loved ones safe. earlier today, the uk's four chief medical officers raised the covid alert level to four, its second—highest level. a massive programme of booster jabs was rolled out, and england was to move to plan b measures. including covid passes for some venues. when that was put to the commons, around 100 tory mps rebelled. the ayes to the right, 369, the noes to the left, 126. all: ooh! in scotland, the first minister urged everyone to cut back on socialising. in the run—up to and in the aftermath of christmas, i'm asking, i am appealing to everyone to cut down as far as possible our contacts with people in other households. my key request to all of you today is, as far as you can, please minimise your indoor social interactions with other households at this time. large hogmanay celebrations were cancelled for a second year after she brought in new restrictions. wales too announced it would close nightclubs and reintroduce some restrictions from boxing day. as the festive season arrived in downing street, the new virus strain wasn't the only unwanted gift. the downing street flat refurbishment made a return. the electoral commission fined the conservative party nearly £18,000 for failing to properly declare the initial donation. events from last christmas were about to cause an almighty hangover too, with allegations of covid rule—breaking parties and quizzes. the prime minister said no rules were broken. downing street said there was no party. then itv showed this. a mock press conference where the prime minister's then official spokesperson, allegra stratton and other aides appeared to joke about a party coincidentally on the same date. this fictional party was a business meeting. it was not socially distanced. miss stratton swiftly resigned. my remarks seemed to make light of the rules, rules that people were doing everything to obey. that was never my intention. i will regret those remarks for the rest of my days and i offer my profound apologies to all of you at home. claims of more potentially rule—breaking gatherings came out. i understand and share the anger in the country at seeing number 10 staff seeming to make light of lockdown measures. and i can understand how infuriating it must be to think that the people who have been setting the rules have not been following the rules, mr speaker. because i was also furious to see that clip. the prime minister, the government, spent the week telling the british public there was no party, all guidance was followed completely. millions of people now think the prime minister was taking them for fools and that they were lied to. then voters got a say in 0wen paterson's north shropshire seat which had been tory for 200 years until... three, two, one! cheering the lib dems took the seat by nearly 6,000 votes. from true blue buckinghamshire to shropshire, we've heard time and time again that people feel they are being taken for granted by borisjohnson and his government. and last night the win in north shropshire sent a clear message that enough is enough. clearly the vote in north shropshire is a very disappointing result, and i totally understand people's frustrations. i hear what the voters are saying in north shropshire. as 2021 drew to a close, boris johnson found himself having to prove to at least some in his party that he should keep hisjob. in a year in which he also got married and his wife carrie had had their second child together, a daughter. after the shock of 2020, this year did show a return to a bit more politics as normal. for the good and the not so good. the prime minister saw his authority tested in ways it hadn't been before, and of course the virus proved its ability to throw everything in the air again. which all points towards a new year which is no more certain than this one. there's plenty more to come here on breakfast for you this morning. but it's time now to get the news, travel and weather wherever you are. good morning from the news team at bbc london and bbc south east today. the environment agency have issued a flood warning for the buxted area in east sussex overnight. the river uck is high and rising, after the equivalent of an average fortnight�*s winter rain has fallen in just three days, with 20 millimetres recorded in three hours last night. major work is under way in south east london this week to upgrade railway lines. £8 million is being spent improving the tracks in lewisham, a route used by more than half of southeastern services. engineers are also strengthening a cutting near swanley to help protect against landslips. rail replacement buses will be operating on a number of routes. meanwhile the man in charge of hs2 high—speed rail has said that 2022 will be a key year for its delivery. ceo mark thurston says tunnels and bridges will be built on the outskirts of london. the update comes after a controversial year for the project in which there were protests at euston, and the planned section between leeds and the east midlands was scrapped. police in sussex are searching for three men who attacked a man at his house in st leonards, punching the man and tying him up. the victim was left with a broken rib and severe bruising, after they forced their way into his home last tuesday and robbed him. research has shown footfall on our high streets on boxing day this year was down dramatically compared to the same day two years ago. retail experts springboard say that in the south east the number of people out shopping fell by 32%, with a 67% drop in london. a new london—based support service has been launched to help people living with cancer to understand their condition and treatment options. from me to you was started byjudith neptial, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2018. she felt she wasn't given the right information, and now tries to help others navigate their care. i wanted people to really know, what are your rights? if they're not able to ask the question, then we'll ask that question for you. if you don't know where to get that information from, then we will definitely try to get that information for you. so i was really passionate about people just basically knowing what they're entitled to. let's get a look at the weather now with elizabeth rizzini. hello, good morning. well, it's looking very mild indeed for this time of year as we head towards the end of this year across london and the southeast, but it'll also be quite unsettled at times. now, a mild start to this morning, some of our temperatures in double figures. it's quite a messy—looking picture today — there's a bit of an early murk around, but that will lift into low cloud and we'll actually see some spells of brightness and sunshine get going today. watch out for some showers, showery outbreaks of rain on and off. plenty of dry weather, too — particularly towards the south coast. the cloud never too far away and there's a brisk southwesterly wind blowing — the wind has changed direction. quite a blustery—looking day, and it will be feeling increasingly mild — 11 or 12 degrees celsius. and it turns milder still as we head through wednesday, with highs of 16 degrees but, again, wet, very windy at times. well, that's it from me for now — i'll be back in half an hour. have a very good morning. goodbye. good morning, welcome to breakfast with dan walker and luxmy gopal. 0ur headlines today. no new coronavirus restrictions in england before the new year — the hospitality sector says it's a welcome boost to pubs, bars and clubs. england lose the ashes after another humiliation in australia. they trail 3—0 with two matches remaining, after suffering a crushing defeat in the third test in melbourne. we need to put some pride back into the badge and make sure we come away from this tour with something, you know, it's as simple as that. a first christmas in the uk for the afghan familes who fled kabul, and the ongoing efforts to try and help those left behind. avalanche warnings are in place across six us states following heavy snow storms, as a civil emergency is declared in seattle. good morning. we have got rain moving from the west to the east today, which were clear at leaving a cloud behind it. windy across england and wales and for the rest of the week it's going to turn unseasonably mild. all the details later. our main story. it's tuesday the 28th of december. the hospitality sector has welcomed the decision not to impose further coronavirus restrictions in england this week — describing it as a "lifeline" to pubs, bars and clubs relying on new year trade for their survival. the health secretary, sajid javid, announced yesterday that the government would wait untiljanuary before re—evaluating the situation. record numbers of coronavirus cases were recorded in england on christmas day. here's our political correspondent, iain watson. with christmas celebrations coming to a close, there had been fears of a much bleaker new year. with covid cases continuing at high levels, scotland, wales and northern ireland have all imposed new restrictions. but in england, the emphasis for the time being is on caution, not compulsion. we think some 90% of cases now across england are this new omicron variant, so it shows you just how quickly it has spread. we have had news in recent days that it's milder. now, that in itself isn't good news enough — that's good news, but we know that it spreads very rapidly, so we have to set that news against that. but whilst we should all absolutely remain cautious, we don't think there's any need for any further measures until the new year but, of course, we will keep that under review. many in the hospitality industry welcomed the fact that there'll be no new restrictions in england before new year — the night time industries association said it was amazing news — but some businesses say that even the existing restrictions have hit them hard, and they're still looking to the government for more help. it feels that, if there isn't some intervention that happens within the next sort of week or so, there'll be a lot of hospitality business like mine that will go out of business comejanuary, february, because we do not have the reserves to be able to weather the storm. with no new restrictions before the new year, parliament won't need to be recalled from its winter break. the ayes to the right, 369... 100 of borisjohnson's own mps rebelled earlier this month against the introduction of covid passes in england. if the prime minister had tried to push more measures through this week, he could have faced even fiercer resistance. as long as the nhs is not overwhelmed, then we stay, keep the uk open for business, keep our schools open — because the collateral damage to wider society and the economy of any lockdown measures are very much underestimated. but ministers are still concerned about the effect of self—isolation and sickness on nhs staffing levels — so they've given no guarantees that there won't be more restrictions injanuary. and labour is calling for the government to publish the data and advice it receives when making its decisions. england is now on a divergent path from scotland, wales and northern ireland... ..but it's not yet clear whether that will also lead to different results in trying to keep the virus under control. iain watson, bbc news. let's speak to our political correspondent ione wells now. good morning. as we were talking about yesterday comic relief for the hospitality sector in england but that situation could change, come 2022. ,., ., that situation could change, come 2022. ., ., �*, 2022. good one, dan. that's right. desite 2022. good one, dan. that's right. despite these _ 2022. good one, dan. that's right. despite these record _ 2022. good one, dan. that's right. despite these record numbers i 2022. good one, dan. that's right. despite these record numbers of l despite these record numbers of disease micro—cases recorded on christmas day ministers have said there wasn't anything in the data on hospital admissions to get suggest the nhs was becoming overwhelmed or that they would have to press the red button and introduce further restrictions. there are a couple of things that are concerning scientists and ministers. scientists are particularly concerned about the levels of unvaccinated people still clogging up the nhs, this disparity between the vaccinated and unvaccinated filling up intensive care beds in hospitals. another thing sajid javid the health secretary mentioned yesterday is also staff shortages, something they are keeping a close i am because of the numbers of people going off sick and having to self—isolate, particularly in emergency services and in the nhs. that is why they haven't ruled out any further restrictions potential in the new year, as well. certainly this decision has divided people. people like professor andrew hayward, a member of sage,, has said ministers are acting on the more optimistic end of the spectrum. this will be kept under review in the new year and this is a political gamble for borisjohnson. if he succeeds in keeping the economy open and making sure the nhs can cope then he will no doubt receive support from his party but also from the public. however if hospital admissions rise steeply in the new year when we started on the effect of all that christmas mixing over the last couple of days, then he could be accused by his critics of putting politics and popularity over public health. that is certainly a risk coming down the line for him. we will have to see what the hospital admissions say over that days and weeks to come.— admissions say over that days and weeks to come. ., . ~' ,, ., ., weeks to come. lone, thank you, good to talk to you- — australia have retained the ashes after crushing england by an innings and 14 runs. he is still angry about it! a blistering display of bowling on day three did for the tourists, who managed just 68 runs. defeat leaves england 3—0 down with just two tests remaining. essentially it is all over. let's speak to test match special commentator simon mann, who's in melbourne. a bit ofa a bit of a demoralising result, to put it mildly. it a bit of a demoralising result, to put it mildly-— a bit of a demoralising result, to put it mildly. it was pretty feeble from england _ put it mildly. it was pretty feeble from england today. _ put it mildly. it was pretty feeble from england today. i— put it mildly. it was pretty feeble from england today. i went i put it mildly. it was pretty feeble from england today. i went to i put it mildly. it was pretty feeble| from england today. i went to the ground today thinking, could england set australia some, 100, 120 in the final innings, and they couldn't even make that again. australia won by an innings, despite the fact they only scored 267 in the first innings, which is close to being unprecedented in test match cricket. to score so few in your first and win by an innings, so it was feeble from england. they lost the last six wickets for 22 runs, bowled out for 68. the fourth time in the last four years that they have been bowled out in under 30 overs, and years that they have been bowled out in under30 overs, and in years that they have been bowled out in under 30 overs, and in the previous 100 years that has only happened four times. itjust shows you the performance that england have and it is a batting problem, they have problems with their bowling, as well, and they're fielding this series. they have been thoroughly outplayed by a pretty good australian side in their own conditions. good australian side in their own conditions-— conditions. simon, with 'ust two tests remaining, i conditions. simon, with 'ust two tests remaining, give i conditions. simon, withjust two tests remaining, give us- conditions. simon, with just two i tests remaining, give us something to cling onto. what could there be thatis to cling onto. what could there be that is a glimmer of hope in this? i would like to be able to do so but i don't think i can, to be honest. 4—0 last time, 5—0 the last time. they will do well to avoid something like that in the next two matches. they are at a low ebb. this was a confidence shattering and australia have an incentive. they want to test championship points and they are at stake in the fourth and fifth test matches. they missed out on the final in the summer, had to watch on as new zealand beat india. they want to get to the final they have a massive incentive, notjust to beat england 5—0 at the ashes but also take championship points. they will be no letup from them and australia, their confidence will be high and england not exactly all the time but they have been routed in this test match and i think england are possibly in 4102 lean years. they have real problems with the the structure of their side and i don't see them turning it around. they may do but i don't see them turning it around in the last two games. by, around in the last two games. a bleak assessment but we won't shoot the messenger. simon mann, test match special commentator at. he was stillt in: match special commentator at. he was still trying to — match special commentator at. he was still trying to smile. _ match special commentator at. he was still trying to smile. bad _ match special commentator at. he was still trying to smile. bad news - match special commentator at. he was still trying to smile. bad news with i still trying to smile. bad news with a smile, still trying to smile. bad news with a smile. that _ still trying to smile. bad news with a smile, that is _ still trying to smile. bad news with a smile, that is how— still trying to smile. bad news with a smile, that is how to _ still trying to smile. bad news with a smile, that is how to do - still trying to smile. bad news with a smile, that is how to do it. i the west coast of america has been hit by heavy snow storms leaving thousands of people without power. nearly a metre of snow fell in northern california over 24 hours, while avalanche warnings are in effect across six states, as sylvia lennan spence reports. breathtaking views of snow—covered forests — a true winter wonderland in the us state of oregon. in neighbouring washington state, much excitement as seattle, too, was blanketed in snow. i woke up this morning and i was like, "oh, my gosh, there's six inches of snow on the ground — i think i got to go skiing!" when we went to bed last night at midnight, i had trouble believing it would actually snow today. and when i woke up and saw what looked like maybe four inches, i was super excited. but it wasn't all fun and frolics, with seattle's mayor declaring a civil emergency ahead of the storms, to give shelter to those in need. travellers, too, were hit by delays and cancellations as airport operators tried their best to remove ice from planes, the battering snow hindering their progress. flights were cancelled, and many people stranded. we had to wait for two hours outside in 20—degree weather for a taxi that would be willing to take us to one of the only hotels with room availability. meteorologists say global warming is playing havoc with the climate, making storms more intense and unpredictable. la nina is happening, and that is bringing the jet stream just directly over the west coast. we have just been pummelled by very heavy lowland rain, significant mountain snow. so, yes, there is a degree of normalcy here — we see this kind of winter weather — but this is extreme snow, especially for what we're seeing in california, oregon and washington. while many stay home to avoid the plunging temperatures, others are making the most of the winter freeze — sliding towards the end of the year as best they can. sylvia lennan spence, bbc news. incredible pictures. let's find out what is happening in the uk. carol has been telling us about the fact that later in the week, incredibly mild temperatures coming for the time of year. brute coming for the time of year. we could hit 17 _ coming for the time of year. - could hit 17 degrees somewhere in the south—east on thursday, but generally across the uk temperatures will be above average for this stage in december. a cold start to the day here, —5, in the highlands temperatures below freezing. further south, you can see the difference. a good 70 degrees difference between the highlands and the channel islands. the rain has been coming in from the west, steadily pushing eastwards —— a good 7 degrees difference. patchy light across the south. also scotland and wales. it will brighten up, the morning mist and fog clearing with sunshine can begin across scotland and northern ireland. like circles represent the gusts of wind strength. particularly windy across western exposure and the channel islands and the english channel, as well, as we go through the day. temperatures six in the north to 12 as a suite down towards the south. three this evening and overnight, still some cloud, some dampness from the cloud for a time, some clear skies meaning especially across scotland and parts of northern england we will see a touch of frost but then we have this next front coming in. look at the temperatures again, 10 degrees by night, in the south 1 degrees in aberdeen. tomorrow this rain pushes steadily north and east, quite a bit of cloud left behind with limited brightness but temperatures on the up. a maximum temperature despite the drizzle across southern areas up to about 16. on thursday we could hit 17 degrees. at}. to about 16. on thursday we could hit 17 degrees.— hit 17 degrees. 0, balmy! that is cra for hit 17 degrees. 0, balmy! that is crazy for this _ hit 17 degrees. 0, balmy! that is crazy for this time _ hit 17 degrees. 0, balmy! that is crazy for this time of _ hit 17 degrees. 0, balmy! that is crazy for this time of year. i hit 17 degrees. 0, balmy! that is crazy for this time of year. the i crazy for this time of year. the avera . e crazy for this time of year. the average is _ crazy for this time of year. the average is roughly _ crazy for this time of year. he average is roughly six crazy for this time of year. tie: average is roughly six to crazy for this time of year. ii9: average is roughly six to eight, north to south, so that gives you an idea. :, , :, , idea. that will be weird to get used to. iwill idea. that will be weird to get used to. i will have _ idea. that will be weird to get used to. i will have to _ idea. that will be weird to get used to. i will have to park— idea. that will be weird to get used to. i will have to park up _ idea. that will be weird to get used to. i will have to park up the i idea. that will be weird to get used to. i will have to park up the big i to. i will have to park up the big coat. to. i will have to park up the big coat- carol— to. i will have to park up the big coat. carolwill_ to. i will have to park up the big coat. carol will be _ to. i will have to park up the big coat. carolwill be back- to. i will have to park up the big coat. carolwill be back in i to. i will have to park up the big coat. carolwill be back in about| to. i will have to park up the big i coat. carolwill be back in about 25 coat. carol will be back in about 25 minutes. let's turn our attention to travel now, and if you're planning to get away for new year, there's a chance you could be hit by disruption. several rail services have been cancelled due to staff going down ill with coronavirus, while planned closures and industrial action are also having an impact. when it comes to flying, several airlines have been forced to cancel flights because of covid sickness. we've been speaking to some of those affected. i just got to the station now, and i found out that my train is cancelled, so i've got to get a train now to a different station, and then a reail replacement bus. and then a rail replacement bus. we wanted to travel to britain for christmas, because we have relatives over there and our — well, my mother—in—law, she's 85, just fell this year. and we haven't seen her for two years. we are cut off being abroad, because of the pandemic, and finally, we were going to be able to do this. and it was really upsetting. and it put a real damper on the lead up to christmas for us. we've just finally made it to london euston, i after a cancelled train _ with great western from barnstaple. there was no service to exeter. it was a really, really overcrowded service. people didn't feel safe. people were coughing. i wanted to travel to the uk over christmas to see my family, because it's been two years since i was last in the uk. so far the flight has been rescheduled three times, and now it's been delayed this time. we are just sat here waiting to hopefully fly. but who knows? you know, fingers crossed we do fly. but i don't know until i'm actually on the flight. the independent�*s simon calder is at london's king's cross station for us this morning. i'm trying to see in the background, not particularly busy behind you. good morning. what is the picture for people who will be travelling on various forms of transport this morning? various forms of transport this mornin: ? ~ various forms of transport this morning?— various forms of transport this morning? various forms of transport this morninu? ~ , :, :, morning? well, if we can start on the rails, here _ morning? well, if we can start on the rails, here at— morning? well, if we can start on the rails, here at king's _ morning? well, if we can start on the rails, here at king's cross, i morning? well, if we can start on| the rails, here at king's cross, the main train operator, lner, from scotland, north—east england and yorkshire to london has already overnight cancelled 12 services between leeds and london. if you are booked to travel from west yorkshire to the capital you can still do that, but you won't be able to get those particular trains. the company has done that in order to avoid sudden last—minute cancellations, which a number of other train operators are doing. just up the road at london euston, avanti west coast have cancelled or curtailed 20 services so far today, many are starting or ending in preston and even at 10:52am is getting as far as preston they will take a break but pick up again at wolverhampton. this of course spells delays and disruption for travellers, as we were hearing, and therefore it is more important than ever to check before you travel. elsewhere in the uk, problems on trans pennine express, they have cancelled seven trains so far today, many to and from manchester airport, and of course transport for wales have had a temperate timetable in place for a week and scots rail —— scotrail have said all the way through week and scots rail —— scotrail have said all the way throuthanuary they will be running a special timetable, ten to 15% fewer trains and they are expecting a lot of people to be off sick or isolating because of covid. i’ge people to be off sick or isolating because of covid.— because of covid. i've looked at some of the _ because of covid. i've looked at some of the train _ because of covid. i've looked at some of the train operators i because of covid. i've looked atj some of the train operators and because of covid. i've looked at i some of the train operators and they are saying, our customer relations team will not be back until tomorrow, our phone lines are incredibly busy. in terms of customer help, some of them are not available to answer those questions today. if you have a ticket by train that has been cancelled, how does it work at this time of year? weill. work at this time of year? well, it's really straightforward. i work at this time of year? well, it's really straightforward. you i it's really straightforward. you travel either on the train beforehand, and that is why it is well worth checking if your train is cancelled, or if you turn up at the station and it is cancelled there will almost always be a following train which will allow you to get where you need to be. however, there is not automatic right to use another train operator's service. so another train operator's service. 50 therefore if you have avanti ticket and you are hoping to travel part of the journey on northern, and you are hoping to travel part of thejourney on northern, check and you are hoping to travel part of the journey on northern, check if thatis the journey on northern, check if that is allowed. if you have a ticket for a train and it is cancelled, you willjust have to find some room on another train and your seat reservation sadly will not be valid. ~ ., ., ,., your seat reservation sadly will not be valid. ~ ., ., , be valid. what about in the skies above us? _ be valid. what about in the skies above us? thousands _ be valid. what about in the skies above us? thousands of- be valid. what about in the skies above us? thousands of flights | be valid. what about in the skies - above us? thousands of flights have been cancelled worldwide since christmas. what is the picture there? covid is the main impact area there? covid is the main impact area ther . . , there? covid is the main impact area ther . ., , , �* there certainly is. and particularly, _ there certainly is. and particularly, dan, - there certainly is. and particularly, dan, in i there certainly is. and i particularly, dan, in the there certainly is. and - particularly, dan, in the us. there certainly is. and _ particularly, dan, in the us. today the number of cancellations is creeping towards about 600, representing nearly 100,000 travellers who will be out of addition. the giant airlines, united, delta, they are cancelling a large number of services along with jet blue, american airline. yesterday alaska airline to cancel. this is down to a number of crew having to self—isolate. a week ago the chief executive of delta actually asked the us health regulator, the cdc, can you possibly half the length of isolation from ten days to five because it's quite difficult to run an airline. unbelievably, overnight, they have agreed, and so the idea is if you are fully vaccinated, not symptomatic but have covid, isolation for five days and then for the following five days you are advised to wear a mask. here, in terms of flight cancellations, the main point is that we are still subject to travel bands from france and germany and, as a result, for instance, easyjet at gatwick have cancelled a number of services to places like berlin, bordeaux, nice and leon and british airways taking and leon and british airways taking a number of lights out. —— and lyon. the airports are ten to 15% quieter. we are not allowed to go over to france or germany.— we are not allowed to go over to france or germany. simon, as ever, really helpful— france or germany. simon, as ever, really helpful advice. _ france or germany. simon, as ever, really helpful advice. he _ france or germany. simon, as ever, really helpful advice. he is - france or germany. simon, as ever, really helpful advice. he is always i really helpful advice. he is always clued up. simon calder, the travel editor of the independent. he is in the knowfor— editor of the independent. he is in the know for travel _ editor of the independent. he is in the know for travel things. - editor of the independent. he is in the know for travel things. it - editor of the independent. he is in the know for travel things. it is - the know for travel things. it is 7:20am. the images of people desperately trying to board aircraft to flee kabul earlier this year were some of the most harrowing of 2021. since then thousands of afghans have settled here, trying to build a new life in the uk. breakfast�*sjohn maguire has been to meet one of those families. the speed and the chaotic fall of kabul, and ultimately afghanistan, shocked those who watched from a safe distance. but for those trapped, those who'd worked with the british military, and whose names were on taliban death lists, the only way to survive was to escape. when taliban took the kabul, i was in trouble because of my background. i was working with special forces unit, and i was trying to get out of afghanistan. there was no other choice for me to stay in kabul. and i tried to get out of the kabul. naveed hamidi had fought with elite units for years. he knew he was targeted by the taliban, and that the lives of his wife and five young children, including their new baby, were at risk. many people died and wounded here. he filmed these scenes at kabul airport on his phone. there was about 50,000 people, or more than, no water, no food for the kids, for the ladies, their small babies. it was horrible for me. he had served in the same unit asjohnny mercer, a veteran of three tours, and now an mp in plymouth. but it was his military — not government — contacts that managed to get naveed and his family out of harm's way. yet so many others remain. it's a fact that we employed over 4,000 interpreters alone. you know, the mod reckon they got out about 600. we reckon they got out about 120. you know, you are leaving the vast, vast majority of your people behind. and, you know, we can talk — the prime minister said we would strain every sinew for these people. and if you match that with how it actually feels, if you're an afghan, it's pretty shameful stuff, really. i got some emails from my friends. naveed now works for the mp, trying to help others who've been left behind. yes. she's got to use the scheme first. there are people, there are specialists that are undoubtedly being hunted by the taliban. we've seen them being killed by the taliban. do we need to get everyone out? no. but the trouble is, because our scheme was so poor, we don't even know who they were or where they were. and consequently, we're dealing every day with people who, similarly in naveed's position, or interpreters who interpreted for the british, who we've left behind in this process, and it's pretty hard to take, yeah. life couldn't be more different from the country they fled. at long last, they're safe. no need to look over their shoulder. and free to take part in the full spectrum of british life. margaret hillier. in the run up to christmas, johnny mercer gave out the raffle prizes at a veterans group, who meet up for what they call brew and banter. also there was mark 0rmrod, the former royal marine who spent much of this year raising hundreds of thousands of pounds for charity. he was severely injured in afghanistan on christmas eve 1a years ago. mark describes the role the interpreters played in the war as invaluable, vital. you got to imagine, you know, as a young man, you go into a country, you don't understand the culture, or the way they work, and what's normal, what's not. so in the beginning, especially in such a kinetic and dangerous area, they, for me, were that buffer. they could gauge the feeling on the ground a lot better than we could in the early days, and maybe stop you making bad decisions. you know, we're no longer out in afghanistan to protect them, like we did during that ten, 11, 12—year period. we need to keep these people safe. with the christmas gifts handed out, there's time for a run, a chance to clear the head. naveed realises he's one of the lucky ones. my two oldest kids, they are going to school now. my two youngest kids will go to nursery, and my wife also going to english course to start learning english. they're happy, we're happy still in the uk. people forget what it's like to, a, have nothing — like, literally, not even a bank account, right, ora phone line? — but b, what afghanistan is truly like. these guys, they don't have electricity in the houses. it is a fundamentally different culture, but actually, a bit of empathy to see what that's like. these guys are going to fly in this country and contribute and be an amazing part of british society. we've just got to get them off the start line. and that's what lots of us are doing. along with making a success of his life here, naveed remains determined to help his former colleagues to follow in his footsteps to safety. they are in a very bad situation in afghanistan. they are running out of money, because they don't have salary for four months after collapse of government. they are running out of food, out of everything, and they can't go out because of their background. taliban tracking them, because of their background. they realise they face a huge task. the documents required for the government's afghan relocation scheme have, in many cases, been lost or destroyed, to protect those who need them to secure safe passage. but everyone they help is one less person in danger, one more who can be rewarded for their service and their sacrifice. john maguire, bbc news, plymouth. it remains one of the stories of the year. seems so long ago. {links it remains one of the stories of the year. seems so long ago.— it remains one of the stories of the year. seems so long ago. only a few months ago — year. seems so long ago. only a few months ago and _ year. seems so long ago. only a few months ago and those _ year. seems so long ago. only a few months ago and those images - year. seems so long ago. only a few months ago and those images will i months ago and those images will stay with me for a while, seeing everyone clinging to the aircraft, harrowing. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning from the news team at bbc london and bbc south east today the environment agency have issued a flood warning for the buxted area in east sussex, with high water levels in the river uck, after the equivalent of a fortnight�*s winter rainfall in the past three days, with 20 millimitres in three hours last night. network rail are carrying out major engineering work this week, to upgrade railway lines in south east london. they're spending £8 million improving tracks and signalling around lewisham, a route used by more than half of southeastern services. a cutting near swanley is also being strengthened to protect against landslips. rail replacement buses will be operating on a number of routes. police in sussex are searching for three men who attacked a man at his house in st leonards, punching him and tying him up. the victim was left with a broken rib and severe bruising, after they forced their way into his home last week and robbed him. a new london—based support service has been launched to help people living with cancer better understand their condition and treatment options. called �*from me to you', it was started byjudith neptial, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2018. she feels she wasn't given the right information, and now tries to help others navigate their care. i wanted people to really know, what are your rights? if they're not able to ask the question, then we'll ask that question for you. if you don't know where to get that information from, then we will definitely try to get that information for you. so i was really passionate about people just basically knowing what they're entitled to. research has shown footfall on our high streets on boxing day this year, was down dramatically compared to the same day two years ago. retail experts springboard say the number of people out shopping fell by 32% in kent and sussex, with a 67% drop in london. what we need to see is the continued investment in retail, both in expanding the digital world, but also improving that experimential retail, so that when, you know, the 0micron variant dies down, as it invariably will, that there is a reason for people to get out to the shops, to visit, and to, you know, good old—fashioned high street retail. let's get a look at the weather now with elizabeth rizzini. hello, good morning. well, it's looking very mild indeed for this time of year as we head towards the end of this year across london and the southeast, but it'll also be quite unsettled at times. now, a mild start to this morning, some of our temperatures in double figures. it's quite a messy—looking picture today — there's a bit of mist and early murk around, but that will lift into low cloud and we'll actually see some spells of brightness and sunshine get going today. watch out for some showers, showery outbreaks of rain on and off. plenty of dry weather, too — particularly towards the south coast. the cloud never too far away and there's a brisk southwesterly wind blowing — the wind has changed direction. quite a blustery—looking day, and it will be feeling increasingly mild — 11 or 12 degrees celsius. and it turns milder still as we head through wednesday, with highs of 16 degrees but, again, wet, very windy at times. that's it from me for now — i'll be back in an hour. hello, this is breakfast with dan walker and luxmy gopal. if you're waking up and you are wondering what has happened in the cricket, john is here. he can fill you with all the misery. the misery noes on. you with all the misery. the misery goes on- it— you with all the misery. the misery goes on- it is— you with all the misery. the misery goes on. it is hard _ you with all the misery. the misery goes on. it is hard to _ you with all the misery. the misery goes on. it is hard to describe - you with all the misery. the misery goes on. it is hard to describe it. goes on. it is hard to describe it as anything but a catalogue of errors from start to finish. the poor preparation, the team selection, the poor batting performances. england's bowlers have fared not too bad. giving england something in this test in melbourne, which they had to win. to at least take it through to the final two matches of the series. but it fell apart in about an hour and a half, less than that. there were some hopes with joe less than that. there were some hopes withjoe root less than that. there were some hopes with joe root and less than that. there were some hopes withjoe root and ben stokes there. when they went, there really wasn't anything else that could be done, unfortunately. good morning. england slipping to another heavy defeat in melbourne. hopes were withjoe root and ben stokes resuming this morning on 31—4, but england were bowled out in just an hour and 20 minutes forjust 68 — their lowest score in australia in 117 years. lots of questions will be asked, not least ofjoe root who searched for answers behind their poor performance in the series so far. we knew that going into today we were more than capable of getting ourselves— were more than capable of getting ourselves to escort with the players to come _ ourselves to escort with the players to come in— ourselves to escort with the players to come in at the crease. it is bitterly— to come in at the crease. it is bitterly disappointing we didn't do that. bitterly disappointing we didn't do that but — bitterly disappointing we didn't do that. but like i say, we have to front_ that. but like i say, we have to front up. — that. but like i say, we have to front up, we have to make sure we stay very— front up, we have to make sure we stay very strong, keep looking to improve — stay very strong, keep looking to improve all areas of our games individually, collectively. you have to have _ individually, collectively. you have to have strong and are believed to be able _ to have strong and are believed to be able to — to have strong and are believed to be able to come back. we need to put some _ be able to come back. we need to put some pride _ be able to come back. we need to put some pride back into the badge. a long campaign forjoe root. it'll get longer if they slipped to two further defeats. a third unsuccessful ashes campaign forjoe unsuccessful ashes campaign for joe root. 0ur cricket correspondent jonathan agnew was commentating on the game for test match special, and says fundamental changes are needed in how england approach test cricket. the fact is they should be competing better than they are. and our championship cricket is so marginalised and so relegated to the fringes of the season, there is no way we can expect to produce test players who are going to come to somewhere like australia, or india, where they also got hammered in the winter, and compete. it is not going to happen. jonathan agnew. we will be hearing more from him over the remainder of the series as the next test goes to sydney and the final test in hobart. the busy premier league schedule continues today, with four more games. two are off though, because of covid cases. a record 103 players and staff tested positive for covid in the seven days, up to and including boxing day. newcastle's match at home to manchester united did go ahead last night. and it was newcastle who went ahead thanks to this strike from alain saint maximain afterjust six minutes. but they couldn't hang on to the lead, and substitute edinson cavani equalised with around twenty minutes to go. newcastle still second bottom, and still with only one win from 19 games this season. newcastle in real trouble. for the new united manager, a big task for him. england will be searching for answers now in the cricket. you feel so far away from home, with the disappointment, three crushing defeat... stop bringing us misery, john! defeat... sto brinuain us mise ,john! ,, stop bringing us misery, john! stop talkina. talking. a slice of reality. we like our reality with more sugar—coating. the past 12 months have once again been shaped by the global fight against the pandemic and climate change, but 2021 also saw a renewed focus on space exploration. the bbc�*s science correspondent pallab ghosh has this analysis of the year. 2021 was the year that world leaders agreed on a new plan to save the planet. hearing no objections, it is so decided. scientists warned that it was now or never to stop damaging climate change. the difference between 1.5 and 2.4 is really survival of millions and millions of people and species in the planet. environmentalists chopped down trees to save the planet. nasa's perseverance rover landed on mars. and there was a discovery of what might be another fundamental force of nature. welcome to the year in science. the earth's climate dominated this year in science. for a long time, scientists have warned that our current way of life would lead to dangerous and possibly irreversible damage to the earth's ecosystems. world leaders gathered at the un climate change conference were told now is the time to act. ready to start. world leaders gathered in glasgow in november to hammer out a deal to reduce carbon dioxide levels to stop dangerous global warming. and one of the biggest disputes was over the future of coal. for a while, it looked like negotiators couldn't reach a deal. then, the man at the centre of the talks, alok sharma, had to appeal to all the parties to cooperate. this is the moment of truth for our planet and it's a moment of truth for our children and our grandchildren. it did the trick. an agreement was reached. by the end of 2022, countries will have to update their climate pledges at a faster pace than before. by 2024, a package of long—term financial aid for the poorest nations have to be agreed. and then, by 2030, to avoid the worst of global warming, carbon emissions should be halved. but that will be made harder by china and india's insistence that coal should be phased down rather than phased out. so, as things stand, polar ice will still melt faster than ever, raising sea levels, and, together with heavier rain, threatening millions of people with flooding. we've already warmed by 1.1 degrees since pre—industrial times. world leaders said that limiting the rise to 1.5 was still possible, but projections suggest that we're headed for at least 1.8 — and that's only if every promise is kept. more realistically, we're on course for 2.4 degrees — a really dangerous level. the difference between 1.5 and 2.4 is really the survival of millions and millions of people and species in the planet. this is what is particularly true for the islands. but, according to a government adviser at the heart of the talks, the worst outcomes can be averted. we have kept 1.5 alive, but on the basis of delivering on those commitments, and that'll be our next task for us as the presidency but for all the countries, and it's on us to make sure that this is real in action. and sir david attenborough said the richest nations had a moral responsibility to help the most vulnerable. it would be really catastrophic if the developed nations - of the world, the more - powerful nations of the world simply ignored these, these problems. - if we say, "well, it's nothing to do with us," and cross our arms, - we caused it. thousands of men, women and children who have lost everything — _ lost everything — can we just go - by and say it's no business of ours? an assessment by the environment agency said that the uk was not yet ready for the impact of climate change. in october, a street in cardiff became a dangerous river after a massive downpour. there was a similar scene in newcastle after torrential rain there. in america, europe, south america and siberia, there were raging wildfires. the biggest shock came in germany injuly as a surge of water tore through communities. 200 people were killed. the weather events that we saw in europe this summer could happen here in england, and we need to be ready. to save lives. we need to recognise that it's adapt or die. chanting: stop deforestation... young people were involved in protests across the world, as they have the most to lose if we fail to get the impact of climate change under control. they're also the ones that can fix the problem. 5,000 of them were involved in a scheme to understand and help solve the environmental crisis. we want to know how clean the air is in our school. we're measuring plants to see how they're growing outside. we've been learning about worms. - this is mustard powder. you're going to mix the mustard powder into the water. this one is about understanding the role of worms. these are babies, 0k? you can hold that. these are the scientists of tomorrow. they've got to think about their future and their children's future and it's a long—term game. this is not something for a single generation. we've all got to play our part. other projects involve growing nature—friendly food. it's so important to me. it's a matter of our lives now and i think it should be important to everyone, and this is why we've started the outdoor learning area so that we can protect the environment and try and combat climate change. the young researchers took what they discovered and presented their work to the politicians at cop26. there was a new award for those trying to save the planet called the earthshot prize. we have lift—off. its name is a reference to america's moonshot — an ambitious programme to get an astronaut on the lunar surface. but, more than 50 years on, prince william told the bbc that saving the earth was an even bigger challenge. we need some of the words greatest brains and minds fixed on trying to repair this planet, not trying to find the next place to go and live. but many space scientists say the choice between earth or space is a false one. the science museum gallery celebrates the heyday of space travel in the 1960s and �*70s when humans went to the moon. and it was that effort, they say, that helped draw attention to the planet's environmental plight. but, for many, it's the beautiful images from space that most inspires — no more so than the pictures from the hubble space telescope. for more than 30 years, it's captured distant galaxies, stars being born and dying. images that have been as uplifting to the soul as they have been to the mind. hubble's successor is nasa's james webb telescope. unlike hubble, the £7.5 billion spacecraft will go beyond earth's orbit — 930,000 miles into deep space. once in space, it unfurls its sunshield and deploys its giant mirror and instruments. the space telescope is much more powerful than hubble. it'll be able to analyse the atmospheres of worlds orbiting distant stars to see if there are signs of life. it'll also be able to witness the birth of the very first stars. this is a simulation of that critical moment. the purple areas are clouds of hydrogen gas becoming ever denser until they form stars, blazing like fireworks. james webb is expected to capture images of this really happening. i'm so excited! why are you so excited? isn't that just fantastic that as humanity, a tiny little civilisation on planet earth, that we can create a telescope that we can send up into space and peer back to the universe as it was just a couple of hundred million years after the big bang? and some incredible views from space were obtained from these aerials planted in a small field in hampshire. these pick up radio waves from distant galaxies. they may not look like much, but astronomers have connected 52 sites just like this one spread all across europe. together, they've captured some of the most detailed pictures from space ever taken. in this image, the galaxy is in the middle. shooting out either side are jets of material across the expanse of space. it's because of a gigantic black hole inside of it. astronomers can now see things they've never been able to see before. this is a picture of a galaxy seen through a normal telescope. and here is a standard radio image of it. although it's a lot brighter, a lot of the detail has been lost. now compare it with one of the new high—definition images, which is much sharper, showing features inside in unprecedented detail. the brightest area at the bottom shows the location of a gigantic black hole inside this galaxy. it's bright because of the energy released as it's sucking in material around it. meanwhile, in the deserts of chile, a telescope was able to see the universe as it really is — filled with a mysterious substance called dark matter. it can't be seen, but this instrument detected dark matter by the way it distorts starlight. this is a map of matter in the universe. astronomers produced this map of how it spread across the cosmos. it permeates space, accounting for most of the mass of the universe. the bright areas are where dark matter is most clumped together. it's here that galaxies form. it's our reality shining like gems on an unseen, tangled cosmic web. but the map is not what astronomers expected. according to einstein's theories, the matter should be slightly more clumped together. instead, it's smoother and more spread out. building on the work of einstein, carlos frank was among the scientists who developed the current theory of cosmology. hearing now that there may be something not quite right with the theory, well, it's very disconcerting, it's very alarming, and, in a way, frightening, to see that maybe my whole life's work might crumble in front of me. but, at the same time, it is immensely exciting. back in our own solar system, nasa's perseverance rover landed on mars. first look at the surface. these pictures are from the spacecraft during the final few minutes of its descent. as it nears the surface, clouds of dust and grit are blown around as its thrusters are fired. and, from another camera angle, we can see the vehicle lowered to the ground. perseverance safely . on the surface of mars! these were the scenes at mission control. shortly after, a thoughtful tweet from the rover — "i'm safe on mars. perseverance will get you anywhere." it's been drilling into the surface and storing some of the rocks for a future mission to bring back. some of the samples may contain fossilised evidence of life. i am not talking about martian little green men. probably not even fish. we're looking for microbial life or maybe microbes that have made a little mat or a slime of sorts that you might find at the bottom of a pond. those are the type of things that are likely to — well, they did exist on earth 3.5 billion years ago. the question is, did they exist on mars at the bottom of lakes? 0n—board is a small helicopter, ingenuity. which carried out the first ever powered flight on another planet. star trek theme plays. back on earth, and boldly going where hundreds of people had gone before... william shatner. star trek�*s captain kirk, william shatner, blasted off from a launch site in texas. it was a ten—minute flight just 60 miles above the earth, but enough time to float in zero gravity. waiting for him on his return, amazon founderjeff bezos, whose company developed the rocket system. what you have given me is the most profound experience i can imagine. i'm so filled with emotion about whatjust happened, ijust... it's extraordinary. at the age of 90, william shatner finally reached the final frontier. in physics, there was what could be one of the biggest steps forward for a generation. scientists believe that there are four fundamental forces of nature. one for gravity, another for electricity, and two nuclear forces which control the behaviour of atoms. together, they explained the way the world works. but, in recent years, astronomers began noticing things in space that can't be explained by the four forces, such as galaxies spinning faster than they should. and they can't explain why the stars and planets and everything on them, including us, exist at all. the new results suggest there might be a fifth force which could explain some of these mysteries. the result was from fermi lab, a particle accelerator just outside chicago. scientists accelerated particles inside this giant ring close to the speed of light. and they found something that can't be explained by the current theory of physics at the subatomic level. i think it's quite mind—boggling, and it has the potential to turn physics on its head. we have a number of mysteries that remain unsolved, and this could give us the key answers to solve those mysteries. you've heard of electrons — well, there are similar particles called muons, which are much heavier and spin like tops. in the experiment, they were made to rotate using magnets. the current theory states that they should rotate at a certain rate. instead, they rotated faster. this might be caused by a mystery force — a fifth force that in turn is created by another, yet to be discovered, particle. in february, a meteorite blazed across the night sky over the rooftops across the uk. a large chunk of it landed in the driveway of the wilcock family living in winchcombe in gloucestershire. i came out, and we looked at this pile of what looked like crushed coal. and so i started even then thinking perhaps it's come down from space. security camera footage captured the flight of the meteorite as it flew over nuneaton, somerset, wigan before it ended up at the natural history museum for study. winchcombe is very special because it is one of the most pristine materials that we have available on earth to study, and the thing that's really good about this particular case is that we saw it fall, and so we can use that fireball to, kind of, track back the trajectory, work out where in the solar system it came from. a study from the natural history museum found that the uk is losing biodiversity so quickly that it's now one of the most nature—depleted places in the world. that's important because there are rare, long—lost species that could be better suited to the extreme conditions caused by global warming. many of the crops we depend on, such as this coffee plant, won't thrive under the increased temperatures predicted by climate change. but these beans from 1873 could provide an answer. they were found in the collection at kew gardens here. not only are they more heat—resistant, but they make an excellent brew, with tones of honey and blackcurrant, apparently. it's just one example of many of how science, rather than taking us away from the natural world, is bringing us closer to solutions for some of humanity's greatest problems. millions of tonnes of sand were shifted to a stretch of coastline in north norfolk to see if a natural barrier could hold back rising sea levels. it seems to have worked. the homes and businesses are on the front line of rising sea levels. the sand barrier idea is cheaper than building a concrete seawall. this more natural solution could be used to protect more coastal communities. in a way that making space for water, so allowing natural processes to come back in places where we can do this, i think that's the attitude we need to have, and that we're not going to be able to keep building sea walls and defend, defend, defend. in 2021, nearly 60 acres of trees were cut down in northumberland — to reduce carbon emissions. it sounds strange, but it was done to save an ancient peat bog, which traps far more carbon than trees ever could. the building blocks of the peatland are the sphagnum mosses which themselves, like this one, are absolutely full of water. they're about 90% water. and that water is why bogs are better at slowing climate change than trees. when plants die in a bog, they don't release all their carbon into the atmosphere because they don't rot completely. which is why this... chainsaw whirrs. ..is good for the environment. there's greater diversity among science students than ever before. but an analysis in march by the royal society showed that there was an unacceptably low number of black people among academic staff. 6.3% drop out of their postgraduate studies. that compares with 3.8% of white students. black people account forjust 1.7% of research staff in the uk, whereas they make up 3.5% of the population. and out of 22,745 professors in academia, 155 are black. we know something's happening within the university. it's that culture that can be quite toxic. it's due to racism — all the statistics show that it's not due to class, it's not due to what school they went to — and that environment and that culture is carried on all the way through the student life cycle and into careers as well. in an effort to attract more ethnic minorities, a series of projects were launched across england to encourage them to do phds and to support them throughout their research careers. there was a surprising discovery at canterbury cathedral. inside, its stunning windows depict symbolic religious scenes. this series was thought to have been made on the 13th century. but researchers discovered that some of the panels, including this one of the prophet nathan, were made much earlier. it's only come to light now because of this device, called a windolyser. it may not look like much, but it was developed by scientists to be used on location without damaging the glass. it shines a beam onto the surface, which causes material inside to radiate. this radiation contains a chemicalfingerprint from which the researchers worked out their age. we've been working on this detective story for some time, putting all the pieces in place, and then we finally get an answer, something new that brings together science and art into one story. it's fantastic. these are all stories that were recorded at the time they happened here. the discovery astonished leonie seliger, who looks after the stained glass windows here. she believes the redated panels could go back to the mid—1100s and were in place during the great historical events at the cathedral, including the assassination of the then—archbishop thomas becket, who features in many of the windows. they would have witnessed the murder of thomas becket. henry ii come on his knees begging for forgiveness. they would have witnessed the conflagration of the fire that devoured the cathedral in 1174. and then they would have witnessed all of british history. there's a lot more in store next year in science. the large hadron collider will restart at its highest power ever. the james webb telescope will send back its first data, which may include pictures of the first starlight in the universe. and europe and russia will send a rover to the martian surface to search for signs of life. but it's the earth we'll need to focus on. its changing climate means that the planet's fate hangs in the balance, but science can provide some of the solutions and give us hope for the future. good morning, welcome to breakfast with dan walker and luxmy gopal. 0ur headlines today. england lose the ashes after another humiliation in australia — they suffered a crushing defeat in the third test in melbourne. we need to put some pride back into the badge and make sure we come away from this tour with something, you know, it's as simple as that. it was another thumping victory for the home side. with two tests left to play, england will now be hoping to avoid a 5—0 series whitewash. no new coronavirus restrictions in england before the new year — the hospitality sector says it's a welcome boost to pubs, bars and clubs. the first christmas in the uk for the afghan familes who fled kabul, and the ongoing efforts to try and help those left behind. cheering. lost, and found. the heartwarming christmas story ofjuno the search—and—rescue dog — who went missing for almost a week, and is now reunited with her owner. good morning. we have got some heavy rain moving from the west to the east at the moment. that will clear, leaving a fair bit of cloud behind, some patchy drizzle but brightening guides the further west you go. windy, but then it turns much milder. all the details coming up. it's tuesday the 28th of december. england have lost the ashes — after they were thumped by australia in the third test in melbourne. 0h, hello where have you gone, dan? i'm not there, i'm here! it was that bad without... lit i'm not there, i'm here! it was that bad without. . .— bad without... ut 'ust thought i'll disappear. h the third day's play lasted less than 90 minutes, and england are 3—0 down with just two tests remaining. 0ur sports correspondent joe wilson was watching. 100,000 seats at the melbourne cricket ground. did one person give england half a chance? ben stokes can defy all the odds — sometimes. 0h, he's got him, there's the comeback. the bowling here was just too good — stokes knew it — gone for 11. england's collective collapse was so painful because it was so predictable. bairstow — lbw — given. a bowler playing in his very first test match, scott boland took over — joe root out for 28. well, that's one to celebrate — and the catcher, david warner, certainly did. england's resistance vanished. never mind making australia bat again — england couldn't even keep going until lunch. boland — six wickets for seven runs. and it was australia's future who wrapped it up — 22—year—old cameron green... oh, there we go! ..dismissing 39—year—old james anderson. 68, all out. i'm absolutely gutted. bitterly disappointed. you turn up today and you walk out to bat with ben stokes and you feel like anything's possible. er...you know, we're bitterly disappointed to find ourselves in this position. the whole mystique of the ashes is the concept of the ultimate competition. well, as the two teams shook sanitised hands, the gulf between them had never seemed so wide. joe wilson, bbc news. the hospitality sector has welcomed the decision not to impose further coronavirus restrictions in england this week — describing it as a "lifeline" to pubs, bars and clubs relying on new year trade for their survival. the health secretary, sajid javid, announced yesterday that the government would wait untiljanuary before re—evaluating the situation. record numbers of coronavirus cases were recorded in england on christmas day. here's our political correspondent, iain watson. with christmas celebrations coming to a close, there had been fears of a much bleaker new year. with covid cases continuing at high levels, scotland, wales and northern ireland have all imposed new restrictions. but in england, the emphasis for the time being is on caution, not compulsion. we think some 90% of cases now across england are this new omicron variant, so it shows you just how quickly it has spread. we have had news in recent days that it's milder. now, that in itself isn't good news enough — that's good news, but we know that it spreads very rapidly, so we have to set that news against that. but whilst we should all absolutely remain cautious, we don't think there's any need for any further measures until the new year but, of course, we will keep that under review. many in the hospitality industry welcomed the fact that there'll be no new restrictions in england before new year — the night time industries association said it was amazing news — but some businesses say that even the existing restrictions have hit them hard, and they're still looking to the government for more help. it feels that, if there isn't some intervention that happens within the next sort of week or so, there'll be a lot of hospitality business like mine that will go out of business comejanuary, february, because we do not have the reserves to be able to weather the storm. with no new restrictions before the new year, parliament won't need to be recalled from its winter break. the ayes to the right, 369... 100 of borisjohnson's own mps rebelled earlier this month against the introduction of covid passes in england. if the prime minister had tried to push more measures through this week, he could have faced even fiercer resistance. as long as the nhs is not overwhelmed, then we stay, keep the uk open for business, keep our schools open — because the collateral damage to wider society and the economy of any lockdown measures are very much underestimated. but ministers are still concerned about the effect of self—isolation and sickness on nhs staffing levels — so they've given no guarantees that there won't be more restrictions injanuary. and labour is calling for the government to publish the data and advice it receives when making its decisions. england is now on a divergent path from scotland, wales and northern ireland... ..but it's not yet clear whether that will also lead to different results in trying to keep the virus under control. iain watson, bbc news. let's speak to our political correspondent lone wells now. a big boost. good morning. a boost to the hospitality sector in england but things could change in the next few days. but things could change in the next few da s. . �* . but things could change in the next fewda s. ., �*, but things could change in the next fewda s. ~ few days. that's right, dan. at the moment, few days. that's right, dan. at the moment. even _ few days. that's right, dan. at the moment, even though _ few days. that's right, dan. at the moment, even though those - few days. that's right, dan. at the j moment, even though those cases few days. that's right, dan. at the i moment, even though those cases in england are very high, a record number recorded just in england on christmas day itself, at the moment the uk government ministers don't think there is enough in data on hospital admissions to justify introducing more restrictions before the new year. they are hopeful about the new year. they are hopeful about the picture there but there are still a couple of things that are concerning uk government ministers, as well. first, something concerning scientists as well is a number of unvaccinated people still filling up intensive care wards around the country and the difference between the vaccinated and unvaccinated people when it comes to needing that intensive care treatment. they have been really pushing their booster jab campaign but also urging those who haven't had their first and second jabs will stop secondly, something the health secretary also said they are concerned about and keeping a close eye on is staff shortages, particularly in the nhs but other emergency services, as well, like the police, because so many people are going off sick at the moment with those high cases being the way they are at the moment. certainly something which is why they have not ruled out any further restrictions potentially in england in the new year, but in general this is of course a bit of a gamble from the prime minister. 0n the one hand if he manages to keep the one hand if he manages to keep the economy open at the nhs does not get overwhelmed and manages to cope, it will be pleased and received praise from both his own party also hospitality businesses and the public., however, hospital public. , however, hospital admissions public., however, hospital admissions rises steeply after we started to see that the effect of christmas mixing over the last days, in the coming weeks, then you could be accused by some of his critics are putting politics and popularity above public health. its, big are putting politics and popularity above public health.— above public health. a big one. ione, above public health. a big one. ione. thank— above public health. a big one. ione, thank you _ above public health. a big one. ione, thank you very _ above public health. a big one. ione, thank you very much - above public health. a big one. ione, thank you very much for. above public health. a big one. - ione, thank you very much for that. lone, thank you very much for that. we will be talking about that later in the programme for you this morning. let's look at the weather. 17 degrees! let's look at the weather. 17 de . rees! . . let's look at the weather. 17 degrees!_ we i let's look at the weather. 17 i degrees!_ we could let's look at the weather. 17 - degrees!_ we could hit 17 degrees! heatwave! ! we could hit 17 detrees degrees! heatwave! ! we could hit 17 de . rees on degrees! heatwave! ! we could hit 17 degrees on thursday _ degrees! heatwave! ! we could hit 17 degrees on thursday at _ degrees! heatwave! ! we could hit 17 degrees on thursday at somewhere l degrees! heatwave! ! we could hit 17| degrees on thursday at somewhere in the south—east. if you look at this chart_ the south—east. if you look at this chart it _ the south—east. if you look at this chart it shows temperatures compared with what _ chart it shows temperatures compared with what is _ chart it shows temperatures compared with what is expected at this time of vean _ with what is expected at this time of year. here is the key up here, some _ of year. here is the key up here, some across _ of year. here is the key up here, some across the board we are looking at above—average temperatures. that is after— at above—average temperatures. that is after today. today we have heavy rain coming — is after today. today we have heavy rain coming in from the west and it is progressively pushing eastwards. we also _ is progressively pushing eastwards. we also have some drizzle and patchy rain in _ we also have some drizzle and patchy rain in the _ we also have some drizzle and patchy rain in the south and the same across— rain in the south and the same across central parts of scotland with hill— across central parts of scotland with hill snow but that will fade. through— with hill snow but that will fade. through the day the rain clears into the north— through the day the rain clears into the north sea. a fair bit of cloud in its _ the north sea. a fair bit of cloud in its wake _ the north sea. a fair bit of cloud in its wake. drizzle coming across northern — in its wake. drizzle coming across northern england and wales but brightest skies in the south—west, also in _ brightest skies in the south—west, also in scotland when we lose the freezing _ also in scotland when we lose the freezing fog from the highlands and northern— freezing fog from the highlands and northern ireland. these black circles— northern ireland. these black circles represent the strength of the gusts — circles represent the strength of the gusts of wind. 50 you can see it it will— the gusts of wind. 50 you can see it it will he _ the gusts of wind. 50 you can see it it will be quite a blustery day across — it will be quite a blustery day across england and wales but with exposure — across england and wales but with exposure in the west coast of wales, south-west _ exposure in the west coast of wales, south—west england and the english channel— south—west england and the english channel and channel islands, here we are looking _ channel and channel islands, here we are looking at stronger gusts. 6 degrees — are looking at stronger gusts. 6 degrees in aberdeen to 12 as we move down towards the south—west. through this evening _ down towards the south—west. through this evening and overnight, some dregs _ this evening and overnight, some dregs of— this evening and overnight, some dregs of that cloud. some clear skies _ dregs of that cloud. some clear skies. parts of scotland and northern _ skies. parts of scotland and northern england could well see some frost and _ northern england could well see some frost and we also have this next svstern — frost and we also have this next system coming in across the south—west bringing in some rain. when _ south—west bringing in some rain. when you — south—west bringing in some rain. when you see green in the chart it indicates _ when you see green in the chart it indicates heavy bursts. it contrasts indicates heavy bursts. it contrasts in temperature this morning, one to ten north— in temperature this morning, one to ten north to — in temperature this morning, one to ten north to south and tomorrow the rain pushes — ten north to south and tomorrow the rain pushes steadily northwards and eastwards — rain pushes steadily northwards and eastwards. will not be quite as windy— eastwards. will not be quite as windy tomorrow but still blustery and temperatures in the south potentially getting up towards middle digits. 16 degrees in london, ei-ht middle digits. 16 degrees in london, eight in _ middle digits. 16 degrees in london, eight in aberdeen, is a temperatures already— eight in aberdeen, is a temperatures already starting to be above average, which is six to eight north to south _ average, which is six to eight north to south. quite incredible, thank you for— to south. quite incredible, thank you for that, see you later. new year's plans in england can go ahead after the health secretary confirmed there will be no new coronavirus restrictions introduced before the weekend. so to try and break down where we are at with the virus, we're going to speak to people in hospitality, education and hospitals. but first, let's look at the latest on the science, and the impact 0micron is having. we're joined by professor paul hunter from the university of east anglia. you will know, he is a regular face on the programme and has explained quite a lot over the last 18 months or so. quite a lot over the last 18 months orso. lovely quite a lot over the last 18 months or so. lovely to see you this morning. can we start with some of that day to we saw yesterday, that ministers were talking about and looking at and has generated quite a bit of anticipation? what can we take away from some of those numbers that ministers were looking at in making their decisions in england yesterday? hat making their decisions in england esterda ? ., . , making their decisions in england esterda ? ., . ,, yesterday? not as much as i think we would like. one _ yesterday? not as much as i think we would like. one of _ yesterday? not as much as i think we would like. one of the _ yesterday? not as much as i think we would like. one of the problems - yesterday? not as much as i think we would like. one of the problems is i would like. one of the problems is of course that a lot of that data covers the holiday period and the build—up to the holiday period and epidemiology results over bank holidays, public holidays, are always muddied because they are affected by how likely people are to go to be tested, whether they want to go into hospital, things like that. it can be quite difficult to interpret data around christmas. but, having said that, i think cases are still rising, i think suggestions a few days ago that we might have actually started... piqued was probably not borne out yesterday. 0n the other hand, cases are not increasing as rapidly as they were a week or so ago. i think we can be fairly certain they are not doubling every couple of days now. cases are increasing in older people, and of course old people over 60, those are the group more likely to go to hospital. and hospitalisations are also rising, but so far nothing obvious amongst people in intensive care units. mixed picture, i'm afraid. iodoiith people in intensive care units. mixed picture, i'm afraid. with all these discussions _ mixed picture, i'm afraid. with all these discussions around - mixed picture, i'm afraid. with all these discussions around omicronj mixed picture, i'm afraid. with all. these discussions around omicron we have been looking about what is happening in south africa. how useful has that been in terms of determining how the virus is reacting in a population and what we should be doing here? iotoieii. reacting in a population and what we should be doing here?— should be doing here? well, i think it has given — should be doing here? well, i think it has given us _ should be doing here? well, i think it has given us a _ should be doing here? well, i think it has given us a lot _ should be doing here? well, i think it has given us a lot of— should be doing here? well, i think it has given us a lot of very - it has given us a lot of very important indications, but of course the uk is not south africa. south africa is a younger population, they have had a lot more actual disease than we have had, but what the south africans seem to have found is that this omicron epidemic has peaked but is also going very quickly down the other side of the peak. that is the hope we will see that in the uk but we cannot guarantee it's just because that happened in south africa. in because that happened in south africa. . because that happened in south africa. , ., ,., .,, africa. in terms of the booster programme — africa. in terms of the booster programme in _ africa. in terms of the booster programme in the _ africa. in terms of the booster programme in the uk, - africa. in terms of the booster programme in the uk, most i africa. in terms of the booster - programme in the uk, most people seem very confident that that has been a huge... i was going to say the word boost again. to our dealing with this particular variant of covid. . , ,., , with this particular variant of covid. n, , , with this particular variant of covid. , , . covid. absolutely, absolutely. we are already _ covid. absolutely, absolutely. we are already seeing _ covid. absolutely, absolutely. we are already seeing a _ covid. absolutely, absolutely. we are already seeing a big _ covid. absolutely, absolutely. we| are already seeing a big difference in the risk to people who have been boosted being a lot less than people who have not been boosted, and substantially less than people who have not yet been vaccinated and thatis have not yet been vaccinated and that is coming through very clearly in the data. but ultimately, the single most important thing you can do is protect yourself and your family by having the booster if you have not yet had it. in family by having the booster if you have not yet had it.— family by having the booster if you have not yet had it. in terms of the fact we know _ have not yet had it. in terms of the fact we know omicron _ have not yet had it. in terms of the fact we know omicron seems - have not yet had it. in terms of the fact we know omicron seems to - have not yet had it. in terms of the i fact we know omicron seems to cause far less serious illness, one area we will talk about in the coming minutes will be that impact on particularly the nhs. not necessarily in those cases of people in hospitals on ventilators, which was one of the issues first time around, but actually the number of staff having to be off even though they might not be particularly ill. that seems to be one of the key factors in the coming weeks. absolutely and that is difficult to deal with. absolutely and that is difficult to dealwith. i absolutely and that is difficult to deal with. i think the whole issue of how long are we going to be able to allow people to self—isolate if they are positive is going to have to be discussed fairly soon because this is a disease that is not going away. the infection is not going away. the infection is not going away although we will not see as severe disease for much longer. ultimately we are going to have to let people who are positive for covid go about their normal lives as they would do with any other cold, and at some point we have to relax their sound, you know, if that... if their sound, you know, if that... if the self isolation rules are what is making the pain associated with covid then we need to do that perhaps sooner rather than later but maybe not quite yet. that perhaps sooner rather than later but maybe not quite yet.— maybe not quite yet. that is an interesting _ maybe not quite yet. that is an interesting debate _ maybe not quite yet. that is an interesting debate as _ maybe not quite yet. that is an interesting debate as to - maybe not quite yet. that is an interesting debate as to what l maybe not quite yet. that is an - interesting debate as to what point we accept it as part of life and we get on with it. are we going to see, as we do with other viruses, continuing mutations and infections and variance going forward? like you say, the big factorfrom a governmental point of view is, at what stage do stop talking about the daily figures and just accept it is there? daily figures and 'ust accept it is there? ~ , ,., , daily figures and 'ust accept it is there? ~ , , . daily figures and 'ust accept it is there? ~ , ~ ~' ., . there? absolutely. and we know that because covid — there? absolutely. and we know that because covid is _ there? absolutely. and we know that because covid is only _ there? absolutely. and we know that because covid is only one _ there? absolutely. and we know that because covid is only one virus - there? absolutely. and we know that because covid is only one virus of- because covid is only one virus of the family of coronaviruses and the other coronaviruses throw off new variants typically every year or so. and that is almost certainly what will happen with covid. it will become effectivelyjust will happen with covid. it will become effectively just another cause of the common cold. we are not going to be doing daily reporting on cases of all the different causes of the common cold going forward. so personally i think it would be unlikely we do anything like that whilst we are still coping with omicron but once we are passed easily perhaps then maybe we should start to look at scaling back, depending on, of course, what the disease is at that time.— disease is at that time. professor paul hunter. _ disease is at that time. professor paul hunter, always _ disease is at that time. professor paul hunter, always good - disease is at that time. professor paul hunter, always good to - disease is at that time. professor paul hunter, always good to talk| disease is at that time. professor l paul hunter, always good to talk to you. thank you for your time. one of the key factors in determining whether we'll see more restrictions at a later date, is pressure on the health services. let's try and get a picture now of how things are looking at the moment. we can speak to the chief executive of nhs providers, chris hopson. first of all, i want to start by asking you about something our previous guest, professor paul hunter, said. he mentioned a moment ago that at some point we will have to look at perhaps allowing people who have tested positive for covid to just go about their daily lives as we would if they had a cold. what do you say to that?— do you say to that? well, that's clearly won't — do you say to that? well, that's clearly won't apply _ do you say to that? well, that's clearly won't apply and - do you say to that? well, that's| clearly won't apply and shouldn't apply to people who work inside the nhs, and it would seem to me to be very foolish to suggest that, because what we have got inside the nhs is clearly very vulnerable patients, we also have visitors and staff who need to be protected from infection inside hospitals. so, yes, what has helpfully happened is that we have reduced the self isolation period from ten days down to seven if you do tear lateral flow tests that proved negative, but in terms of nhs staff it is vital we protect the patient�*s who are inside our hospitals, inside our health care settings, and that we detect them from infection because we know that potentially they are very vulnerable. as for the wider society, clearly that is something we will need to look at. but as i said, for health care settings it is really important we protect against infection. �* . really important we protect against infection. �* , ., infection. let's look at the pressure _ infection. let's look at the pressure on _ infection. let's look at the pressure on health - infection. let's look at the l pressure on health services. infection. let's look at the - pressure on health services. what impact is hospitalisation and the level of staff sickness having at the moment?— level of staff sickness having at the moment? ~ ., the moment? well, if you look at the level of hospitalisations, _ the moment? well, if you look at the level of hospitalisations, the - level of hospitalisations, the numbers definitely are going up, so if you look on a national basis they have gone from about 6700 people in hospital with covid a week ago to 8500 yesterday. that is an increase of about 27%. it is increasing but not precipitate. as we all know, it is london that has been the epicentre for omicron and that has gone from... that is a 45% increase in the number of hospitalisations. the bit we need to wrap our heads round, which is an important piece of nuance, is that quite a few of our chief executives are talking about people who are coming into hospital with covid as opposed to it because of covid. clearly, in the previous peaks, we have some seriously ill older people who have got really significant risk tory problems and, in orderfor us got really significant risk tory problems and, in order for us to look after them, we have had to give them extra oxygen, —— risk tory problems —— respiratory problems. the difference this time we have quite a few patients who are coming in who might have fallen off their bike and knocked their head or broken there like and they have got no symptoms but when they arrive they are testing positive for covid. interestingly, the statistics that we use don't actually distinguish between those two. for example, i was talking to a chief executive yesterday was saying that, although they have had a 30% increase in the number of covid patients over the last week, actually the total number of admitted patients is around the same. she was explaining it by this difference between patients who in previous phases definitely were being admitted into hospital because of covid as opposed to people who are testing positive incidentally and interestingly were not showing symptoms. we need to be careful about over interpreting the data. the key bit, and i thought you are correspondence lone the key bit, and i thought you are correspondence ione put this really well, is that we still don't know what is going to happen at the point when omicron meets the older population. clearly we have had a lot of intergenerational mixing of the christmas, so we all still waiting to see, will we see a significant number of increases in terms of the number of patients coming in to hospital with serious omicron related disease? final point, if i may, luxmy, is to talk about staff absences. where we are up about staff absences. where we are up to at the moment is it is very clear that as soon as you get omicron circulating significantly amongst the community, of course it will be circulating amongst nhs staff that we are now seeing a significant increase in the level of staff absences and quite a few of our chief executives are saying they think that will probably be a bigger problem and challenge that necessarily the number of people coming in who need treatment because of covid. what we are seeing is in some hospitals we are trying to have to redeploy staff to fill the gaps being left in critical and essential services by who are off with covid related absences so that is a significant pressure.- related absences so that is a significant pressure. thank you so much for giving — significant pressure. thank you so much for giving such _ significant pressure. thank you so much for giving such a _ significant pressure. thank you so - much for giving such a comprehensive overview. chris hopson, chief executive of nhs providers. we have looked at the science and the impact on the nhs but what about the impact on the nhs but what about the hospitality industry? well, yesterday's announcement should be good news for nightclubs in england, but will new year's eve prove to be the busy night many of them need after a dire couple of weeks for hospitality? let's speak now to lorraine woodgate, who owns the grand nightclub in felixstowe. good morning. hope you have had a good christmas. how do you feel about the news you heard yesterday new year's eve can go ahead in england? new year's eve can go ahead in encland? . new year's eve can go ahead in encland? , ., new year's eve can go ahead in encland? ., , ., england? good morning. it is great news that we _ england? good morning. it is great news that we can _ england? good morning. it is great news that we can now _ england? good morning. it is great news that we can now look - england? good morning. it is great news that we can now look to - news that we can now look to promoting our christmas eve night... i am optimistic of web that we will get our normal christmas... new year's eve crowd. christmas eve was about 50% down on football so we can only wait and see. that about 50% down on football so we can only wait and see.— only wait and see. that is the concern. _ only wait and see. that is the concern, which _ only wait and see. that is the concern, which i'm _ only wait and see. that is the concern, which i'm sure - only wait and see. that is the concern, which i'm sure you | concern, which i'm sure you appreciate, that even though there is the green light to go ahead with new year celebrations in england, there are probably concerns from people about being in a crowded space. {iii people about being in a crowded sace. . ., , people about being in a crowded sace. , y , people about being in a crowded sace. , , , ., space. of course, yes, i totally understand _ space. of course, yes, i totally understand that. _ space. of course, yes, i totally understand that. we _ space. of course, yes, i totally understand that. we are - space. of course, yes, i totally. understand that. we are allowed space. of course, yes, i totally- understand that. we are allowed to open, so it does as a business owner, i have to open and hope that we get a good crowd in. you mentioned _ we get a good crowd in. you mentioned that _ we get a good crowd in. you mentioned that christmas eve was about 50% down on where you would normally expect to be. what generally have the last few weeks been like for you? hat generally have the last few weeks been like for you?— been like for you? not easy. footfall has _ been like for you? not easy. footfall has been _ been like for you? not easy. footfall has been down. - been like for you? not easy. footfall has been down. asl been like for you? not easy. footfall has been down. as i been like for you? not easy. - footfall has been down. as i say, about 50%. plus i have extra staff on because now we are having to do that covid pass and checking people if they have been tested in the last 48 hours. it has been difficult. you talk about the _ 48 hours. it has been difficult. you talk about the logistics. i people generally abiding by the rules? how high it has that been for checking people when they come in four passes and lateral flow tests and things like that? ., ., , ., , ., , like that? the ma'ority of people have not been — like that? the majority of people have not been organised - like that? the majority of people have not been organised at - like that? the majority of people have not been organised at all. l like that? the majority of people - have not been organised at all. they haven't downloaded the app, haven't had a test. i have had some tests available on the front door so i have had people doing the tests outside and then making me after 15 minutes to show that they are negative. it has been a bit chaotic. i can imagine the chaos, the way you describe it there. what about the uncertainty from a business point of view? i don't expect you to go into great detail with facts and figures, but financially how hard has the last few months and weeks been and what are you expecting the new year to look like? it what are you expecting the new year to look like?— to look like? it has been verified. in this industry _ to look like? it has been verified. in this industry we _ to look like? it has been verified. in this industry we allow - to look like? it has been verified. in this industry we allow our - in this industry we allow our christmas and new year period to get ready for the quieter months of january and february but we are not seeing that, and although we are grateful from the government for up to £6,000 and the chancellor announced for hospitality, that doesn't really touch the surface of what we are losing. is doesn't really touch the surface of what we are losing.— what we are losing. is there a big im act what we are losing. is there a big impact on — what we are losing. is there a big impact on staff— what we are losing. is there a big impact on staff for _ what we are losing. is there a big impact on staff for you? - what we are losing. is there a big impact on staff for you? i - what we are losing. is there a big | impact on staff for you? i imagine you are planning for things, having to cover those costs and the logistics of what you do with staff, how many you keep on. all that is something you have had to put into the pot, as well and we do. i'm getting staff in, the numbers, footfall getting staff in, the numbers, footfal ., ., footfall through the door, you are sendint footfall through the door, you are sending staff _ footfall through the door, you are sending staff home _ footfall through the door, you are sending staff home early. - footfall through the door, you are sending staff home early. we - footfall through the door, you are sending staff home early. we do | footfall through the door, you are - sending staff home early. we do hope that the new — sending staff home early. we do hope that the new year _ sending staff home early. we do hope that the new year brings _ sending staff home early. we do hope that the new year brings a _ sending staff home early. we do hope that the new year brings a bit - sending staff home early. we do hope that the new year brings a bit of - that the new year brings a bit of new hope for you and i hope those new year's eve celebrations go well. thank you for talking to us.— thank you for talking to us. thank ou ve thank you for talking to us. thank you very much- — thank you for talking to us. thank you very much. hospitality - you very much. hospitality businesses _ you very much. hospitality businesses like _ you very much. hospitality businesses like lorraine'sl you very much. hospitality - businesses like lorraine's looking forward to the new year but beyond that it forward to the new year but beyond thatitis forward to the new year but beyond that it is the new school term, of course. finally let's look at the impact all this could have on schools, when they return next week. geoff barton from the association of school and college leadersjoins us now. i have to say first of all, a lot of parents who, at the end of last term, we're getting letters from schools saying, just be prepared for the possibility of a return to online learning in the new term. what is the situation for parents preparing now for the start of next term? i preparing now for the start of next term? .. . preparing now for the start of next term? ,, , , .,,.,_ preparing now for the start of next term? ~' , , ., , , ., term? i think it is probably what ou 'ust term? i think it is probably what you just described, _ term? i think it is probably what you just described, luxmy. - term? i think it is probably what you just described, luxmy. we i term? i think it is probably what i you just described, luxmy. we are term? i think it is probably what - you just described, luxmy. we are in an age of anxiety where there are all kinds of questions about what next week will look like. if i am the head teacher of a secondary school next tuesday welcoming back 1500 young people, i know what we will be doing on the school site is all of those lateral flow tests so every child is being tested. that is probably a good thing, though a distraction but a good thing. the big issue is echoing what we have heard from your other guests. that, as those 9 million or so young people across the uk start to move back through the community, what will that do inside our schools and will that do inside our schools and will be have enough teachers and teaching assistants and other staff we need in order to be able to staff lessons? when we talk about whether there might be a return to online learning, nobody is saying we want to do that. all we are saying is that ultimately you have to have a sufficient numbers of teachers in order to teach those young people, whether in primary, secondary, further education colleges, because otherwise education in person will not be possible to sustain. you summed it _ not be possible to sustain. you summed it up _ not be possible to sustain. you summed it up quite _ not be possible to sustain. you summed it up quite well, calling it an age of anxiety. what are you going to be able to, what our school is doing to prepare for measures to counteract staff absences, and prepare for the possibility of further restrictions after the new year? . . further restrictions after the new year? ., , ., , , year? let me answer those in reverse order. year? let me answer those in reverse order- the — year? let me answer those in reverse order- the first _ year? let me answer those in reverse order. the first bit, _ year? let me answer those in reverse order. the first bit, what _ year? let me answer those in reverse order. the first bit, what school- order. the first bit, what school and college leaders are doing is looking at the risk assessments following the government guidance and looking at what that means for them. is there more that can be done with ventilation? we think the government could have done more about ventilation, air purifiers for example could have been in schools in a way that has been difficult to do. ventilation is part of it. there is a question about the directors of public health by saying we think you're secondary age pupils should be wearing face coverings in the classroom as well as in public areas. we don't like the idea but they are doing it in wales, northern ireland, scotland, is their entitlement in some places in england? the second part of your question about staff shortage, that is more difficult. if i am opening the school again next tuesday and i suddenly get a phone call to say that ten out of my 18 members of staff are not in school, three in the maths department, what do i do? do i call the people who have done supply for us before? what if they have already been signed up for the school across the road to? the supply agency will charge me extra for all of this, the government is not what if those teachers have also been assigned by the school across the road? that will be is an attempt to try to put classes together. if you have reduced numbers in year five and six, teach them together perhaps. ultimately, i hoped reassuringly what your viewers will hear, what parents will hear and what young people will hear is we will do what dwight eisenhower said, recognise that plans are useless, planning is essential and we will planning is essential and we will plan for every scenario including, if necessary, and only if necessary, deciding whether some cube roots need to be in school because they have exams, for example, while others probably get better quality with online learning for a short period of time.— with online learning for a short period of time. with online learning for a short eriod of time. ~ ,,., , ,, ., period of time. absolutely, you have to be ready — period of time. absolutely, you have to be ready for _ period of time. absolutely, you have to be ready for everything. _ period of time. absolutely, you have to be ready for everything. thank - to be ready for everything. thank you so much for talking to us, geoff barton from the association of school and college leaders. the time of uncertainty still. hut school and college leaders. the time of uncertainty still.— of uncertainty still. hut that has tiven ou of uncertainty still. hut that has given you plenty _ of uncertainty still. hut that has given you plenty of _ of uncertainty still. hut that hasj given you plenty of information. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning from the news team at bbc london and bbc south east today. network rail are carrying out major engineering work this week, to upgrade railway lines in south east london. they're spending £8 million improving tracks and signalling around lewisham, a route used by more than half of southeastern services. a cutting near swanley is also being strengthened to protect against landslips. rail replacement buses will be operating on a number of routes. police in sussex are searching for three men who attacked a man at his house in st leonards, punching him and tying him up. the victim was left with a broken rib and severe bruising after they forced their way into his home last week and robbed him. a new london—based support service has been launched to help people living with cancer better understand their condition and treatment options. called 'from me to you', it was started byjudith neptial, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2018. she feels she wasn't given the right information, and now tries to help others navigate their care. i wanted people to really know, what are your rights? if they're not able to ask the question, then we'll ask that question for you. if you don't know where to get that information from, then we will definitely try to get that information for you. so i was really passionate about people just basically knowing what they're entitled to. research has shown footfall on our high streets on boxing day this year, was down dramatically compared to the same day two years ago. retail experts springboard say the number of people out shopping fell by 32% in kent and sussex, with a 67% drop in london. westminster council has made nearly a quarter of a million pounds this year, from film crews using local locations for movies, tv shows and documentaries — twice as much as the whole of 2020. some of the most popular spots for filming include trafalgar square, regent street and soho. the environment agency have issued a flood warning for the buxted area in east sussex, with high water levels in the river uck after the equivalent of a fortnight�*s winter rainfall in the past three days, with 20 millimetres in three hours last night. let's get a look at the weather now with elizabeth rizzini. hello, good morning. well, it's looking very mild indeed for this time of year as we head towards the end of this year across london and the southeast, but it'll also be quite unsettled at times. now, a mild start to this morning, some of our temperatures in double figures. it's quite a messy—looking picture today — there's a bit of mist and early murk around, but that will lift into low cloud and we'll actually see some spells of brightness and sunshine get going today. watch out for some showers, showery outbreaks of rain on and off. plenty of dry weather, too — particularly towards the south coast. the cloud never too far away and there's a brisk southwesterly wind blowing — the wind has changed direction. quite a blustery—looking day, and it will be feeling increasingly mild — 11 or 12 degrees celsius. and it turns milder still as we head through wednesday, with highs of 16 degrees but, again, wet, very windy at times. well, that's it from me for now — i'll be back in half an hour. have a very good morning. goodbye. hello, this is breakfast with dan walker and luxmy gopal. we are here until quarter past nine. were you tempted to hit the high street for a boxing day deal? well, the number of people out shopping in the last two days plummeted compared to pre—pandemic levels. despite there being more shoppers out yesterday than on boxing day, footfall was still down by more than 30 per cent, as louisa pilbeam reports. there were shoppers out for a bank holiday bargains, but not in the huge numbers the high street enjoyed before the pandemic. the uk saw foot fault tumble by a third at yesterday's christmas sales, compared to the same day in 2019, amid concerns about the new 0micron covid variant. boxing day was even quieter, with the number of shoppers plummeting by 41%. that is according to retail analysts springboard. it was really high street and shopping centres that took the brunt of the drop. largely because people are being very cautious around the 0micron. they are self censoring, they are staying away from busy places. but a greater proportion of people are visiting retail parks, possibly because they are open air with large stores, easy to park. comparing the 27th of december 2021, to the same day in 2019, central london took the biggest hit, with would down 50%. in wales, where, like the other devolved nations there are tighter covid restrictions, the drop was 40.3%. northern ireland saw a decline in footfall of 36.6%. and in scotland, that the drop was 33.3%. iotufe footfall of 36.6%. and in scotland, that the drop was 33.3%.— that the drop was 33.3%. we have 'ust come that the drop was 33.3%. we have just come on _ that the drop was 33.3%. we have just come on the _ that the drop was 33.3%. we have just come on the train _ that the drop was 33.3%. we have just come on the train that - that the drop was 33.3%. we have just come on the train that it - that the drop was 33.3%. we have just come on the train that it was| just come on the train that it was quite noticeable that it was about 50-50 in quite noticeable that it was about 50—50 in terms of who was wearing a mask and he wasn't. there clearly a of apathy around wearing masks, which does make me feel a little bit uncomfortable, i must admit. its, bit uncomfortable, i must admit. a bit worried because _ uncomfortable, i must admit. a bit worried because there _ uncomfortable, i must admit. a bit worried because there are lots of people _ worried because there are lots of people shopping today and going back onto our— people shopping today and going back onto our family and stuff. but i am taking _ onto our family and stuff. but i am taking regular tests and all that. but big — taking regular tests and all that. but big high street names anticipated shoppers are staying away. next, john lewis and m85 decided to shut on boxing day, to give staff a longer christmas break, lodging their sales online instead. and experts say that is where businesses will see the strongest sales as covid cases continue to regularly hit record numbers. louisa pilbeam, bbc news. let's get more on this now from the retail expert, kate hardcastle. good morning. thank you for being with us. i know you were listening into that. how concerned are you by that dip in shoppers we saw on boxing day, which traditionally has been a big day for the high street? i think many of us remember the footage — i think many of us remember the footage of— i think many of us remember the footage of young people with ten tos and sleeping bags outside major department stores broadcast around the world _ department stores broadcast around the world. the boxing day sales had started _ the world. the boxing day sales had started it _ the world. the boxing day sales had started. it was almost a marker. i think— started. it was almost a marker. i think the — started. it was almost a marker. i think the macro event of retail, those _ think the macro event of retail, those big — think the macro event of retail, those big points on the calendar we used to— those big points on the calendar we used to work for, towards, have very much _ used to work for, towards, have very much to— used to work for, towards, have very much to change now. retail is very different — much to change now. retail is very different. we have seen a huge shift online _ different. we have seen a huge shift online from — different. we have seen a huge shift online from consumers. it was on the rise anyway— online from consumers. it was on the rise anyway prior to covid, but covid — rise anyway prior to covid, but covid has _ rise anyway prior to covid, but covid has been the enabler of online channels _ covid has been the enabler of online channels. we have seen people shop much _ channels. we have seen people shop much more _ channels. we have seen people shop much more emotionally, very different— much more emotionally, very different factors being involved. and when we hear about the concerns of some _ and when we hear about the concerns of some shoppers have got in terms of some shoppers have got in terms of safety— of some shoppers have got in terms of safety and keeping their loved ones _ of safety and keeping their loved ones are — of safety and keeping their loved ones are safe, obviously if there is an alternative to use for expanding those _ an alternative to use for expanding those vouchers, treating themselves in these _ those vouchers, treating themselves in these days, they mightjust do that _ in these days, they mightjust do that -- — in these days, they mightjust do that -- in — in these days, they mightjust do that. —— in the cells. this is a big pivot. _ that. —— in the cells. this is a big pivot, probably the biggest we will see in— pivot, probably the biggest we will see in decades when it comes to retail _ see in decades when it comes to retail |— see in decades when it comes to retail. ., , retail. i wonder whether it is ossible retail. i wonder whether it is possible for _ retail. i wonder whether it is possible for the _ retail. i wonder whether it is possible for the high - retail. i wonder whether it is possible for the high street| retail. i wonder whether it is i possible for the high street to retail. i wonder whether it is - possible for the high street to win that battle? what do they need to do? if the pandemic causes issues and technology has accelerated that, what is the way back for the high street? n what is the way back for the high street? ., ,., ., what is the way back for the high street? ., ., , ., ., what is the way back for the high street? ., ., ., street? i am so glad you have said wa back street? i am so glad you have said way back because _ street? i am so glad you have said way back because so _ street? i am so glad you have said way back because so many - street? i am so glad you have said way back because so many people| street? i am so glad you have said - way back because so many people have written _ way back because so many people have written the _ way back because so many people have written the high street off. we need them _ written the high street off. we need them. when we got back together we should _ them. when we got back together we should be _ them. when we got back together we should be able to have high streets to do— should be able to have high streets to do them in. they have to be about the social— to do them in. they have to be about the social side of shopping. we don't _ the social side of shopping. we don't need to shop that way. we have to want— don't need to shop that way. we have to want to _ don't need to shop that way. we have to want to shop that way. it will be a combination of great retail, hospitality, theatres, everything, sports _ hospitality, theatres, everything, sports involves, where we can go and congregate _ sports involves, where we can go and congregate once more. those high streets _ congregate once more. those high streets have needed investment for many— streets have needed investment for many years and i am sure today, like every _ many years and i am sure today, like every other— many years and i am sure today, like every other day, we would hear from people _ every other day, we would hear from people who — every other day, we would hear from people who say the parking is a challenge, accessibility is a challenge, accessibility is a challenge, so there are lots of factors — challenge, so there are lots of factors we need to bring into that. some _ factors we need to bring into that. some high— factors we need to bring into that. some high streets are in a more developed — some high streets are in a more developed estate than others. more than anything, i think shoppers just don't _ than anything, i think shoppers just don't want — than anything, i think shoppers just don't want that carbon replica of same _ don't want that carbon replica of same brands, same look and feel of towns _ same brands, same look and feel of towns and _ same brands, same look and feel of towns and cities. there is still hope — towns and cities. there is still hope for— towns and cities. there is still hope for the high street, but a lot of work— hope for the high street, but a lot of work to— hope for the high street, but a lot of work to do in places. and hope for the high street, but a lot of work to do in places.— of work to do in places. and what sort of changes _ of work to do in places. and what sort of changes do _ of work to do in places. and what sort of changes do work? - of work to do in places. and what sort of changes do work? i - of work to do in places. and what - sort of changes do work? i remember we covered a programme, i think, in altrincham last year, and we looked at how they'd transformed an old hole and made it far more sort of local produce and people were attracted to that. people are always going to need to have their hair cut and coffee shops are going to be popular. is that the sort of direction the high street needs to go to change from what traditionally be used to use it for, but still have that importance in a local community?— have that importance in a local communi ? .y community? the vibrancy will come from bigger— community? the vibrancy will come from bigger and _ community? the vibrancy will come from bigger and smaller _ community? the vibrancy will come from bigger and smaller businesses side by— from bigger and smaller businesses side by side. and what we are seeing is much _ side by side. and what we are seeing is much more of a resurgence in the use of— is much more of a resurgence in the use of smaller businesses. that is great _ use of smaller businesses. that is great news — use of smaller businesses. that is great news. they don't want us to use them — great news. they don't want us to use them because... they are good enough _ use them because... they are good enough and — use them because... they are good enough and valid enough and give more _ enough and valid enough and give more back— enough and valid enough and give more back to our communities. they fit side _ more back to our communities. they fit side by— more back to our communities. they fit side by side in our communities. we can't _ fit side by side in our communities. we can't hang out had on retail. it is going _ we can't hang out had on retail. it is going to — we can't hang out had on retail. it is going to bmx. babos, the service industry. _ is going to bmx. babos, the service industry. as— is going to bmx. babos, the service industry, as well as retail industries. of more than ever, i industries. 0f more than ever, i think— industries. of more than ever, i think it — industries. of more than ever, i think it is — industries. of more than ever, i think it is about identity, it is about— think it is about identity, it is about place. people feeling they can io about place. people feeling they can go into— about place. people feeling they can go into the _ about place. people feeling they can go into the town and city end of the things— go into the town and city end of the things they— go into the town and city end of the things they need very relevant to their— things they need very relevant to their family, things they need very relevant to theirfamily, their things they need very relevant to their family, their way of life. and it should — their family, their way of life. and it should be accessible. we need them _ it should be accessible. we need them to— it should be accessible. we need them to be human high street at the end of— them to be human high street at the end of the _ them to be human high street at the end of the day. them to be human high street at the end of the day-— end of the day. kate, thank you. have ou end of the day. kate, thank you. have you been — end of the day. kate, thank you. have you been to _ end of the day. kate, thank you. have you been to the _ end of the day. kate, thank you. have you been to the shops - end of the day. kate, thank you. j have you been to the shops over christmas or did you do it all online? i christmas or did you do it all online? �* christmas or did you do it all oane? �* g christmas or did you do it all online? �* ., ., ., ., online? i didn't go at all. i am t in: online? i didn't go at all. i am trying to _ online? i didn't go at all. i am trying to make _ online? i didn't go at all. i am trying to make sure _ online? i didn't go at all. i am trying to make sure i - online? i didn't go at all. i am trying to make sure i save - online? i didn't go at all. i am trying to make sure i save my| trying to make sure i save my pennies _ trying to make sure i save my pennies. there is a piece of retail advice. _ pennies. there is a piece of retail advice. i— pennies. there is a piece of retail advice, i guess, pennies. there is a piece of retail advice, iguess, by pennies. there is a piece of retail advice, i guess, by what you need to. advice, i guess, by what you need to |_ advice, i guess, by what you need to. ., , , . ., advice, i guess, by what you need to. i appreciate your honesty. very sensible approach. _ to. i appreciate your honesty. very sensible approach. what _ to. i appreciate your honesty. very sensible approach. what we - to. i appreciate your honesty. very sensible approach. what we could | to. i appreciate your honesty. very l sensible approach. what we could do with now is some uplifting positive, cheerful news. it is with now is some uplifting positive, cheerful news.— cheerful news. it is not going to ha- en. cheerful news. it is not going to happen- i _ cheerful news. it is not going to happen- i have _ cheerful news. it is not going to happen. i have a _ cheerful news. it is not going to happen. i have a feeling - cheerful news. it is not going to happen. i have a feeling we - cheerful news. it is not going to happen. i have a feeling we are | cheerful news. it is not going to . happen. i have a feeling we are not ttoin to happen. i have a feeling we are not going to get _ happen. i have a feeling we are not going to get that — happen. i have a feeling we are not going to get that from _ happen. i have a feeling we are not going to get that from john. - going to get that from john. it's the ashes. it is the pinnacle. that is the thing. the most disappointing thing with england surrendering the ashes is that they haven't— surrendering the ashes is that they haven't even been in the series, they— haven't even been in the series, they haven't been in any of the matches — they haven't been in any of the matches. that is all you want to see _ matches. that is all you want to see you — matches. that is all you want to see. you want to see them completed. direct— see. you want to see them completed. direct to _ see. you want to see them completed. direct to competing. —— competing. it is direct to competing. —— competing. it is bitterly— direct to competing. —— competing. it is bitterly disappointing. there will be _ it is bitterly disappointing. there will be a — it is bitterly disappointing. there will be a massive inquest into this. good _ will be a massive inquest into this. good if— will be a massive inquest into this. good if you — will be a massive inquest into this. good if you are an australian this morning. filth good if you are an australian this mornint. . ., good if you are an australian this mornint. .., ., .,, . , morning. oh come fantastic. they will be loving _ morning. oh come fantastic. they will be loving it. _ morning. oh come fantastic. they will be loving it. but _ morning. oh come fantastic. they will be loving it. but i _ morning. oh come fantastic. they will be loving it. but i think- morning. oh come fantastic. they will be loving it. but i think for - will be loving it. but i think for england. — will be loving it. but i think for england, real questions will be asked — england, real questions will be asked about where they are now, certainly— asked about where they are now, certainly with regard to text cricket~ _ certainly with regard to text cricket. it has been disappointing. good _ cricket. it has been disappointing. good morning. england surrendering the ashes. hopes were withjoe root and ben stokes this morning, resuming on 31—4, but england were bowled out in an hour and 20 minutes for 68, their lowest score in australia in 117 years. lots of questions will be asked, not least ofjoe root following a string of poor performances in the series. we knew that going into today we were more than capable of getting ourselves— were more than capable of getting ourselves to a school with the players — ourselves to a school with the players that were to come in and out of the _ players that were to come in and out of the crease. it is bitterly disappointing we didn't manage to do that. disappointing we didn't manage to do that we _ disappointing we didn't manage to do that. we have to front up, you have to make _ that. we have to front up, you have to make sure — that. we have to front up, you have to make sure you stay very strong. you keep— to make sure you stay very strong. you keep looking to improve all areas _ you keep looking to improve all areas of— you keep looking to improve all areas of our game, individually and collectively, and you have to have a really _ collectively, and you have to have a really strong and are believed to be able to _ really strong and are believed to be able to come back. we need to put some _ able to come back. we need to put some pride — able to come back. we need to put some pride back into the badge. an air— some pride back into the badge. an air of— some pride back into the badge. an air of resignation from joe root. one man who knows about the highs and lows of an ashes series is former england fast bowler steven finn. hejoins us now from melbourne. good morning. where do we begin with this? can you put your finger on good morning. where do we begin with this? can you put yourfinger on it? why has it gone wrong for england? good morning. i don't know. there's not much _ good morning. i don't know. there's not much that has gone right, if we are being _ not much that has gone right, if we are being quite honest. ithink not much that has gone right, if we are being quite honest. i think the lack of— are being quite honest. i think the lack of first — are being quite honest. i think the lack of first innings runs has been a big _ lack of first innings runs has been a big problem for england. i think the lack— a big problem for england. i think the lack of— a big problem for england. i think the lack of preparation time they had in _ the lack of preparation time they had in the — the lack of preparation time they had in the build—up to the tour. they— had in the build—up to the tour. they had — had in the build—up to the tour. they had less than one day's practice _ they had less than one day's practice in the few weeks they had in australia in the build—up to the first test— in australia in the build—up to the first test match because of bad weather, — first test match because of bad weather, which i think is a bit of a reason _ weather, which i think is a bit of a reason as— weather, which i think is a bit of a reason as to — weather, which i think is a bit of a reason as to why they got into a bad run of— reason as to why they got into a bad run of form — reason as to why they got into a bad run of form. they are back to back test _ run of form. they are back to back test matches. by that i mean there are only— test matches. by that i mean there are only three or four days in between _ are only three or four days in between each game. you're rolling from _ between each game. you're rolling from game — between each game. you're rolling from game to game and it is easy to take bad _ from game to game and it is easy to take bad performances into the next one. take bad performances into the next one a_ take bad performances into the next one. a combination of all of those things. _ one. a combination of all of those things. i_ one. a combination of all of those things, i would say.— one. a combination of all of those things, i would say. what would be the most sickening _ things, i would say. what would be the most sickening thing? - things, i would say. what would be the most sickening thing? the - things, i would say. what would be i the most sickening thing? the ashes is the pinnacle. it is the very peak of the sport. for all of those england players in that dressing. will the most disappointing here be that they just haven't will the most disappointing here be that theyjust haven't competed in this series so far?— this series so far? yes, i think also the most _ this series so far? yes, i think also the most disappointing i this series so far? yes, i think i also the most disappointing thing over here — also the most disappointing thing over here from australians is they want _ over here from australians is they want to— over here from australians is they want to see — over here from australians is they want to see their team challenge and i want to see their team challenge and i don't _ want to see their team challenge and ldon't think— want to see their team challenge and i don't think at any stage over the three _ i don't think at any stage over the three games so far have they really been challenged. i think that was highlighted by the way england got bowled _ highlighted by the way england got bowled out for 68 this morning. i am reticent _ bowled out for 68 this morning. i am reticent to— bowled out for 68 this morning. i am reticent to be overly critical of the players because i think there are a _ the players because i think there are a number of more deep—rooted reasons— are a number of more deep—rooted reasons and — are a number of more deep—rooted reasons and things as to why their performances haven't been this bad over here — performances haven't been this bad over here. but i certainly think you are right _ over here. but i certainly think you are right about there being an inquest — are right about there being an inquest or some sort of review about how you _ inquest or some sort of review about how you prepare teams to play in conditions — how you prepare teams to play in conditions such as australia, such as lndia. — conditions such as australia, such as india, where it is so much harder than _ as india, where it is so much harder than everyone else in the world. give _ than everyone else in the world. give us — than everyone else in the world. give us something to cling to this morning? two tests still to play. what do england need to do differently? i what do england need to do differently?— what do england need to do differentl ? ~ , , ., ., differently? i think they showed for small periods _ differently? i think they showed for small periods in _ differently? i think they showed for small periods in the _ differently? i think they showed for small periods in the adelaide i differently? i think they showed for small periods in the adelaide testl small periods in the adelaide test match _ small periods in the adelaide test match, when they were trying to bat to save _ match, when they were trying to bat to save the — match, when they were trying to bat to save the game, they batted into the last— to save the game, they batted into the last session, the resolve they showed _ the last session, the resolve they showed in — the last session, the resolve they showed in that innings, i think if they— showed in that innings, i think if they can — showed in that innings, i think if they can harbour a bit of the energy thatjoe _ they can harbour a bit of the energy thatjoe root has had at the crease when _ thatjoe root has had at the crease when he _ thatjoe root has had at the crease when he has batted, because he really— when he has batted, because he really has — when he has batted, because he really has led from the front as a captain— really has led from the front as a captain and has not been supported by anybody else in the line—up, apart— by anybody else in the line—up, apart from _ by anybody else in the line—up, apart from dawid malan and the bowlers — apart from dawid malan and the bowlers as well. if they can harbour those _ bowlers as well. if they can harbour those things and take them into the next test _ those things and take them into the next test match mother is more chance _ next test match mother is more chance of— next test match mother is more chance of them building a big first innings— chance of them building a big first innings score and then they are going _ innings score and then they are going to — innings score and then they are going to have to give the balance of the attack _ going to have to give the balance of the attack right, whichever way they decide _ the attack right, whichever way they decide to _ the attack right, whichever way they decide to go for that fourth test match — decide to go for that fourth test match to — decide to go for that fourth test match, to take 20 wickets. so many _ match, to take 20 wickets. so many questions. thank you for answering some of them. great to speak to you. stephen fenn reflecting on the disappointment of england's ashes defeat. they will obviously need to be some kind of changes now for england to try and improve, bring about an improved performance in those two tests. prioritised test cricket. the busy premier league schedule continues today, with four more games. two are off though, because of covid. it comes as a record 103 players and staff tested positive for the virus in the seven days up to and including boxing day. newcastle's game at home to manchester united did go ahead last night, with the points shared. 0ur sports correspondent katie gornall was watching. for manchester united it has been a while. a covid outbreak at the club meant this was their first match in more than two weeks. newcastle have played three games in that time and lost them all. festivity has been hard to come by here. but where there is allan saint—maximin, there is hope. with the united defence scrambling, stjames' park was rocking. united's new manager was not impressed. even the great cristiano ronaldo looked rusty. united needed a response in the second half, but still they had to rely on their goalkeeper. the chances were coming, and eventually edison cavani took one. it would get worse for newcastle as their star player departed early. but they refused to be beaten, battling to the end. they finished with a point. it could have been more. newcastle rooted in the relegation zone but they have spirit, and how. katie gornall, bbc news. a challenging time of the top flight at the moment and in football as a whole with so many games being affected because of the covid crisis. six members of the england tory touring party has been affected. you appreciate there are some extenuating circumstances which has contributed to a difficult period away from home. it has been a tough tourfor england. period away from home. it has been a tough tour for england. you just hope that there might be some improvement. tao hope that there might be some improvement.— hope that there might be some improvement. hope that there might be some im-rovement. ., . , . improvement. too matches left. we will see what — improvement. too matches left. we will see what happens. _ improvement. too matches left. we will see what happens. thank i improvement. too matches left. we will see what happens. thank you. i will see what happens. thank you. you are watching _ will see what happens. thank you. you are watching bbc _ will see what happens. thank you. you are watching bbc breakfast. i will see what happens. thank you. i you are watching bbc breakfast. lots still to come this morning, including david attenborough and mammoth, more on that later. but this story, i think, you will love. it has the feeling of something like a christmas miracle. it'sjuno, the search and rescue dog, who has spent years helping to track missing people in norfolk. but almost a week ago, she disappeared herself on a family walk. her owner was distraught and went out looking for her every day. she was finally spotted by a specialist team with the help of a drone. mike liggins was there when they were reunited. belong to you, ian? she does belong to ian, and he'd almost given up hope. but this is the moment juno and her owner, ian danks, were reunited. so i'vejust been incredibly emotional back there, as you've probably got on camera. but, you know, i'm just totally humbled by what people are willing to do for people in the community. and that's what lowland rescue is all about. juno is a short—haired german pointer, and has been trained as a search and rescue dog. she went missing on december the 21st, on a family walk at fritton near great yarmouth. and despite social media appeals and searches, juno couldn't be found. there were fears she might have been stolen. tell me about christmas without her. i'd rather not, to be honest. it's obviously been really tough on you? yeah. yeah, it's the little things. it's a quiet house, her bed's empty. rescue teams from across the countryjoined the search. some 80 people with other dogs, drones and boats. and then, news came through that juno had been spotted by one of the team's drone pilots. they think they've found her. flying along the river riverbank, and there she was, she appeared, yellow jacket. stopped, zoom in, brought the drone down a little bit. she wasjust sat up, and she looked over the drone. i thought, she's alive because she's moving. so that was it. a specialist dog handler was in the boat, which eventually broughtjuno back to safety. she gets a good meal now? we've got lots of leftover turkey. laughter. so, yeah, that's what we're going to do, after a quick trip to the vet's. after a checkup at the vet's, juno was back home. her disappearance remains a mystery. and althouthuno is one of theirs, ian danks can't thank the rescue teams enough. they've given me phenomenal support over this last week, ranging from when i first found juno was missing, all the way through the searches with drones, boats, thermal imaging equipment. they're still supporting me now. so, yeah, absolutely. the support they've given me is phenomenal. and it would be wrong of me to not say thank you. juno will be resting at home for a few days, and when the family take herfor a walk, it will be on the lead, for now. mike liggins, bbc news, norfolk. that is a story we need at this time of the year. that is a story we need at this time of the year-— of the year. that reunion was so sweet. of the year. that reunion was so sweet- you _ of the year. that reunion was so sweet. you could _ of the year. that reunion was so sweet. you could tell— of the year. that reunion was so sweet. you could telljun i of the year. that reunion was so | sweet. you could telljun amazed of the year. that reunion was so i sweet. you could telljun amazed her owner. 50 sweet. you could telljun amazed her owner. . y sweet. you could telljun amazed her owner. ., , , sweet. you could telljun amazed her owner. . y , ., ,, owner. so many people involved. sure we tet the owner. so many people involved. sure we get the weather? _ owner. so many people involved. sure we get the weather? carol— owner. so many people involved. sure we get the weather? carol has i owner. so many people involved. sure we get the weather? carol has some i we get the weather? carol has some interesting use. a miserable picture behind you. you are quite right on both counts. over the next few days, especially from tomorrow, it is going to turn a much milder, is exceptionally mild for the time of the year by day. but also by night it is going to be pretty mild as well. a wet start to the day for many. it is raining in staffordshire. we do have some heavy rain. progressively pushing from the west towards the east. some of this is heavier than we anticipated coming in across southern england, and also, it is accompanied by some thunderstorms as well. as we go through the rest of the morning into the afternoon, you can see the track this rain is taking, pushing into the north sea. behind it, quite a bit of cloud. some patchy light rain and drizzle in parts of wales and also in across northern england. we started with some freezing fog across northern scotland. that will lift today. then we are looking at sunshine. sunshine also in northern ireland. these black circles represent the strength of the wind gust. a very blustery day, particularly across england and wales. but especially with exposure along the coast of wales, the south—west and english channel as well as the channel islands. temperatures today ranging from six in aberdeen to 12, as we push down towards the south and south—west. through this evening and overnight there will be some cloud around. some breaks in the cloud. a cold night with rustic across parts of scotland and northern england. then we have got the next weather front coming in across —— introducing rain. 1 degrees in aberdeen, 10 degrees in plymouth. tomorrow, this band of rain continues to push steadily northwards, bringing milder air behind it as it does so. a fair bit of cloud. some rain in southern areas. some of us will see some sunshine and temperatures around seven to 16. carol, thank you. stunning 16 there. have a lovely tuesday. see you later. the images of people desperately trying to board aircraft to flee kabul earlier this year, were some of the most harrowing of 2021. since then, thousands of afghans have settled here, trying to build a new life in the uk. breakfast�*sjohn maguire has been to meet one of those families. the speed and the chaotic fall of kabul, and ultimately afghanistan, shocked those who watched from a safe distance. but for those trapped, those who'd worked with the british military, and whose names were on taliban death lists, the only way to survive was to escape. when taliban took the kabul, i was in trouble because of my background. i was working with special forces unit, and i was trying to get out of afghanistan. there was no other choice for me to stay in kabul. and i tried to get out of the kabul. naveed hameedi had fought with elite units for years. he knew he was targeted by the taliban, and that the lives of his wife and five young children, including their new baby, were at risk. many people died and wounded here. he filmed these scenes at kabul airport on his phone. there was about 50,000 people, or more than, no water, no food for the kids, for the ladies, their small babies. it was horrible for me. he had served in the same unit asjohnny mercer, a veteran of three tours, and now an mp in plymouth. but it was his military — not government — contacts that managed to get naveed and his family out of harm's way. yet so many others remain. it's a fact that we employed over 4,000 interpreters alone. you know, the mod reckon they got out about 600. we reckon they got out about 120. you know, you are leaving the vast, vast majority of your people behind. and, you know, we can talk — the prime minister said we would strain every sinew for these people. and if you match that with how it actually feels, if you're an afghan, it's pretty shameful stuff, really. i got some emails from my friends. naveed now works for the mp, trying to help others who've been left behind. yes. she's got to use the arap scheme first. there are people, there are specialists that are undoubtedly being hunted by the taliban. we've seen them being killed by the taliban. do we need to get everyone out? no. but the trouble is, because our scheme was so poor, we don't even know who they were or where they were. and consequently, we're dealing every day with people who, similarly in naveed's position, or interpreters who interpreted for the british, who we've left behind in this process, and it's pretty hard to take, yeah. life couldn't be more different from the country they fled. at long last, they're safe. no need to look over their shoulder. and free to take part in the full spectrum of british life. margaret hillier. in the run up to christmas, johnny mercer gave out the raffle prizes at a veterans group, who meet up for what they call brew and banter. also there was mark 0rmrod, the former royal marine who spent much of this year raising hundreds of thousands of pounds for charity. he was severely injured in afghanistan on christmas eve 14 years ago. mark describes the role the interpreters played in the war as invaluable, vital. you got to imagine, you know, as a young man, you go into a country, you don't understand the culture, or the way they work, and what's normal, what's not. so in the beginning, especially in such a kinetic and dangerous area, they, for me, were that buffer. they could gauge the feeling on the ground a lot better than we could in the early days, and maybe stop you making bad decisions. you know, we're no longer out in afghanistan to protect them, like we did during that 10—, 11—, 12—year period. we need to keep these people safe. with the christmas gifts handed out, there's time for a run, a chance to clear the head. naveed realises he's one of the lucky ones. my two oldest kids, they are going to school now. my two youngest kids will go to nursery, and my wife also going to english course to start learning english. they're happy, we're happy still in the uk. people forget what it's like to, a, have nothing — like, literally, not even a bank account, right, ora phone line — but b, what afghanistan is truly like. these guys, they don't have electricity in the houses. it is a fundamentally different culture, but actually, a bit of empathy to see what that's like. these guys are going to fly in this country and contribute and be an amazing part of british society. we've just got to get them off the start line. and that's what lots of us are doing. in a statement, the government said... the afghan citizens resettlement scheme, which opens next month, will offer a safe and legal route to the uk for up to 20,000 people. it will prioritise those who've assisted uk efforts in afghanistan. and so far, it says around 1500 people have been helped to enter the uk since the evacuation. along with making a success of his life here, naveed remains determined to help his former colleagues to follow in his footsteps to safety. they are in a very bad situation in afghanistan. they are running out of money, because they don't have salary for four months after collapse of government. they are running out of food, out of everything, and they can't go out because of their background. taliban tracking them, because of their background. they realise they face a huge task. the documents required for the government's afghan relocation scheme have, in many cases, been lost or destroyed, to protect those who need them to secure safe passage. but everyone they help is one less person in danger, one more who can be rewarded for their service and their sacrifice. john maguire, bbc news, plymouth. you're watching bbc breakfast. it's 8.59. this is bbc news — the headlines the hospitality sector welcomes the decision not to impose further covid restrictions in england before the new year describing it as a lifeline but ministers say further restrictions hinges on the number of hospitalisations at the moment, we don't think that the evidence supports any more interventions beyond what we've done but obviously we've got to keep it under very close review because if it is the case that we start to see a big increase in hospitalisations then we would need to act further and that's why we have to keep it under close review. the french government call their new covid measures "proportionate", as rules for remote working and public gatherings come into force next week. it's all over — australia thrash england to win the ashes, after a dismal collapse in melbourne heavy snowstorms batter western states in the us —