buckingham palace has announced that prince andrew is returning his royal and military titles to the queen. he will no longer be referred to as his royal highness in any official capacity. it comes just a day after prince andrew's lawyers failed to persuade a judge in america to dismiss a civil lawsuit against him that accuses him of sexually abusing a teenager two decades ago. the duke of york has consistently denied the allegations. buckingham palace says he will continue not to carry out any public duties and will defend the civil court case as a private citizen. here's our royal correspondent nicholas witchell. the duke of york near his home in windsor great park today. behind the scenes, they were clearly discussions with his advisers and with other members of his family. it is clear that the impossibility of his retaining his remaining honorary military positions had been accepted by the queen, particularly after yesterday's court ruling in new york. he is therefore no longer the honorary colonel of the grenadier guards, that will be a relief to them, his continued links to the regiment have become an embarrassment. a statement from buckingham palace a short time ago said... that certainly seems to suggest that andrew is determined to fight on, but steps are being taken to insulate, as far as possible, the royalfamily insulate, as far as possible, the royal family from further embarrassment. nicholas witchell, bbc news. let's beat our news who is with me in the bbc newsroom. we heard nicholas witchell talking about the prince looking to fight on, in practical terms, what does that mean? on, in practicalterms, what does that mean?— on, in practicalterms, what does that mean? for starters, it means that mean? for starters, it means that he is not _ that mean? for starters, it means that he is not going _ that mean? for starters, it means that he is not going to _ that mean? for starters, it means that he is not going to do - that mean? for starters, it means that he is not going to do that - that mean? for starters, it means that he is not going to do that as i that mean? for starters, it means| that he is not going to do that as a working member of the royalfamily. he had effectively stepped back from public life and formal engagement on behalf of the royal family, and public life and formal engagement on behalf of the royalfamily, and his official title is an honorary positions were effectively suspended as soon as this controversy really grew around him towards the end of 2019. the decision today by the queen, by buckingham palace, means that those positions and honorary titles, things like being the admiral of the sea cadet corps will be given up in permanently. he will give them back, and we understand there will be handed to other members of the royal family. regardless of what happens with this civil case now, prince andrew won't be able to reclaim those positions and titles and effectively he stops being a working member of the royal family. on the face of it, so that he can focus on, it seems, defending this case. that is what he is going to dedicate his time and energy to in the months ahead. as nick witchell was saying, it looks like this is an attempt to insulate him while he does that from the rest of the royal family for while he does that from the rest of the royalfamily for which while he does that from the rest of the royal family for which 2022 is a big year, ajubilee the royal family for which 2022 is a big year, a jubilee year for the queen with lots of events planned for the royal family. queen with lots of events planned for the royalfamily. with this queen with lots of events planned for the royal family. with this sort of case hanging over the duke, i think that would have been a distraction. to be attempted here is to separate the two things, try to create some distance will stop it tells us nothing about whether the jig tells us nothing about whether the jig is going to defend that claim, to settle it, whether he would in effect be found guilty or not, but that sense is that he is going to fight on, that he will defend himself. �* , ., ., himself. and you mentioned the months to _ himself. and you mentioned the months to come, _ himself. and you mentioned the months to come, clearly - himself. and you mentioned the months to come, clearly in - himself. and you mentioned the months to come, clearly in one | himself. and you mentioned the . months to come, clearly in one way we are looking ahead to those events for the queen. but in terms of prince andrew, do we know when this civil case will happen? do we know if he will travel to the usa to defend his side of it? we if he will travel to the usa to defend his side of it? we don't have any confirmation _ defend his side of it? we don't have any confirmation of— defend his side of it? we don't have any confirmation of those _ defend his side of it? we don't have any confirmation of those sorts - defend his side of it? we don't have any confirmation of those sorts of l any confirmation of those sorts of arrangements. the kind of timeline that was being discussed was that maybe this case would come to a head in the autumn time. there are still events planned throughout the summer as part of the royaljubilee. and some of those events, he would in essence have been required to attend because of the sorts of positions that he was holding until today. that sort of awkward confrontation, clash has now been removed. we did have a statement earlier from some sources close to the duke given the robustness with which the judge greeted our arguments, we are unsurprised by his ruling stop in effect, that the duke us to carry on and to defend himself in the case will progress. "however, it is not a judgment on the merits of virginia giuffre's allegations," which is true. "this is a marathon, not a sprint, and the duke will continue to defend himself against these claims." he will now do that as a private citizen and not as a member of the royal family.— of the royal family. thank you very much indeed- _ that is one big story here in the uk, here is the other one. borisjohnson�*s cabinet is pledging support as he faces growing calls to quit as prime minister. on wednesday, he admitted to attending a drinks gathering at downing street when england was in lockdown 2020. and today, the message from his government was this... the prime minister himself said yesterday that, with hindsight, he regrets going out into the garden and thanking the staff rather than telling them to come back into the office. i think he was right to do that, recognising as he said — and it is something i've seen as well — is that not just the frustration, anger and upset as well that people have had around their view that there has been one thing being sent to people about what we should all do, as we were doing at the time, and what they perceive happening at number ten. it is also why it is right that we have got this investigation being taken forward. and once we've got the details of that, we will come back to parliament. obviously we will be publishing the findings of that report, he will be taking questions from parliamentarians and being very clear in the statement to the house of commons as well, as he did yesterday. let's recap what happened on wednesday and this moment in parliament. number ten is a big department, with the garden as an extension of the office. which has been in constant use because of the role of fresh air in stopping the virus. and when i went into that gardenjust after 6pm on the 20th of may 2020, to thank groups of staff before going back into my office 25 minutes later to continue working, i believed implicitly that this was a work event. but, mr speaker, with hindsight, i should have sent everyone back inside, i should have found some other way to thank them, and i should have recognised that even if it could be said technically to fall within the guidance, there would be millions and millions of people who simply would not see it that way. so that's borisjohnson admitting — for the first time — that he'd attended a drinks gathering in the garden at downing street in may 2020 — when london was under strict restrictions. he also said he'd thought that it was a work event. some people do not accept that description. just like tory mp caroline nokes. he is damaging us now, he is damaging the entire conservative brand with an unwillingness to accept the strictures that others have lived by. three more conservatives have publicly called for borisjohnson to go. one of them is roger gale. first of all he made an apology, which was the right thing to do, i accept that. but unfortunately he then went on to say that he spent 25 minutes at a, what he described, as a work event, which was in fact a party, having said on the 8th of december at the despatch box that he was not aware of any parties in downing street. well, he clearly attended one which means he misled the house. well, an investigation by senior civil servant sue gray will determine whether rules were broken at that gathering and other alleged parties. her report is due next week. borisjohnson insists he was acting within the guidelines. and he has the support of his three most senior members of cabinet. foreign secretary liz truss tweeted that she stood behind the prime minister 100%. while the chancellor rishi sunak used different language. both are tipped as potential successors to borisjohnson. also defending the prime minister is another leadership contender — deputy prime minister dominic raab. the prime minister has come to the house of commons and given a very clear account, taken questions on this. he has been clear that he believed he was acting in accordance with the rules at the time. but of course he understands that the perception that those in power are not following the rules that many others are required to, particularly those who have been through serious hardship or lost loved ones during the pandemic. and that is why he has apologised. and in relation to all of the detailed claims and questions that have been raised, i think it is right, as he was saying today in the house of commons, that sue gray is given the time to conduct that investigation. there will be a full counting of them, the prime minister will come back to the house of commons. that is the right way to handle this. also defending him is simon clarke, the chief secretary to the treasury and number two to rishi sunak. there is no question in my mind that borisjohnson was acting in good faith to thank the people who had been helping to guide the country through the crisis, working incredibly hard. he accepts that he ought not to have done that, looking back. but it was done in good faith, there was no possible malice or intention to do anything other than to give a heartfelt thank you to people who had been working incredibly hard on all of our behalf. and that is what he did, he ought not to have done it. he totally takes responsibility for that. and sue gray nowjust needs the time and space to bring out exactly what happened, the full context. borisjohnson has said he won't quit. he could be forced out by his own party anyway. for that to happen, 5a conservative mps must send letters to the 1922 committee. that consists of all backbench conservative mps. that would to trigger a leadership challenge — and a vote on his position. we don't know how many letters have gone in so far. we can guess four. that is a long way from the number thatis that is a long way from the number that is needed. while bloomberg reports that while a minority are calling for borisjohnson to go now, most are waiting on most are waiting on the official report. one conservative mp who has made up his mind is the leader of the scottish conservatives, douglas ross. crucially for me, he said in hindsight if he had his time again, he would have done things differently. and that to me is an acceptance from the prime minister that he did wrong, and therefore to be consistent with what i have said before, i don't believe his position as prime minister and leader of the conservative party is tenable, and he does need to resign. we know the majority of the scottish tory members of parliament are also calling for borisjohnson to go. within hours of douglas ross' comments, the leader of the house of commons jacob rees—mogg told lbc radio he didn't think douglas ross was a �*big figure'. he doubled down on that on bbc newsnight, with kirsty wark. douglas ross has always been quite a lightweight figure, so i don't think that... oof! sorry, hang on, the leader of the scottish conservatives, an msp and an mp is a lightweight figure? _ i think the scottish secretary is a much more substantial and important figure in this. but we're talking about 31 scottish msps. there are two reasons the mood could get worse. the times reports that borisjohnson had told tory mps privately yesterday in the commons tea room he did not believe that he had personally done anything wrong and said that we're taking hits for something we don't deserve. the times also has the latest yougov poll — "six in ten voters believed that johnson should resign, including 38% of those who voted tory at the last election." this was conducted before wednesday's apology. it's worth reminding you of the events of may 2020, when the drinks party took place. we know 30 people attended. invitees were told to "bring your own booze". also in may, england was in its first lockdown. people could only leave home for work, exercise or for essential supplies, and could only meet one person from another household outdoors. already there had been 36,000 covid deaths. fran hall lost her husband to covid. this is her view. he didn't say sorry, he basically gas lighted the entire nation by saying that he thought that the event which was actually illegal at the time was a work event. and not a party. we all know that is not true. meanwhile in the past few hours, the metropolitan police has said it won't investigate any downing street parties unless the sue gray inquiry produces evidence of criminal offences. just help me understand this, this is the police are saying it is waiting on an internal investigation to decide whether to investigate a crime or not? that is exactly right- _ investigate a crime or not? that is exactly right. the _ investigate a crime or not? that is exactly right. the police _ investigate a crime or not? that is exactly right. the police and - investigate a crime or not? that is exactly right. the police and had l exactly right. the police and had this particular incident reported to them. they said they had reported a number of correspondences about this particular event on may the 20th that we now know has been widely reported. the prime minister has accepted that he was present for about 25 minutes at that drinks event. what the police have said is that they are waiting for the outcome of this independent enquiry by sue gray, the top civil servant, who is now responsible for investigating whether or not any breaches to knock down restrictions happened at various downing street parties over the last two years. i think what is interesting to note is what exactly sue gray's enquiry can look at. she is a member of government, she is a top civil servant, what she can do is establish the facts of what happened. if parties took place, where they took place, who attended and what the purpose of these events was. she can also say what the coronavirus restrictions were in place at the time of any of these events. what she cannot do is explicitly say in this report if any laws were broken, that is something which would be something for the legal system. she can however refer any sense that she gets that any behaviour broke any kind of laws that were in place at the time, she can refer that to the metropolitan police with her view being that any crimes that took place would be a matter for them. crimes that took place would be a matterforthem. but crimes that took place would be a matterfor them. but i crimes that took place would be a matter for them. but i think language surrounding this at the moment, that both sue gray and the metropolitan police cannot essentially say whether or not any laws were broken. i do understand that what she could come to the conclusion of is whether, in her personal view, any of the events which took place did contravene any coronavirus restrictions that were in place at the time.— in place at the time. thanks for takin: us in place at the time. thanks for taking us through _ in place at the time. thanks for taking us through that - in place at the time. thanks for taking us through that aspect i in place at the time. thanks for| taking us through that aspect of in place at the time. thanks for - taking us through that aspect of the story. let me ask you about tory mps. i imagine most of them are not saying out loud what they think, whether that is in support of boris johnson or not. many are referring to sue gray's report and saying they will hold on. behind the scenes, what are we hearing? how serious it should be take to the talk of a possible leadership challenge or calls for resignations? i possible leadership challenge or calls for resignations?— calls for resignations? i think at the moment. — calls for resignations? i think at the moment, we _ calls for resignations? i think at the moment, we are _ calls for resignations? i think at the moment, we are not - calls for resignations? i think at the moment, we are not at - calls for resignations? i think at the moment, we are not at the | calls for resignations? i think at - the moment, we are not at the stage yet, as you are describing in the report earlier, the stage where we are getting near to the numbers of 54 are getting near to the numbers of 5a letters going in, which would potentially trigger a vote of no confidence in the prime minister to that 1922 committee. certainly as you say, i think there is a certain disconnect between what is going on publicly and behind—the—scenes. we have had a couple of mps come out like the leader of the scottish conservatives douglas ross, very strongly, against the prime minister and caroline nokes and other tory mps are saying he should resign. others are keeping their powder dry canal. behind—the—scenes, i have spoken to a number of mps who have said he is like to apologise, they are waiting on the findings of this enquiry. however, if the enquiry does find that any events it did very clearly breach restrictions that were in place at the time, i think that defence is becoming a little bit more untenable. that is what some of these mps fear is that if it turns out in this enquiry that the prime minister had said to the houses of parliament earlier in the year that he was not aware of any party that took place, and then that he expressed his fury when it emerged that downing street advisers had been recorded on camera laughing at certain events which took place. if it then transpired that he was at these events which didn't break any restrictions, i think certain mps are certainly ready to come out more publicly and state their disagreement with what took place. i think interesting as well is that the mood has been certainly changing the mood has been certainly changing the last couple of days. mps will be backin the last couple of days. mps will be back in their constituencies tomorrow, and a number have been saying their e—mail inboxes have been filling up with, let's say, not very happy responses from their constituents. if that continues over the next few weeks, i think we will see more coming out of the woodwork too. ., ~' , ., , see more coming out of the woodwork too. . ~ ,, , . see more coming out of the woodwork too. ., ~ ,, , . ., too. thank you very much for brinuain too. thank you very much for bringing us — too. thank you very much for bringing us up-to-date. - as we've been saying, the metropolitan police say it will not investigate any parties unless the ongoing cabinet office investigation finds evidence of criminal offences. let's get a bit more now on the detail of the investigation. there is one name which has been repeatedly mentioned by boris johnson's supporters over the past week. ,, , ._ johnson's supporters over the past week. ,, , ,, , johnson's supporters over the past week. ,, ,, ,, week. sue gray sue gray sue gray. this is sue _ week. sue gray sue gray sue gray. this is sue gray, _ week. sue gray sue gray sue gray. this is sue gray, a _ week. sue gray sue gray sue gray. this is sue gray, a senior— week. sue gray sue gray sue gray. this is sue gray, a senior civil - this is sue gray, a senior civil servant who has worked with both labour and conservative governments. here she is with cabinet minister michael gove. hersecond here she is with cabinet minister michael gove. her second job is permanent secretary to the cabinet office. that is the department which supports the prime minister in the cabinet. it is located next to number ten and is the very centre of government. sue gray is now the centre of attention because she is investigating allegations about a number of different parties and gatherings in downing street while england was under a variety of covid restrictions. the former labour minister douglas alexander used to work with her. she minister douglas alexander used to work with her-— work with her. she is an extraordinarily - work with her. she is an - extraordinarily accomplished and capable civil servant. the guardian re orts capable civil servant. the guardian reports that _ capable civil servant. the guardian reports that she _ capable civil servant. the guardian reports that she has _ capable civil servant. the guardian reports that she has a _ capable civil servant. the guardian reports that she has a reputation l reports that she has a reputation for vigorous internal investigations. sue gray was previously in charge of ethics at the cabinet office and ran a number of investigations, including one in 2017 which led to the sacking of damian green, who was a close ally of the then prime minister theresa may. he admitted to lying about having pawn on his computer. now sue gray turns her attention what happen in downing street during the pandemic. the first event she is looking at is on the 15th of may 2020. the prime minister and his wife shared cheese and wine with staff in the street garden. on the 20th of may, there was the bring your own booze party, also in the garden. in december, there were several isthmus gatherings or parties as well as an online quiz attended by the prime minister via video camera. boris johnson insists rules were not broken or stop sue gray's task is to establish whether that is true. he is the paymaster general outlining the terms of her investigation. it will establish the facts, and if wrongdoing is established, there will be requisite disciplinary action taken.— will be requisite disciplinary action taken. , ,. , ., , ., action taken. disciplinary action ma be action taken. disciplinary action may be taken. _ action taken. disciplinary action may be taken, that _ action taken. disciplinary action may be taken, that here - action taken. disciplinary action may be taken, that here is - action taken. disciplinary action i may be taken, that here is where action taken. disciplinary action - may be taken, that here is where it gets complicated: once sue gray finishes a report, it is not up to her what happens next. here is douglas alexander again. ultimately, it is a political— douglas alexander again. ultimately, it is a politicaljudgment, _ douglas alexander again. ultimately, it is a politicaljudgment, not - douglas alexander again. ultimately, it is a politicaljudgment, not a - it is a politicaljudgment, not a legaljudgment, because a sue gray's reportedly competitive in detail but will deal with the facts. what happens with those facts will then be determined by the politicians. what happens next is up to the prime minister, other ministers and mps to determine, which leads us to this question. is determine, which leads us to this cuestion. , 1, , determine, which leads us to this cuestion. , ., question. is it boris johnson who will decide _ question. is it boris johnson who will decide what _ question. is it boris johnson who will decide what happens - question. is it boris johnson who will decide what happens with i question. is it boris johnson who i will decide what happens with that report? because a lot of people will think that that is absurd. he report? because a lot of people will think that that is absurd.— think that that is absurd. he has already been — think that that is absurd. he has already been very _ think that that is absurd. he has already been very clear, - think that that is absurd. he has already been very clear, the - already been very clear, the findings _ already been very clear, the findings will be made public and he will make _ findings will be made public and he will make a statement to parliament. 0r will make a statement to parliament. or you _ will make a statement to parliament. or you can— will make a statement to parliament. or you can put it another way... he will decide what happens to him if it is determined that he broke the rules _ it is determined that he broke the rules. ~ , , rules. the prime minister is accountable _ rules. the prime minister is accountable not _ rules. the prime minister is accountable notjust - rules. the prime minister is accountable not just to - rules. the prime minister is - accountable notjust to parliament and obviously to conservative mps, but the country as a whole.- and obviously to conservative mps, but the country as a whole. there is also the question _ but the country as a whole. there is also the question of— but the country as a whole. there is also the question of whether - but the country as a whole. there is also the question of whether a - also the question of whether a senior civil servant working closely with the prime minister can act as an independent investigator. chris bryant is a labour mp and former minister and he is concerned. not everyone agrees with that. one insider told the guardian... we don't know what sue gray's enquiry will find or what it will conclude, it is also possible the matter could be taken out of her hands. if evidence emerges of what was potentially a criminal offence, the matter would be referred to the metropolitan police. and the cabinet office's work may be paused. the moment, office's work may be paused. the moment. we _ office's work may be paused. the moment, we wait for sue gray to share her report. some certainly do not her stature. in his memoir, the former minister david laws recalls being told by another minister, oliver letwin on the right,... no doubt she would not categorise it in that way, that it is not an exaggeration to say that sue gray's report impact the future of the uk. it may find rules were broken. if it finds that they were and the prime minister was a willing participant, boris johnson's minister was a willing participant, borisjohnson's position would come under extreme pressure. she still would not be running the country, but the report has the potential to change who leads it. the british security service m15 has issued a rare alert to mps, warning that a woman has been working as an agent for the chinese state and trying to influence british politicians. m15 claims that christine lee was engaged in political interference on behalf of the chinese communist party. here's our security correspondent, gordon corera. a figure at the heart of westminster, with access to politicians from all sides and the funds to back it up. but today, lawyer christine lee, is accused of working secretly on behalf of the chinese state. in a highly unusual move, m15 today issued this alert to parliament. it warned that she has been working with an arm of the chinese communist party to covertly interfere in uk politics through establishing links with the established and aspiring parliamentarians. the fact this alert has become public today in the way in which it has is really a very strong illustration of how our intelligence and security agencies have been working together to really spot and identify this type of activity. activity that could potentially do harm to our country and harm to our democracy. there was no one here today at christine lee's london office and she has not yet responded. the allegation is she was funnelling money to politicians, claiming it came from within the uk, when it came from china. all in order to secure influence for the chinese communist party. former labour frontbencher barry gardiner received more than £a00,000 from her overfive years. in a statement today, he said he had been liaising with m15, and he stopped receiving money for parliamentary researchers in 2020. although her son was working in his office, until he resigned today. this is really serious. we don't play this down. i am not running scare stories, i am genuinely concerned and shocked that this has been allowed to happen. we need to understand why and we need to do something about it. we also have to recognise the chinese government poses a clear and present danger and stop messing around. at m15, concerns about chinese influence have been growing in recent years. this move is a sign the fears go right to the heart of westminster. you can find much more information on the stories we are covering on the bbc news website. i will be back with you in a couple of minutes. hello there. for many of us, it's been another lovely day, plenty of winter sunshine around, especially for england and wales. northern ireland and scotland have seen more cloud around once again, but here it's been milder with that airflow coming in off the atlantic. the next few days promises to stay mainly dry and settled thanks to high pressure. and again, there will be frost and fog again for england and wales. that fog reforming across england and wales through tonight, becoming quite extensive and dense in places once again. further north, more of a breeze, a bit more cloud. that air coming in off the atlantic, so it'll be fairly mild, with lows of 4 to 8 degrees. frosty, northern ireland, and particularly for england and wales, quite a hard frost in places there. so, our area of high pressure sits pretty much on top of us, centred towards the south of the country friday. this weather front will bring thicker cloud with outbreaks of rain but i think southern scotland, parts of northern ireland should see some sunshine, probably more than what we had today. england and wales seeing the lion's share of the sunshine, but the mist and fog will be quite stubborn to clear in places. and if it does linger, then it's going to be cold and grey. otherwise, where you have the sunshine, again, 4 to 9 degrees. so, after that cold start, those temperatures pretty much where they should be for the time of year. some subtle changes as we head on into the start of the weekend. these weather fronts wanting to push into the west of the country will start to increase cloud here. we could see a few showers by the end of the day. for the rest of the country, certainly for most of england and wales, it's pretty much like we've been experiencing through the week, with light winds, mist and fog through the morning, with some frost. a bit of sunshine around, but i think there could be more cloud around generally as we head on into saturday afternoon. just a few showers reaching western areas. that weather front starts to push its way eastwards, we think, on sunday, spreading southwards across the country. that'll bring a band of cloud and showers. notice more isobars on the chart, so there will be more of a breeze generally, so i think less problems with mist and fog for sunday morning. that weather front clears away, skies brighten behind it, one or two showers pushing into the north and west of scotland. here, it will be quite breezy. and those temperatures range from around 7 to 9 degrees. we could just make double figures across the far south and southwest. then, into next week, it looks like high pressure builds back in, so it's a repeat performance, very much like we've had through this week. next week will also be largely dry and settled thanks to that high pressure. =i'm ros atkins. i'm ros atkins. this is outside source. prince andrew is losing his royal and military titles — and will no longer be known as his royal highness. buckingham palace says he is handing his titles back to the queen. the move comes the day after a judge in new york ruled the prince must defend an accusation of sexually assaulting virginia guiffre in a civil court case — an accusation he denies. also in the programme, borisjohnson faces calls to resign for attending a drinks party during the first lockdown. his supporters and governments, though, defend him. —— in government. he accepts that he ought not to have done that, looking back. but it was done in good faith, there was no possible malice or intention to do anything other than to give a heartfelt thank you to people who had been working incredibly hard. and m15 issues a rare alert warning of a chinese agent who has been operating for years trying to influence mps at the heart of westminster. buckingham palace has announced prince andrew will no longer be referred to as his royal highness in any capacity. in a statement, they say... it comes a day after prince andrew's lawyers failed to convince a judge in america to dismiss a civil suit against and accuses him of sexually assaulting a teenager two decades ago. the duke of york has consistently denied the allegations. robert fox is the defence editor of the evening standard. thank you forjoining me. a practical impact will this have with the prince handing back these titles? ih the prince handing back these titles? ., , , , titles? in the military sphere he would have _ titles? in the military sphere he would have been _ titles? in the military sphere he would have been visible - titles? in the military sphere he would have been visible this - titles? in the military sphere he i would have been visible this year titles? in the military sphere he - would have been visible this year in two major respects. first, colonel of one of the oldest if not the oldest regiment in the british army, the grenadier guards, he would have had to of been or should have been incapacity at trooping the colour. this time, it is in the queen's platinumjubilee year, this time, it is in the queen's platinum jubilee year, and i this time, it is in the queen's platinumjubilee year, and i think pressure from all sides, very subtle, the queen and the prince of wales would have been well aware of this, and they said, now, it is time to step down because he is fighting this case. the second one is that where sadly, for him, he is a veterans of the falklands campaign and he would normally been very prominent in the commemoration of the 40th anniversary, which is already getting under way this year. robert, thank you for explaining the two areas this impacts. i wonder, do you think those within the military will be regretting this decision? i think, actually, some of them will be mightily relieved. i am not an incident of the brigade of guards, but have several very good friends actually still serving in the house hold division, which includes the household cavalry as well as the five footguards regiments, and the head of the army, they would have been mildly embarrassed by this, because they know not only it affects the soldiers serving them, the men and women serving them, but their spouses, families, relations and, above all, veterans, and veterans are an important link with society, and that is not an abstract. they helped bring in the recruits. and this is, it is timely, it is notjust a damage limitation exercise, because the queen is actually well in touch with her soldiers, and particularly the household division. they would've acted quickly. household division. they would've acted quickly-— household division. they would've acted quickly. robert, you study the military very. _ acted quickly. robert, you study the military very. very — acted quickly. robert, you study the military very, very closely. - acted quickly. robert, you study the military very, very closely. you - military very, very closely. you will of course know this connection between the royal family and the militaries passionately felt and goes back many, many years. what do you make of this moment for that relationship, with one of the queen's son stepping back from all of that? it queen's son stepping back from all of that? , ., ., queen's son stepping back from all ofthat? , ., ., , of that? it is not a good look, is it? i of that? it is not a good look, is it? i think _ of that? it is not a good look, is it? i think that, purely - of that? it is not a good look, is it? i think that, purely inducedi it? i think that, purely induced terms, it does indicate something —— induced terms. prince andrew has got a fight on his hands because it is quite clear that virginia giuffre roberts is going to have her day in court, and that has been well signalled in advance from the rather splendid investigativejournalists, and she knew the teams, and they are determined to get this out, as they see it. ., , ., , determined to get this out, as they seeit. see it. robert, we really appreciate ou see it. robert, we really appreciate you coming — see it. robert, we really appreciate you coming on. _ see it. robert, we really appreciate you coming on, robert— see it. robert, we really appreciate you coming on, robert fox, - see it. robert, we really appreciate| you coming on, robert fox, defence editor of the evening standard. france is relaxing its travel rules for vaccinated brits. travellers will no longer need a compelling reason to visit the country and won't be required to self—isolate on arrival. a negative covid test, taken 2a hours before leaving the uk, is required. despite opting to ease restrictions, france is still grappling with a surge in omicron cases. it reported well over 300,000 cases today. and the situation in the uk is similar — over 100,000 cases. here's the bbc�*s transport correspondent katy austin. when the restrictions were introduced, that camejust in time to affect lots of people's travel plans. it affected a lot of people and the travel industry were very upset about it. it was very bad timing for them, just when there had been a bit of optimism in the air, so today for positive reaction from the likes of euro stark, brittany fairies, some airlines reported to have already seen a spike in bookings for ski holidays, which are still very big at this time of year, so they are seeing it as finally bit more positive news —— eurostar, brittany ferries. also in france, teachers across the country have held one of the biggest strikes in recent years over covid—19 measures. let me show you the scene in nice earlier today. it's a tradition there to toss an effigy of a person that displeases others. in this case, as you can see, that person is president emmanuel macron. teachers are angry about staff shortages, made worse by covid. they also say that the rules they're expected to follow in order to keep infection rates down are complicated and constantly changing. have a listen to some of the protesters. translation: we have been told not to go on strike against a virus. - but it is not against a virus that we are on strike, we are on strike against the policies that are already attempting to squeeze the staff. it is managerial policies that are unacceptable in a human profession, because a human being is not a product to be sold. and it requires staff and substitutes when the staff are sick. translation: it has been at least 30 years that it has been like this. - they tell us it is time to employ teachers, but with all of the governments that have been in power, it is the same thing. politicians have not changed anything. they fill up their pockets and they leave. let's speak to hugh schofield in paris. evidently these teachers are not happy with the current situation, but help me understand what they would like to do instead to control the virus. . , would like to do instead to control the virus. ., , ., , the virus. that is initially good question- _ the virus. that is initially good question. they _ the virus. that is initially good question. they are _ the virus. that is initially good question. they are not - the virus. that is initially good question. they are not you - the virus. that is initially good - question. they are not you needed even amongst themselves. —— not united. there is a tiredness, totally understandable, the teachers feel. it is very, very strongly supported strike. there were not huge numbers on the demonstrations, i have to say, though, and it was a lot of people who might not ordinarily have struck, because they all share this feeling that primary schools, life is getting out of control. this term has been the straw that broke the camels back. it has been chaotic, because rules have been changed to her three times, about what children are supposed to, if there is a case in their class, they have to ask parents to get a test and another test and another test. the parents are behind themselves —— beside themselves. it has been chaotic. the unions are saying, that is all the governments fault, the government's retort, maybe not the most tactful one, from the education minister, saying, you don't strike against a virus stop his point being that it is a chaotic situation, we are doing what we can, and our goal has always been to keep schools open, the teachers largely used to support that. he is saying, let us keep it in perspective, of course it is difficult because we have this mighty virus out there, and if we do what the teachers are calling for, some of which is to shut schools as soon as there is one case in a class, the whole system will shut down tomorrow because there are so many cases, so you can see both sides have a point here — that the teachers are exacerbated, the government says it is an exacerbating situation for everyone. just before you go, let me ask about this issue of teacher numbers. i was interested in that clip of what we just heard, some teachers feeling there is a broader recruitment issue here. can you help me understand what that is?— what that is? teachers unions in france are _ what that is? teachers unions in france are always _ what that is? teachers unions in france are always talking - what that is? teachers unions in france are always talking about| france are always talking about numbers, always in conflict with government, that there are parts of the workforce who are quite militant. in 30 years i have been here, there is always been conflict at some point in every governments between teaching unions and whatever government and whatever straight, the ongoing demand for more resources is real, it is understandable, but the governments of all shades saying we don't have the money to help you. it is all the more striking now, because in the middle of covid, the health sector has received an awful lot of extra help and money has gone into boost pay for health workers who have been on the firing line, education staff are saying, we're on the firing line too, so we need a similar treatment too, so we need a similar treatment to one another big sector of the public sector, the health people, have got, but the government is saying, we are kind of running out of money now. saying, we are kind of running out of money now-— of money now. thank you very much indeed. of money now. thank you very much indeed- that — of money now. thank you very much indeed. that is _ of money now. thank you very much indeed. that is hugh _ of money now. thank you very much indeed. that is hugh schofield - of money now. thank you very much indeed. that is hugh schofield life . indeed. that is hugh schofield life with us in france. we switch from france to canada now. a father in quebec province has temporarily lost the right to see his child on the grounds that he's not vaccinated against covid—19. ajudge said... the father's facebook page had a number of posts showing opposition to the vaccine. quebec is struggling with a surge in cases. this week, it imposed a health tax on the unvaccinated. stephanie marin is a journalist in montreal who's been reporting on the case for le devoir newspaper. thank you forjoining us. this would seem from the outside like quite an extreme position for thejudge seem from the outside like quite an extreme position for the judge to extreme position for the 'udge to take? �* , . , extreme position for the 'udge to take? . , ., , ., take? and it is a first, also, according — take? and it is a first, also, according to _ take? and it is a first, also, according to family - take? and it is a first, also, according to family lawyersl take? and it is a first, also, | according to family lawyers i take? and it is a first, also, - according to family lawyers i spoke to full tub in this case, we had a teenager, a 12—year—old. the mother had custody of him and the father had custody of him and the father had visitation rights, so one weekend out of two and also a week during the holidays. he is the one who brought the case to court, because he wanted to see the child more often, but the mother — upon learning he was unvaccinated — opposed his request, and then the judge ruled. the criteria here is all the decisions revolving around a child must be taken in its best interest, thejudge decided it was not going to be in his best interests, because the father was not vaccinated, and also in the specific context we have right now with the omicron variant that spreads very easily and very fast, so, yes, the decision is a first, but there are several factors that seem to have influence thejudge but there are several factors that seem to have influence the judge and it does not mean that all similar cases will have the same result. help me understand those factors, because surely this is notjust about the fact this man has decided not to have the jab.— not to have the 'ab. exactly. first of all, not to have the 'ab. exactly. first of an, the — not to have the jab. exactly. first of all. the judge _ not to have the jab. exactly. first of all, the judge considered - not to have the jab. exactly. first of all, the judge considered a - not to have the jab. exactly. first of all, the judge considered a lot| of all, thejudge considered a lot of all, thejudge considered a lot of the actual context. we have a lot of the actual context. we have a lot of cases in quebec, lots of hospitalisation, everything is on the rise, and hospitals are overloaded, so there is a specific context of the variance, the omicron variant, that the judge decided was more dangerous for the child if you were to see his father, but also what was at play here was the judge seems to believe the father was going to not respect others sanitary measures in place. the father said he would, but the mother provided evidence of his facebook postings that shows the man is against some sanitary measures, like the wearing against the mask, against vaccines, so the judge did not believe him. he said the father seems to be that as we commonly call here, a conspiracy theorist, so that did play against him. ,, , ., theorist, so that did play against him, ,, , ., , theorist, so that did play against him. ,, , ., , ., ., ., him. stephanie, i 'ust wanted to ask ou finall him. stephanie, i 'ust wanted to ask you finally about — him. stephanie, ijust wanted to ask you finally about the _ him. stephanie, ijust wanted to ask you finally about the broader - you finally about the broader situation with covid in quebec. what kind of restrictions are all of you living with at the moment? irate kind of restrictions are all of you living with at the moment? we do have a curfew _ living with at the moment? we do have a curfew starting _ living with at the moment? we do have a curfew starting at - living with at the moment? we do have a curfew starting at 10pm - living with at the moment? we do have a curfew starting at 10pm at| have a curfew starting at 10pm at night, untilfive in the morning, the restaurants are closed, the bars are closed, access is limited. stores close on sunday, even the drugstores, and grocery stores, so, yeah, there are lots of restrictions in place right now. we have vaccine passports to access a lot of places too, so it is significant right now. appreciate you taking us through it. thank you very much indeed. that is stephanie marin. for those of you who speak french, you can read a book report on that in the newspaper le devoir. stay with us on outside source. still to come: we will turn back to the pressure borisjohnson has been under, and how it is being reported in international papers. this is the headline in a greek newspaper. "the party is over." the health secretary, sajid javid, has announced that he's cutting the isolation period for people testing positive for covid in england from seven to five full days. here's our health correspondent, sophie hutchinson. this restaurant in manchester, one of six in a group employing around 500 people. today, senior managers were raising a glass to government plans to lower the number of days for self isolation. from a business perspective, it will give people confidence to come out again. we have seen that in the last few months and we really need to take the shackles off and get things moving. and some scientists agree, it is the right balance of risks. the negative impacts of the isolation on our services, on our schools, on ourjobs, is probably not worth the additional benefits. and i think the five—day rule at the moment is probably the right thing. so how long does it take to stop being infectious after getting covid? estimates suggest that at 1a days, the original isolation period, just 1% of people remain infectious. at seven days, that figure increases to 16%. and at five days, the new minimum isolation period from next week, that figure increases again to around a third of people who are still infectious. that's why people will be required to have two negative lateral flow results before being released from self isolation. the first test can now be taken on day five, but some are urging caution. if you do test negative and you are going to come out of isolation on day six, you should still be cautious, particularly about interacting with vulnerable people. you still should be concerned that you might be infectious. the rules bring england into line with scotland, but self—isolation is still seven days long in wales and northern ireland. this is outside source live from the bbc newsroom. our lead story: buckingham palace says prince andrew is giving back his remaining military titles and he will no longer be known as his royal highness. let's return to our top story. borisjohnson is boris johnson is under borisjohnson is under pressure after he apologised in the house of commons yesterday fragrance events during lockdown in downing street backin during lockdown in downing street back in may 2020. the various parties — held in the prime ministers' residence — and elsewhere, apparently in breach of covid restrictions, have been big news in the uk for weeks. now that the prime minister has admitted he attended one, the story is making headlines in foreign media too. we thought we would show you some of this. la razon, one of spain's leading newspapers, said on its front page that mrjohnson was left "staggering" at prime minister's questions on wednesday. in the us, the wall streetjournal said mrjohnson's apology was made "amid national anger" at the bring—your—own—booze party. and this was the front page of a leading greek daily paper — "the party is over for boris", it says. it is worth saying it is not, he is still very much the prime minister and he has had the cabinet rallying around him today, so this story has not run its course. the saga is being watched closely in europe. suzanne lynch is editor of politico's brussels playbook newsletter. i mean, this story yesterday afternoon really blew up here across all media outlets. there is a huge interest in borisjohnson as a political figure. obviously here in europe, and particularly in brussels, people have followed the comings and goings of the brexit negotiations for many years. and they really see him as a figure, a politicalfigure, though controversial, who has kind of got nine lives and nothing is going to take him down, as it were, given his popularity in the last election. but we really did see newspapers across the continent really taking an interest in mrjohnson's political future. not least because today, as this political controversy was happening, the eu commissioner with responsibility for brexit, maros sefkovic, is actually going to england to meet liz truss the foreign secretary, who has been recently appointed as the new brexit point person by the british government. but of course this whole discussion now has been overshadowed by what is very much a political crisis now for boris johnson. jamiejohnson works in washington as us correspondent for the daily telegraph. he says americans increasing see the british pm as a man cornered. i think borisjohnson has always been a much—loved figure over in the us. he had us citizenship and passports until only a few years ago. but there was a feeling that this sort of crescendo was building, and there has been keen interest. obviously the whole world has been looking at lockdowns and what was happening. the us had theirs, australia was seeing what's happening over there and what has happened. and the uk was also seen as one of the strictest places around the time that this party, or work meeting, was happening. so, there was a crescendo, and then i think it was on the new york times, just in the week, they said, "the prime minister yet again is accused of breaking his own rules." and then when the apology finally came yesterday, they reflected, they were very interested in the sounds that were being heard in parliament — thejeers, the groans during prime minister's questions, the finger pointing, and the grand cacophony of noise. they said, "this is quite remarkable, you don't see this sort of confrontation in the same way." and the report on cnn said, "this is a prime minister who looks cornered." eric albert is a correspondent for the french newspaper le monde, based in london. everett, great to have you on the programme. thank you very much. how are you explain what is happening in westminster to your readers in france? it westminster to your readers in france? , ., westminster to your readers in france? ., , france? it is not front-page news in france, because _ france? it is not front-page news in france, because you _ france? it is not front-page news in france, because you have _ france? it is not front-page news in france, because you have the - france? it is not front-page news in| france, because you have the french presidential campaign going on, but it has been mostly covered factually, saying it is a difficult time now for boris johnson factually, saying it is a difficult time now for borisjohnson and there's a real danger he can go quickly. it is not done, but it is a real possibility, and what it chose mostly to different people, it has been perceived as very... that reinforces this, someone who is lying, who you cannot count on him, and many french people but itjust reinforced that. but and many french people but it 'ust reinforced that.�* reinforced that. but when you are also explaining — reinforced that. but when you are also explaining it _ reinforced that. but when you are also explaining it to _ reinforced that. but when you are also explaining it to people - reinforced that. but when you are also explaining it to people in - also explaining it to people in france, presumably you have to point out that this is a very successful politician, a man who recently won an election with a big majority and to a lot of people in the country have supported, both in the general election and in brexit?— election and in brexit? absolutely riaht, and election and in brexit? absolutely right, and actually _ election and in brexit? absolutely right, and actually that _ election and in brexit? absolutely right, and actually that is - election and in brexit? absolutely right, and actually that is what. election and in brexit? absolutely right, and actually that is what is | right, and actually that is what is difficult to bring across, because boris johnson's difficult to bring across, because borisjohnson's view, boris johnson's image is so catastrophic, so bad, that most people don't understand, why is he elected? why has he been elected? i have to keep reminding that, yes, that only he has won the elections in 2019, he has won the elections in 2019, he has won the referendum in 2016 he was elected mayor even though london is usually a left—wing city, so that is usually a left—wing city, so that is what i have to keep reminding people. a little bit like berlusconi was liked it again and again... but here's the question, you say he has a negative reputation in france and you have to explain he is a very successor politician. how do you a splendid success, how do you ask plain white borisjohnson has been so effective as a politician when you are informing your readers in france? he you are informing your readers in france? , ., , france? he is the most gifted campaigner. he _ france? he is the most gifted campaigner, he is _ france? he is the most gifted campaigner, he is incredibly i france? he is the most gifted - campaigner, he is incredibly good at bringing optimism across. that is what i'm trying to say. i don't believe he is a very good manager of the country, he does not really, really country very well, he is not a man of the gels, but when he is on the campaign trail, when he brings people together, trying to bring some blue sky optimism, he is incredibly good at that, and that is what he did in 2016 with the referendum campaign and that's what he did again in 2019 with the general election, of saying, we will get it over, and he managed to convince of that. fight! get it over, and he managed to convince of that.— get it over, and he managed to convince of that. and finally, eric, i convince of that. and finally, eric, i wonder. — convince of that. and finally, eric, i wonder. in _ convince of that. and finally, eric, i wonder, in french _ convince of that. and finally, eric, i wonder, in french politics, - convince of that. and finally, eric, i wonder, in french politics, had i i wonder, in french politics, had there been scandals of politicians accused of breaking covid regulations while everyone else was sticking to the rules?— sticking to the rules? nothing of that size. there _ sticking to the rules? nothing of that size. there were _ sticking to the rules? nothing of that size. there were some - sticking to the rules? nothing of. that size. there were some stories of some politicians having dinner at the time it was not authorised, so some gatherings, so there was some low—key scandal, but nothing like the president or the prime minister being caught. fishd the president or the prime minister being caught-— the president or the prime minister being caught. and so, finally, when ou being caught. and so, finally, when you assess — being caught. and so, finally, when you assess this _ being caught. and so, finally, when you assess this crisis _ being caught. and so, finally, when you assess this crisis and _ being caught. and so, finally, when you assess this crisis and you - you assess this crisis and you explain it to your readers, i read one greek newspaper saying the party is over and i had to say, look, the party is not over, the majority of conservative mac mps are still very much binding minister. how do you describe a series of this moment for borisjohnson? for describe a series of this moment for itorisjohnson?_ boris johnson? for me, it is a really make — boris johnson? for me, it is a really make or _ boris johnson? for me, it is a really make or break - boris johnson? for me, it is a | really make or break moment. boris johnson? for me, it is a - really make or break moment. yes, i agree, it is not a done deal, you might bounce back and you might be in powerfor many might bounce back and you might be in power for many years, might bounce back and you might be in powerfor many years, but might bounce back and you might be in power for many years, but it is really on the verge now for the first time, until a few weeks ago, i thought he was still going to keep going for quite a long time the stub right now, i am not sure any more. eric, great to have you on the programme. that is eric albert. and we have had a number of french speaking guests on today, and as i was saying earlier with the canada story, you can read more in le monde. thank you. hello there. for many of us, it's been another lovely day, plenty of winter sunshine around, especially for england and wales. northern ireland and scotland have seen more cloud around once again, but here it's been milder with that airflow coming in off the atlantic. the next few days promises to stay mainly dry and settled thanks to high pressure. and again, there will be frost and fog again for england and wales. that fog reforming across england and wales through tonight, becoming quite extensive and dense in places once again. further north, more of a breeze, a bit more cloud. that air coming in off the atlantic, so it'll be fairly mild, with lows of 4 to 8 degrees. frosty, northern ireland, and particularly for england and wales, quite a hard frost in places there. so, our area of high pressure sits pretty much on top of us, centred towards the south of the country friday. this weather front will bring thicker cloud with outbreaks of rain to the north of scotland. but i think southern scotland, parts of northern ireland should see some sunshine, probably more than what we had today. england and wales seeing the lion's share of the sunshine, but the mist and fog will be quite stubborn to clear in places. and if it does linger, then it's going to be cold and grey. otherwise, where you have the sunshine, again, 4 to 9 degrees. so, after that cold start, those temperatures pretty much where they should be for the time of year. some subtle changes as we head on into the start of the weekend. these weather fronts wanting to push into the west of the country will start to increase cloud here. we could see a few showers by the end of the day. for the rest of the country, certainly for most of england and wales, it's pretty much like we've been experiencing through the week, with light winds, mist and fog through the morning, with some frost. a bit of sunshine around, but i think there could be more cloud around generally as we head on into saturday afternoon. just a few showers reaching western areas. that weather front starts to push its way eastwards, we think, on sunday, spreading southwards across the country. that'll bring a band of cloud and showers. notice more isobars on the chart, so there will be more of a breeze generally, so i think less problems with mist and fog for sunday morning. that weather front clears away, skies brighten behind it, one or two showers pushing into the north and west of scotland. here, it will be quite breezy. and those temperatures range from around 7 to 9 degrees. we could just make double figures across the far south and southwest. then, into next week, it looks like high pressure builds back in, so it's a repeat performance, very much like we've had through this week. next week will also be largely dry and settled thanks to that high pressure. hello. our happenings at eight hello. our happenings at eight o'clock. prince andrew is losing his o'clock. prince andrew is losing his whale and military titles. he will whale and military titles. he will no longer officially be known as his no longer officially be known as his royal highness. the move comes the royal highness. the move comes the day after a judge in new york ruled day after a judge in new york ruled that the prince must defend an that the prince must defend an accusation of sexually assaulting accusation of sexually assaulting virginia in a civil court case. an virginia in a civil court case. an accusation the prince denies. accusation the prince denies. m15 issues a rare and warning of a chinese agent who has been operating for years trying to influence mps at the heart of westminster. i am genuinely _ the heart of westminster. i am genuinely concerned _ the heart of westminster. i am genuinely concerned and - the heart of westminster. i —n genuinely concerned and shocked that this has been allowed to happen. we need to understand why and we need to do something about it. but also have to recognise the chinese government poses a clear and present data —— danger to us and stop