depths of making a documentary that there is been a sprinkling of news about. a leaked e—mail from may 20 from the prime minister's private secretary inviting people to bring your own booze event in the back garden. tuesday, chaos, wednesday, unprecedented extraordinary apology from a very contrite looking boris johnson in parliament. quite amazing. and then chaos. everyone is waiting for a c to just do however report into what actually happened. he was waiting for her, conservative mps who don't like boris johnson and want to do in, conservative mps used to support borisjohnson and don't any more and tonight as we are recording this episode the metropolitan police have said they will not be investigating any claims until she has finished her investigation so everyone is waiting for sue gray. everyone is waiting for sue gra . , ., , everyone is waiting for sue gra. , gray. everyone is carrying round shield _ gray. everyone is carrying round shield that - gray. everyone is carrying round shield that says - gray. everyone is carrying| round shield that says sue gray. everyone is carrying - round shield that says sue gray on it. everybody is carrying around a shield that says sue gray on it in response to every question, and there is the prospect, i guess, that more stuff, notjust from sue gray, but journalistically is found about stuff which might have happened. also i think more conservative mps will come out of the woodwork and say this guy can't be prime minister any more. talking of to people, we are nowjoined by two people who do it for a living, they host phenomenally successful phone—in shows and have been talking about this all week. shelagh fogarty from lbc. and we have kay adams from radio scotland. if you are wondering what my right hand is doing, i have the dog beside me. just so you know. what's the dog called? bea, and she is enjoying having her tummy tickled. between the two of you, how many calls have you heard about the downing street party this week in total? we've been talking about iti pretty solidly since monday, and i left it today for the final hour| of my programme. we did a different topic. we are talking three, i six, seven, eight hours worth of solid calls. we are talking hundreds easily. many hundreds coming in on it. i was listening to you yesterday, sheila, having some fun at the prime minister's expense around it being your birthday soon and whether you would turn up to work with beer and invite everybody and all the rest of it, and there is plenty of scope for that kind of mickey taking, but what has been the ten year and the tone of what people have been saying to you as they do the thing that we've all been doing, what were we doing at that point in may versus downing st? the reason i did the sillyj thing about my birthday, which is today... fishing... happy birthday! thank you. it was a bit - sarcastic, wasn't it? i was saying, it's my birthdayl tomorrow, i will come to work and invite ten of my friendsl and get them to sit next ten of my colleagues we will drink, eat, and decide later— whether it contravenes covid rules, whether it is- a work event or a party. but you are right, the serious side is is that the vast - majority of calls, well, - there was some sarcasm coming through, but the vast majority of calls were either angry... . the word the prime minister. himself used in his statement was rage, and there was rage coming through for sure. - the thing that struck me - the most and other listeners most was the grief and the pain that was coming through. - we had calls from a woman whose 14—year—old daughter died, - not of covid but died in may. she could only have one of her parents with her. when she died, the little girl. we had an nhs consultant. who called, his mother died, he stayed on the ward instead of seeing his mother, - and he is a leader, a team leader like boris johnson, | he concluded that if he had sent an e—mail around - to his more junior colleagues in their tens, hundreds - colleagues, and said, i let's party on the quad at the end of our shifts, he would have been - sacked for inciting it. there were calls from people who have lost parents, - they hadn't been able to see, be with them as they died. i a great deal of ongoing grief going on. - we absolutely had those calls, as well, and, yes, that story of the mother with the 14—year—old child, i think many people heard it and many people have been touched by that. so many stories of distress. the other thing i thought was interesting, in scotland, there is not many people that go around with their tory badges on. there is a conservative voter but it tends to be quite quiet. we had the pragmatists while, you know, of course we don't condone what he did but he's the best we've gotjust now and the more idealistic people who said there's got to be principle here. of the pragmatists, the line that started to come out was, well, all this demonstrates is that the laws that were in place at that time, may 2020, were overly draconian, and were unnecessarily strict. so borisjohnson and everybody else said they weren't putting anybody at risk because it wasjust too much anyway. that was being put forward almost as a justification, which i found really difficult to reconcile because if we are talking to the mother of the 14—year—old girl who wasn't able to say goodbye to her, and our rationale was that these rules were too strict anyway, in some ways that's even worse, you know? because people felt silly for following the rules. exactly, well, i'm not promoting that, but that is a voice i am hearing. sheila, did you notice a change in tone after the astonishing apology wednesday lunchtime? yes. mainly disbelief. there were one or two| callers who i would put in the same bracket, one chap said, look, | in a sea of disapproval of that statement one guy called - in and said, you know, - the truth is he didn't know or he didn't cause the deaths. the 150,000 deaths l that happened weren't caused by that party. my response is that is irrelevant, it is abouti the equality between themselves and what they expected people . to do, and the people in that building. - we will never know. if they caused deaths, that's not the point here, the point is people look. at downing street and many, many people don't believe i downing street thinks it should follow the same rules, - however draconian they are, i that we are expected to follow. some people told me| that they were moved along from a park bench they were sitting - on on their own. a woman was told to get out of her front garden, - she was sat at a bistro table, | and she was told she can only do it in her back gardenjust in case her presence - in her front garden- attracted other people. she was moved. i all sorts of examples like this i where people were told, brought to heel by the authorities, actually, that's the way. you describe that kind of incident, i think. i when you see people being invited ahead of time, - that's the thing here, - we can never forget there was an invitation ahead of time to 100 people i to bring their own bottle. that isn't sitting in your front garden instead . of your back garden, is it? it's a bit more. and the best we are hoping for here when sue gray manages to deliver her report, there will be wriggle room. there will be technicalities. a lot of people will be asking, is that what you want from a leader, wiggle room on technicalities? or do you want a role model, an exemplar, somebody you can look to and say, that's the way to do it. rather than that's the way to get away with it. ijust wonder how much this kind of changes the dial on peoples overall view on borisjohnson given that his whole political brand has been about being unconventional and different and, yes, perhaps breaking rules and conventions, so how much does this actually... to use that phrase, how much of this is priced in? this is behaviour people might expect of borisjohnson? those who always hated him will continue to do so and those who like him might still find reasons to like him even if they chalk this up as something they are not that keen on, sheila? i asked that very question on my show today. - his appeal has often - been, you know, he gets us, he's a sinner... i put it like this, he makes mistakes, does things - wrong, he is a sinner like the rest of us. i but is this a sin too far? the answer was a very. firm yes from listeners. do you think there was room for peoples minds to be changed by what sue grey finds out, or has everybody seen enough and decided enough, and it is fixed now, so people aren't like the politicians saying wait for sue gray then make up your mind. just tojump in, i think this is where we must acknowledge a real difference between scotland and england. it is a generalisation but there is not a lot of love for boris johnson in scotland. even amongst conservative voters. i will stand to be contradicted. even conservative leaders. well, yes, even conservative leaders, absolutely. jacob rees mogg's comments about douglas ross being a light weight etc, regardless of whether you are a conservative vote or not, it can be seen as a high—handed tory toffjust dealing with the scots with that sort of back of the hand, which doesn't go down well regardless of what your political persuasion is. there is a lot of people who think borisjohnson is the greatest asset for the yes movement. the longer that he stays in downing street the longer he will play that role. thank you so much for plugging us into what all of your callers have been saying. pleasure. goodbye. it is one of the classic tactics when you just send the cabinet and loyalists every where you can if you are under threat. that's happening so much today. we even have a cabinet minister on newscast. that is how serious things are. mr zahawi, hello. i have been calling this the cabinet fightback. we've all been instructed to hit the airwaves, anyone you can, defend the prime minister, is that how these things work? i'm sure you know and chris knows that i regularly do the media rounds as many of my colleagues do. i have been doing them since the prime minister made me the vaccines minister on a really regular basis. on all of the big calls, actually, the credit goes to the prime minister. 0n vaccines, on therapeutics, on omicron before christmas, he has called it and i've been very proud to go out and share that decision—making process in the background with the nation. i get you can go out and proudly make that argument about the other things that you can point to that you say the government has achieved, but on this stuff we've learned about in the last 24—hour is, learnt about before christmas, how do you defend that? because that is just deeply awkward, isn't it? what's important to remember is that the prime minister came to parliament and talked about what happened, the events of may 20, 2020. we await the detail and the detail that comes through the investigation that sue gray is carrying out. it's only right we wait for that investigation. he also pledged, and i was there when he was at the dispatch box, that he will return to parliament to be scrutinised after sue gray's investigation is complete. you are defending him in the round and waiting for this report from sue gray, i just wonder what for you is the bottom line in terms of acceptable behaviour and conduct for a prime minister in the context a pandemic where so many people were sticking to the rules which come on the face of it, it looks like was not happening in downing street? i think acceptable behaviour is firstly recognising people's pain and anguish, i lost an uncle to covid, we were not sure if he was infected in hospital, he was eligible for a vaccine but sadly had not gone for his appointment in time before he caught the infection and we lost him to covid so it is not lost on my family, the pain and anguish, the hardship around following the rules. for me, part recognising that and apologising for it was important and on the big decisions it's only right to recognise the prime minister got those right but at the same time, also recognising that people are human and they make mistakes and when you make a mistake, it is right my bottom line is you have to apologise and you have to have an investigation and get to the bottom of it. you talk candidly about how covid had affected your family and so many of our whatsapp messages, the weight this has cut through to people, what has emerged out of downing street in the last couple of days, i wonder what your phone looks like, people in your family beyond you in the front line of government are saying about what has happened, are they sharing the anger we are hearing from so many given what has happened in yourfamily? absolutely, people are angry and dismayed. do they buy what they are hearing from the prime minister? it's interesting you asked that question i watched a vox pop from his constituency... i wonder what you're hearing yourself. some people say like the vox pop did, they are divided. some say we want to see this investigation and it's only right to wait and it's the fair thing to do, others say that this is not good enough and some say them as they sit in the vox pop, that on the big decisions, he's got it right. and they appreciate that this is a human error. before we let you get back to work, it has been interesting looking at the cabinet tweets in the past 2a hours, some sooner than others, some differently worded and as journalists we are trying to spot the gaps so i'm going to put one dukedom this trust saying, "i stand behind the premise that 100% as it takes the country forward." do you stand behind borisjohnson100%? yes, i do, because on the big calls in this pandemic, and i have honestly been very closely working with him because as the vaccine deployment minister and the education secretary, opening schools and colleges and university over the past week and a half on the big calls this prime minister has actually got the decision is right including on omicron before christmas. and would the stuart gray change that from 100% what would you remain irrespective of what he says dash make of the stuart gray report? —— sue gray. i frade in a very kepper way so it wasn't hypothetical! you're the education secretary, not my english teacher! i hear you and my answer is it is only fair and right to wait for the investigation from sue gray to conclude and for me to come back on the programme and for the prime minister to submit himself to parliament and allow parliament to scrutinise that enquiry in firings —— findings. allow me to have another go at a broadly similar question but from a different angle, trying to tease away from this idea of hypothetical. put aside sue gray and this row about parties, if a prime minister is bound to have either misled the commons or broken the ministerial code, could they continue in your view? of course the ministerial code is clear on this. i think it is wrong to pass judgment on a prime minister, he himself has come to parliament and talked about the events of the 20th of may 2020, explained that he should have taken different action and he apologised for that so we have had the apology and we need the detail and it would be very wrong for us to speculate any further other than to say... you sate the code is clear and if that incident would mean he would have to go if he had breached it? the ministerial code as not been breached or broken. the investigation is the right way to be able to make a decision by sue gray as to whether rules have been broken. and if it was broken, he would have to go? he has pledged to come to parliament and offer himself for scooter might —— for scrutiny. the prime minister is held to account by the british people through parliament that is the correct way of handling this. thank you very much, education secretary. thank you. a few conservative mps have expressed concerns about this party business this week and one is tobias ellwood, the mp for bournemouth east and chair of the defence select committee who is making his newscast deb you, hello! delighted to be here, thank you for inviting me. we are heading to the weekend which is normally the time mps get to see their constituents the most so have you started picking up concerns from members of the public about this? yes, the e—mail inboxes have been deluged with concerns about what has happened. i think yesterday in parliament was a seismic moment, one where you will remember where you were. i cannot recall an atmosphere or tone in pmqs anything like that in my experience. i welcome the prime minister's apology in recognition of the stupidity of what has been going on. he has generated genuine anger from the british people who have enjoyed so much hardship so i'm pleased to see some form of clarity and an apology but at the moment, it's not enough —— who have endured point that we need to see real change as to how the number 10 construct works, its culture, direction of travel, strategy and the personalities otherwise we will not regain that trust from the british people and we all know where this heads. i am intrigued about the deluge as you describe it at the response from constituents. i wonder how it compares both in tone and the amount with, for instance, the dominic cummings barnard castle incident or any other of these big moments in the last few years that, to use the ludicrous westminster phrase, have cut through people beyond those who are obsessed with politics? i think it is a combination of these things, it is a build up to say that is not the way we should be doing business here. i am chair of the defence select committee, i want to focus on these international issues — we have russia about to invade ukraine, we have china that is infiltrating parliament with its spies, we have an energy crisis coming up and of course the enduring challenge of covid, these other things we need to focus on and yet here we are, going around again and that is the concern and frustration from people. many mps including myself went public after december, a very difficult end of the year, and we said that we are willing you on, prime minister, but we have to see change project he has made it very clear in parliament and shown some humility but it's not enough. we have got sue gray, the report coming up and many mps will look at that carefully but we should not wait for that report to show some determination to refresh and regroup and show a commitment to say that yes, we are turning a corner here. there were reports that after that apology, which was totally extraordinary to watch, whether you were there or on tv, that he went and spoke to conservative mps behind the scenes in the house of commons and he seemed a bit less contrite and a bit less genuine afterwards and he had done at the time so is that something you experienced or witnessed or heard about? i didn't witness it, i have been asked by other about it as well but this is exactly where we need to recognise the prime is the's formidable strengths but also his weaknesses. it is thanks to his reach and energy and determination that we won the last election and have gone through so many difficult battles, not least brexit, remember how paralysed the party was for a couple of years. but it is the next battle that is important and his weaknesses, there needs to be better reading of the room and that is a great example, they need to be people around him to say even if you think that, you don't say it, you need to understand that where we are going on this, we need to work as a team to get through this point is there a particular person you have in mind who should be drafted in? it's not for me to make those judgments. i will not make those remarks, i'm here at sandhurst this evening which is the epicentre of military leadership if you like, where officers start their careers this is what it needs be about, understanding aspect of leadership, the limitations and strengths and making sure you compliment any areas where there are shortfalls. we have some other issues, bigger and national and international issues to focus on and that is where we need to go. all you mps got an e—mail from mi5 saying beware, there is a chinese spy in your midst of a woman called christine li, did you know she was a chinese spy? iwas aware, yes, because she had been reported about in the british media i think two or three years ago so i'm surprised it taken so long for mi5 to send this letter of concern to say that she is conducting these activities. i have called for a statement and i suspect we will have it on monday, clarifying what exactly is going on and we firstly need to upgrade our capabilities to weed out those people that may be trying to cause us harm in this way, trying to advance a story, manipulate or influence us in this way. just to run something past you that is breaking as we record today at 20 past five in the evening, we are hearing that prince andrew is being stripped of his various military titles and indeed losing the hrh title as well. given your role on the defence select committee, your previous time in the armed forces, i wonder what you make of that? i think it was inevitable given where this is going to. her majesty the queen can be very ruthless when it comes to these matters, we have seen it in other parts of the monarchy as well. prince andrew already had stepped back from many of his public duties, i think all of them i think was anticipated and indeed it was expected from this perspective so i'm not surprised. do you welcome it? sadly, i do. it is necessary. i'm here at sandhurst, arguably the one institution in britain, one of the few, we can be ultimately proud of. and the royal family had an intimate relationship with the regiments going back in history. many are honorary colonels and so forth and it is important that the problem that prince andrew has incurred are not lead over into the regiments he was representing. tobias, thank you forjoining us and i have a lovely evening in sandhurst, i imagine it involves something with swords or uniforms? we need to say goodbye to them but who knows where they'll be going in the future! the world is getting very bumpy indeed but i'm delighted to be here to see this next generation that are going to help defend and look after britain's interest product thank you for your time, we appreciate it. for some of us is going to be a very foggy start to friday. if you are planning to travel through the morning to get steady, particularly across parts of wales, central and southern england. i think for most of us it should be a sunny start to the day brought by this area of high pressure which is been hanging around for quite a while now, winless conditions too. but quite a temperature contrast across the uk. in fact the breezes just about coming off the atlantic across scotland so frost free here and frost free generally for northern ireland too. but frost will be across the southern half of england and wales, minus four degrees and one or two spots. it is also where the fog is going to be forming in the centre of this high pressure here. some of that fog will linger into the afternoon. for most of us a saturday the problem with the high pressure and the winless conditions, particularly the london and southeast will be pollution. that's what sometimes happens when you get these very stable conditions with the light winds, the pollutants get trapped in the atmosphere in urban areas and we get some very high levels. but for friday so this is going to be for london and the southeast most of us a bright day with slightly fresher air and temperatures around about five to 7 degrees was up more for breeze on saturday which means that some of these pollutants will put blown away. not bad in the southeast. the weather, not a bad day for most although we are to start off on a foggy note once again, particularly across central and southern parts of england and wales was up more of a south—westerly breeze here i think in scotland and northern ireland so a bit more cloud. in fact there's a weather front approaching so little nuance in our weather heading for the north of the country. this week weather front will bring spots of rain into sunday eventually to be spots of rain on sunday morning in the north of england as this weather front topples around this area of high pressure that we have in the south. temperatures on sunday, 10 degrees in london for most of us it will be around eight or so. so let's summarise all that. what out for the fog first thing on friday morning. could be quite nasty and places. after that actually the weather isn't looking too bad at all. it's very stable, calm weather to come in the coming days. welcome to bbc news — i'm tim willcox — our top stories. britain's prince andrew loses his royal and military titles — and will no longer be officially known as his royal highness. this comes a day after a judge in new york ruled that the prince must defend an accusation of sexually assaulting virginia guiffre in a civil court case. britain's prime minister's political future in the balance as new downing street party allegations come to light. britain's security services issue a rare alert — warning of a chinese agent operating at the heart of westminster trying to influence mps. sedition charges are brought for the first time against people accused of taking part in the storming of the us capitol last year. still a favourite to win, but will he play? 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