good morning. a frosty and foggy start to the day—to—day. some freezing fog will linger for much of the day. the sunnier skies will be the day. the sunnier skies will be the further east you travel. a return to wet and windy conditions in the west. all the details later on in the programme. it's wednesday, the 6th of december. our main story. the former prime minister boris johnson will give evidence to the covid inquiry today and face two days of questions about his time leading the uk during the pandemic. he's expected to apologise to people who lost loved ones but claim that he and his government got the big decisions right. our correspondent ellie price reports. from this evening, i must give the british people a very simple instruction. you must stay at home. in the end, it was his call. he was responsible for the biggest decisions made during the pandemic. that is why people will only be allowed to leave their home... but how he came to make those decisions will be at the heart of questions he faces today. the inquiry has heard from scientists and senior politicians that the first and second lockdowns should have come earlier. we will follow the science. we will be guided by the science. and that's why we are following the scientific advice in the way that we are. we've also heard borisjohnson had a questionable grasp of the science. the prime minister at the time gave up science when he was 15 and i think he'd be the first to admit it wasn't his forte. and there have been plenty of concerns about his decision—making process. it was the wrong crisis for this prime minister's skill set, - which is different, i think, i from not potentially being up to the job of being prime minister. then there was partygate. i take full responsibility for everything that took place on my watch. the pm and numerous seniorfigures, including the then chancellor, now prime minister rishi sunak, were fined for parties they went to at a time when the rest of us were expected to follow lockdown rules. i would find it hard to pick a one day when the regulations were followed properly inside that building. how's your eyesight, mr cummings? the inquiry has heard time and time again about the toxic working environment in downing street and him — borisjohnson�*s closest adviser, dominic cummings. you called ministers - useless- morons. bleep. my appalling language is obviously my own. i the inquiry�*s chair has already said she wants to move beyond the swearing and the tittle—tattle to really work out how that affected decision—making. although i'm feeling better and i've done my seven days of isolation, alas, i still... don't forget boris johnson found himself in intensive care after catching covid, just a few weeks into the first lockdown. how that squares with sometimes flippant comments he's reported to have made, like how covid is nature's way of dealing with old people, will no doubt come under scrutiny. his opening gambit at the inquiry is likely to be "sorry". he's expected to accept there were things the government got wrong. but there was plenty it got right too, he'll argue — not least the vaccine roll—out programme. the uk was the first country in the world to offer jabs to its citizens, but it was also one of the worst affected european nations in terms of death rate. there's a lot to get through today, which is why he'll be back tomorrow, too. ellie price, bbc news. our chief political correspondent henry zeffman joins us from outside the inquiry in central london. this is a day for the bereaved families they have been waiting for. how do you think the prime minister will play it? how do you think the prime minister will -la it? 1, , how do you think the prime minister will -la it? 1, _., how do you think the prime minister will -la it? how do you think the prime minister will .ia it? ., will play it? boris johnson has had a lona , will play it? boris johnson has had a long. political— will play it? boris johnson has had a long, political career— will play it? boris johnson has had a long, political career as - will play it? boris johnson has had a long, political career as a - a long, political career as a colourful mp, mayor of london, leader of the brexit campaign, foreign secretary, prime minister. even in that long career this is one of the biggest moment he has faced. he knows that. he has spent the last few days holed up with lawyers going through in minute detail paperwork about decisions he made during covid. some of the biggest peacetime decisions any prime minister has ever had to confront. i expect him to begin with an apology. he will say he did not take covid seriously enough at first and the government was not as prepared as he should have been put will only go so far. he will also argue he got the big calls right, on the timing of lockdown towns, the vaccine roll—out and the moment at which he chose to release some of those restrictions and let the economy bloom a little bit again. he will face very tough questions from hugo keith casey, who has been grilling members of the pan cabinet, i expect that to focus on the timing of the lock towns. —— covid. the eat out to help out scheme, scientists do not believe they were consulted. you will also get what's coming up and see as tittle tattle but crucial to how the government handed will take the car handled covid, the toxic culture in whitehall. borisjohnson will be answering questions from an experienced lawyer, chaired by a judge. people who were bereaved during covid will assemble here to protest. that is a reminder that borisjohnson will be talking to a courtroom but also justifying himself to the public. more of the da 's himself to the public. more of the day's news _ himself to the public. more of the day's news now. _ a murder investigation is under way after a 42—year—old woman was shot dead in east london last night. a boy aged 16 and a 20—year—old man also suffered gunshot wounds. no one has been arrested, as nickjohnson reports. officers were called to reports of a shooting on this residential estate in hackney at 6:30 yesterday evening. a 42—year—old woman died at the scene and a 20—year—old man and a 16—year—old boy have both been taken to hospital with gunshot wounds. a white police tent has been put up near the front door of a house — forensic teams focusing their attention on a car parked in the road, as well as scouring the surrounding tarmac. the policing team here in hackney say their thoughts are with the family of the woman who's been killed, as well as with the two people who've been taken to hospital. the force says specialist detectives are on the scene trying to work out what happened here. officers, it says, will remain in the immediate area over the coming days. in the same evening, a 17—year—old boy was stabbed to death near sutton station in south london. police say they're still trying to trace the teenager's family. in hackney, despite launching a murder investigation, officers have not yet made any arrests. detective superintendent vicki tunstall says gun crime has no place on the streets of london and we will do all we can to bring whoever is responsible for this despicable crime tojustice. nickjohnson, bbc news, hackney. a 28—year—old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a woman was stabbed in south wales. schools in the village of aberfan were locked down while armed police searched for the suspect. a 29—year—old woman is being treated in hospital. israel's prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, has said "overwhelming force" is the only way to end the war with hamas. he made the comment as the israeli military said its troops are now in the heart of the southern city of khan yunis. our middle east correspondent yolande knell is injerusalem. what have you managed to establish about this operation in khan yunis? the israeli military is saying its forces have gone right into the centre of the city. we are not getting much evidence of what is happening on the ground. that is extremely significant, this is the second biggest city in the gaza strip. believed to be a stronghold of hamas. it is thought hamas leaders could be hiding out. there are intense firefights going on in other parts in the north of the gaza strip. there has been continuing for bombardment, including in areas where palestinians have been told to seek safety. that is leading to more international criticism of israel. the un are saying now because of ongoing fighting it is not possible to distribute aid outside a small corner very south of the gaza strip. last night we had the israeli prime minister really coming out, trying to address this mounting criticism. that is where he said if the war were to end quickly, the only way to do that was to use overwhelming force against hamas. he is also facing some pressure on the domestic front, it is important to say as well. he has been meeting some of the recently released hostages and the recently released hostages and the families of the people still held inside gaza. he came under a lot of criticism along with other members of his war cabinet. some of the relative expressing anything they do not believe the israeli government has an immediate plan to bring their loved ones home. thank ou ve bring their loved ones home. thank you very much- _ conservative mps are said to be divided over the details of the new plan to send some asylum seekers to rwanda. the home secretary james cleverly signed a treaty with the rwandan prime minister yesterday — which he hopes will revive will revive the plan — but conservative mps are reportedly split on the extent of the legislation that will go before parliament. a combination of fraud and errors led to the overpayment of benefits by more than £8 billion last year — slightly down on the previous year's figure but still "unacceptably high", according to the chair of the public accounts committee, which released the figures. the report also said pensioners have been underpaid by £1.3 billion. the us presidentjoe biden and his most likely opponent in next year's election — donald trump — have been trading verbal blows. president biden said part of his motivation to run for a second term is to thwart mrtrump, insisting "we cannot let him win", while mr trump said his opponent is too old for a re—match. the public spending watchdog says the uk is underprepared for extreme weather and lacks an effective strategy to handle it. a report by the national audit office report looked at the readiness to cope with droughts, floods, storms and high temperatures. our environment correspondent jonah fisher has the details. coming up to the bower hinton turnoff. and we're going submariner route. surface water flooding, like this in somerset earlier this week, occurs when heavy rain falls faster than the water can drain away. the ground is very saturated. there's not much capacity within the ground to take any further water. so what falls as rainfall tends to instantly become surface water, flooding and runoff. and that's really fed into the amount of work that we've had to do. we've been outjetting drains and pipes. we've been clearing gullies, we've been clearing grips. this sort of flooding is one of the extreme weather scenarios that's been looked at by the government's public spending watchdog. its verdict... "we should be better prepared. while other types of floods have early warning systems, surface water flooding does not, leaving nearly 3.5 million homes in england at risk. climate change has already brought us record temperatures and more frequent droughts. and this report says we're not looking after our water properly, losing too much through leaky pipes and not storing enough. we haven't built a new reservoir for more than 30 years. the report says the government lacks an effective strategy or targets for how resilient it wants the uk to be in extreme weather. well, this is a completely damning report from the national audit office, which makes clear the government has absolutely no plan, no strategy, no evaluation of its spending. it's no wonder that the committee on climate change have basically said that this country is strikingly unprepared for more extreme weather events. the government disagrees. a spokesperson telling us... "we are making excellent progress on building flexible and agile capabilities, systems and strategies which ensure the uk is prepared for emerging threats." in dubai this week, talks are taking place thatjust might start cooling our warming world. this report is a reminder that climate change is happening around us right now and we will have to adapt. jonah fisher, bbc news. the young fundraiser and double amputee tony hudgell and his mum paula have had a royal reunion with the princess of wales. the princess was visiting st guys and st thomas hospital in london when she stopped for a chat with nine—year—old tony, who she first met at a carol concert two years ago. you were just chatting like old friends, really, weren't you? and kate was asking what you'd been up to. and bits and pieces, wasn't she? and then you told her that you're enjoying school and doing writing stories. and she wants one. she wants you to send her one of her... one of your stories, doesn't she? yeah. such a legend. he is getting so much bigger. nothing fazes him. princess of wales, yeah. she wants one of my stories, that's cool. it was icy driving in today, people need to be aware. ,., ., driving in today, people need to be aware, ., i driving in today, people need to be aware. ., ~ .., driving in today, people need to be aware. ., ~ ., aware. good morning. a cold and frosty start _ aware. good morning. a cold and frosty start to _ aware. good morning. a cold and frosty start to the _ aware. good morning. a cold and frosty start to the day. _ aware. good morning. a cold and frosty start to the day. to - aware. good morning. a cold and frosty start to the day. to give i aware. good morning. a cold and frosty start to the day. to give an idea of the kind of temperatures, in the highlands it isjust idea of the kind of temperatures, in the highlands it is just below —11. edinburgh —5. bedford —i. in belfast a bit more cloud, temperatures of 5 degrees. that will still feel cold may not as cold as everywhere else. we are looking at sunny spells. that is when we lose the fog. quite a lot of that around across wales, the midlands, east anglia and southern counties. most of that will left by early afternoon. some of it will linger. there will be a lot of dry weather and sunshine around. in the west we will see the cloud field, they rain will arrive in the wind will strengthen. along with the outcome the higher temperatures. still cold through the day as we push further east. this evening and overnight, this rain bumped into the cold air across the hills for example in the north of england, the southern uplands and the highlands. we could see a period of disruptive snow on the higher ground. on the a nine you might find five to ten centimetres of snow accumulating. these are the overnight lows. not as low as this morning. into tomorrow we had the remnants of that rain continuing to push north and east. there might be some sleet in the southern uplands, for example. in northern ireland, england and wales, all of this rain pushing through in areas which already had issues of flooding. behind it something a bit brighter. all of us will be in milder conditions compared with what we have had. milder conditions compared with what we have had-— we have had. thank you very much indeed. let's take a look at today's papers. the guardian reports that conservative mps are at loggerheads over the government's rwanda asylum scheme. the paper reports that new legislation is due to be published in the coming days. the telegraph has a story about vaping — reporting that the shadow health secretary has said a labour government would consider making vapes prescription—only to stop children becoming hooked on them. we have more on the government's plans to stop young people vaping after 7 o'clock this morning. the mirror leads with a warning about a turkish medical firm, that's facing allegations of botched cosmetic surgery, offering christmas discount deals on procedures. the times features a photo of the king and queen camilla, and the prince and princess of wales at buckingham palace. the paper writes senior royals "put on a show of unity." how impressive are these lights? that is the question.— that is the question. three, two, one... that is the question. three, two, one- -- that _ that is the question. three, two, one... that is _ that is the question. three, two, one... that is just _ that is the question. three, two, one... that isjust outside - that is the question. three, two, one... that isjust outside the . one... that is 'ust outside the house of — one... that isjust outside the house of commons. - one... that isjust outside the house of commons. is - one... that isjust outside the house of commons. is there i one... that isjust outside the - house of commons. is there some kind of political metaphor? what happened there? they only put half the money in the metre or something. that means they have one long string of lights going on half the tree. kind of weird you do not wind them around the whole tree. in the interests of political correctness, they did come on eventually on all sides by much to their delight of those who gathered for some festive cheer. the big tree in trafalgar, the needed extra branches. we do not need that. no buffing on our tree. the lights are still working. super kev sinfield is having a day at the seaside today but you can probably guess by now that the experience will not be as relaxing as it sounds. the rugby league legend is in brighton for his sixth ultra marathon since friday, as he aims to complete seven ultras, in seven days, in seven cities around the uk and ireland. yesterday he was in dublin, where the welcome was warm and the weather wasn't. breakfast�*s john maguire reports. you're an absolute inspiration. i have cried every day watching on the bbc running marathon after marathon. this week has been about so many things but, at its heart, it's about friendship. some old, some new. it's a very lucky man to have such a friend like you. i saw the picture of you carrying rob over the finish line at one of your marathons. what an iconic image! charlie bird is a hugely respected journalist here in ireland. he's been living with motor neurone disease now for two years. since his diagnosis, he led thousands on a mountain climb, raising more than £3 million to fund the fight. i wish you the best of luck as you start your dublin marathon and i will see you in the city to join on the final 8kms. my motto was always extend the hand of friendship and today we are all here extending the hand of friendship. applause. we followed your story for some time, charlie. it's incredible what you've done. over the last three years, we've run in some pretty special places. and i think through the work that doddie did, in particular, back in scotland and through the uk, hopefully we've added to some of that in rob's name and finally showing people how beautiful the mnd community are. they need our support. and that's what you guys do over in ireland. and we can only thank you for that. afterfour days and more than 100 miles, tape is now helping to hold things together. applause. with a guard of honour from the gardai, kev set off for his dublin ultramarathon. little rain, no wind, but still cold. better conditions than recent days. but his body now has many more miles on the clock. a couple more days. once again, the extra mile was a highlight, and for the last 8kms, charlie would be pushed in the same chair that rob burrow used for his marathon in leeds. his