i held him in the very highest regard because of what he gave to me. they gave me my england debut and set me on the road, and i will never forget that. it's 5 o'clock. our main story is the latest twist in donald trump's confrontation with the heads of america's intelligence agencies. mr trump says the director of national intelligence, james clapper, called him last night to condemn a leaked report claiming the president—elect was vulnerable to blackmail by russia. but mr clapper has said he'd made no judgment on whether the report was reliable and he rejected mr trump's suggestion that us intelligence was responsible for the leak. our correspondent christian fraser has the latest. eight days from now, donald trump goes into battle as the next commander—in—chief. but never before has an incoming president been warring on so many fronts. this morning, as is now the norm, he began the day with a tweaked: in fa ct, began the day with a tweaked: in fact, what mr clapper told reporters is that he had expressed dismay happily text appearing in the press, which he said was extremely corrosive and damaging to our national security. in the quoted comments, he gives no view on the veracity of the report. not you, not you. corrosive as a word that could equally be applied not only to any lea k equally be applied not only to any leak but to the relationship between the president—elect and the agencies on witches offers will depend. the president—elect and the agencies on witches offers will dependlj think on witches offers will depend.” think it was disgraceful, disgraceful that the intelligence agencies allowed any information that turned out to be so false and fa ke that turned out to be so false and fake out. i think it is a disgrace. and i say that, and i say that that is something that nazi germany would have done and did do. that is a disgrace. the dossier they were investigating was an open secret. journalists had been working on it for months. it is a tale of sordid sexual escapades, russian espionage multi—million dollar cash payments funded to the trump campaign. the question for washington insiders is whether it is fact, part fact or pulp fiction. and was the leaking of the document political? i think it is deeply misguided for anybody at any level to question the integrity and motives of the patriots who serve in our intelligence community. it doesn't mean they are always right, but questioning their motives is another thing altogether. the man who first compiled the intelligence is 52—year—old christopher steele, a former british spy who worked here. he is now in hiding with his wife and children, in fear of his life. mr steele had worked on the russian desk at mi6 for 20 years. in the 90s he spent time at the british embassy in moscow. more recently he had been hired to gather information on mr trump, first by republicans and later democrats. the allegations he uncovered were handed to the fbi. but with nothing to support them, the media steered clear until a two—page summary was handed to president obama this week and mr trump himself. as early as last summer, there were reports circulating that the russians had tapes. whether or not the sources were telling the truth, we wait to see. but these allegations are being treated as credible by the us intelligence community. evenif even if there is no film, mr trump's presidency might already be compromised, not only by his dealings with yesterday he ceded control of his business empire to his two adult sons, but in the eyes of the ethics committee in congress, there is not enough distance to absolve him of any conflict of interest. in short, there are more questions than answers and no amount of tweeting from the president—elect, will shift the clouds that are circling next week's inauguration. and they're not be formal confirmation hearings taking place on capitol hill while all this has been going on. —— and had been formal confirmation hearings. some of the biggest positions in the administration, including the head of the cia. the director has been talking today and he has been striking a very different note to mr trump. let's listen. let me begin by saying that i am confident that the central intelligence agency will play a role in this administration, providing powerful intelligence and decision—making inside this administration. i'm confident the president trump will not only accept that but the man that from all the men and women in the cia and other intelligence communities. personally, i have come to understand the value of the central intelligence agency. i have seen their morale through tough times when they have been challenged before and i have watched them what through fire to make sure they did theirjobs in a professional way and that they were always aimed at getting the truth, in—depth, and in a robust way. i have every confidence that not only will i demand that but they will continue to do that under my leadership if i am confirmed. our correspondent barbara plett is in washington. fairto fair to say that there are conflating stories? what are we supposed to make of that?” conflating stories? what are we supposed to make of that? i think mr pompeo is differed from trump and how he speaks of the intelligence agencies. strong endorsement in face of trump's scepticism. mr pompeo knows that senators are worried about this but also that the cia itself is suffering from poor morale because they are not used to being criticised in this fashion. they ta ke criticised in this fashion. they take pride in their work and they do not see themselves as politically partisan. he knows that they were waiting to hear him say this. as the cia leader, he has to be seen to be defending them. when we look at the broad narrative of the last couple of days, and we see where we are today, with this exchange again between james clapper and today, with this exchange again betweenjames clapper and donald trump, can you reach any conclusions about the allegations we have heard? i don't think we can reach any conclusions about the allegations that were in the dossier, which mr clapper himself said the caa or the intelligence agencies had not determined whether they were reliable or not. mr clapper tried to mend fences by calling trump last night and seeing it was definitely not his spies that lead to this. mr trump seems to have felt mollified somewhat if you look at his tweets today, but it is still quite a turbulent season. in terms of the hacking, there is more of a line coming out in agreement that the russians did this. mr trump acknowledged that yesterday. mr pompeo was stronger. he said it was unequivocal that the russians had hacked and that it was aggressive moves from the senior leadership. he said the needed to be a robust response. in an interesting exchange, he said it was probably correct to assume that mr putin was feeling successful about his attem pts feeling successful about his atte m pts to feeling successful about his attempts to disrupt american democracy. and there was a swirl of speculative a few minutes ago after marine le pen was apparently spotted in trump tower in new york. can you bring us up to date about what has been said over that? we knew that she was there because the pool reporter took a photograph of her but she declined to comment on why she was there. there is a journalist on the site who has just said that a trump spokesman said that she is not meeting with mr trump or his team. we do not know why she is there. we may find out but thank you for now, barbara. sir malcolm rifkind is a former chair of the intelligence and security committee, he's in our westminster studio. thank you for coming in. if you were in the foreign office today, what would you be focusing on? what has been most significant today is the extent of the support from the new head of the cia, and rex tillerson, distance and then —— distancing themselves from president trump. berkeley to make sure they get through the nominating process but also it suggests that they will be perfectly willing to be independent in the way they conduct the affairs of the department of state and the cia. that is encouraging but it also demonstrates the unprecedented abbess between the president and those whom he is supposed to command. because what is your sense of the likely coherent of a government of those divisions are they? it is deeply disturbing because on domestic policy you will have a president who thinks he knows the answers to economic and trade policies and will not be particularly interested in the advice if it conflicts with his views or prejudices. but when it comes to foreign policy and nuclear weapons and these type of issues, i think mrtrump weapons and these type of issues, i think mr trump knows personally well that he needs advice. and if we are already seeing, if today's evidence continues, which is not certain, but if these nominees are going to be much more independent than many feared, then trump will either have to a cce pt feared, then trump will either have to accept their advice, which he will not like, or ignore it which would be even worse. and from your time as the chair of the intelligence and security committee, i was wondering what you made of the way that the row developed over the intelligence reports, as it was cold, although some people say that it isa cold, although some people say that it is a former report, containing those rather limited allegations? your thoughts on that process and how damaging it might be?m your thoughts on that process and how damaging it might be? if this had been an episode of the west wing we would've said, it is great theatre but it could not have possibly happened in the wheel world. —— in the real world. what happened yesterday was unprecedented but it was not the allegations themselves. trump's problem is that although these allegations may be com pletely although these allegations may be completely untrue, such is its reputation that perfectly reasonable people are prepared to accept that they might be true. such was the overdrive of his response, to compare the cia and the intelligence agencies of his own country, which is about to take control of, as being like nazi germany, i mean that shows a degree of emotional incoherence and incompetence of a kind that is deeply disturbing and a person who is going to be president of the united states a week from now. in eight days' time, absolutely right. at the heart of the foreign office and downing street, what strategy will they be trying to lay out, looking at the likely development of the trump presidency in the first three months?” development of the trump presidency in the first three months? i think what they will seek to do, let's assume that mr tillotson is confirmed as the new secretary of state. and mr pompeo in the ceo. i think their united kingdom cou nterpa rts think their united kingdom counterparts will be able to develop a reasonably constructive relationship with them, and the contact with the president will be reserved for the prime minister. she is due to see him and quite rightly she will do her best to develop a proper, serious relationship. it will be easier in the case of the right to —— united kingdom because for various reasons trump is will this post to the uk, and he will be short of allies elsewhere. my guess is that it will be a corpulence discussion but none of us actually know and this is all speculation at this stage. we have never had to indulge in this degree of speculation eight days before a breezy is president has taken office. —— a previous president. breezy is president has taken office. -- a previous president. so martin ripped conveyor, the former mp. —— sir malcolm rifkind. and in the next half an hour the outgoing us ambassador to the uk — matthew barzun will be here. we were asking about his thoughts on what is going on in washington and new york. snow and strong winds are expected to cause disruption across much of the uk over the coming days as the met office warns the country will receive a ‘real taste of winter'. scotland and northern ireland are already seeing plenty of snow. schools have been closed and there's a warning about ferry services. heathrow airport has cancelled dozens of flights this afternoon, and engineers have been working to reconnect power to homes in the north of scotland as well as in cheshire, yorkshire and cumbria. daniel boettcher reports. heavy snow has already hit many parts of scotland, up to 20 centimetres in places. with warnings of more to come combined with high winds. eight polar air masses bringing freezing conditions. it has caused problems on roads and police say there have been minor accidents in the highlands, while in central scotland, the m71; was closed for a time and traffic remains slow. there had been heavy snow showers in parts of northern ireland and wales, too. the weather system is continuing to move further south. the local government association says that councils are well—prepa red government association says that councils are well—prepared for low temperatures and more snow. we have had some light snow on high ground which we are dealing with at the moment but we have managed to get some salt on the network, so that has helped. the movement of traffic has helped. the movement of traffic has helped. the movement of traffic has helped us to deal with that issue. preparations are also being made for potential flooding as communities along the east coast of england are being warned of a combination of guilt force winds and ice. some residents are being told to move possessions out of danger. 100 soldiers have been deployed in lancashire to help residents of skegness. and the expectation of more poor weather to come has already led to a number of cancelled flights at heathrow airport. in a moment, we will go to heathrow airport and speak to our correspondent frankie mccamley. first to the m1 near luton and our correspondent ben ando. bring us up—to—date on conditions there. it has started to snow quite heavily here in the last 45 minutes. while you might be able to see snow settling on my staff, —— on my scarf, it is not settling on the motorway behind me yet. traffic is flowing reasonably well. this is the southbound carriageway heading towards london. the reason for that is that it is not yet that cold. as the ground gets colder, that will assist things. also, the movement of the vehicles themselves manages to stop the snow from settling. nonetheless they are controlling the speed of vehicles here with a variable limit. that is to prevent the surging and bunching that can cause accidents, especially when grip is compromised and the cars and lorries start to slip. at the moment, the vehicles are still moving because the snow is not settling. thank you very much. let's go to frankie at heathrow. what is going on there? this morning, we we re going on there? this morning, we were told that at heathrow airport 80 flights had been cancelled. the court say that they wanted to give passengers time to be able to move on to other flights or time to completely change their plans. also, this airport behind me runs at full capacity, so when the snow falls it means that operations on the ground ta ke means that operations on the ground take much more time. so delays, there is no room for delays at heathrow. speaking to other airports, gatwick has had to cancel five flights already. birmingham, manchester, edinburgh, they all say that business is as usual. if you are going to travel this evening, the advice is to check with your airline operator before you travel. a lot of people are being offered flights at other times or complete refunds. as you can see, the snow started falling, it started falling in the last half an hour. as for the disruption, how bad it is going to be, that depends on how much more of this snow we will see. thank you for the update. with me is our weather presenter, john hammond. what is going on? the temperatures falling in london by1 degrees an hour. that is what this is all about. it has been pouring with rain all day long and now it is turning to snow. in the middle of london we will see flakes of snow in westminster. weather it settles is a moot point. with traffic and air temperature, it will never be as cold in the centre of london as the outskirts. but millions of people need to travel home and it is the side roads which will get clogged if it keeps on snowing for the next few hours. although it is not settling much at the moment, over the next couple of hours it will start to do so. couple of hours it will start to do so. inside the m25, notjust the children's, but areas where people live, where lots of people live, it will start to sit. —— notjust the chilterns. above, in high ground, there will be a good covering. once it clears through, we are in the same icy boat. polar air is coming in. temperatures will fall like a stone after midnight. the rest of the uk is clear, and there have been major problems in other parts. absolutely. you can see the extent of major problems in other parts. absolutely. you can see the extent of the major problems in other parts. absolutely. you can see the extent of the snow major problems in other parts. absolutely. you can see the extent of the snow to major problems in other parts. absolutely. you can see the extent of the snow to the major problems in other parts. absolutely. you can see the extent of the snow to the northern major problems in other parts. absolutely. you can see the extent of the snow to the northern parts major problems in other parts. absolutely. you can see the extent of the snow to the northern parts of england and wales. yes, they are more used to it, but that could well be blizzard conditions across the highlands of scotland tonight. over the next couple of days it will stay cold with more snow to come. inafew in a few minutes, we will have an interview with another guest about donald trump it in the meantime, there was sad news today that the former england football manager, graham taylor has died at the age of 72. a statement from his family said he had passed away at his home earlier this morning of a heart attack. he was a highly successful clu b attack. he was a highly successful club manager at aston villa and watford, and review to come in from all parts of the game. patrick geary looks back at his life and career. —— and tributes have come in. graham taylor had been pulling off impossiblejobs through his managerial career. in 1977, eltonjohn, through his managerial career. in 1977, elton john, the through his managerial career. in 1977, eltonjohn, the then owner of watford, persuaded him tojoin the clu b watford, persuaded him tojoin the club then in the fourth division. taylor took them to the first division in five seasons and to the fa cup final in 1984. his boss had become his friend and today sir eltonjohn said in a statement: taylor moved on to aston villa and drop them from the second division toa drop them from the second division to a title challenge in the first. next, the topjob. england. they reached the semifinals of the world cup but were going through it transition. he got them to a championship, but criticised gary lineker in what would be his last international. worse was to follow. england failed to qualify for the 1994 world cup. he resigned in november 1993, having failed in the biggestjob of his career. the press dwelled on results but he had earned the players‘ respects. dwelled on results but he had earned the players' respects. a guy who was so the players' respects. a guy who was so passionate, so in love with the game of football, and who was straight and honest and would tell you how it was. he was not afraid to do that, whether you were a young player or an experienced player. that is how he will be remembered. the england experienced never left taylor but neither did it break him. he returned to management with wolves and watford as well as aston villa. he then moved to the microphone as a commentator. it allowed the nation to discover the graham taylor that the players knew, in the words of one, an absolute gentleman. tributes to graham taylor, the former england manager, who has died at the age of 72. let's talk a little bit more about the upcoming inauguration of donald trump. the us director of national intelligence has rejected suggestions that official agencies may have leaked claims that russia has compromising material about him. and the kremlin said it hoped president putin and donald trump would ‘get along' and that there would be more mutual respect between their two countries. joining me now from florida to consider the relationship between russia and the west is sir tony brenton, the former uk ambassador to russia between 2004 and 2008. thank you forjoining us. your thoughts on the events of the past couple of days and what it tells us? it has been a wild roller—coaster, really. the emergence of that dossier set the cat among the pigeons over here. reinforcing suspicions of a lot of people that trump is somehow in the russians‘ pockets while the other hand provoking a violent reaction from him. looking at the dossier itself, it is obvious they are very sophisticated piece of work but it is also really quite implausible in a number of its details. it gets people being in certain cities at certain times wrong. it gets to the russian system works wrong. to give one concrete example, it suggests that the russians started cultivating from five years ago. they would have had to be very prescient to do that because at that stage he was not a serious political figure and certainly not a candidate for president. the dossier itself is pretty impossible and i can understand why trump is so angry that it has found its way into the public domain. the background to that seems to be that at the time that seems to be that at the time that the intelligence agencies have produced their declassified reports on the hacking incident, they added an addendum to that, summarising this dossier. it is almost certainly true that they did not leak it but they did circulate it to a number of leading senators and congressmen and they almost certainly knew that it would leak. and it has leaked and has resulted in this confrontation we saw yesterday. part of the background is that there is serious politics at the back of this. the intelligence agencies, the security organs here, a lot of the republican party are very hostile to mr trump cosying up to the russians, as they see him intending to do. and a lot of what has been going on regarding the hacking and now with regards to this dossier is putting information out there which makes it harder for him to do that. when we see today, that we have some of mr trump‘s nominees for these biggestjobs, the head of the cia, defence secretary, striking a different note in terms of the intelligence agencies, which one should we believe? who will be taking the lead on this? the story about mrtrump is taking the lead on this? the story about mr trump is that he has a sort of, he sees himself as chairman of the board and that his cabinet members will have quite a lot of autonomy. that is very encouraging because a lot of the things that he said about foreign affairs in particular are very alarming. rex tillerson, the candidate for secretary of state yesterday, he made a few mistakes at the confirmation hearing but he was in fa ct very confirmation hearing but he was in fact very encouraging. i know people who know him and who have dealt with him in the oil sector when he was in russia. he has a high reputation there. he knows how to do deals with russia. and one of the myths about doing deals with russia is that if you have done it, you tend to like russia and be soft on them. my experience is the reverse. doing deals with russia was difficult, awkward, bloody—minded work and having done with it —— having done it, you do not emerge with any great affection for russia but you do have the capacity to do business with them. and is mr tillerson in that position? yes. what about the other nominees, like mr pompeo? his tone was different to trump‘s yesterday. will he have the leeway that he needs? i hope so. i suspect this may be an environment when you get strong side draft, like with the white house from time to time. but as the dossier business demonstrates, mr trump is capable, over a period, of accepting facts which he initially rejected. he started out claiming the russians we re started out claiming the russians were not responsible for the hack on the democratic national party, and has over a period of a few weeks swung over to accept that. i‘m not entirely pessimistic that this cannot be made to work. good to talk to you again. thank you forjoining us. the former uk ambassador to russia between 2004—2008 there. i government backed review is recommending that the uk should build tidal lagoons to capture energy from the sea. ministers must now decide whether or not to press ahead with plans to build one in swansea bay after the report said it could provide clean, reliable electricity for more than 150 thousand homes. here‘s our environment analyst roger harrabin. will this be the uk‘s latest source of low—carbon energy? the tides in swansea bay are some of the highest in the world, and utterly predictable. so why not build a seawall to capture the outgoing tide? that‘s the plan from a private firm. the sea wall will use hydroelectric turbines to generate power, as the water flushes through gaps in the seawall. the cost was thought too high for bill payers to bear. but a review says it will need subsidy, but it‘s not as dear as it looks. bearing in mind that these will last for longer than a wind farm, the cost for the consumer is less than a pint of milk on their relatives of the bills every year. that is why i think it is affordable is. supporters hope that we will see lagoons dotted along western shores, bringing down the costs. this is a pathfinder project and we need the government to get on with it. we need manufacturing at scale to support industrial regeneration. it is great renewable energy and it is great for supporting jobs. but what about wildlife? friends of the earth support the lagoon for the clean energy will produce. the bird charity rspb, are cautious about the impact. the anglers are dead against it. it would chop up fish and delay their migration. it could have impacts on seals and dolphins. there will be a loss of habitat. but furthermore, the economics on which this scheme is based are based on 120 year life span. that is a huge time, during which other technologies could come on stream and we do not think the lagoons will last that long before they get clogged up with silt. plans at swa nsea clogged up with silt. plans at swansea are ready to go. today‘s report suggests the government should agree terms for one lagoon, then wait and see. roger harrigan, bbc news. let‘s go live to swansea bay for some of the pros and cons to our correspondent. what are local people saying? i just correspondent. what are local people saying? ijust spoke to correspondent. what are local people saying? i just spoke to the correspondent. what are local people saying? ijust spoke to the council leader earlier today and he was buoyant at the news, hoping this would bring jobs and security to swa nsea. would bring jobs and security to swansea. 1.3 billion is the predicted cost of this project and it would encircle this day you can see behind me, swansea bay. as alluded to in the report there would bea alluded to in the report there would be a sea wall encircling the day with hydroelectric turbines dotted throughout that seawall. the expectation for those living here, it would bring jobs to the local area. it is due to power 150,000 homes and also as alluded to it seems like a pilot project and if it we re seems like a pilot project and if it were to be successful, tidal lagoon power, the company involved in building this would build sex across the uk, fourof building this would build sex across the uk, four of which would be in wales —— build six. the uk, four of which would be in wales -- build six. thomas, thank you very much for again giving us more sense of what is being said in swa nsea. more sense of what is being said in swansea. it is 5:32pm. just eight days left of president obama‘s term in the white house. in the next half hour i will be speaking to the outgoing uk ambassador. matthew barzun, and perhaps we can tease him into giving a few predictions for the coming four years. that is coming up soon but in the meantime let‘s get the latest on the weather. hello. as we predicted, the rain has begun to turn to snow, very wet across the southern uk. this is starting to settle here, in the likes of berkshire, hertfordshire, hampshire, pushing inside thes‘ 25 now there will be snow in the capital. settling snow in the suburbs and a few centimetres above any hills pushing down across east anglia and kent. it does not hang around forever but will clear then there will be another problem. as skies clear, temperatures fall and ice will develop. expect an icy night nationwide with further wintry showers across the north and west. blizzard conditions in the north of scotland. that will be a bit of a problem by the early hours of tomorrow morning. for many of us seems like this tomorrow. be warned. nasty conditions and the cold spell will last into the weekend as well. it is 5:33pm on bbc news. the headlines: donald trump‘s confrontation with america‘s top spy masters continues. after the president—elect accused them of leaking unproven allegations, trump‘s nominee for cia chief gives his version of the events. i have watched them walk through fire to make sure they did their jobs ina fire to make sure they did their jobs in a professional way, and that they were always aimed at getting they were always aimed at getting the truth and depth in a robust way to policymakers... the former british intelligence officer, christopher steele, —— strong winds and snow are expected to cause disruption across much of the uk, as the met office warns the country will receive a "real taste of winter" in the coming days. dozens of flights have been cancelled at heathrow airport. major retailers, including marks & spencer, debenhams, and john lewis, report better—than—expected figures in the run—up to christmas. time to catch up with the sport. hello. so many tributes from across football are being paid to the former watford, aston villa and england manager graham taylor who‘s died at the age of 72. his greatest achievements came with watford. he was in charge for a total of 15 years across two spells. in the space of six seasons, he led the hornets from the old fourth division to second place in the top division in 1983, and they reached the fa cup final the following year. his aston villa team were runners up in the old first division in 1990. he then spent three years as the manager of england. he had a tough time, underperforming at euro 92 and failing to reach the world cup in 1994. we can now talk to the former england international chris waddle who played under graham taylor in the early 90s. evening, chris — a very sad day, this. your first memories of taylor must have been playing for newcastle and spurs against his watford and aston villa sides in the 80s? yes, obviously, came on the scene and he was very organised and drilled. it was not everybody‘s cup of tea, that style of football, getting it wide and forward, percentages. not everybody was a big fan, but you have to say he looked at his players and this is the strength of a manager, how to get the best out of your players and thatis the best out of your players and that is what he did with watford, really getting the maximum out of that team, that club, and he took them to a good high.” that team, that club, and he took them to a good high. i am not sure how you look back on that period, when you played your last couple of england games, underneath graham, because he gave you your last cap, obviously? yes, i think it was against turkey at wembley, and he brought me into a couple of squads after that. then some time on the bench. then obviously i was left out. i remember returning to sheffield wednesday, when it went so well for us in first season there, and everybody was saying, you have to pick him, and he was under some pressure. came to hillsborough to watch us and then after managing sheffield wednesday —— the manager said someone in the office wants to speak to you. there was a lot of speculation in the media, but i went there and he was sat there, and we chatted for two minutes, —— 10—15 minutes and he basically explained it. it was out of the question i would be in the next england squad, soi would be in the next england squad, so i hada would be in the next england squad, so i had a vacant look, and i sort of knew then, that i was not going to work with him, but a lot of people ask if i felt a bit of animosity or angry, and people ask if i felt a bit of animosity orangry, and i people ask if i felt a bit of animosity or angry, and i was playing good football at the time. it isa playing good football at the time. it is a hard job and when you get older you appreciate not just running a football club, but england, and i did feel i did hold a grudge, but later on we work together, especially in the tournaments, the euros, sat down and had a drink and he explained what it was like in those days. brilliant company, he was, i have to say. we heard from the old watford chairman eltonjohn heard from the old watford chairman elton john speaking about heard from the old watford chairman eltonjohn speaking about their unbreakable bond from his glory yea rs unbreakable bond from his glory years there. you were introduced to eltonjohn by years there. you were introduced to elton john by graham years there. you were introduced to eltonjohn by graham at euro 2012? yes, in the square, and graham was the ideal man, always organised, a lwa ys the ideal man, always organised, always that type of guy. they were like brothers. we were walking down to the square, backstage, in a sort of ca rava n to the square, backstage, in a sort of caravan at the back. elton was getting ready for the gig. i have to say, we probably took about £3 million that they, but he was really giving his thoughts on the england team, elton, and you could just see, you could see he must know how to manage elton as well and i think that was a great commendation and why they worked so well together. chris waddle, many thanks for your memories of graham taylor, who has died at the age of 72. that‘s all the sport for now. you can keep up to date with all those stories on the bbc sport website. about that‘s bbc.co.uk/sport, and i‘ll have more in sportsday at 6.30pm. thanks very much. we will see you a little later on. weather conditions are changing pretty rapidly so we should speak about that. we‘ve been reporting on the wintry weather across the uk, so snow in many parts of scotland, and the north east of england — it‘s forecast to drop down to southern areas tonight if it hasn‘t already arrived, but over on the east coast the severe conditions have brought a risk of flooding. 3000 residents and the lincolnshire coast have to consider leaving their homes ahead of a possible storm surge. danny savage is in skegness for us. this is a pretty unusual sight, army vehicles outside a police station in skegness. with the army deployed here there is a real sense of energy and urgency tonight. a lot of the soldiers have gone off in the last half an hour or so and they will be working with police, going out in police vehicles around some of those 3200 properties making sure people are aware of the situation. people living in two story houses for example are being asked to consider moving upstairs this evening. on the 30 mile stretch of coastline, all the way down here to skegness, many people live in bungalows or holiday chalets and there is concern about them. the big deal tomorrow is there is likely to be a storm surge down the north sea affecting this vulnerable coastline. this is an area which is haunted by the floods of 1953. major defences have gone on since then so they are not expecting anything on that scale but there are 3200 properties classed as vulnerable and the high tides tomorrow are roughly speaking just after six o‘clock in the morning and six o‘clock tomorrow evening and there are some of the highest tides of the month. the concern is a strong northerly wind, at high tide, and that surge could overtop some of the flood defences here on the lincolnshire coast and cause flooding. it may not happen but the worry is it could happen. hence this operation this evening with soldiers going around with the police trying to make people aware and get them prepared, because doing that at three orfour prepared, because doing that at three or four o‘clock tomorrow morning will be far more difficult and this evening when people are up and this evening when people are up and about. indeed, danny. thank you for bringing us up—to—date with the situation in skegness. there was a lot of festive cheer for many of the uk‘s high street retailers last year. marks & spencer saw a return to growth in its clothing division and homeware. tesco, debenhams and john lewis all reported better than expected sales in the run up to christmas. our business correspondent emma simpson reports. mrs claus was popular this christmas, delivering presents in marks & spencer‘s glossy campaign. and this business served up a far bigger surprise present then just shoes. for the first time in two years, clothing sales are up by more than 2%. it is getting back to serving its core customers. the clothes are stylish, but without being too cutting—edge, and it has brought down clothing prices. it has also focused on getting the price right the first time so that when you buy something, there is less risk of the price being reduced in a couple of weeks and you have to take it back to get a better deal. too soon? nah, bring it on. and looking good for britain‘s biggest retailer, enjoying an increase in sales, more proof that we have splashed out on food. on christmas eve, tesco was serving 266 customers a second. if you look at the picture, on the whole it looks like retailers have done pretty well. some had ok christmases, some had really good christmases. what that means is that consumers as a whole have gone out and spent a lot in the shops. here is where the real growth is. online. today, asos reported a huge surge in sales. and john lewis, a whopping 40% of its business this year came from internet sales. but these department stores are also costly to run. although festive trading has been decent, the staff bonus will be lower this year. the chairman told me that he is preparing for challenging times ahead. there are pressures on costs, pressures on prices, and those things are happening, and we have a consumer, who knows what happens next year, but the predictions are that we will see a slowdown in the growth in consumer income. christmas was not sparkling but spending was solid overall. the question is, can it be maintained? files on 23 people and organisations involved in the 1989 hillsborough disaster, have been passed to the crown prosecution service. an inquestjury concluded last year that 96 people were unlawfully killed. prosecutors will now decide whether to bring criminal charges. for the first time in a decade ministers from greece, turkey and britain are sitting down for talks on reuniting cyprus. the island has been divided for 40 years, between the turkish—controlled north and the republic of cyprus in the south. one of the main sticking points is the presence of 30,000 turkish troops, something greek cypriots say is unacceptable. our correspondentjonny dymond has been looking at at the roots of the conflict. cyprus was once a british colony, but by 1974 the greek and turkish sides were at war. turkey launched an invasion, after greek cypriots declared a union with greece. ever since independence, britain, greece and turkey have been guarantor powers with a role in the island‘s future. turkey conquered one third of the island. its troops stayed put. and one of the world‘s longest frozen conflicts began. the capital is divided between turkish and greek cypriots. the so—called greenline runs through the city, controlled by the un, it is a daily reminder of the island‘s division. the turkish controlled north declared independence in 1983. only turkey recognises the territory as a country. the rest of the world shuns it. in 2004, a un plan to reunify the island was put to a vote. the turkish cypriot north said yes. the greek cypriot south said no. and a divided island joined the european union. in the talks in geneva, there are still serious obstacles to be cleared. but there is a chance, a good one, that this time the frozen conflict will end. president obama has already delivered his fear will speech. —— president obama has already delivered his farewell speech, after eight years in office, as his administration prepares to hand over to donald trump‘s team a week tomorrow. the president‘s departure also signals the departure of hundreds of others, including senior diplomats whose appointments were in the president‘s gift. and they include the us ambassador to the united kingdom, matthew barzun — who‘s preparing to return to the usa in the weeks ahead, after three years in the post, during which time he‘s visited 126 towns and cities in the uk. he has been keen to underline the special qualities that underpin britain‘s relationship with the united states. and i‘m pleased to say ambassador barzun is with me now. good to have you with us. if it was three weeks it would be a very short appointment! thank you for having me and please call me matthew. i have five days left. you have extended it to wa nt five days left. you have extended it to want a d—mac weeks, but...” five days left. you have extended it to want a d-mac weeks, but... i was guessing you would be packing and things, but it is as rapid as that —— you have extended it to a few weeks. you and the family, back? my wonderful wife and children went back to start the school year back in america. how difficult is it to wrap things up after three years?m has been such an honour and joy to serve my country and this country for coming up three and a half years soiam for coming up three and a half years so i am sorry to say goodbye but i knew i would be saying that and i have memories i will always treasure and never forget. if somebody asks you for highlights, i know you mentioned the president‘s visit last year, mentioned the president‘s visit last yea r, clearly a mentioned the president‘s visit last year, clearly a major event, but other things viewers will not know about. what would you offer as a kind of mix of experiences. you mentioned getting out and about in this amazing country, to 125 cities and towns. that was a joy. yesterday i was and towns. that was a joy. yesterday iwas in and towns. that was a joy. yesterday i was in kent for my final secondary school sixth form college workshop soi school sixth form college workshop so i was able to listen to and learn from over 20,000 british young people and it has been completely inspiring. we spend about 15 minutes out of the hour, and i ask them, what frustrates you, what concerns you about the united states and what we are up you about the united states and what we are up to? we dig into some really ha rd stuff, we are up to? we dig into some really hard stuff, and then we close ona really hard stuff, and then we close on a happy bit. in every single school all over this country, the good bit is they are paying attention, they know about what my country is doing and saying and to me that is encouraging because they are engaged. the worst thing to see among that generation is, firstly, if they are apathetic, secondly, if they are cynical. those things are corrosive" democracies and between them i see the opposite, engagement. ifi them i see the opposite, engagement. if i had to pick one it would be those six form sessions —— those two things are corrosive in our democracies. what do they find challenging about america? guns, gun violence, racism, police conduct, police brutality. increasingly in the run—up to our presidential system, a lot of confusion around the electoral college, candidates, that sort of thing. mentioning guns, are you in a position where you have to defend what the president‘s critics say is a lack of progress in that area? yes, we talk about the constitution. our countries are so similar in many ways but this is one area where we are so different, constitutionally and culturally. i do not feel like i am in defending mode, iam do not feel like i am in defending mode, i am sort of in explaining mode. i am mode, i am sort of in explaining mode. iam not mode, i am sort of in explaining mode. i am not trying to win an argument but explain where we have come from. we came to our country and won our independence with guns. it is wrapped up in stuff in our history important for them to understand. they don‘t have to agree with that. i amjust understand. they don‘t have to agree with that. i am just wondering about the difference between people from a very different culture. yes, it is a challenge, but we moved on and spoke about foreign policy, military and humanitarian intervention. by the end i think we have got into a good space together. what do they ask about the forthcoming presidency? let‘s speak about the election campaign itself, very divisive, and now the prospect of a different kind of presidency? what kind of questions are you being asked about that? some process questions, how can you lose the popular vote and win the presidency? a bit like here. a different system but with first past the post here, similarly,... like with tennis, in a wimbledon final it is not the woman or man scoring the most points are necessarily wince. you have to score the right ones in the right order at the right ones in the right order at the right ones in the right order at the right time —— who necessarily wins. the electoral college for many people has become a kind of emblem of something rather old—fashioned which does not deliver a democratic result. you say you are not defending, but do you feel you can explain that adequately to an audience of young people who think ifa audience of young people who think if a candidate gets 3 million votes more than another, do you think they should win? whether they are convinced our way is the right way or the first past the post system here is, i think it is normal in our democracies we will debate whether we should change those systems are not. it has worked for us for a long time but those are the rules of our game and everyone knows it. looking ahead, personally and to do with the state and i will come in a minute to your plans, if you‘re prepared to share those with us? are you concerned about the next four years? iam in concerned about the next four years? iamina concerned about the next four years? i am in a tricky position here in that we are at this in between time. we have had our election, the new president has not taken of this yet. my president has not taken of this yet. my boss has eight more days and i can speak about his administrative but i cannot make predictions or get into top of what will happen in the future. to answer the question, i have a lot of faith. i am about to return to america and i have faith in the american people, our institutions and in the amazing... one of the joys of being an ambassador twice for my country are these amazing foreign service officers, our military personnel, intelligence community, development workers, they all come through london, so many of them. and they worked so closely with their british counterparts, not only in the uk but all around the world, to make the world more peaceful, prosperous and just. they do that professionally with passion, and the amazing part, i really learned from them, they are nonpartisan. like me, iam i really learned from them, they are nonpartisan. like me, i am sure they have personal politics and opinions but they are really good at keeping those out of it. i would give more than a penny for your thoughts on the fact mr trump seems to have been quite critical of some of the people you mentioned there, the intelligence agencies. i think that is the reason lots of viewers would be interested to know whether you look forward with confidence to the next four years? labour days ago, i get about a week ago —— a few days ago. use our us senators from all across the political spectrum, democrats and republicans. a unified chorus really, i think, democrats and republicans. a unified chorus really, ithink, raising alarm about what russia did. all 17 different intelligence agencies. of course, bipartisan support over that, it is not ok and there will be consequences for trying to disrupt our democracy. i am consequences for trying to disrupt our democracy. iam heartened by that. concerned, of course, but that isa that. concerned, of course, but that is a bipartisan concern and the bipartisan commitment to do something about it. when the transition happens, there will be a new ambassador in london. how much ofan new ambassador in london. how much of an interest will you take in that? i have absolutely no mac role in it but what i am excited to do, —— no role. there is a wonderful tradition of previous ambassadors helping out, if asked. with small, silly questions if you do not know who else to ask. the living ambassadors who had myjob before we re ambassadors who had myjob before were republican, democrat, and they have too a person been incredibly generous with their time and i am inspired by their example and plan to do the same, if i am asked. what will matthew barzun to do the same, if i am asked. what will matthew ba rzun be to do the same, if i am asked. what will matthew barzun be doing when he gets back into the state?” will matthew barzun be doing when he gets back into the state? i do not know what i will do but i know where, my adopted city in kentucky, lowell. i encourage you and yours to visit that someday. —— louisville in kentucky. the home of the late, great muhammad ali. do you have a message for the people of the uk? we are ina message for the people of the uk? we are in a time of great change, our own challenges in the uk. i have not asked you about brexit but the view of president obama last year was clear on that. but do you have a message to the people of the uk as you read? i do, and thank you for that opportunity. i would like to thank you and everyone at the bbc for the amazing job you all do everyday. greatjournalism. iwould personally like to thank everybody in the uk, the people of the uk, who have shown me and my family such a warm welcome from the very beginning, then perhaps broadening that even more. and a half of americans in the uk and back home, thank you for generations and generations of cooperation in the past, and finally, i guess... let‘s stay engaged together, and by that i mean the strength of the special relationship going forward, all those young people we spoke about. i am so confident that they are engaged, which does not always mean agreeing. there is room for agreement and disagreement and that is healthy and normal, it has been our history together. let‘s never get apathetic or cynical, let‘s stay engaged with each other. that is what makes this thing special. the strength lies in its flexibility. it is not some rigid orfragile thing and that has been an honour to be a temporary steward of and i will continue as a citizen back in america. mr ambassador, good to see you, and for the last time, thank you, and for the last time, thank you very much, thank you for coming in. we wish you well. thank you. time to have a look at the weather. it is now slowing in the middle of london. the snow has been following for the last several hours as the temperature has fallen steadily through the day. the day started out wet across southern and central parts of england and wales and it has turned into a white evening in some places. the snow is settling particularly over high ground but evenin particularly over high ground but even in low levels we are getting steadily slashing of snow. there is the radar picture. the snow is across the west of london principally at the moment but it will be spreading across london and towards east anglia and kent over the next hour or two. a very nasty night out there. if you are on the move conditions will be slippery. it does not last forever. the rain and snow mix will clear later this evening but the next problem, temperatures will plummet as the skies clear. a slippery night out there, across the whole of the uk, particularly with wintry showers continuing in the north and west of england, the midlands, parts of ireland. a blizzard raging across the high ground of northern scotland. temperatures will be close to freezing, just about nationwide, particularly with the snow cover. through the early hours we have another problem. a band of sleet and snow will start to move out of scotla nd snow will start to move out of scotland and slide down the eastern side of england. inland, there could bea side of england. inland, there could be a sense of that in a few places into the london area in time for the morning rush hour. keep an eye on that. deals battering the east coast as well, so this could well be a typical scene where you are tomorrow morning —— gales battering the east coast. the gales will continue with coastal flooding on the east coast, but for most of us, lots of pleasant sunshine. if you are wearing several layers, that is, because temperatures will not be very high and will struggle to get above freezing with the snow cover. a frosty start to saturday. lots of sunshine, wintry showers along coastal areas turning less called later out west. the news is coming up later out west. the news is coming up next. —— less cold. it is the latest controversy to hit donald trump. it is clear about what took place, about russian involvement in efforts to hack information and to have an impact on american democracy. we‘ll be following the latest developments in this controversy. also tonight: blizzards sweep across the uk — driving‘s treacherous, dozens of flights are cancelled and there‘s warnings of more disruption on the way. justice for the hillsborough disaster victims —