to insist this morning the government would do whatever was necessary to curb the rise in omicron infections, all of this leaves the pm with less room to manoeuvre. it seems the resignation of the government s key man in brussels may have an impact on policies much closer to home. charlotte rose, bbc news. a month long lockdown has begun in the netherlands in response to an expected surge in cases of the omicron variant. non essentialshops, bars, gyms hairdressers and other public venues will be closed until at least mid january. the measures announced last night make the country the first in the eu to re enter a strict nationwide lockdown. england s cricketers are heading for defeat in the second ashes test against australia in adelaide. they were set an unlikely 468 to win after the hosts declared, their chance of securing a draw now looks remote after they lost four wickets including their captain joe root. australia only need six wickets tomorrow to win the match and go two nil u