i think that, getting the vaccine for all londoners. ithink that, in getting the vaccine for all londoners. i think that, in terms of background, i hope that what i'm saying would be really obvious, but this virus which will be with us now for the foreseeable future will continue to produce mutations over time. many of these willjust die out, we will never know about them, they will not provide any benefit to they will not provide any benefit to the virus, some will spread but they don't make any difference one way or the other. a few of them will have new properties. whilst there is no strong new properties. whilst there is no strong pressure new properties. whilst there is no strong pressure from very widespread immunity, although that is probably some, it is fairly unlikely they will be massively advantaged by having an ability to evolve around those variants. you are right that if overall, the tendency is for things to become less virulent than more redolent, if anything, but that is ofa more redolent, if anything, but that is of a

i think that, getting the vaccine for all londoners. ithink that, in getting the vaccine for all londoners. i think that, in terms of background, i hope that what i'm saying would be really obvious, but this virus which will be with us now for the foreseeable future will continue to produce mutations over time. many of these willjust die out, we will never know about them, they will not provide any benefit to they will not provide any benefit to the virus, some will spread but they don't make any difference one way or the other. a few of them will have new properties. whilst there is

making london question, about london, will it go to tier 3? making london tier 3, says the mail, quoting tory mps, will inflict catastrophic damage. but then i suppose it is a question, james, isn't it, lots of other areas of england are tier 3 because they have had high infection rates, london shouldn't be treated any differently, should it? no, i live in london and i agree with you, there is already a sense that london gets special treatment and i understand people in other areas being angry about that. however, look at the hit to the economy that we would take if we put london into tier 3. the estimate is that it would cost the economy £3 billion, possibly 500,000 jobs. yesterday, the high streets in the country took £3 billion every minute. that is how important this period is for businesses, and i have spent the whole of this review criticising the government, i know, but in the distance i don't envy them this decision, it is really hard, the economy versus health, it is what has baffled and often defeated them throughout this pandemic

, kevin fenton, warning the population of london and anybody who goes to london that this is a very serious situation. 0bviously, goes to london that this is a very serious situation. obviously, the people make the decision at the end of the day will the politicians. was it right for the politicians to say what obviously everybody wants, which is to be able to have as normal a christmas as possible, and therefore the relaxation was announced for the christmas period, but other countries are now saying that actually, the case numbers are too serious for that and they have now changed their approach. is the approach in this country still right? that line is going in and out u nfortu nately. that line is going in and out unfortunately. but that was professor sian griffiths. one of britain's best known spy novelists — john le carre has died aged 89, following a short illness. described as an "undisputed giant of english literature", his most famous works include tinker tailor soldier spy, the night manager and the spy who came in from the cold. 0ur reporter keith doyle takes a look back at hi

the new tier 3 measures measures for greater london and parts the new tier 3 measures for greater london and parts of essex and hertfordshire mean that from midnight tonight, some 3a million people in england will be living under the highest level of restrictions. i recognise the problems it's going to cause for hospitality and other businesses, and the effect on mental health for a lot of people, as well. but i think, unfortunately, it is the right decision and i think, in the end, taking it earlier rather than waiting to do it on saturday is probably also going to prove to be the right decision. the health secretary, matt hancock, told the house of commons that in some areas of the south—east the number of cases was now doubling every seven days. we have seen early action can help prevent more damaging and longer lasting problems later. mr speaker, these restrictions will come into force at midnight on wednesday morning. because when the virus moves quickly, we must move quickly, too. and we must take the actions that are not necessarily easy, but are effective. and there is also con

people in london might say, why have you not carved up london into different tiers? well, i think the fact that essex, which is a very large county of 2 million people, has been divided shows that if there was a case for it in london, the government would have done it in london. you also mentioned the government has brought forward this decision. i think that shows how evenhanded the government is being with regard to some of the controversy about the north. this is not a punishment of any part of england. this is being as tough on london as the government is being on other parts of the country. so i am very relieved that east essex is left out of this because we are next to suffolk, suffolk is in tier 2, infection rates, positivity rates, hospital capacity has far more in common with suffolk than with the western parts of essex which have far more in common with london because they are much more affected by commuting from london. we have heard from the prime minister and health secretary in the past he said that the trouble is that people drive around a county, they

in part that border london, parts of cans. “— in part that border london, parts of cans. —— kent. we want to keep schools open. lets speak now to professor paul hunter, professor of medicine at the university of east anglia. a slightly different approach in england compared to wales, let us start with my the health secretary is introducing testing to these particularly ha rd—hit areas. is introducing testing to these particularly hard—hit areas. what are the figures that are of such co nte nt ? are the figures that are of such content? i think it is generally well known that london has seen a surge in the last week or so cases but when you are actually a look at the age breakdown of those, it has been driven largely by an increase in the ten through 19 age group and that increase when you look back, that increase when you look back, that has been increasing throughout lockdown and in the before and that age group has been incredibly rare the greater london cases have been occurring. less so in the southeast region by setting the greater london has been largely the growth in te

not many of those in london. her dress as cancer, bars, pubs and restaurants as they closed except for delivery and takeaway. this is 0xford except for delivery and takeaway. this is oxford circus and regent street. these are areas heavily concentrated on the hospitality sector, a sector which says it is going to suffer dramatically with the introduction of tier 3 rules. enter entertainment venues, such as billing venues, cinemas, must also stay close and people are advised not to travel to or from tear 33 areas. joining me now is professor sir sam everington, who has also been a gp in tower hamlets since 1989 and is also a trustee at the health think tank, the king's fund. at the health think tank, end, at the health think tank, professor, this, many will was end, professor, this, many will say, was inevitable. absolutely. i mean, the numbers really speak for themselves. capacity in the hospitals was reaching 95% for covid, it was on the increase, particularly bad where i am in tower hamlets on the east end of l

in itself, it is, i think, in london and the south—east. in itself, it is, ithink, taking in london and the south—east. in itself, it is, i think, taking what the prime minister, new information. but the data was pretty clear before this to have determined that relaxing rules at christmas was the wrong thing to do, and that should have been reversed. i am saying we had the data and may not have known about the new variant at the time, but had enough data to show that the last thing you needed to do was relax rules at a time when the infection was rapidly spreading and increasing the numbers of patients in hospital beds. good to talk to you as always. the chair of the council of british medical association, thank you. more on this new variant of coronavirus. government advisors say the mutation is now the dominant strain in the capital, as our health correspondent katherine da costa explains. hospitals in parts of london, kent and essex are coming under intense pressure. they are seeing a surge in new covid admissions, up by around a third

so in london, over 60% of all the cases where the new variant. so what this tells us is that this new variant not only moves fast, it is increased in its terms of being able to transmit but it is a beating all of the others in terms of transmission and has become dominant. this virus transmits and breads fast. does it alter the disease course? the answer seems to be know as far as we can tell at the moment. there is no evidence it causes a more severe disease, more hospitalisation, more trouble than the other virus. it basically looks similar. does it alter the immune response, or is the immune system less able to recognise it? there are theoretical reasons to suspect some of the changes might alter some of the immune response but nothing has been seen to suggest that is the case, and our working assumption at the moment from all of the scientists is that the vaccine response should be adequate for this virus. that obviously needs to be looked at going forward and we need to keep vigilant about this, but the big change therefore is not disease pr

let's bring in our bloomberg news director for emea in london. let's talk about the latest headlines. it is our favorite topic. it always come down -- comes down to fish. e.u. fishingthe quota. who wins here? >> that is a really interesting question. we just got those few details about the quota cut you mention. it is worth bearing in mind the position both sides took at the beginning of this. the brits said they wanted a 60% cut. the europeans said they would not stand for any cuts at all. the french and the dutch at etc., their fishing boats had to have the same access. both sides have moved. if you do the simple math, clearly it is slightly more weighted toward the european side. there may be a little more to that. there is a transition period for this new thing to come in. both sides were way apart on this. the europeans wanting a decade. it has ended up at five. that is perhaps favoring the british view more. what we do not know is a crucial detail, which is what the penalties could be if the british decide to change that number. perpetuity?

london last night, as some made a last—minute journey before lockdown started. but there won't be the usual christmas getaway this year. significant restrictions are now in place in large parts of england and in the whole of wales. and they are coming in scotland. and for millions, christmas visits will be considerably shortened or cancelled altogether. for lesley nelson, who has terminal cancer, that means she won't be able to spend time with her sister. literally, i just sat in my chair in floods of tears. and messaging my family, you know, what are we going to do? itjust seems so unfair. for somebody like me, i'm terminally ill, i won't be here next christmas. people may think, 0k, that's all right. we'll celebrate christmas in the summer. i don't know if i'm going to be here in the summer. my sister is going to be sitting at home by herself 100 miles away, and her presents are under the tree. 70 million people in england are back in lockdown. in london, the east and south east of england, people are being urged to stay at home. non—essential shops are clos

others coming back to london had mixed feelings. i don't really understand. i don't know if i'm going to get to my mum's for christmas, which is tier four. i mean, i live alone, so i could say they're my support bubble. i don't know. london train stations that operate longer—distance routes — like king's cross and here at euston — say that this weekend has been noticeably busier than a normal pandemic weekend, but that it is still relatively quiet. train operators are keen to point out that it is not the job of their staff to enforce these rules, that's for the police, but how heavy—handed will they be? british transport police have said there'll be more officers at major transport hubs, and that officers will only use enforcement if absolutely necessary. in scotland, the police have said that they will double their presence in the borders area, but that it wasn't appropriate for officers to establish checkpoints or roadblocks. others are worried that many will have left already for christmas. speaking today, the health secretary reacted to these pict

what we need in london is continued gratefully, rates are a huge burden on businesses in london. we need more of the small ground support, as we had earlier in the year, and we need access to loa ns the year, and we need access to loans as well, and an extension of the furlough scheme. those four things would provide business with reassurance, and if those four rings were extended, really, into the summer, then businesses, even if they were not going to claim them, because things got better, they would at least be able to plan. at the moment, they have shops full of stocks, restau ra nts they have shops full of stocks, restaurants full of food, this is all going to go to waste if it is not used, and somehow they have got to recover that cash. also, as well, for theatres, it is a huge blow on theatres, it is a huge blow on the west end. they have just reopened, having been closed for many, many months this year. and they will also need extra support, is that the thinking? they will comedy culture secretary has said they will be supported, but we are suspicious of the government is

we have started doing it in london. sorting that out with schools around the country would be a huge undertaking. not at all. we have started to roll it out in london, i want to thank the government for moving quickly and there. we have started mass testing in some schools, we have 500 secondary schools in london. the mass testing is now available. we can use the christmas period to make sure all the schools can reopen safely. those schools which currently do not have the mass testing i think should be advised by the government to close a day or two early. these are secondary schools and colleges, not primary schools where there does not appear to be a spread of a virus. we have to make sure that our children are safe but they do not pass the virus to elder relatives. these children could be at school until friday and have the virus and not realising it, they will be literally hugging and kissing their grandparents next week. how would we feel if knowing the vaccine is being rolled out, there's elderly relations caught

. infection rates in parts of london and the south-east. london probably doesn't need to go into tier 3 because otherwise we are going to just have even more problems, we're coming up to christmas and the relaxation of the rules for the christmas period, and then we are looking down the track had problems injanuary, looking down the track had problems in january, february. looking down the track had problems in january, february. parents and children arriving this morning at primary schools in greenwich what is now going to be the last day of term. parents at these schools were informed yesterday that they would be closing a few days early and switching to online learning where possible. what can we do? we need to just go on with it and get of the way. at least it would help the incidents, that's fine. it is too short notice to get any sort of child in place. so we will be taking the day off unpaid, coming up to christmas, which is not doable. people mix while they are dropping the kids at school so we can see that the cases are rising. the

a deal is done but not on london's financial services. we will ask if europe's most important etf hub will continue to rise and prosper outside the e.u. and as investors continue to try to catch crypto from a, will regulation dampen the bitcoin party. we just got a new record, more than 28,500 euros. pastean etf assets soared the trillion euros in 2020, cash flowed into equity funds on vaccine optimism. intelligenceberg wreck -- globally, bloomberg intelligence ranges trade-weighted options over $1 trillion in 2021. let's go to paul from newton in management -- from newton management. see it playing out next year? paul: well, i think the positive development here is that the active atf market is growing, and that is something which should be to the benefit of active managers. for pasteen the news investment, but actually etf's will be a growing market, and that means more will be available for investors and that .ould only be a good thing also the fact that the asset, arepoint at markets respected on a more discerning basis. matt: we will

if you do it for london from you have to do it elsewhere, the problem of courses london is the financial behemoth that drives the whole country commits the biggest economic centre, it's worth so much business is done, so it's worth so much business is done, so much spending is done, and you upset people in london, that's a fit of the population from a virtually of the population from a virtually of england certainly straightaway. i still certainly feel that those in the rural areas will feel quite angry and disappointed and let down commanders hope that this ends soon because we are going for nine months, we probably got another four 01’ months, we probably got another four or five months until there months, we probably got another four orfive months until there is widespread vaccination, that's a long time, and it's miserable at the moment, it's grim. there is a bit of leeway coming, obviously for christmas break, although, that seems an odd thing to do now. if we say that half a country should be going into tier 3 from wednesday and yet a week later, everyone gets sprung into basical

and, of course, people in tiers one, two or three are saying london might be bringing us are saying london might be bringing us infections picked up on the journey, terrible times. the rules coming out from government and all of the organisations including network rail and all of the rail operators is do not travel unless you absolutely have to. we have heard of italy and the netherlands banning travel to the uk. what about long haul flights? those banning travel to the uk. what about long haulflights? those are coming on as normal, and i think a lot of people will be surprised there is a lot of activity coming into heathrow, luton, manchester, sta nsted and so heathrow, luton, manchester, stansted and so on. gatwick airport is fully open. we are seeing a whole sequence of flight restrictions. it almost reminds me of going back nine months to the middle of march when we had very short notice restrictions. i am we had very short notice restrictions. iam hearing we had very short notice restrictions. i am hearing austria has also banned the uk. france and germany which would be the two most

a lot of talk of london. the cases are rising in london. they are not yet at the levels we saw in places put into tier 3 last month, so places put into tier 3 last month, so not yet at their levels. hospital capacity, still a fair amount but it is still finely balanced. i don't think we will see a lot of these using of restrictions because close to christmas that would send the wrong message. we will see some areas in to go up to tier 3 but of course there is a lot of hype with the vaccination programme starting and we will hear little bit about that today. —— hope. and we will hear little bit about that today. -- hope. we heard from the common words of caution. yes, we are seeing people vaccinated but that cannot allow people to be tempted to take their foot off the pedal as it were and to ease up on obeying restrictions of. it was a huge boost for the country to see the first patients and health and ca re the first patients and health and care staff getting their vaccinations this week and that will continue next week. the vaccination

saw london go into tier 3. i think it is important that we all think carefully about contacts we all think carefully about co nta cts we we all think carefully about contacts we a re we all think carefully about contacts we are going to make over christmas. certainly, iwill contacts we are going to make over christmas. certainly, i will be speaking with my immediate family and trying to minimise contact with other people because i am conscious that as a member of parliament, i travel into london so i do pose an additional risk for people and it is imperative that i do my bit and everybody acts responsibly over the festive period, which i know it's hard. caroline nokes, it is good of you tojoin us, thank you hard. caroline nokes, it is good of you to join us, thank you for your time this afternoon. from the united states, we a re time this afternoon. from the united states, we are hearing that the us senate majority leader, mitch mcconnell, a republican, has congratulated president electjoe biden and vice presid

so, london into tier 3 today, as far as you're concerned? i don't have access to the epidemiological evidence. i represent the nhs, and what the nhs trust leaders are saying to us is that they are getting increasingly concerned about what is going on here. they are seeing rapidly rising rates of infection that is now turning into rapidly rising numbers of hospital admissions and what they've got is, their most busy period of the year coming up in late december and january, they have some very important patients they need to treat, people who have had their planned care delayed from the first phase, it's obviously covid patients, we also know that we will get more emergency patients overwinter, we are also trying to vaccinate the population which is really important. so they are very clear. the only way they can do all of that is if we properly control the number of covid patients coming into hospital and that at the moment can only be done by having an appropriately strong and tough restrictions on social contact. what they are saying to us

i am francine lacqua here in london. now let's get straight to the , bloomberg business flash, here's leigh-ann gerrans. hi, leigh-ann. leigh-ann: good morning francine. ,salesforce is buying slack for nearly $28 billion. it is the software giant's largest ever acquisition, giving a control of the popular workplace communications platform. the deal is a premium first like's stock price just a week ago. goldman sachs is lifting frictions that block essential stock on its london office, as the u.k.'s month-long lockdown ends, employees no longer have to work from home. other firms in the city of london will likely let more return, giving businesses in the city a boost in the run-up to christmas. backlash from investors. bloomberg sources say the firm will let options expire instead of maintaining the position. softbank's foray into derivatives were first disclosed back in september, cutting the company's market value by as much as $17 billion. no official, yet from softbank. and that is your bloomberg business flash. franc

your family moved to london from jamaica. you as a kid saw it was a pretty tough life being a black kid on the streets of inner london. not least a tough life in terms of relationship with police. absolutely. it even happened when i went to school andi happened when i went to school and i come out of band practice and i come out of band practice and my trumpet, my satchel and i'd still get started. what we re i'd still get started. what were you doing now. what's in his trumpet case? a trumpet. i found really challenging and my father used to stand up for me when he got stopped by police and unfortunately he was a victim of a savage beating by police when i was actually in the process ofjoining. you can imagine how no way am i gonna bea imagine how no way am i gonna be a cop after all theirs. because how my hero my father had been savagely beaten over a traffic matter. i don't like i can imagine. i certainly cannot imagine how you would then second—guess yourself. and indeed overcame the suspicion and hostility of also your

professor whitty particularly, london has been in tier 2 for almost two we e ks london has been in tier 2 for almost two weeks and cases have soared, kent has been in tier 3 for almost three weeks and cases have soared, is it time to accept the current tiers are possibly not enough to control this pandemic? thanks very much. 0n the modelling around christmas, it all depends on people's behaviour. the most important thing is that people are cautious and careful, ahead of christmas. and during christmas. hence, we are saying that so clearly. and i think it is said to me, from talking to people, the response i get, this is how most people are thinking about christmas isa time people are thinking about christmas is a time can to see loved ones who we may not have been able to see for a long time, but to do so really carefully. and so it isn't about doing the maximum that the rules allow, it is about taking personal responsibility. the tears are an attempt to find a balance between the things that suppress the virus and the things that do minimal damage to peoples livelihoods and lives whils

and the corporation of london to. this is the kind of story about... you just don't know what to think. it's very evident that the infections are happening in schools and the solution may be to close schools. however, our children have lost enough education. we know that there were a whole weeks when many children during lockdown when the schools were closed were not being implicated at all. so we know that this is going to exacerbate the education that we already have. also, it is very interesting, in this assumption that london is going to go into tier 3, london should be the powerhouse of the economy. it's the powerhouse of the economy. it's the area where huge numbers of people have already been furloughed. if we see the closure of restaurants etc, who knows what's going to be happening in the new year. so i think this is something which i think this is something which i think the government should start giving us some clarity sooner rather than later. also, how does this square with this sort of dickensian christ

well, my guest, leroy logan, was one of london's top black policeman until he retired, seven years ago. how easy is it to root out discrimination dressed in a police uniform? leroy logan, welcome to hardtalk. thank you very much for the invitation. it's great to be here. well, we are delighted to have you, not least because you have written a fascinating memoir, and you've entitled it closing ranks: my life as a cop, so it's pretty clear what it's about. you talk about your decision to join the police force many, many years ago as — what you say — as a calling. you make it sound like some sort of religious commitment as a young man that you made to policing. well, it had to be as strong as that, because my career path after my science degree was to be a clinical researcher at the royal free hospital and possibly going into medicine, so i was very clear on my career path, and then this strong sort of unquenchable voice just kept on resonating. i was questioning my sanity. "why would i want to do policing, having experienced so much during the days of the ‘70s?" and i saw how my fa

of london? i had friends that were doing it, but! of london? i had friends that were doing it, but i was trying to be, i didn't think it would be a good year. i was seeing things in social media, seeing how busy the streets we re media, seeing how busy the streets were looking and stations were looking, and it didn't sit right with me. so i've stayed. laura, you sound like somebody who has meticulously follow the rules from day one, does that make it particularly upsetting that you are now being punished, potentially, for people who have not followed the rules ? people who have not followed the rules? yeah, definitely. as frustrating as a student when there are people who have really, really large gatherings. they know that eve ryo ne large gatherings. they know that everyone wants to have fun and freshers is a thing we have missed out on, but it makes more challenging. notjust that, but stu d e nts challenging. notjust that, but students have a really bad rap. it is not just students have a rea

a new coronavirus variance with spreading alarmingly in london and the southeast he said adding that the world health organization had been alerted to the mutant strain it's 70 percent more transmissible and a new 4th tier of restrictions is needed residents in those areas most stay at home apart from limited exemptions set out in law non-essential retail indoor gyms and leisure facilities and personal care services was close individuals can only meet one person from another household in an outdoor public space must just days ago boris johnson mocked his opposition rival kier starmer for questioning why restrictions were being eased for christmas and if he really is going to press ahead with this can he tell us what's the assessment and has it been done of the impact that it will have on infection rates and increase pressure on the n.h.s. what's the impact. mr speaker we should have the guts just to say what he really wants to do which is to cancel the plans people have made and cancel cancel christmas that's really that's what i think that's what he's driving at this is bigger. lond

the health secretary labels crowded scenes at london stations last night as ‘irresponsible'. the transport secretary says extra police officers will be deployed to enforce the rules. the republic of ireland is to restrict air and sea travel with britain from midnight, and the netherlands,

i live in plymouth in devon, three days a week i work in london andi three days a week i work in london and i rents a room in a family home during this time. is that still allowed ? during this time. is that still allowed? in principle you are allowed? in principle you are allowed to travel across tiers for essential purposes, and workers counted on that. i think that probably would be allowed. obviously, i would take every possible precaution that you can in terms of making sure that when you stay and this other accommodation, you maintain as much isolation as possible within that household. naomi, a question from christine. is ita naomi, a question from christine. is it a possibility that the new covid variant cubicles by the winter weather? it is an interesting possibility, but it turns out probably not because viruses mutate all the time, they produce new variants every time they replicate. admittedly, coronavirus fewer than most, but they do still do that. it is just most, but they do still do that. it isjust a most, but they do still do that. it is just a matter of the virus repli

crowded scenes outside london last night. extra police officers ——

be that high in london that we are considering something like that and still leaving london interior two. it is surprising and the guardian suggests that london is heading for tier three. some burros suddenly high case numbers. —— some burros. back to coronavirus in a moment but i want to focus on the independent‘s front page. it is the absolutely devastating inquiry into shrewsbury and telford hospital trust, lynn. the voices that were heard in this inquiry, it is incredibly difficult to read. really, really just sad. is incredibly difficult to read. really, reallyjust sadlj is incredibly difficult to read. really, reallyjust sad. i saw the report on the 6pm news and i couldn't believe it, i hadn't managed to pilot the story in detail andi managed to pilot the story in detail and i really... the parents that we re and i really... the parents that were 011 and i really... the parents that were on the television earlier were absolutely, it was heartbreaking to see. “— absolutely, it was heartbreaking to see. “ manage absolutely, it was heartbreaking to see. —— manage t

and london we now on the southeast and london we will see a picture which i think begins to link into the new virus variant. next slide please. this is hospital admissions per day in london, east of england, and the southeast from nhs data from september through to now. you can see a gradual increase the number of hospital admissions per day and you can see a very sharp increase during december. this virus has taken off, it's moving fast, and it's leading inevitably to a sharp increase in hospital admissions. inevitably to a sharp increase in hospitaladmissions. next inevitably to a sharp increase in hospital admissions. next slide, please. if we now lookjust at the areas that are moving into tier 4 is the prime minister hasjust said and which is areas in london, the southeast and the east, and look at the numberof southeast and the east, and look at the number of cases, the case rate against time, what you can see is that the number of cases increase for the case rate increases dramatically. if you look at the dotted line that's for england at the whole, is the case rate increasing t

nearly 18 million people in london and south—east england move into stricter tier 4 restrictions from midnight — people must stay at home, and non—essential shops have to close. for those in tier 4 — it means the relaxation of rules at christmas has been scrapped — and reduced to one day, the 25th, for the rest of england. we must be realistic. we are sacrificing the chance to see our loved ones this christmas so we have a better chance of protecting their lives, so that we can see them at future christmases. the new restrictions are due to a spike in cases — that's being blamed on a fast—spreading new variant of the disease. the whole of wales is to be placed under lockdown from midnight, with festive rules cancelled for all but christmas day. scotland reduces the five—day festive window for mixing with other households indoors to just christmas day itself — and imposes a "strict travel ban" between itself and the rest of the uk. let's recap on the very significant changes that have been announced for christmas and london and the south east — affecting 17.7 million

others coming back to london had mixed feelings. to go. others coming back to london had mixed feelingslj to go. others coming back to london had mixed feelings. i don't understand, i don't know if i am going to get to my mother's for christmas, which is tier 4 and i live alone so i could say they are my support bubble, i don't know. london train stations that operate longer distance routes like king‘s cross and euston say this weekend has been noticeably busier than normal pandemic weekend but is still relatively quiet. train operators are keen to point out it is not the job of their staff to enforce these rules, that is for the police, but how heavy—handed will they be? british transport police have said there will be more officers at major transport hubs and offices will only use enforcement if absolutely necessary. in scotland, police have said they will double their presence in the borders area and that it was not appropriate for offices to establish checkpoints or roadblocks. 0thers establish checkpoints or roadblocks. oth

london last night, where some made a last—minute journey before lockdown started. but there won't be the usual christmas getaway this year. significant restrictions are now in place in large parts of england and in the whole of wales. and they are coming in scotland. and for millions, christmas visits will be considerably shortened or cancelled altogether. for lesley nelson, who has terminal cancer, that means she won't be able to spend time with her sister. literally, i just sat in my chair in floods of tears. and messaging my family, you know, what are we going to do? itjust seems so unfair. for somebody like me, i'm terminally ill, i won't be here next christmas. people may think, 0k, that's all right. we'll celebrate christmas in the summer. i don't know if i'm going to be here in the summer. my sister is going to be sitting at home by herself 100 miles away, and her presents are under the tree. 70 million people in england are back in lockdown. in london, the east and south east of england, people are being urged to stay at home. nonessential shops are closed,

borisjohnson of the virus in london and the south—east. boris johnson yesterday said that the rates of the virus we re said that the rates of the virus were worrying. notably, he did not rule out the possibility of a third national lockdown for england. we know, after christmas, wales and northern ireland have already chosen to do that. these words from chris whitty as well that we have had in the last hour. saying that they now consider this new strain to be spreading more quickly. sol consider this new strain to be spreading more quickly. so i think thatis spreading more quickly. so i think that is likely to be a focus. that might be the problem, what solution are they going to come two days before there is set to be this relaxation of the rules for christmas? up to three households able to mix. it is clear across the uk that is not what people should have as a target. they should still avoid longer christmas festivities. but clearly this idea of travel restrictions we know it was discussed last night in a separate call with ministers. a

this is peter's church in south london. he dedicated his life to helping others — turned his church hall into a night shelterfor the homeless, inspired his congregation to volunteer. my my dad liked to help the community. he always had time for people. he liked to build things up and he really enjoyed to see people doing their best. he really enjoyed being around people that needed help. people like sam. the reverend holmes gave sam a key to his church so he didn't have to sleep on the street. what do you think would have happened to you if you hadn't had father peter's help? i would be dead by now. peter was kind of an inspiration, because what he did was he saw the need and he just com pletely he saw the need and he just completely reconfigured his church around that need. so it was both amazing what he did and he was quite inspiring for the rest of us as he made you think, you can do this. it's quite a brave thing. peter spent a month in intensive care before he died. he was 64. 0n the day of his funeral, the roads lea

and watching live from london. on the program macau 21 years since its return to chinese control in. one country 2 systems. and then what's behind a series of attacks try this. story. hello the weather still looks pretty mild but so wet some when the across western parts of here but to change is on the way because this cold front which is sliding its way for the race with some right on that is a weakening feature right that we do have across the passage and he will gradually fizzle out showers rolling in behind in this because i want for the next couple days this next system well gravity rolling from the atlantic that's something to watch out for later on in the way for the time being more wet weather coming in across the fronts pushing into the low countries there's a wakening front that's making its way across the boat 6 has begun one into monday central east imposture and retry for the time being but this west of weather will continue to push its way through the ace was so warm weather coming in across the north

this man from south london resolved his big family won‘t get together. i think i'm choosing to be wise and say, look, let's celebrate later on next year. i think the consequences of actually mingling are just too great. this man, a teacher, won‘t see his family from italy now either. it's a very annoying situation, but i can't see it getting better because they're talking about now zone four, which is even stricter. i can't understand what's stricter than this. the prime minister pushed to take action he decided against earlier this week. it is with a very heavy heart i must tell you we cannot continue with christmas as planned. in england, those living in tier 4 areas should not mix with anyone outside their own household at christmas, though support bubbles will remain in place for those at particular risk of loneliness or isolation. we have a particularly fast—moving problem with increased numbers in the area going into tier 4 but a generalised increase across the country. there were calls for you to drop the plans for christmas last week just a f

andy moore is at oxford street in central london. last night, people piling into the shops to do some very last minute christmas shopping after they heard boris johnson's announcement. a christmas shopping after they heard borisjohnson's announcement. a very different scene this morning. what a difference a day makes. if i had been studied 2a hours ago, there would have been crowds hustling and bustling bay. now it is virtually deserted and i don't think it is going to get any busier during the day. this should be the busiest time of the year for the shops. they should be making millions, if not billions of pounds, so that revenue is going to be lost in the time up until christmas. the shops here in the west end say it is catastrophic for business and are asking for more government aid. cbi say these new regulations are a kick in the teeth. the reaction in london last night when these new regulations were announced, while chris whitty was announced, while chris whitty was announced what advice he would give people who are packing up

nearly 18 million people in london and south—east england move into stricter tier a restrictions from midnight — people must stay at home, and non—essential shops have to close. for those in tier a — it means the relaxation of rules at christmas has been scrapped — and reduced to one day, the 25th, for the rest of england. we must be realistic. we are sacrificing the chance to see our loved ones this christmas so we have a better chance of protecting their lives, so that we can see them at future christmases. the new restrictions are due to a spike in cases — that's being blamed on a fast—spreading new variant of the disease. the whole of wales is to be placed under lockdown from midnight, with festive rules cancelled for all but christmas day. scotland reduces the five—day festive window for mixing with other households indoors to just christmas day itself — and imposes a "strict travel ban" between itself and the rest of the uk. let's recap on the very significant changes that have been announced for christmas and london and the south east — affecting 17.7 million

in the east of england it is 59% and in london at 62%. the numbers may vary slightly but those numbers are broadly right and those have gone up very, very fa st over and those have gone up very, very fast over the last few weeks. so this has really gone incredibly quickly. they are much lower in other areas of the country. looking at the racing increase in hospitalisations with the numbers of people in hospital across the country in areas where this is very common seeing rates increasingly beat 36% in the east of england, 34% in london and 28% in the south—east and these are the areas which have significant numbers of this new variant. if you go to say the north we st variant. if you go to say the north west and north east of yorkshire in these areas we have had no increase in hospitalisations, they are managing to keep things down in tier 3and managing to keep things down in tier 3 and looking at the rates of this new variant in those areas you see that they are much lower. in brookshire and the humber for example around 5%. again exac

london time. later, we will speak to the mayor of london, sadiq khan. that interview is just after 10:30 a.m. london time. now, joining us this morning to digest all of the latest news, tatiana. good morning to you. i want to get your sense of the situation. we are hearing so much out of brussels and london. it seems like the effective deadline is going to be thursday at this eu summit. do you think we reach a compromise by then? >> good morning. they keep us guessing, don't they? you know, i'm torn. it seems they, market is not. the market thinks a deal is on the table because it makes economic sense. i'm maybe a little less optimistic about that because it's not just about economics. it is about ideology and politics. this morning, as maria just said, it is clearly a positive that there is some movement on fishing. one would've thought it was possible to find an agreement there. there's a number of ways to cut it. one is the timing of the transition. you have something to play with. i would think that there is something similar on the playing field th

surprise, it was london, was in a? typical. typical. that sense that some parts of the country are getting more attention than others is felt not just between the regions of england, but also between the nations of the uk. mick ellis, for example, wrote this to us recently.... the bbc news channel is supposed to be national. alison coyle, writing from northern ireland on wednesday, had a similar perspective... and colin ainslie wasn't happy either... at least english viewers should be satisfied, you'd think. but the live broadcasts across the uk of briefings from scotland's first minister, nicola sturgeon, is annoying david watson, who emailed a couple of weeks ago... it's clear that you can't please all of the people, all of the time. but to tell us how the bbc tries to balance its coverage between the different nations and regions, i'm joined by toby castle, deputy news editorfor bbc news. thank you for coming on. let's start with the fact that huge parts of the uk have been in tier 3 for weeks even months. why did bbc news make such

in london. here is what you need to know. london's emergency lockdown. the prime minister makes a u-turn saying the latest mutation of the virus is impossible to ignore. written in isolation. italy amongany, and the country suspending travel from the united kingdom. congress working on a $900 billion stimulus bill. very good morning to you. monday morning. what a chaotic weekend it was. the latest u-turn from the british government setting some chaos in london and a swift response from the european nations including germany cutting off and curbing travel from the united kingdom. financial markets are digesting all of this with fresh fear regarding the mutation of the virus that the prime minister is saying it is 70% more transmissible. that is what is sowing some of the fear. pull up the markets. pressure on the major indices. that is the benchmark down more than 0.1%. you can see the underperformance when you look at the european sector. as of the 500 futures are flat. we have seen some fluctuation within the u.s. equity markets. good news in the united

in london and teri schultz in brussels thank you very much sheba. so you look at some of the other stories making headlines today threaten has become the 1st country in the world to authorize the coronavirus vaccine developed by astra zeneca and oxford university authorities say they plan to start rolling out the vaccine within days it's the 2nd coronavirus vaccine to be approved in the u.k. and comes as the country struggles with a huge surge in cases. a newly elected congressman in the u.s. state of louisiana has died of complications from coated 19 luke let blow was admitted to hospital on december 19th after testing positive for the virus he was due to be sworn into office on sunday he was just 41. chinese court has sentenced 10 hong kong activists to up to 3 years in prison on charges of illegally crossing the border the group were arrested by the chinese coast guard in august to allegedly on route to the democratic island of taiwan to minors who were also detained or reportedly being returned home home without charge. argentina's senate has vo

it's one of london ‘stop hotels but it's barely breaking even. keeping going as best they can but once again, businesses coming to a standstill. and you wish to cancel this booking due to the tiered three restrictions? customers don't have any choice and there has been more than 100 cancellations already. the restau ra nts than 100 cancellations already. the restaurants are doing a final serving. going to do about 160 today, lunch and dinner and then we will close, again. heartbreaking. they are making christmas lunch for the staff today, to use up some of the staff today, to use up some of the surplus food. a taste of what thousands of hospitality businesses are now dealing with as they go into tier 3. it's the lack of notice. the lack of understanding. and i actually think the decisions are wrong! the damage, you know? we cannot recover. there is many of us, many hotels, many restaurants and bars that won't get over this. and thatis bars that won't get over this. and that is the frustration and the angen that is the frustration and the anger. a

flat,l london has stayed while london as a whole is above 4%. but that can be said for many cities around the world, from l.a. to tokyo to many other places. it is interesting that homes have fared very well in this environment. francine: overall when you look at the prospect of a possible capital gains tax in the u.k. next year, what impact would that have on the luxury property market? niccolo: look, i think that everything that possibly could have been thrown to the property market has been thrown since 2014. the change to rules, the different hikes in -- one coming in for foreigners in just a few months. brexit. this would be one more thing that obviously would keep the market subdued, and that is why we have been in a flat to bear eight for seven to months. people talk about the one in the early 1990's, late 1980's, early 1990's, that was 36 months. it was quite protracted. that is why in the market we see pent-up demand. seven to eight months is quite a long period of time. francine: are bureau chief is writing income and he is watching wh