owen paterson tuit andjust plain wrong. owen paterson tuit the andjust plain wrong. owen paterson quit the commons, _ andjust plain wrong. owen paterson quit the commons, triggering - andjust plain wrong. owen paterson quit the commons, triggering a - quit the commons, triggering a by—election. more on that later. the damage was done, other mps's outside jobs came under the microscope. former attorney general geoffrey copps was criticised for using special covid rules to vote from the british virgin islands where he was working as a barrister. he said he had checked it was when the rules and appropriate. later in the month borisjohnson gave a speech in which he... boris johnson gave a speech in which he... ., boris johnson gave a speech in which he... s, s, boris johnson gave a speech in which he... ., ., oh, he... forgive me. forgive me. oh, es, he... forgive me. forgive me. oh, yes. slightly _ he... forgive me. forgive me. oh, yes, slightly baffled _ he... forgive me. forgive me. oh, yes, slightly baffled business - yes, slightly baffled business leaders by talki

that's owen paterson. the problem — more. that's owen paterson. the problem is — more. that's owen paterson. the problem is him, and that's a bit of a danger— problem is him, and that's a bit of a danger at — problem is him, and that's a bit of a danger at the moment. onlyr problem is him, and that's a bit of a danger at the moment.- a danger at the moment. only 30 seconds, a danger at the moment. only 30 seconds. l _ a danger at the moment. only 30 seconds, i name _ a danger at the moment. only 30 seconds, i name i _ a danger at the moment. only 30 seconds, i name i cannot - a danger at the moment. only 30 seconds, i name i cannot even i seconds, i name i cannot even pronounce who has a new title. he's gone for the house of lords and he's well—deserved at. right, a quick fire question for you both. martin, shed mercedes appeal again over next rest stop in's when, because they are threatening to do that. timer;r are threatening to do that. they robabl are threatening to do that. they probably che

paterson scandal of course _ sleaze, the owen paterson scandal of course was _ sleaze, the owen paterson scandal of course was an extraordinary situation _ course was an extraordinary situation where you saw downing street _ situation where you saw downing street trying to change the rules at the last— street trying to change the rules at the last minute in order to save one of their— the last minute in order to save one of their own — the last minute in order to save one of their own. it was a complex story but it— of their own. it was a complex story but it did _ of their own. it was a complex story but it did really cut through because _ but it did really cut through because itjust looked unfair and it feeds— because itjust looked unfair and it feeds into — because itjust looked unfair and it feeds into this narrative that we have _ feeds into this narrative that we have at— feeds into this narrative that we have at the moment about the parties and them _ have at the moment about the parties and them notjust being clear with the public— and them notjust being clear wit

that's owen paterson. the problem — more. that's owen paterson. the problem is — more. that's owen paterson. the problem is him, and that's a bit of a danger— problem is him, and that's a bit of a danger at — problem is him, and that's a bit of a danger at the moment. onlyr problem is him, and that's a bit of a danger at the moment.- a danger at the moment. only 30 seconds, a danger at the moment. only 30 seconds. i _ a danger at the moment. only 30 seconds, i name _ a danger at the moment. only 30 seconds, i name i _ a danger at the moment. only 30 seconds, i name i cannot - a danger at the moment. only 30 seconds, i name i cannot even i seconds, i name i cannot even pronounce who has a new title. he's gone for the house of lords and he's well—deserved at. right, a quick fire question for you both. martin, shed mercedes appeal again over next rest stop in's when, because they are threatening to do that. thea;r are threatening to do that. they robabl are threatening to do that. they probably chea

patterson has simply accepted —— owen paterson had accepted —— owen paterson had accepted the recommendations and simply have a 30 day suspension, a suspension which would have been over by now and the prime minister encouraged him to do it instead whipping bmps him to do it instead whipping bmps to do it, this would have taken place. his own authority is receiving a hammer blow from this by—election. the other reason it will be very damaging indeed is because we are in a situation where borisjohnson has had a very bad few months and lots of conservative mps have majorities are in second place and look at this result and find themselves in a very nervous place indeed. the conservative party was not a happy ship going into this by—election. at the other end of it it will be even worse. a, of it it will be even worse. a traditionally safe conservative seat as you mentioned, pro brexit, generally an older population. you have been in the region. why this swing? when we get the full results we can have a better idea of its ugly what has happened to the conservative vote. when knew what was be

affair, _ barnard castle, the owen paterson affair, at _ barnard castle, the owen paterson affair, at a — barnard castle, the owen paterson affair, at a local level, people think— affair, at a local level, people think it — affair, at a local level, people think it is _ affair, at a local level, people think it is one rule for the government and one for the rest of us. , , ., �* ., ., us. the thing is, you're going to reauire a us. the thing is, you're going to require a 2096 — us. the thing is, you're going to require a 2096 swing, _ us. the thing is, you're going to require a 2096 swing, if- us. the thing is, you're going to require a 2096 swing, if you - us. the thing is, you're going to require a 2096 swing, if you are| require a 20% swing, if you are going to win, if you are going to have the first labour mp in the 189 year history of the seat. how can you really bring back to back? we do that by running _ you really bring back to back? we do that by running a _ you really bring back to back? we do that by running a local _ you really bring back to back? we do that by r

owen paterson had a 22,000, nearly 23,000 majority. that's hard to overturn — it requires a big swing. why would local people choose something they don't know in the form of a liberal democrat? well, ithink, you know, we've been quite visible on the ground over the last year. we had a big local election campaign, and we came a good second in that, and i think local people, they and i think local people, just, they recognise that they've had conservatives not only at mp level but in the council for a long time, and they're ready to vote for something different, and i think we offer, sort of, a natural change from a traditional conservative voter, who might be thinking about changing their vote. if you were to be voted in, you'd be the 13th liberal democrat mp in westminster. how, with such a small group of mps, could you affect the kind of change that you want to see for this constituency? and amersham, you know, our 12th mp came along in the summer this year, and she had an immediate impact on planning law, because that was the top i

it's not been — week. —— owen paterson. it's not been good, — week. —— owen paterson. it's not been good, and people are willing to chat intended to say that the government should not go forward with further restrictions, but they can without overwhelming the nhs hold back— can without overwhelming the nhs hold back on having further measures, then that is going to please — measures, then that is going to please the backbenchers and what will really upset them i think is to be will really upset them i think is to he called — will really upset them i think is to be called back into the commons next week interrupting their christmas break. _ week interrupting their christmas break, which no one likes to do. and break, which no one likes to do. interrupting break, which no one likes to do. fific interrupting yours as break, which no one likes to do. fific interrupting yours as well, i imagine as cheap political correspondent at the mail. take us to the guardian. this is the other side effects, there is a danger that people look at the sink though, great, 50—70%

voters are electing a new member of parliament following the resignation of owen paterson, who stood down in the wake of a row over his conduct after he was found to have broken lobbying rules. the conservative party has had an mp in this area for almost 200 years, so any defeat is likely to intensify questions over borisjohnson�*s leadership. let's cross live now to the political editor for the region, elizabeth glinka, who's at the north shropshire count. elizabeth, what is happening? we are expecting an official result in the next hour or so, but what i can tell you is that as of now, the liberal democrats think they are on the cusp of a historic victory here in north shropshire. they think they have it, and notjust buy a little bit, they think they haveit a little bit, they think they have it comfortably. a short time ago i spoke to the liberal democrat mp for edinburgh west. christine jardine. we democrat mp for edinburgh west. christine jardine._ christine jardine. we came into this election _ christine jardine. we came into this election in _ christine jardine. we came into

yes, there wouldn't be i a by—election if he hadn't tried to save owen paterson. i mean, his suspension- would be almost over by now, had it been playedl slightly differently. so i don't think brand boris, - in a way, was damaged too much by the peppa pig thing, but i think a series - of whatever. . .. dominic cummings, his former aide, would call the trolley- going off or whatever, - the trolley going off the road of the car going off i the road, has hit him. but the point is, - on an economic basis, we have had a number of things that have come along recently. which may be we'll get to, which is the fact that - inflation is now rising faster than people's wages. - that is a pretty toxic area for any politician in any . country to be in. and it's notjust- happening in the uk. it's happening elsewhere. we should make that point. but when you're not getting i on in life, when you're working as hard as you can and i actually, prices are rising faster than you can afford - to pay for them, then you begin to feel you're not getting ahead. i and i think that's one - of

voters are electing a new mp following the resignation of owen paterson, who stood down in the wake of a row over his conduct, after he was found to have broken lobbying rules. the conservative party has held this seat for almost 200 years, so any defeat is likely to intensify questions over borisjohnson�*s leadership. with me now is lewis goodall who covers politics and policy for bbc newsnight. what is happening? it looks like we may be on the verge of one of the most sensational by—election results in britain for decade and i say that with no hyperbole. this is a rock solid conservative seat, that delivers conservative majorities since britain has been a democratic country and yet, tonight, liberal democrats were positioned themselves to borisjohnson were positioned themselves to boris johnson have were positioned themselves to borisjohnson have said this, they said they are not going to win —— notjust going to win, they will win comfortably. this is a disaster for boris johnson. and if the liberal democrats achieve what they say is a 30% swing it will be a body blow for bor

. —— owen join c, had a majority ofjust under 23,000. —— owen paterson. that hasjust been under 23,000. —— owen paterson. that has just been stripped away. an unbelievable result and it has shown that the campaign run by the liberal democrats here in shropshire has borne fruit. they have been out in numbers speaking to people. i would say what has been happening down in westminster has made it very, very difficult for the conservative candidate, neil shastri—hurst, but i think also there has been a feeling this is something dams have been trying to tap into on the doorstep is that this rural constituency, true blue conservative mp5 for almost 200 years has been taken for granted by the conservative party. there are issues here around services, about access to the nhs, waiting times for ambulances, and that is also part of the victory for the liberal democrats here. it seems to be a post brexit era because as we were hearing, this area did vote for brexit. voters appear to have forgiven the lib dems and their message that they can deliver for the peo

paterson debacle and overpromising and under delivering on the _ overpromising and under delivering on the rail— overpromising and under delivering on the rail announcement and this is your christmas party at number ten so i think— your christmas party at number ten so i think people are increasingly frustrated — so i think people are increasingly frustrated at how number ten in the prime _ frustrated at how number ten in the prime minister have been acting. your— prime minister have been acting. your thoughts on motivations by these pictures are being released now. t these pictures are being released now. ~' , these pictures are being released now. ~ , , , now. i think it is because the deniers keep _ now. i think it is because the deniers keep asking - now. i think it is because the deniers keep asking for- now. i think it is because the - deniers keep asking for evidence and people are now starting to really release pieces of evidence because what they are starting to see is we may be going to a second series of lockdown is in chaos and they are trying to point us in a wa

it follows the resignation of tory mp owen paterson, who was found to have breached parliamentary rules on lobbying. he won the last election — in 2019 — with a majority of nearly 23,000. but the lib dems�* helen morgan took the seat by almost 6,000 votes — making it the seventh biggest by—election swing in modern political history. our regional political editor for the midlands elizabeth glinka looks back at the night. cheering and applause tonight, the people of north shropshire have spoken on behalf of the british people. they have said loudly and clearly, borisjohnson, the party is over. your government run on lies and bluster will be held accountable. it will be scrutinised, it will be challenged, and it can and will be defeated. a historic victory for the liberal democrats, overturning a tory majority of nearly 23,000, a swing even bigger than the one that won chesham and amersham. this is a huge result that is going to send shock waves through westminster. helen morgan is the first liberal democrat and the first woman to win in north shropshire and she has given the pri

paterson. he was found to have broken lobbying rules. a bad result could heap more pressure on prime minister borisjohnson. scientists estimate last year's catastrophic wildfires in the world's largest tropical wetland — the pantanal in south america — killed as many as 17 million animals. they identified the species of three hundred reptiles, birds and mammal carcasses after walking more than 100 kilometres across mapped sections of the region. london is currently being hit hardest by the wave of new infections, with the highest and fastest rising cases. hospital admissions are also on rise too. with so many people becoming infected at the same time, there are concerns about staffing levels. our health editor hugh pym reports from st george's hospital in tooting. in intensive care, staff know that a covid wave is coming their way again. patient numbers have already started creeping up, and they have been warned to prepare for more in a few weeks�* time. we have been told to try and plan

owen paterson stepped down because it was — thoughts. owen paterson stepped down because it was found _ thoughts. owen paterson stepped down because it was found to _ thoughts. owen paterson stepped down because it was found to have _ because it was found to have breached lobbying rules, where do you stand on taking a second job? i would not take a second job but i have _ would not take a second job but i have gone — would not take a second job but i have gone further than that because those _ have gone further than that because those of— have gone further than that because those of us — have gone further than that because those of us want to stand to be an mp had _ those of us want to stand to be an mp had a — those of us want to stand to be an mp had a responsibility to regain trust _ mp had a responsibility to regain trust so — mp had a responsibility to regain trust so i — mp had a responsibility to regain trust so i said i would never take more _ trust so i said i would never take more than — trust so i said i would ne

that's the constituency previously held by owen paterson. we'll be speaking to candidates throughout the day. earlier we heard from labour's ben wood. i'm joined now by the leader of reform uk — formerly the brexit party — richard tice. very good morning to you. very good mornin: to very good morning to you. very good morning to you. _ very good morning to you. very good morning to you, thank— very good morning to you. very good morning to you, thank you _ very good morning to you. very good morning to you, thank you for - very good morning to you. very good morning to you, thank you for having | morning to you, thank you for having me on. . , , morning to you, thank you for having me on. ., , , . ., morning to you, thank you for having meon. ., , , . ., me on. can i 'ust be clear, so viewers are me on. can ijust be clear, so viewers are clearer— me on. can ijust be clear, so viewers are clearer as - me on. can ijust be clear, so viewers are clearer as well, l me on. can ijust be clear, so l viewers are clearer as well, you me on. ca

it perplexed me that somebody could make an argument that owen paterson had not had a fair hearing and therefore we had to completely throw the whole process up in the air. he was the tory mp, the former cabinet minister at the centre of this, we're not going get into his case because you've done that elsewhere, but you felt that all the rules were effectively being torn up for the sake of one man. completely, and that's what they do in russia. i know when you had me on — you raised an eyebrow on the today programme when i used the word russia — but it's true. when you suddenly change the rules three quarters of the way through a disciplinary process solely to benefit or to harm a named individual. that's bonkers. i didn't raise an eyebrow and i'm not raising two now because that point is invalid — but the comparison with russia leads some to say, and indeed the prime minister himself tried it, didn't he, just a hold on, we are not fundamentally corrupt country. and once you compare us with russia you're making us seem to be. i'm terribly sorry but if a prime minister has to anno

paterson, who broke parliamentary rules on lobbying. our political correspondent alex forsyth has been talking to people in the constituency. in north shropshire are they not necessarily used to this attention, but this constituency has been thrown into sharp focus. it is the centre of a clinical contest thatis centre of a clinical contest that is particularly crucial for the conservatives. their candidate is trying to hold a seat that has been tory for decades, but for which he is having to fight.— decades, but for which he is having to fight. there are lots of distractions _ having to fight. there are lots of distractions nationally - having to fight. there are lots of distractions nationally but l of distractions nationally but what is important to me as i'm talking to the voters there, i'm talking to the constituency and putting forward a positive message, they would say among some of my opponents i'm the only candidate putting forward a positive message with solutions.— solutions. this is a vast constituency, _ solutions. this

on from the owen paterson sage and the attempt by boris owen paterson saga and the attempt by boris johnson's owen paterson saga and the attempt by borisjohnson's government to change the standards, rules and efforts to protect him and that led to the by—election we are going to save next week and all of this caused a lot of concern with the tory backbenchers of the grip of number ten and how firmly they are in control of what they are doing and event and judgment being exercised by the prime minister and his senior officials at the moment and i think there will be tory mps are desperate to get to the recess and then to have a bit of a breather of what has been a tumultuous and damaging few weeks. it is clear for the government and adding today i shall report to the electoral commission report into the saga of the downing street flat refurbishment which is a saga that has rumbled on through the year, the electoral commission has fined the conservative party £18,000 for not properly declaring a donation of £52,000 from a tory mp that was put towards the cost of that refurbishment

it follows the resignation of tory mp owen paterson, who was found to have breached parliamentary rules on lobbying. he won the last election — in 2019 — with a majority of nearly 23,000. but the lib dems�* helen morgan took the seat by almost 6,000 votes — making it the seventh biggest by—election swing in modern political history. 0ur regional political editor for the midlands elizabeth glinka looks back at the night cheering and applause tonight, north shropshire have spoken on behalf of the british people, they have said loudly and clearly, borisjohnson, the party is over. your government run on lies and bluster will be held accountable. it will be scrutinised. it will be challenged. and it can and will be defeated. a historic victory for the liberal democrats, overturning a tory majority of nearly 23,000, a swing even bigger than the one that won chesham and amersham. this is a huge result that is going to send shock waves through westminster. helen morgan is the first liberal democrat and the first woman to win in north shropshire and she has given the prime minister a b

voters are electing a new mp following the resignation of owen paterson, who resigned in the wake of a huge row over his conduct, after he was found to have broken lobbying rules. the conservatives have held this seat for almost 200 years, but any defeat is likely to intensify questions over borisjohnson�*s leadership joining me now from the election count in the nearby town of shrewbsury is our west midlands political editor elizabeth glinka. great to have you on the programme. ijust want great to have you on the programme. i just want to start by asking you, in normal circumstances this would be expected to be quite an easy victory for the tory party. but that's not the case this time? no, absolutely under normal circumstances you would never expect to see it to be anything other than conservative. owen patterson the outgoing mp has conservatives he was under 23,000. this is what we would generally refer to as true blue, this part of the country. however, that is not the case this time. the liberal democrats have been giving the conservatives a real run for that money. pouring ac

the by—election was triggered by the resignation of owen paterson, who broke parliamentary rules on lobbying. our political correspondent, alex forsyth, has been talking to people in shropshire. in north shropshire, they're not necessarily used to all of this attention, but this constituency has been thrown into sharp focus. it's the centre of a political contest that is particularly crucial for the conservatives. their candidate's trying to hold a seat that's been tory for decades, but for which he's having to fight. there's lots of distractions nationally, but what is important is i am talking to the voters see on the constituents and putting forward a positive message, and what i would say is that unlike some of my opponents, i'm the only candidate putting forward a positive message with solutions. this is a vast constituency. swathes of farmland scattered through market towns, and most people here back to brexit. a loss here would be a blow for the conservatives. this time, the lib dems are pitching themselves as the alternative. i think there's a strong sense that people have been taken

paterson, where the government effectively tried to blow up the standards of system. that was a prime minister'sdecision, it went very badly wrong and i voted against the government on that occasion very quickly the government position unravelled and i think i was shown to be right, as were a few of my colleagues that were in the lobby with me. we have had other misjudgments on the way the christmas party issue was handled and a number of other things. it is and a number of other things. it is a way parliament is being treated, the way colleagues are being treated. and i have said before and i know this is a former chief whip, the team captain should be able to command the loyalty of the team but it is two—way, it means making good decisions with evidence, it means putting those in front of colleagues and treating them properly and treating parliament properly and if you make a mistake it means taking responsibility and apologising. none of that has been happening and i hope the vote tonight and the large number of conservative colleagues that expressed dissatisfact

it is owen paterson stepped down because about lobbying rules?— about lobbying rules? it is one roblem about lobbying rules? it is one problem after _ about lobbying rules? it is one problem after another - about lobbying rules? it is one problem after another for - about lobbying rules? it is one | problem after another for owen paterson and the handling of that really kicked off a trio of things and it was more borisjohnson's and miscarried speech which she had read himself and we just had a bad one and i'm not sure the outcome of the by—election as i understand it seems to a lot of people on the ground saying no to vote along the interests of what i think is right for the constituency, fair infrastructure or local problems and by—elections are a chance for electorates to give the incumbent a bit of a beating when if you were to choose to have won my guess is you might not want to have one quite so soon after the events of this week. if the call, tories do prevent the loss of things that may have gone wrong around ten but the substance of politics are so unaffect

it follows the resignation of tory mp owen paterson, who was found to have breached parliamentary rules on lobbying. he won the last election in 2019 with a majority of nearly 23,000. 0ur political correspondent jonathan blake is in shrewsbury. good morning. putting this in perspective, helen morgan's liberal democrat win, put that in some kind of order. ,., ., democrat win, put that in some kind of order. ., ., , of order. good morning, last night when polling _ of order. good morning, last night when polling stations _ of order. good morning, last night when polling stations closed - of order. good morning, last night when polling stations closed it - when polling stations closed it appeared the race was close. it tightened over several weeks of the campaign in north shropshire but in the early hours, the lib dems claimed victory predicting a comfortable win. and when it was over, it confirmed what is by all accounts a stunning victory. why is it so special? going back to 2019, the conservatives won this comfortably, as they have for almost the last 200 years. there was a margin of al

been using since the start of the problems for the prime minister on this sleaze front, in terms of owen paterson, the language that labour has been using and angela rayner is probably the best poserin angela rayner is probably the best poser in parliament borisjohnson, certainly gets under his skin and makes her point very well is that kind of language about one rule for them, one rule for the rest of us. you have been taking us for fools them, one rule for the rest of us. you have been taking us forfools is another phrase they use, the joke is over, you hear that language reflected back a lot in terms of interviews with people who are not interviews with people who are not in the westminster bubble. there is a serious cut through, when you have ant and dec criticising you two nights in a row, this is what people are talking about on trains and buses and workplaces across the country. this is very serious for the prime minister. it is reflected in the opinion polls, another one today has his personal polling rate being in the negatives of double figures, and the fact that labour have ta

the by—election was triggered by the resignation of owen paterson, who broke parliamentary rules on lobbying. north shropshire is a traditional conservative stronghold that's returned a tory mp for nearly 200 years. our political correspondent jonathan blake has been talking to voters there. braving the chilly waters of whitchurch. an invigorating wild swim has been a lifeline for many during the pandemic, but alderford lake had to close throughout lockdown. and the venue has had to adapt to keep going. now north shropshire is bracing itself for a by—election, manager kelly“s keen to hear what the parties have to offer. cos we're a small, family—run business here, and i think trying to have that support from local mps is huge. we're still undecided in what to do at the minute. there's a lot of pros and cons for each party, and i think it“sjust kind of over the next few days evaluating the different things and really just looking at that support for the business, cos we haven't really had that support in the past, and i think that's what we're really looking for this year. warming up

but i think where the real stuff hit was around - the owen paterson inquiry, which is why we've - had the by—election. yes, there wouldn't be a by—election if he hadn't tried to save 0wen paterson. i mean, his suspension would be |almost over by now, had it beenj played slightly differently. so i don't think brand boris, - in a way, was damaged too much by the peppa pig thing, _ but i think a series of whatever... dominic cummings, his former aide, would call the trolley— going off or whatever, - the trolley going off the road or the car going off. the road, has hit him. but the point is, on an economic basis, we have had a number- of things that have come along. recently which maybe we'll get to, which is the fact that inflation is now rising faster— than people's wages. that is a pretty toxic area for any | politician in any country to be in. j and it's notjust- happening in the uk. it's happening elsewhere. we should make that point. but when you're not getting i on in life, when you're working as hard as you can and actually, prices are rising faster- than you can afford t

voters are electing a new mp following the resignation of owen paterson, who resigned in the wake of a huge row over his conduct, after he was found to have broken lobbying rules. the conservatives have held this seat for almost 200 years, but any defeat is likely to intensify questions over borisjohnson's leadership. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme... a huge rescue effort in the philippines as a super typhoon — batters its southern coastline. saddam hussein is finished because he killed our people, our women, our children. the signatures took only a few minutes but they brought a formal end to three and a half years of conflict. conflict that is claimed more than 200,000 lives. before an audience of world leaders the presidents of bosnia and serbia and croatia put their names to peace agreement. the romanian border was sealedl and silent today, romania has cut itself off from the outside world in order to prevent the details. of the presumed massacre - in timisoara from leaking out. from sex at the white house to a trial for his political life, t

voters are electing a new mp following the resignation of owen paterson, who resigned in the wake of a huge row over his conduct, after he was found to have broken lobbying rules. the conservatives have held this seat for almost 200 years, but any defeat is likely to intensify questions over borisjohnson�*s leadership. joining me now from the election count in the nearby town of shrewsbury is our correspondent elizabeth glinka. great to have you on the programme again. when we last spoke you said that counting was getting under way. where are we now with that in terms of how many votes have been counted and what the turnout has been like? in counted and what the turnout has been like?— has been like? in fact, the accounting _ has been like? in fact, the accounting has _ has been like? in fact, the accounting has only - has been like? in fact, the accounting has only really| has been like? in fact, the - accounting has only reallyjust started in the last ten minutes. we do not actually have a turnout figure so far. unofficially, purely out of italy, today we heard a town —— a

but, you know, two weeks ago when we had the owen paterson affair, we were saying, "0h, could this be a tipping point?" "could it be a turning point?" who's got any idea? does it now feel as if this is quite a criticaljunction? yeah, i've got to tell you two little anecdotes from speaking to cabinet ministers on zoom. so grant shapps, so i was putting to both grant shapps and to the defence secretary, ben wallace, about all all the big names. such as proof, but congratulations to them, that's an exciting moment in any one cosmic life, butjust a reminder that this is not a normal job so you can'tjudge it by any normal staff. and yes, this is yet another reminder this week, isn't it, for the umpteenth time, that borisjohnson is not a normal prime minister, and british politics in the 2020s would yet again be likely to be turned down by any publisher looking for a political drama forjust simply being too far fetched. do you reckon it's time to open the studio door and bring in our newscast guest for this week? i think we should. robert buckland, former cabinet minister, formerjustice sec

but i think where the real stuff hit was around - the owen paterson inquiry, which is why we've - had the by—election. yes, there wouldn't be a by—election if he hadn't tried to save 0wen paterson. i mean, his suspension- would be almost over by now! had it been played| slightly differently. so i don't think brand boris, - in a way, was damaged too much by the peppa pig thing, - but i think a series of whatever dominic cummings's former aide would call the trolley going off. ——dominic cummings, his former aide would call the trolley going off- or whatever, the trolley going off the road of the car going off- the road, has hit him. but the point is, on an economic basis, we have had a number- of things that have come along - recently which may be we'll get to, which is the fact that inflation is now rising faster— than people's wages. that is a pretty toxic area for any | politician in any country to be in. j and it's notjust- happening in the uk. it's happening elsewhere. we should make that point. but when you're not getting i on in life, when you're working as hard as you

paterson who broke parliamentary rules on lobbying. our political correspondent alex forsyth has been talking to some people in the constituency. in north shropshire, they are not necessarily used to all this attention, but this constituency has been thrown into sharp focus. it is the centre of a political contest that is particularly crucial for the conservatives. their candidate is trying to hold a seat that has been tory for decades but for which he is having to fight. there's lots of distractions nationally but what is important is i am talking to the voters here, i'm talking to the constituents and putting forward a positive message. and what i would say is that, unlike some of my opponents, i'm the only candidate putting forward a positive message with solutions. this is a vast constituency. swathes of farmland scattered with market towns. most people here backed brexit. a loss here would be a blow for the conservatives. give you one of those leaflets? this time, the lib dems are pitching themselves as the alternative. i think th

the vacancy was caused by the resignation of the conservative mp owen paterson, who was found to have breached parliamentary rules on lobbying. our political correpsonent alex forsyth has spent the day there. the livestock sale in market drayton might feel a far cry from westminster but the political noise does resonate among the pens, the talk of a downing street party and whether here it could come with a price. former farmer dennis and local minister mark differ on how much it will matter. if lies have been told, that is... it affects people's decisions. we want to vote for people whose word means something. 12 months ago doesn't count any more, it is what is happening today which counts. do you think that will affect how you vote here in a by—election? no. this rural seat has been solid conservative for decades but the party is facing a fight from labour and the lib dems who are pushing hard, with a host of other parties standing as well. this contest is a crucial measure of the national mood. the result will have ramifications that stretch beyond shropshire. for mums cathy and

but, you know, two weeks ago when we had the owen paterson affair, we were saying, "oh, could this be a tipping point?" "could it be a turning point?" who's got any idea? does it now feel as if this is quite a criticaljunction? yeah, i've got to tell you two little anecdotes from speaking to cabinet ministers on zoom. so grant shapps, so i was putting to both grant shapps and to the defence secretary, ben wallace, about all this fiasco stuff. all the big names. yes, exactly, staring into my laptop and talking to grant shapps, who said, "i don't really want to get into all of this." i bet he didn't! "my focus is hitachi trains." but it has also today been a really good reminder that just being prime minister is not a normaljob in any sense, and the people that do it are not normal people. and yes, this is yet another reminder this week, isn't it, for the umpteenth time, that borisjohnson is not a normal prime minister, and british politics in the 2020s would yet again be likely to be turned down by any publisher looking for a political drama forjust simply being too far fetched. do you

of course, downing street defended owen paterson at first, allowed _ defended owen paterson at first, allowed parliament to vote to basically kick it into the long grass— basically kick it into the long grass accusations against him, that is what _ grass accusations against him, that is what led — grass accusations against him, that is what led to him quitting parliament and to this by—election ultimately. so there will be a lot of tory _ ultimately. so there will be a lot of tory backbenchers nervous about the way _ of tory backbenchers nervous about the way that downing street is working — the way that downing street is working. i suspect they will also be some _ working. i suspect they will also be some pretty prominent faces who are pretty— some pretty prominent faces who are pretty nervous about what this result — pretty nervous about what this result could mean for their sea as well _ result could mean for their sea as well we — result could mean for their sea as well. we know that the lib dems threw— well. we know that the lib dems threw everything at the seed,

it perplexed me that somebody could make an argument that owen paterson had not had a fair hearing and therefore we had to completely throw therefore we had to completely throw the whole process up in the air. he was the former cabinet minister at the centre of this, we're not going get into this case because you've done that elsewhere but you felt that all the rules were effectively being torn up for the sake of one man. ., , y being torn up for the sake of one man. ., , , ., ., �*, ., , man. completely and that's what they do in russia- — man. completely and that's what they do in russia. you _ man. completely and that's what they do in russia. you raised _ man. completely and that's what they do in russia. you raised an _ man. completely and that's what they do in russia. you raised an eyebrow. do in russia. you raised an eyebrow on the today programme when i raised the word russia but it's true, when you suddenly change the rules three quarters of the way through a disciplinary process solely to benefit or to harm a named individual. that's bonkers. i didn't raise an eyebrow _

paterson affair, hundreds of mps including yourself rebelling, what are you making a bull of this? is boris johnson still up to the job? —— of all of this. johnson still up to the 'ob? -- of an of this.— all of this. we have clearly had a bad month. _ all of this. we have clearly had a bad month, nobody— all of this. we have clearly had a bad month, nobody would i all of this. we have clearly had a bad month, nobody would denyl all of this. we have clearly had a - bad month, nobody would deny that and that the north shropshire result was anything but disastrous but we have been in these sort of situation before. i think what we are looking for now is borisjohnson to go away for now is borisjohnson to go away for christmas, get refreshed and get to know his new child and then come backin to know his new child and then come back in the new year and tell us how he will deal with these problems, get proper investigation into the parties and everything else and see if he can move forward and govern this country in a positive way, dealing with the really serious issues we face, h

held by owen paterson in north shropshire. it was a seat that speaks as an example to lots of people, who have been used to having what would be regarded as safe seats and if it were either to heaven forbid for the tory party go liberal democrats or go anywhere near it, that's when you will really hear the alarm bells. i actually think the government is going to be ok on the day but people will not want it to be anything like as close as it's looking like it's going to be. i think it's a bit like the situation that you are talking about with ant and dec. it's another warning sign and if you have these things together, the government is going to want to turn the corner, have christmas, have some breathing space and get into 2022 hoping like hell to put 2021 behind them. conservative commentator alex dean. omicron was first reported in south africa. i've been speaking to professor shabir madhi, professor of vaccinology at vits university injohannesburg. he explained what we know about the variant so far and the latest situation

paterson, one of his mps, former mps, whether all this would've unfolded. but it has unfolded and he has really got enormous difficulty in managing his party, even managing his cabinet. that said, i do think the forces are not yet there to get rid of him. and the policy challenges for the year ahead for him? well, coronavirus, and just in that one word, can he enforce and do the things that he thinks are right with a huge bit of his parliamentary party and his government saying either lock down or don't lock down? so he's got that and he's got all kinds of economic challenges and a really big ideological difference with his chancellor, never a good sign, of whether to spend more or begin to retrench and underpin the conservatives in that way. he definitely wants to get back to his agenda of levelling up, of doing more for parts of the country who feel left behind, but many of those constituencies will interpret that as spending much more money and again his chancellor and many conservative conservatives don't want him to do that and then there are lots of i

my perhaps the owen paterson scandal. my colleague has been reporting from shropshire and he was hearing all about the christmas party and everyone was furious about it. what kept coming up as they think we are stupid, they are laughing at us sol think it is cutting through a lot more than previous scandals we thought maybe would cut through and also lots of palling, notjust westminster voting intention but the popularity of the prime minister all plummeting. i think the thing about the scandal compared to previous scandals as it is very emotive. christmas is an emotional time and people had a really tough time last year! people had a really tough time last year i know this is dredging up all those terrible memories and all those terrible memories and all those memories of suffering people in care homes sitting alone and loved ones who were lost and then you see images of number ten staff laughing at the fact that they were passing off this party as a business meeting when the new it really wasn't. and the fact it was so

that's the constituency which was previously held by owen paterson. martine croxall is there for us in oswestry. good evening to you. ignore the rains and look at the lights. we've been speaking to candidates, 14 in total, standing in the by—election. owen patterson resigned. the conservative counted it is... i'm joined now by the conservative candidate, neil shastri—hurst. thank you very much forjoining us. how do you answer on the door step of the anger the people are feeling about the investigations? the prime minister has — about the investigations? the prime minister has been _ about the investigations? the prime minister has been absolutely - about the investigations? the prime minister has been absolutely clear. about the investigations? the prime minister has been absolutely clear - j minister has been absolutely clear — there will be an investigation. if there will be an investigation. if there has been misconduct... i share there has been misconduct... i share the anger people. i went back onto the anger people. i went back onto the

the by—election was triggered by the resignation of owen paterson, who broke parliamentary rules on lobbying. our political correspondent alex forsyth has been talking to people in shropshire. in north shropshire, they are not necessarily used to all of this attention, but this constituency has been thrown into sharp focus. it is the centre of a political contest thatis the centre of a political contest that is particularly crucial for the conservatives. their candidate is trying to hold a seat that has been tory for decades but for which he is having to fight. tory for decades but for which he is having to fight-— having to fight. there's lots of distractions _ having to fight. there's lots of distractions nationally - having to fight. there's lots of distractions nationally but i having to fight. there's lots of| distractions nationally but what having to fight. there's lots of i distractions nationally but what is important is i am talking to the voters see on the constituents and putting forward a positive message and what i would say is that unlike some of my opponents, i'm the only c

the vacancy was caused by the resignation of the conservative mp owen paterson — who was found to have breached parliamentary rules on lobbying. our political correpsonent alex forsyth has spent the day there. the livestock sale in market drayton might feel a far cry from westminster but the political noise does resonate among the pens, the talk of a downing street party and whether here it could come with a price. former farmer dennis and local minister mark differ on how much it will matter. if lies have been told, that is... it affects people's decisions. we want to vote for people whose word means something. 12 months ago doesn't count any more, it is what is happening today which counts. do you think that will affect how you vote here in a by—election? no. this rural seat has been solid conservative for decades but the party is facing a fight from labour and the lib dems who are pushing hard, with a host of other parties standing as well. this contest is a crucial measure of the national mood. the result will have ramifications that stretch beyond shropshire. for mums cathy and

paterson affair, hundreds of mps including yourself rebelling, what are you making of all of this? is borisjohnson still up to thejob? we have clearly had a bad month, nobody would deny that and that the north shropshire result was anything but disastrous but we have been in these sort of situation before. i think what we are looking for now is borisjohnson to go away for christmas, get refreshed and get to know his new child and then come back in the new year and tell us how he will deal with these problems, get proper investigation into the parties and everything else and see if he can move forward and govern this country in a positive way, dealing with the really serious issues we face, how we deal with the backlog in the health service, how we reform social care, pay down the huge amount of debt we have paid in covid, these are serious issues and we will have to see if the prime minister can actually start to deal and resolve some of the problems. have you submitted a letter of no confidence in his leadership? certainly not. my whole tenure at the moment is that i want him to s

the contest was triggered by the resignation of the conservative mp owen paterson, over breaches of parliamentary lobbying rules. four children have died, and others are critically injured, after falling from a bouncy castle that was blown more than 30 feet into the air in australia. the accident happened at a primary school in tasmania. let's speak to our australia correspondent, shaimaa khalil. shaimaa, what can you tell us? well, this accident, which was caused — well, this accident, which was caused by— well, this accident, which was caused by a gust of wind, happened in hillcrest— caused by a gust of wind, happened in hillcrest primary school in the small— in hillcrest primary school in the small port— in hillcrest primary school in the small port city of davenport in the north— small port city of davenport in the north west of tasmania. the school was marking the end of the year with an event _ was marking the end of the year with an event. that bouncy castle where children _ an event. that bouncy castle where children were playing, was blown into the — children were playing,

the by—election was triggered by the resignation of owen paterson, who broke parliamentary rules on lobbying. so what do voters in a traditional conservative stronghold, who've returned a tory mp for nearly 200 years, make of it all? our political correspondent jonathan blake reports. braving the chilly waters of whitchurch. an invigorating wild swim has been a lifeline for managing the pandemic but alderford lake had to close throughout lockdown. the venue has had to adapt to keep going. now north shropshire is bracing itself for a by—election, manager kelly is keen to hear what the parties have to offer. because we are a small family run business here, and i think trying to have that support from local mps is huge, we are still undecided on what to do at the minute. there's a lot of pros and cons to each party and i think it's just kind of over the next few days evaluating the different things and reallyjust looking at that support for the business because we haven't really had that support in the past and i think that's what we're really looking for this year. warming up with a hot choc

then there is a by—election in north shropshire this week after owen paterson resigned from that seat. there are also reports this morning that the inquiry into alleged parties and gatherings in downings and other government departments —— at downing street and other government departments last christmas could be published by the end of this week. that soon. as chris was saying, you are starting to hear a lot more scientists say that the threat from omicron is so large that we should be looking at other measures are other restrictions, on how we live our lives, ratherthan other restrictions, on how we live our lives, rather than just focusing on the basic campaign. —— booster campaign. those calls will start to get louder and there will be tension with mps who are not even in favour of the current measures being introduced so a very big week ahead. we will discuss some of those issues later on. we'll be joined by the health secretary at 7.30. extra support has been promised to speed up the vaccine drive in scotland, wales and northern ireland. like england, scotland is aiming