a rescue deal for british steel — buying it for £70 million and saving 4,000 jobs in scunthorpe and teesside. it's been a big concern, hasn't it? nobody knowing what's going to be happening, whether they've got a job, pay their mortgages, feed theirfamilies. it's great news. it's finally something positive, it's good. more rain is forecast in areas of england already hit by flooding. five severe flood warnings, meaning a threat to life, remain in place. a state of emergency has been declared in new south wales and queensland — as bushfires continue to burn — posing what authorities say, is a "catastrophic" threat. families in england will benefit from two cannabis—based medicines approved for the nhs — but others say they still won't get what they need. good evneing. nigel farage has extended an election olive branch to the conservatives — by announcing the brexit party will not contest seats — which were won by the tories back in 2017 — a total of 317 seats. but he says he will fight against other parties, to try to ensure the uk leaves the eu. borisjohnson has welcomed the of

boris johnson at teesside. let's let's leave that event there now. borisjohnson at teesside. let's get the thoughts of our political correspondent who is there. some familiar themes we are hearing through this campaign. a bit ofa through this campaign. a bit of a highlights reel from last night, the ninth nhs is going to be on the table and the trade deal, accusing jeremy corbyn of not having com plete a nswer accusing jeremy corbyn of not having complete answer when it comes to what he wants to happen with brexit. it is interesting to see the prime minister confronted on whether he wa nts tax minister confronted on whether he wants tax cuts for people like him, as one of the question is put to him. that is one of the things boris johnson has been keen to avoid. he is standing up for the rich rather than people across the country. something we have heard him hammer over the last few weeks. it is interesting to see someone asking that. there is also a row going on, continuing after last nights‘s debate about the conservative twitter stream. they changed the conservative hq p

the teesside. the majority are in scu nthorpe. the crucial teesside. the majority are in scunthorpe. the crucial number is the 20,000 jobs in the supply chain. up the 20,000 jobs in the supply chain. up to 25,000 jobs potentially at sta ke, up to 25,000 jobs potentially at stake, if a deal can be done. i‘m joined now by gareth stace, director of uk steel that represents uk steel producers. good morning to you. i want first of all, your reaction to this deal? as we said, a deal that is being done, but not quite a done deal?” we said, a deal that is being done, but not quite a done deal? i think thatis but not quite a done deal? i think that is the important point. while we all think that there might be something happening today or later in the week, you know, jingye hasn‘t made a formal announcement yet. that doesn‘t mean today can‘t be good news for the sector. what we want to see as an investor likejingye put in that investment and significant investment into british steel. not just today and tomorrow, but the longer term, because we could e

has agreed to buy the company for £70 million, securing the future of firm's plants in scunthorpe and teesside. british steel went into liquidation in may and another proposed rescue deal with a turkish firm collapsed last month. our business correspondent theo leggett reports. this is british steel's plant in scu nthorpe. the beating heart of an industrial town. its future had been in deep doubt after the company went into liquidation earlier this year. but today, news of a lifeline. the chinese firm jingye is expected to buy the business for £70 million. it's been a big concern, hasn't it? nobody knowing what's going to be happening, whether they've got a job, pay their mortgages, feed their families. it's great news. you don't know if you're batting or bowling, do you? once it gets sorted, we can get on with it better, can't we? it's finally something positive, it's good. what are your thoughts aboutjingye? anything is better than nothing, i suppose. yeah, it's getting better. british steel employs 4,000 people in britain, at scunthorpe and at other sites in the north—east. 20,000 more a

the move will protect 4,000 jobs at its scunthorpe and teesside plants, and up to 20,000 in the supply chain. an raf helicopter and army engineers are sent in to help in yorkshire with more flooding expected this week. today we have rain moving from the west towards the east. that will clear and then heavy blustery showers with sunshine in between. the weather this week remains u nsettled.

in principle to buy british steel — potentially saving up to 4,000 jobs at plants in scunthorpe and teesside. it's been a big concern, nobody knowing what's going to be happening, whether they've got a job, can pay their mortgages orfeed theirfamilies. it's job, can pay their mortgages orfeed their families. it's great news. authorities warn flooding around south yorkshire's river don will continue, with more than two inches of rain forecast today. five severe flood warnings — meaning a threat to life, remain in place. the latest figures on economic growth are out showing a 0.3% rise from july to the end of september — avoiding a recession. in hong kong, a pro—democracy protester has been shot by police during another day of demonstrations while a pro—beijing demonstrator was set on fire after arguing with protesters. good morning. welcome to bbc newsroom live. there's fresh hope for thousands of staff affected by the collapse of british steel, with a chinese firm on the verge of signing a recue deal. british steel collapsed six months ago, and has been run by the government at a los

the fall off the wall so we'll take you to the world famous teesside gallery where artist painted the hopes and dreams of almost the hated symbol of deficient when it came down. i'm from gail welcome to the program. chinese president xi jinping and his french counterpart emmanuel macro have issued a joint statement reaffirming their support for the paris climate accord speaking in beijing president macro's that cooperation between europe and china on reducing emissions would be decisive this follows the trumpet ministrations beginning the formal process of withdrawing united states from the deal presents she described the deal signed in 2015 as the reversible. matilda ticklish look over the past 2 years in the fight against climate change we have consistently acted together with great effectiveness and commitment. but i regret the choices made by a few other countries but i want to see them as marginal choices. when china the european union and russia ratify the paris agreement and make a firm commitment the isolated choice made by one or another country won't change the course of the

it's promising to invest in british steel's main plant in scunthorpe as well as its other sites on teesside and in north yorkshire. our business editor simonjack reports. this plant has been on government life support since it collapsed in may. technically in liquidation, it was offered a chinese lifeline today, and workers on their way home welcomed it. well, it's been a big concern, hasn't it? nobody not knowing what is happening, whether they've got a job, can pay their mortgages, feed theirfamilies. yeah, it's great news. obviously, there's been uncertainty around it, but now we know, this close to christmas, that we've got a job. with 4,000 employees and 20,000 in the supply chain, the steelworks is the lifeblood of scunthorpe. it's massive good news for lots of families and obviously for all the housing, for jobs, for younger people and older people alike, it's just great news. the thought of scunthorpe not having steel—making here really doesn't bear thinking about. charlotte charles worked there for 12 years and is now a union organiser. we're cautiously optimistic. our members ha

great news for the 3000 staff year, 1000 more in teesside and more further afield. there are more than 20,000 jobs in the indirect supply chain, lots of other companies around here and further afield in the uk will also be relieved. and yetjingye have said in their official statement they are going to be making offers to as many staff as they can, so that does not necessarily say all workers that currently a re necessarily say all workers that currently are employed will remain in their posts but that's something unions will be fighting very hard for and you would imagine the government and official receivers we re government and official receivers were working hard for in this deal, at least in the short term. the long—term future, as anything in the steel industry, it depends on the price of global steel. 0ne steel industry, it depends on the price of global steel. one third of the uk's steel production comes from this plant in scunthorpe, and that future is certainly secure for now. lots of people watching might wonder why when the biggest threat to british ste

confirms a rescue deal for british steel — buying it for 70 million and saving 4000 jobs in scunthorpe and teesside. it has been a big concern, nobody knowing what would happen and whether they would have a job to pay their

confirms a rescue deal for british steel buying it for £70 million and saving 4000 jobs in scunthorpe and teesside. it's been a big concern, hasn't it? nobody knowing what's going to be happening, whether they've got a job, pay their mortgages, feed their families. it's great news. it's finally something positive, it's good. more rain is forecast in areas of england already hit by flooding. five severe flood warnings, meaning a threat to life, remain in place. a state of emergency has been declared in new south wales and queensland as bushfires continue to burn posing what authorities say, is a "catastrophic" threat. families in england will benefit from two cannabis based medicines approved for the nhs but others say they still won't get what they need. in a moment it will be time for sportsday but first a look at what else is coming up this evening on bbc news. at 8:30pm, adam fleming and the bbc‘s politics team bring you the essential guide to the 2019 uk general election with electioncast. severe weather warnings are in place as floods affect the north of england so we will be examining the

importa ntly, the deal secures the future of 4,000 jobs at the firm's plants in scunthorpe and teesside in northern england. and on top of that, a further 20,000 will be saved across the supply chain. but who is the new owner? we know surprisingly little aboutjingye — it has 23,500 employees and boasts £41; billion in assets across steel and iron making, and in tourism and real estate. and this is from the promotional video on their website. we are joined now by our economics correspondent andrew walker. they say wisdom, what's the wisdom in this? it's not entirely clear. it isa in this? it's not entirely clear. it is a relatively high cost operation by global standards, in particular by global standards, in particular by chinese standards. it might be there's a couple of areas where it seems, you indicated how little we know, but it seems there's a couple of areas where they aren't producing the goods that british steel produce, in particular railway lines and long products which is the big steel girders used in construction. there may be some benefit there, there may also be some s

prime minister announced the policy whilst answering questions from workers at an engineering firm in teesside. you said low tax, low tax for people like you or for people like us? no tax for people of the working people. ——low tax for people of the working people. if you look at what we are doing, what i said in last few days, we are going to be cutting national insurance up to £12,000, we will be making sure we cut business rates for small businesses, we are cutting tax for working people. national insurance is a tax paid by workers and the self—employed who are over 16, with the amount varying depending on how much you earn. the current threshold sees workers paying national insurance contributions once they earn over £8,628 a year. mrjohnson had promised to raise the threshold to £12,500 when he ran for tory leadership. that pledge could see workers saving up to £465 a year. with me is pauljohnson, director of the institute for fiscal studies. first of all, in terms of the specifics, this kicks in, the rate will change. what are the implications for that to the overall cost to go

confirms a rescue deal for british steel — buying it for 70 million and saving 4000 jobs in scunthorpe and teesside. it has been a big concern, nobody knowing what would happen and whether they would have a job to pay their mortgage. finally something positive. it's good. there are 42 flood warnings still in place in the north of england. ministers will hold an emergency meeting tomorrow as locals underline the scale of the crisis. a state of emergency has been declared in new south wales and queensland as bushfires continue to burn, posing what authorities say, is a "catastrophic" threat. families in england will benefit from two cannabis—based medicines approved for the nhs — but others say they still won't get what they need. hello and welcome to our look ahead to what the papers will be bringing us tomorrow. with me are asa bennett, the brexit commissioning editor at the telegraph, and sienna rodgers, who's the editor of labourlist. many of tomorrow's front pages are already in. the financial times says borisjohnson has been given a boost after nigel farage‘s announcement that the brexit

in middlesbrough on teesside, one can find the other side of the argument, that migrants put extra pressure on public services. local children recently couldn't access school places in the town because of unexpected foreign arrivals. well, i think they do need to bring down the population. we haven't got enough spaces. yeah, i think they should bring it down, because obviously it's taking ourjobs and that. when it is concentrated, it has an impact on the town. all the parties give you all the spiel, what they are going to do, what they are not going to do, and then at the end of the day you don't see any difference with any of them. it's the different experiences of places like middlesbrough and lowestoft that explain why the parties won't be clear about immigration. labour's talked of extending free movement, the liberal democrats want a system that works for the economy, and the snp wants more immigration for scotland. but in truth, britain still doesn't know what controlling our borders should look like. the labour leader, jeremy corbyn has refused to say whether he would want to increas

as a chinese manufacturer is set to buy the company — safeguarding jobs at plants in scunthorpe and teesside. more misery forecast, as rain is set to hit parts of yorkshire and the midlands already suffering from the effects of flooding. coming up on afternoon live all the sport — sarah.

the steel makerjingye group says it will invest over £1 billion at the plants in scunthorpe and teesside and could safeguard up to 4,000 jobs there. british steel has been kept afloat by the government since may, when it went into liquidation. our business editor simon jack is in scunthorpe tonight. simon, a huge relief for the workers there, and of course, before christmas. you're dead right, fiona. this plant really dominates both physically and economically in this area. it has been here for over 150 yea rs area. it has been here for over 150 years and all that looked engraved out in may when the previous owner, a private investment firm, walked away leaving the company insolvent. as you say, the government has essentially been running it ever since. so grave concerns. we have looked for buyers around the world, a turkish firm came and went and today we got the news that this chinese steel—makerjingye was going to sink some money into it. subject to sink some money into it. subject to some regulatory approvals will stop a small company by chinese steel standards, but making some ver

on the campaign trail on teesside, borisjohnson holds out the prospect of major changes to national insurance. and in london, the lib dems publish their manifesto, pledging to stop brexit if they're elected. at the impeachment inquiry in washington, a us diplomat says he followed donald trump's orders to put pressure on ukraine to investigate a political rival. and the special one is on the move again. this time it's to spurs, where he's signed a four—year deal. and coming up on sportsday on bbc news, it's a winning start for great britain in the revamped davis cup, beating the netherlands 2—1 in their opening group game. good evening. prince andrew, who's been engulfed in controversy because of his links with the convicted sex offenderjeffrey epstein, has announced he will not undertake any royal duties "for the foreseeable future". the prince, who's 59, acknowledged that the epstein scandal had become a "major disruption" to the royal family, following his widely—criticised interview with bbc newsnight last week. he said he deeply sympathised with epstein‘s victims, and that he uneq

in middlesbrough on teesside, one can find the other side of the argument, that migrants put extra pressure on public services. local children recently couldn't access school places in the town because of unexpected foreign arrivals. well, i think they do need to bring down the population. we haven't got enough spaces. yeah, i think they should bring it down, because obviously it's when it's concentrated it becomes an impact on the fabric of the town. all the parties give you all the spiel, what they are going to do, what they are not going to do, and then at the end of the day you don't see any difference with any of them. it's the different experiences of places like middlesbrough and lowestoft that explain why the parties won't be clear about immigration. labour's talked of extending free movement, the liberal democrats want a system that works for the economy, and the snp wants more immigration for scotland. but in truth, britain still doesn't know what controlling our borders should look like. mark easton, bbc news, lowestoft. the labour leaderjeremy corbyn has refused to say whether h

it's promising to invest in british steel's main plant in scu nthorpe, as well as its other sites on teesside and in north yorkshire. our business editor simonjack reports. this plant has been on government life support since it collapsed in may. technically in liquidation, it was offered a chinese lifeline today, and workers on their way home welcomed it. well, it's been a big concern, hasn't it? nobody not knowing what is happening, whether they've got a job, can pay their mortgages, feed their families. yeah, it's great news. obviously, there's been uncertainty around it, but now we know, this close to christmas, that we've got a job. with 4,000 employees and 20,000 in the supply chain, the steelworks is the lifeblood of scunthorpe. it's massive good news for lots of families, and obviously for all the housing, for jobs, for younger people and older people alike, it'sjust great news. the thought of scunthorpe not having steel—making here really doesn't bear thinking about. charlotte charles worked there for 12 years and is now a union organiser. we're cautiously optimistic. our members h

blurted it out was thanks to somebody called claire cartledge who was its doors for washing the teens in teesside. he did a q&a for the workforce and in came claire with a killer question. you said low tax. you mean low tax for people like you or people like us? i mean low tax for people of the working people and if you look at what we are doing, and what i said in the last few days, we are going to be cutting national insurance up to 12,000, making sure that we cut business rates for small businesses, we are cutting tax for working people. just to be clear, national insurance contributions, you currently play 1296 contributions, you currently play 12% of your earnings above 8600 and something pounds. that threshold at which you start playing 12%, going up which you start playing 12%, going up to £12,500. it will start going up, the threshold, to £9,500, saving your average worker about £100 a year initially. it affects millions and millions of people but it's a small tax cut to start with. it's a really big policy. what we don't know really is whether or not they meant to drop it out or not.

confirms a rescue deal for british steel — buying it for 70 million and saving 4000 jobs in scunthorpe and teesside. it has been a big concern, nobody knowing what would happen and whether they would have a job to pay their mortgage. finally something positive. it's good. there are 42 flood warnings still in place in the north of england. ministers will hold an emergency meeting tomorrow as locals underline the scale of the crisis. a state of emergency has been declared in new south wales and queensland as bushfires continue to burn, posing what authorities say, is a "catastrophic" threat. families in england will benefit from two cannabis—based medicines approved for the nhs — but others say they still won't get what they need. and at half past 11 we'll be taking an in—depth look at the papers with our reviewers asa bennett, the brexit commissioning editor at the telegraph and sienna rodgers, the editor of labourlist. there's been a potentially significant shift in the dynamics of the upcoming election caused by the brexit party's decision not to contest those seats won by the conservatives

in middlesbrough on teesside, one can find the other side of the immigration argument, that foreign arrivals put extra pressure on public services and jobs. well, i do think they need to bring down the population. we haven't got enough spaces. yes, i think they should bring it down, because obviously it's taking ourjobs and that. all the parties give you all the spiel, what they are going to do, what they are not going to do, and then at the end of the day you don't see any difference with any of them. it's the different experiences of places like middlesbrough and lowestoft that explain why the parties won't be clear about immigration. labour's talked of extending free movement, the lib dems want a system that works for the economy, and the snp wants more immigration for scotland. but in truth, britain still doesn't know what controlling our borders should look like. mark easton, bbc news, lowestoft. the labour leader, jeremy corbyn, has refused to say whether he would want to increase or decrease immigration if he became prime minister but he has hinted that labour would make it easierforf

important news for the 4,000 staff who work for british steel in scunthorpe and teesside. bbc‘s business editor simonjack reports. this plant has been on government life support since it collapsed in may. technically in liquidation, it was offered a chinese lifeline today and workers on their way home welcomed it. well, it's been a big concern, hasn't it, people not knowing what is happening, whether they've got a job, can pay their mortgages, feed theirfamilies. it's great news. obviously there's been uncertainty around it but now we know, this close to christmas, that we've got a job. with 4,000 employees and 20,000 in the supply chain, the steelworks is the lifeblood of scunthorpe. my dad worked at the steelworks from leaving school, and did an apprenticeship until retirement just a couple of years ago. it's massive good news for lots of families and obviously for all the housing, jobs, for younger people and older people alike, it's just great news that the deal's looking like it's going to go ahead. if the deal goes ahead, current workers' jobs are secure, according

he felt for the conservatives is the only way to stop another independence referendum facade —— on teesside. a busy couple of days for the premise and a busy couple days for the election. thank you jonathan. time for a look at the weather. ben rich has the details and rain is a big part of the story. we have seen heavy and persistent rain especially across northern england. it has been causing problems, flooding problems in places but also some really appalling travelling conditions on the roads and on the rails. many flood warnings issued across england and mostly in the north. last i checked 73 flood warnings but that has been growing. we have a met 0ffice amber warning enforced in parts of derbyshire, greater manchester and parts of west yorkshire. these areas have been seeing rain for the day as it piles into the evening. before heading out and about in these areas do take extreme care but also across many parts of northern england and wales, very wet weather to come. eulas see southeastward the very wet weather to come. eulas see southeastwa rd the night, very wet weather to come. eula

rules so workers won't pay until they earn 12 and a half thousand pounds, something he announced in teesside, he promises the party will put the pressure to ensure low tax for working people, he has confirmed to the bbc it would be raised to £9,500 as a threshold in the first budget of a tory government with no timetable yet for the additional £3000. labour has said people relying on local services would be paying the price of that, but just some clarification from the prime minister. it is feared that the bushfires in australia have injured hundreds of animals. you might find these images upsetting. it's been one of the worst seasons for bushfires in australia in many years. millions of hectares have burned, hundreds of homes have been destroyed and there's been a devastating toll on wildlife. other animals can run from the flames. the koala can't, and this slow—moving marsupial is trapped. he'll need rescuing, won't he? the woman behind that voice takes the shirt off her back and rescues the animal, taking care to avoid getting hurt herself. just careful of his claws. can you get water

during a visit to an engineering plant in teesside, he told workers the policy "put £500 in the pocket of everybody" however the analysis puts the figure at £85 pound. chancellor sajid javid joins us now from westminster to explain. good morning and thank you for your time. we love doing this. this is to try and get clarity on something which will directly affect people in their pockets. talk us through your plans for national insurance contributions. a conservative majority government, if we are elected, we will cut taxes for hard—working people elected, we will cut taxes for ha rd—working people by elected, we will cut taxes for hard—working people by raising the national insurance threshold. it is currently at £8,632 so people start paying national insurance after that point of earning and we will raise that in the first year, my first budget, will raise that to £9,500 and that will be a saving ofjust under £100 for 31 million people, a tax cut. the prime minister also said it is our ambition to raise it further, to £12,500 and when it gets to that, that is a saving of al

in this stop here on teesside is another busy day for the prime minister, having visited the north—east, northern ireland on the east midlands and now north wales. he is about to arrive. you can see him... we might try to get a question to him as he arrives. he will meet workers at this food factory. continuing what has been a whistle—stop tour of the united kingdom in the first couple of days of the campaign. closely choreographed with no voters or brushes with the public. prime minister, can i ask for the government response to the flooding? i will be talking later on. there we go! that was not very helpful? not particularly helpful. he will talk about the flooding later. but the nhs is an issue as well, labour and the snp talking about that. but the nhs these ares, what is a response from other parties to the suggestion from other parties to the suggestion from the conservatives acknowledging we have a 43,000 vacancies for nurses? that is right and that was the main message is the prime minister was hoping to talk about today. he did so on that visit to the hospital in the east mid