chris mason is back to bring us up to date about the briefingm chris mason is back to bring us up to date about the briefing. it won't happen anytime soon. originally we understood it would happen at 4pm this afternoon, then we were told it would be 5pm. that has slipped from 5pm. i would would be 5pm. that has slipped from 5pm. iwould not would be 5pm. that has slipped from 5pm. i would not expect it any time before 6pm, and it may well be a little after that. clearly within government there is a huge amount thatis government there is a huge amount that is changing at the moment, a lot of briefing going on, we know the cabinet met at 1:30pm this afternoon and scientists were involved in briefing cabinet ministers and plenty of questions, some sceptical questions from some cabinet ministers. opposition leaders have also been briefed, given the gravity of this national announcement affecting the whole of england. but, actually hearing from the prime ministerfrom england. but, actually hearing from the prime minister from the chief scientific adviser to the government, patrick vallance

chris, once again, many thanks. chris mason, our political correspondent. now, earlier, we werejoined by the chair of global public health at the university of edinburgh, devi sridhar and she said a national lockdown in england is inevitable. in the position england is in, it seems inevitable they have to slow it down, and, unfortunately, nobody wants a lockdown but it seems like there's no other choice right now, because uncontrolled spread be even worse. is this action that you think the government should have taken earlier? yes, well, i actually go back to the summer and i say we had a lockdown, we've been under some kind of restrictions since march, we got numbers pretty low injune. what did we do wrong injune which means we are not in a better position now? and, for me, there are three things that east asian countries have done. many of them never even locked down, which was, first, strict border restrictions. you don't keep re—importing chains of infection. second, voluntary good guidance to the public on avoiding the virus at all ages, you don't wa

chris mason, bbc news. and chris is here now. chris, this story is moving very fast and details are coming out as we speak. please just run through exactly what we know, what we expect will happen. at 1:30pm today the cabinet met remotely. they were joined by senior scientists who have been briefing the prime minister and others over the last couple of days. 0ur others over the last couple of days. our understanding is there was quite a bit of pushback from ministers given where policy has been in england with its regional approach up england with its regional approach up to now. but nonetheless we understand from sources around the table and also sources and done echo on calls that have taken place this afternoon that the prime minister will announce in the next hour at this england wide lockdown starting on thursday. we expect it will mean that hospitality sectors are closed, so that hospitality sectors are closed, so pubs, cadres and restaurants closed except for a takeaway is. nonessential retail, as well, will be closed. sup

chris mason, bbc news. and chris is here now. chris, it was only a few weeks ago, perhaps even less, but borisjohnson was saying he still didn't want a national lockdown. has he been forced to change his strategy, do you think? yeah, i think he has been forced by the facts, as presented by the scientist. in the last couple of hours the cabinet has been meeting remotely, scientists have been briefing the cabinet. we understand from sources that have there has been quite a lot of pushback from cabinet ministers because there is such a delicate balance here, isn't? . clearly they want to avoid this potential death rate as we head into the winter, but the same time there is an equal amount of concern about the restrictions on our liberties and our livelihoods. you so briefly in my report that the graph that scientists have shown to senior members of the government. i think it is worth looking at this once more because this is the essence of where we are today and why the government in england is being forced to act. as i said in the

here's our political correspondent chris mason. this correspondent chris mason. is leeds where new ru some this is leeds where new rules of some sort are expected. new regulations are coming for parts of england where there are lots of cases, but precisely where, when and how severe they will be is not yet clear. too much complicated. we don't know what they're going to do next, do we? it is one big mess.“ it is going to get rid of this virus again, we are going to have to put up again, we are going to have to put up with all of this. people are losing theirjobs. is it alive? kill the economy, literally. stop everything. the leader of the council here says... we are seeking urgent discussions with government to understand what they are expecting, to understand why there has been a delay in the announcement until next monday which gives a weekend where people can go out as they please, and just understand if there is going to be a time restriction on this. trundle along the m 62 to liverpool where again there are lots of cases, an

chris mason, bbc news. just before i return to chris mason, let me bring you the latest figures we have had on the number of cases. the uk government's and their public health agencies have recorded 21,915 cases in the 2a hours to saturday. that is a modest fall off on the 21,405 in the 24 hours to friday. and those figures are the latest we have. we do of course get a uk wide figure at some point soon. the number of deaths, and this is the otherfigure we number of deaths, and this is the other figure we have received, number of deaths, and this is the otherfigure we have received, the number of deaths in the 24 hours to saturday, of those who had tested positive for coronavirus at some point in the last 28 days, it was 326 deaths. that is a long way short of some of the figures that chris andi of some of the figures that chris and i will be talking about in a few minutes. bear in mind those figures are modelling, they are not predictions on what will happen in the coming weeks and months, but there is no d

here's our political correspondent, chris mason. eating out in 2020 hasn't been straightforward. working in hospitality has been incredibly tough. those employed at this pizzeria in the northern quarter in manchester are worried... it's just difficult, i don't know how long it will be going on for. i don't know how long i will be able to get by on it. obviously, a lot of money going out all the time but not enough coming in. gas, electric, all of it. 0bviously, being at home all the time, it's going to be more rather than me being out of the house at work. yesterday, the government said those who worked for businesses forced to shut due to new coronavirus restrictions will get two thirds of their wages paid for by the government. but this afternoon, four labour mayors in the north of england said that wasn't good enough because... to say to us on a friday evening that it's non—negotiable, that some of our lowest paid workers will be pushed into hardship. it's non—negotiable that they'll be in debt as they're going into christmas. well, i'm sorry, but i'm not accepting a state

chris mason, bbc news. there has been another rise in the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the uk. in the last 2a hours 15,166 new infections have been recorded. the government also reported 81 deaths — that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. this takes the total number of deaths so far across the uk to 112,760. across much of europe the coronavirus appears to be taking hold once more. there have been a record number of cases in both france and poland. madrid is now in lockdown and new or tighter restrictions are being introduced in several countries. the bbc‘s tim allman assesses the renewed spread of covid—19. in berlin, closing time is now that little bit earlier. a new curfew has been introduced. restau ra nts curfew has been introduced. restaurants and bars will have to shut at 11 pm. germany, for so to shut at 11 pm. germany, for so long a shining example of how to deal with this pandemic, is seeing what's been described asa is seeing what's been described

chris mason, precarious, what reaction where you are? something of a shrug of the shoulders here. i think plenty are well used to walking on at least two tight ropes as far as brexit negotiations are concerned. the uk government knew this was coming. it is worth putting into context as well these kind of legal processes are regularly under way, at least a couple of dozen on average affecting any given eu member state at one time at the moment, and crucially the talks that nick was referring to there are still ongoing. the nuclear option here would be for either side to walk away from the negotiating table. they are not doing that, and there is one month for the uk to reply to this letter. and it is a rather crucial month because there isa summit rather crucial month because there is a summit coming up in a couple of weeks on both sides hope that by then or shortly after then there may bea then or shortly after then there may be a deal on the table. there will still be questions in the future about what the uk government is planning as far as the so—called internal market bill is

here‘s our political correspondent chris mason. elbow bumps and jaunty looking creatures from the deep. the chancellor was at an energy company in central london this morning. behind the smiles he is tackling an economic crisis unprecedented in modern times. and he is seen as a future prime minister. so it was noticeable how, right at the start of his speech, he heaped praise on the current one. yes, it has been difficult. challenge is a part of thejob, but on difficult. challenge is a part of the job, but on the big difficult. challenge is a part of thejob, but on the big calls, in thejob, but on the big calls, in the big moments, borisjohnson has got it right and that is the leadership we need. because we are only part way through this crisis. with the further scheme ending in weeks, and it‘s less generous successof weeks, and it‘s less generous successor starting next month, the chancellor acknowledged he can‘t protect every job chancellor acknowledged he can‘t protect everyjob and every business, but he said... i'm comm

chris mason, bbc news. doctors have called for face masks to be made mandatory both indoors, including in offices, and outdoors where two metre social distancing isn't possible. the british medical association also suggests the government toughens the rule of six. the chair of the bma, chaan nagpaul, explained why. what the government has to do is go back to some basics, which is that this is a virus that spreads between one person and another and we said that two metres is the sort of distance you need to keep to minimise that spread. and we have also said in any setting where people are closer than that distance without other mitigations like a screen barrier, they should wear face coverings. you have to have that rule that applies everywhere otherwise people will get confused. for example, we have had over the last few months, a rule that says you wear face coverings on public transport but nowhere else. a month later, injuly, we introduced it in shops and supermarkets, but nowhere else. but you could ha

chris mason, thank you very much. the latest government figures show there were 12,872 new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. that means the average number of new cases reported per day in the last week was 14,391. 65 deaths were reported — that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. this means, on average, 68 deaths per day in the past week. the total number of deaths across the uk is now 112,825. within that overall picture there are significant differences in the prevalence of the virus and what hospitals are seeing, depending on where in the uk you are. our medical editor fergus walsh has been looking through the latest data. there is a huge variation in coronavirus levels across the uk. this heat map shows the areas in red with the highest levels and those in light blue with the lowest. just look at this range, derry city and strabane look at this range, derry city and stra bane has 68a look at this range, derry city and strabane has 68a cases of coronavirus

chris mason, bbc news. henri murison is the director of the northern powerhouse partnership — the group that represents business and civic leaders across the north of england. welcome, thank you forjoining us. what is your reaction to what the mayo's are saying about the need for help in parts of the north of england? i think they reflect a genuine sense of fear for the business community about what is going to happen. i think clearly the challenge is how long these restrictions will last. at the moment we are not sure what the prime minister's offer of more local control will look like, well it mean its decisions will still be made in whitehall? will we actually see real local choice? if this restrictions do work, in the course of eight few weeks we shall the reduction. if that doesn't happen, i don't think we can see places locked into these arrangements permanently because it will bring economic desolation to particular cities that are caught in the highest level of restriction, andi the highest level

thank you, chris mason. on the eve of tougher restrictions coming into force in greater manchester, businesses are assessing what the impact will be on them. places including betting shops, casinos and bingo halls will have to close, as will children's soft play areas. but leisure centres and gyms can stay open. our health correspondent, dominic hughes, reports on two businesses in stockport that face very different futures. benchmark gym in stockport, the last few weeks have been filled with uncertainty. will gyms be able to stay open when greater manchester moves to the highest covid risk level, tier three? so the fact they'll be able to keep operating through the new restrictions is critical for co—owner, mark. has it been a relief? it's been an absolute, massive relief, purely because we want to be able to offer, like, a service and fitness service for our members and also for our community. everyone is going through a lot of stress and they are obviously working from home a lot more as well now, so fo

a warning — there are some flashing images in chris mason's report. crowd chants. there aren't many politicians who get treated like rock stars. but at glastonbury, jeremy corbyn did. another world is possible if we come together. but to understand the central tension at the heart of the labour party for more than a0 years, compare this — with this. no words required. a smile free zone. a sense of doom for many labour mps as mr corbyn became their leader five years ago. jeremy corbyn elected as leader of the labour party. doom, because they saw him as idealistic, but unelectable. mr corbyn‘sjubilant supporters saw his internal critics as sell—outs. a different room, a different decade, a familiar theme. this was 1985. the then labour leader neil kinnock in a battle with the party's left. i'll tell you what happens with impossible promises. you start with far—fetched resolutions. they're then pickled into a rigid dogma code, and you go through the years sticking to that — outdated, misplaced, irrelevant to the real needs. one such left—wing labour mp the

mason andi ago, i was talking to chris mason and i put to him that the mayor of liverpool, joe anderson, had called a couple of weeks ago at least for the measures which we are expecting to be introduced in liverpool. and that really important local knowledge of people in an area, to see what is going on, that they can call for swift and direct action. you clearly sound as though you think there needs to be a lot more of that. absolutely, i have been warning that we are in the second wave for at least a month. we welcome any restrictions but it needs to come with the resources and support. just on the test and trace, how is that looking in the area that you look after at the moment?m how is that looking in the area that you look after at the moment? it is improving but it is not good enough. what we really need is, again, timeliness has become really critical. we want to know cases within 2a hours. sometimes it can ta ke within 2a hours. sometimes it can take six or eight days. i think we all have a role to play, it is not just about the test and trace programme itself, all of us need t

our political correspondent chris mason says the situation is still evolving. occasionally come up little correspondence may sit here on a sunday night and give the indication that everything is moving when actually it will start again tomorrow morning. this evening, it really is happening now, the negotiations are ongoing between civil servants in regions of the north of england and their cou nterpa rts north of england and their counterparts in whitehall. there is also been political conversations as well between mayors and council leaders and ministers and senior representatives in the government. what we're going to get tomorrow from the prime minister is the setting out of these tiers that have been widely trialled over the last three weeks that will classify england into three different tiers. however, what's important to stress is tomorrow as the start of this process , is tomorrow as the start of this process, not the end, so i don't think we will get a map like the one thatjeremy vine strike surrounds on election night where england turns to three different colours that might hap

our political correspondent, chris mason, reports. # 0h, jeremy corbyn #. a few years ago, he was treated like a rock star at glastonbury. 12 months ago, he was labour's candidate to be prime minister. this morning he finds himself kicked out — for now, at least — of the party he's been a member of since he was a teenager. very shocked and very disappointed. i've been in the labour party all my life, and i make it absolutely clear — anti—semitism has no place whatsoever in our party or our movement. it was mr corbyn‘s response to yesterday's equality and human rights commission report that anti—semitism had been dramatically overstated by opponents that prompted his suspension and provoked a backlash from his supporters. the leader of the unite trade union, len mccluskey, said it was an act of grave injustice which, if not reversed, will create chaos within the party and, in so doing, compromise labour's chances of a general election victory. a split party, he said, will be doomed to defeat. but sir keir starmer insisted the party had no choice

we're joined now by our political correspondent chris mason who is in westminster. the deadline approaches, it is mid—day. either discussions arranged for today, can there be? good morning. i've been on the phone to both sides already this morning. speaking to those in greater manchester, they say that nothing is scheduled at the moment as far as talks with the government this morning are concerned. they are gathering as a team of local leaders shortly, as i understand it. speaking to the government, they say that their door is always open but they are pretty spiky, they say there is only so long they can wait when local leaders are not prepared to ta ke when local leaders are not prepared to take responsibility for what is going on. this is after a day when the two sides couldn't even agree about what they talked about. there was a meeting yesterday involving officials from both sides, greater manchester believe that there was talk then of additional support for people who won't be able to work under a tier 3 restrictions. the government publicly denied that that

our political correspondent chris mason is here. chris, this is very much a moving story tonight, there is no question, is perhaps a bit like earlier in the weekend, it's all been agreed, it's all written down and will be announced tomorrow, it is just a question of time? occasionally, political correspondence may sit on the seat on a sunday night and give the seat on a sunday night and give the impression that things are moving when it will actually start again tomorrow morning. this evening, it really is happening now, the negotiations are ongoing between civil servants in regions of the north of england and counterparts in whitehall. there is also been political conversations as well between mayors and council leaders and ministers and senior representatives in the government. what we're going to get tomorrow from the prime minister is the setting out of these tears that have been widely trailed over the last few weeks that will classify england into three different tiers. however, i think what's important to stress is, tomorrow

thank you very much, chris. chris mason. a doctor at the hospital treating donald trump for coronavirus has criticised the president, saying, "the irresponsibility is outstanding", after he left the hospital briefly to drive past supporters outside. the sudden appearance, which mr trump described on twitter as a "surprise for patriots", came amid speculation his condition could be worse than admitted. his doctors say he could be allowed back to the white house today. but other medical professionals have warned it's much too early for him to be discharged. here's david willis. the us government's medical experts have advised coronavirus patients to stay in their room and only venture out if it's medically necessary. not this patient. accompanied by secret service agents in protective gear, president trump embarked on a slow drive around the walter reed medical center to wave to supporters who've maintained a vigil there since he was admitted three days ago. "great patriots", in his words, and whilst the president himself was

let's get more on this from our political correspondent chris mason. so we know these tighter restrictions for parts of england are coming. how exactly they will look, whether they are identical to what is happening in scotland, we don't know yet. do you have any sense when the prime minister has made his mind up what exactly these restrictions will be? i am told that no final decision has yet been taken, so it is one of those mornings where it's important to be candid about what we do know and what we don't know, because the implications of the decisions that are coming will have profound effects on millions of people's lives. we do know that there will be changes in parts of england and that they will be announced in the coming days. we can't be precisely certain on which day, and we can't be certain of their geography, and also of their severity. so we take a step back and think, what other government trying to do and what are they willing to acknowledge? they are they willing to acknowledge? they a re clearly they willing to acknowledge? they are c

chris mason, bbc news, at westminster. let's get more on this with our political correspondent, leila nathoo. well, i think there is some, obviously, claims that there is going to be a civil war in the labour party, we are starting to see a few more labour mps, allies of jeremy corbyn in parliament come out in support of him, calling for him to be brought back into the party. saying, echoing that line from len mccluskey, the unite union leader, this is a divisive move, party unity is being threatened. clearly that is a risk for sir keir starmer. there is now going to be a formal labour party process, disciplinary process, no more details about that being released by the labour party but there will be a formal investigation and it is related to those comments thatjeremy corbyn made in response to the findings of the equality watchdog, not their report, the conclusions of that report themselves, butjeremy corbyn ‘s claim that the scale of anti—semitism in the labour party under his leadership had been dramatically overst

chris mason, bbc news. medical leaders are warning that the nhs may not be able to cope if people don't abide by the local lockdown restrictions. the latest figures show that the number of people waiting over a year for hospital treatment in england has hit a 12—year high — and three times as many people were waiting more than 18 weeks to start hospital treatment in august compared to last year. our health correspondent lauren moss reports. it is another stark warning about what could lie ahead. coronavirus hospital admissions are still far below what they were in april, but medical leaders are concerned about the recent increase with 3,000 patients currently being treated. we are at that tipping point right now. this isn't a joke, this isn't scaremongering. i don't come from an organisation that does scaremongering. we care about people, we care about our patients, we want to do the best for them and to keep doing the best for them through what was always going to be a difficult winter. let's not make

our political correspondent chris mason is here. more detail seem to be emerging about liverpool and elsewhere. liverpool's going to end up in tier three which is going to be the highest category of classification. that'll mean that pubs will be closed. looks like restaurants will still be able to be open. we don't know specifically what the restrictions might be. it could be interesting to see what particular establishments define themselves as being, likea establishments define themselves as being, like a pub that identifies itself as selling food, clubs and gyms could be closed as well so a very significant change for the liverpool city region. it could be a long time potentially. there is a suggestion it could be up to six months. negotiations are still going on. it looks like there will be review periods during that period but it will be driven ultimately by the progression of the virus. the hospitality industry is absolutely hugein hospitality industry is absolutely huge in liverpool and employs around 50,000 people, £5 billi

good morning — welcome to breakfast with chris mason and rachel burden. our headlines today: in a video from hospital, president trump says he's doing well but will continue coronavirus treatment for a few more critical days. so i just want to tell you that i'm starting to feel good. you don't know — over the next period of a few days, i guess that's the real test, so we'll be seeing what happens over the next couple of days. the uk registers almost 13,000 daily coronavirus cases, nearly doubling from the day before. the government says a technical issue is to blame. good morning from a very wet london marathon, fingers crossed for better conditions. the elite runners have finished their race as usual. more for you throughout the morning. how cute is that? and prince george, princess charlotte and prince louis ask sir david attenborough about the future of our planet. another wet day further a few of us today. whether warnings remain in force, flooding building in today. more details coming up later stop it's sunday 4th october. our top story. donald tr

mason is in westminster. tempers are getting frayed, there is real pressure on the politicians at the heart of this? as a deadline passed one hour ago, the prime minister was speaking to andy burnham, the mayor of late —— of greater manchester, suggesting there is still a desire at the last minute on both sides to secure a deal is possible. the numbers can be hard to comprehend. there is a baseline accepted figure of £8 per head of population for those going into tier 3 restrictions, around £22 million, for improving tracking and tracing and enforcement of help for troubled people. the row is over the next chunk of economic support money, if manchester got a similar amount per head to lancashire and liverpool city region, our calculations suggest around 56 million p would be going the way of greater manchester, on top of that £22 million, which comes to about 75 million p, which is what sources did greater manchester say is the minimum they would accept. those are the numbers in the mix as we wait to s

our political correspondent chris mason reports. asimilar a similar message appeared imminent again. this is why the projections of different scientist if there are not any further restrictions. the low black line was the reasonable worst—case scenario. low black line was the reasonable worst—case scenario. but all of the projections now suggest things could be much, much worse than that. compare them with the blue shaded curve on the left of this graph. that is what happened earlier this year. we have been saying it for about three or four weeks that it's really important the government moves quickly and does have to lock downs as quickly as possible, otherwise the nhs won't have the capacity it needs. it is thought schools colleges and universities will stay open during what could be a month long lockdown for england. the cabinet is discussing the plans this afternoon. the prime minister will hold a news conference at four o'clock. because action was not taken when it should have been, we now ina taken when it should have been

our political correspondent chris mason is here. it is sunday evening in the uk as we speak. these announcements are going to be made for monday. have they been nailed down yet? short answer, no, they haven't. this is the start of the process rather than the end of the process rather than the end of it. the people in england this will feel like a new phase in the management of this pandemic. with the british government making its argument that you can classify the country into tears. but we won't get when the prime minister speaks on monday afternoon suddenly a picture of exactly how it is in every corner of exactly how it is in every corner of the country. because the discussions are still going on. even in the northwest of england, in liverpool where it looked pretty certain they would be heading into the very high category, the highest category is set so as this a concern. that would happen on monday. now both sides, those in liverpool and at west minister i say well, maybe it won't because were still talking. and that is perhaps surprising giving the urgency of the way th

our political correspondent chris mason is here. a lot of frantic activity today and an announcement tomorrow. do we know what the broad outline of as been agreed. yes, we know the regions that i seen these spikes have been in conversation in the last couple of days on video conference with downing street and senior and cabinet ministers. they have been discussing what the restrictions might be in their particular regions. there has also been this heated row about the financial support that businesses and people within them will get if they are told to close. but at the heart of the discussion, as well as the local rows, and we have seen several labour mps rows, and we have seen several labourmps in rows, and we have seen several labour mps in greater manchester and indeed were conservative this afternoon, publicly speaking out and they don't think they should be put in the most severe tear of restrictions. in addition to that, there has been an intense discussion in government which has gone on for weeks about how you make this sys

good morning — welcome to breakfast with chris mason and rachel burden. our headlines today: in a video from hospital, president trump says he's doing well but will continue coronavirus treatment for a few more critical days. so i just want to tell you that i'm starting to feel good. you don't know — over the next period of a few days, i guess that's the real test, so we'll be seeing what happens over the next couple of days. the uk registers almost 13,000 daily coronavirus cases, nearly doubling from the day before.

mason, reports. stay at home, protect our nhs and save lives... the stock message from spring, and the stark reality, a similar instruction for england appears imminent again. this is why. the lines here are the projections of different groups of scientists of what might happen if there aren't any further restrictions. the steadily climbing low black line is what was the so—called reasonable worst—case scenario, but all of the predictions now suggest things could be much, much worse than that and compare them with the blue shaded curve on the left. that is what happened earlier this year. we have been saying for about three or four weeks but it's really important the government moves quickly and does tough lockdowns as quickly as possible because otherwise the nhs won't have the capacity it needs. it's thought schools, colleges and universities will stay open during what could be a month long lockdown for england. the cabinet is discussing the plans this afternoon and the prime minister will hold

and chris mason two great... very great podcast. some people have said about some of the biggest politicians on the stage they are beyond parody, but you're proving they're not and you need these big characters, who divide opinion and stand out, because that gives you something to work with in the way perhaps with someone like who is a bit more middle of road. managerial. people said david cameron was very hard to impersonate, because he was just a... an ordinary bloke. there weren't stand out characteristics that you could mock and exaggerate. yes, borisjohnson and trump are definitely easier ones to kind of kind the hook with. but i think with spitting image, it doesn't matter who you are, you can always be made more ludicrous and the puppets are such a big part of that. the puppets are like grotesque re—creation of these people. which over characters do you like, the priti patel one, she has been dressed to look likea vampire. yeah, so she has kind of got vampire teeth. so roger law creates the caricatures and creates the puppe

chris mason is back with me, we have been waiting for this press conference from downing street for quite a while, any information? conference from downing street for quite a while, any information7m was scheduled for lipm, pushed back to 5pm and then we were told it was from 5pm, which hinted at the prospect of a minimal delay and it is now looking like it will be at around, andi is now looking like it will be at around, and i am underlining the around, and i am underlining the around, 6:30pm, so it looks like within the next a0 minutes or so but, given that delay has not exactly been unprecedented this afternoon, there is at least the scope that it might be delayed yet again. what are we going to hear from the prime minister? we will hear that, from thursday this week until the 2nd of december, so almost a calendar month, there will be a lockdown across england, with nonessential shops closing, so that is most shops. supermarkets remaining open. the hospitality sector being told to close, so restau ra nts, pu bs sector being told to close, so restaurants, pubs and cafes, except those th

chris mason, bbc news, westminster. well, our economics corresopndent andy verity earlier gave me this analysis of mr sunak‘s remarks. in august we borrowed £35 billion compared to 5 billion in august in 2019. the amount that we are boarding, in other words they meant that the government is spending is already £174 billion. and based on the office for budget responsibility, numbers that they have put out, it is likely to reach 370 billion p for this year. the net debt, the public sector debt, has jumped by £200 million in the last four or five jumped by £200 million in the last four orfive months. and that jumped by £200 million in the last four or five months. and that is all because of spending for the pandemic, all understandable, but when any chancellor says, a conservative government will always balance the books, we have been hearing that for the best part of the last decade. if balancing the books means having more income than your spending, that is what acidity was all about. and actually, it never happen

thank you. 0ur political correspondent chris mason is in westminster. chris, just to put that point to you, there are questions, aren‘t there, and important ones about the test and trace system, the ability for it to work properly? yes. 15,841 tests that did not end up on the system in england. as we have been reporting, those people who have been requesting those tests did get the results as expected, so there was no pledge from their own personal perspective. but crucially, what then did not happen, was the tracing of the contacts of those people that the person who had tested positive had been in contact with. in other words, the tracing system failed as a result of this computer glitch. an acknowledgement from a cabinet minister and brea kfast from a cabinet minister and breakfast in the past hour that that has consequences. for the number of people who have not been through the process and deciding whether they need to be contact to isolate or not, recognise what you are saying, but the error has picked up and is being dealt with. i don't think t

our political correspondent chris mason joins us now from westminster. chris, what more can we expect this morning? there are many levels to this right now. there is an argument over local restrictions and when and if they get a change and that could be at any time, we have been told that and then there is a wider debate about then there is a wider debate about the possibility of a national lockdown. good morning, charlie. the prime minister made it clear yesterday that he will rule nothing out as far as national restrictions for england are concerned to do at the moment the model very much is focused on a regional reaction to numbers. let me help you through what is going to happen this morning. at around ioas greater manchester mps have a telephone call with ministers and at 11 o'clock andy burnham will have a call with downing street and the expectation, it seems, is that manchester will tip into tier three, the top tier into the very high category as far as restrictions are concerned. there are similar meetings for lancashire's. there was a meeting l

here's chris mason on that. this is leeds where new rules have some sort are expected. new regulations are coming for parts of england where there are a lot of cases, but precisely where, when and how severe it will be is not yet clear. too much complicated. we don't know what they are going to do next. do we? it'sjust one big mess. well, if it's going to get rid of this virus again that we are going to have to put up with all of this. people losing theirjobs. but it's out people losing theirjobs. but it's our lives. kill the account or make everything. and the leader of the counsellor here says. seeking urgent discussions with government to understand what expecting to understand what expecting to understand why, there's been a delay in the announcement until next monday which gives the weekend. where people can go out as they please and just understand that there's going to be a time restriction on this. go along the and 62 deliverable were again there's a lot of cases, and again lots of questions from local leaders. you can't have an effective government if the strat

let's get the latest now from our political correspondent, chris mason, whojoins us from westminster. good morning. help us with this one. we have seen what is happening in scotland. the talk is that something will be changing in england next week? yes, good morning. that's right. there will be changes coming to pockets of the north of england. the precise details, if we are honest, at this stage we don't know, because they are not yet signed off. speaking to people in government, there are big decisions to take. they are acutely aware it is a kind of lose — lose situation for them. they are hearing from medics to say the situation as far as the medics are concerned is increasingly bleak. and yet at the same time they know that the buttons they might have to press to try and suppress it, will have a really harsh economic consequences, but also consequences for all of our liberties and our freedoms. so yeah, some of the ideas on the table include pubs and restau ra nts on the table include pubs and restaurants in the north of england having far tighter restrictions imposed upon them,

this afternoon keir starmer explained his decision to our political correspondent chris mason. i made it clear that we won‘t tolerate anti—semitism or the denial of anti—semitism through the suggestion that it‘s exaggerated or factual and that‘s why i was disappointed withjeremy corbyn‘s response. that is why appropriate action has been taken which i fully support. what is this investigation actually going to look into? well, this is an investigation that started today. it‘s very important for me to not interfere with that. it has to be done properly in accordance with the rules but it will look into the statement that was made this morning. and what as leader then, to be clear, would he have to say for that investigation to have to conclude for you to welcome him back to the labour benches? well, look, there‘s a process that‘s now being triggered. one of the lessons from the report this morning is that the leader of the labour party shouldn‘t get involved or provide a running commentary. appropriate action has been taken and i support that, but the investig

chris mason at for us. joining me now is dr david ratcliffe, who has been working on covid wards since march, at salford royal hospital. he is also the clinical lead for urgent care for the greater manchester social care partnership. it is really good of you to give us some time this morning. thank you very much. manchester very much in the news today. what are you seeing in a&e and other parts of the hospital right now and how does that compare to march? let's begin there. good morning. if we start in march, march was very much like a major incident, where the focus was on the potential for a disastrous influx of patients and the need to get capacity for those patients and ensure the safety of those patients. in doing so, we enacted, effectively, a highly focused approach and this was, clinically in terms of working in the emergency departments, this was something i had never really seen before, where we worked together really well. the positives in it, we were activated together and worked well as a team

our political correspondent chris mason is here. what might the choreography be this morning up until midday. right now, leaders in greater manchester are meeting amongst themselves, that was a prearranged meeting, it was in the diary already, but we know the focus will be what is the figure that they are then going to put on the table to the government and say, look, if you can give us this in support, we will happily go ahead with these tier 3 restrictions? andy burnham was not willing publicly in his round of interviews, the mayor of greater manchester, to spell out exactly what that number is, but leaders in greater manchester say there has to be something that acknowledges that we have been under pretty tight restrictions for quite a while already, dating back to the summer, so it is a different situation, they say, in their city region, compared with liverpool or lancashire, which effectively went from tier1 to tier 3 in one go. there was an exchange of letters yesterday, real acrimony now between the two science. they can't e

here's our political correspondent chris mason. elbow pumps and jaunty looking creatures from the deep. the chancellor was an edited music company this morning. behind the smiles he factored in an unprecedented economic crisis in modern time. and being seen as a future prime minister. so it was noticeable how right at the start of his speech he heaped praise on the current one. yes it's been difficult, challenges are part of thejob. but on difficult, challenges are part of the job. but on the big difficult, challenges are part of thejob. but on the big cause difficult, challenges are part of the job. but on the big cause and the job. but on the big cause and the big moments borisjohnson has got it right and that is the leadership that we need. because we are only partway through this crisis. with the furlough scheme ending in weeks and it's less generous success or starting next month the chancellor acknowledged again he can't protect everyjob and every business. but he said...|j again he can't protect everyjob and every business.