Plus, what if your pet could 'talk'?
| | | | "There is no alternative." Those are the words Boris Johnson is expected to use later when he urges MPs to back his plan for a second national lockdown in England. The prime minister will warn coronavirus deaths could be twice as high over the winter as they were in the spring unless he - and the whole country - acts now. He'll insist, though, that it was "right to try every possible option" at a regional level first. Labour MPs are expected to support the four-week lockdown when it's put to a vote on Wednesday, but the same can't be said for some Conservatives. Senior backbencher Sir Graham Brady said he'd oppose the move, unhappy with "the removal of people's fundamental liberties... almost without comment". In an attempt to reassure doubters, the PM will stress his intention to ease the restrictions after a month - but the words of minister Michael Gove will be ringing in their ears. He warned the lockdown could be extended if infection rates fail to fall. Full details of the regulations coming in on Thursday are still to be published, but here's everything we know so far. Northern Ireland's schools reopen on Monday, mid-way through a four-week national "circuit breaker" lockdown. Wales continues its "firebreak" too, while Scotland launches its tiered system of restrictions today. And in other news, palace sources have told the BBC the Duke of Cambridge contracted Covid-19 earlier this year, but reportedly kept his diagnosis private to avoid alarming the nation. | |
| |
|
|
|
| From today, schools in England can begin enrolling pupils in a national scheme designed to provide catch-up tuition for those whose learning suffered most during the spring lockdown. Research suggests the gap between disadvantaged pupils and their more privileged counterparts has widened significantly. More than 15,000 tutors have been recruited - some qualified teachers, others students and volunteers - to provide small group or one-to-one support. Lessons will be 75% subsidised by the government. Education unions, though, say provision could and should have come from schools themselves, rather than external agencies. The government is insisting it will keep schools open during England's second lockdown. That's despite calls from unions and the mayors of some of the areas hardest hit by Covid-19. | |
| |
|
|
| | | | | One of the most important public inquiries in recent years is beginning in London on Monday after years of delays, but can it get to any answers? At the heart of the Undercover Policing Inquiry (UCPI) is a series of very serious allegations of systematic abuses by undercover policing units developed over 40 years. It was officially set up in 2015 by the then Home Secretary Theresa May, after a series of allegations that she said amounted to evidence of "historical failings". | |
|
|
| |
| | Dominic Casciani | Home affairs correspondent, BBC News | |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| | | | Most front pages focus on the acknowledgement from minister Michael Gove that England's coming lockdown could be extended beyond a month. The Guardian says his remarks provoked "Tory fury" and a rebellion is looming. The Daily Mail calls the prospect "a nightmare without end" and says there are "questions over the '4,000 daily deaths' dossier that helped tip us back into lockdown". The Daily Mirror warns Christmas is now "hanging in the balance", but the Daily Express is bullish, insisting the PM has made a "vow" to ease restrictions in time to "give millions of families a Christmas boost". The Times thinks that's still the plan, amid concerns people would otherwise break the rules in order to spend time with loved ones. The Daily Telegraph says Tory MPs will call on Boris Johnson to use the second lockdown to decide on a long-term strategy for living with the virus, which doesn't involve shutting down the economy again. Finally, the Financial Times focuses on the call from businesses for more support to survive the new lockdown "body blow". | |
| |
|
|
| | | | | Robert Fisk Veteran Middle East journalist dies aged 74 |
| | | | Windrush At least nine victims have died before receiving compensation |
| | | | Machu Picchu Ancient site reopens to tourists after Covid closure |
| |
| |
|
|
| If you watch one thing today |
| | | |
| |
|
|
| If you listen to one thing today |
| | | |
| |
|
|
| If you read one thing today |
| | | |
| |
|
|
| Need something different? |
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Let us know what you think of this newsletter by emailing bbcnewsdaily@bbc.co.uk. If you’d like to recommend it to a friend, forward this email. New subscribers can sign up here. | |
| |
|