perhaps decades. but the chancellor sa 5 that perhaps decades. but the chancellor says that his — perhaps decades. but the chancellor says that his focus, _ perhaps decades. but the chancellor says that his focus, i _ perhaps decades. but the chancellor says that his focus, i read _ perhaps decades. but the chancellor says that his focus, i read your - says that his focus, i read your statement from the county councils network and you talked about the fact that the chancellor had some financial headroom to increase spending on services. but he argues that it was time to cut some taxes and put money in the pockets of some families. what do you say to that? was this the right strategy? i was this the right strategy? i wholly agree with putting was this the right strategy? i wholly agree with putting money in the pockets of hard—working families across the country. i am a conservative, as the chancellor is. i greatly believe in that. but i also believe in the value of good quality public services. and that is what we, as local authorities up and down the country, particularly upper tier authorities, which have responsibilities across adult social care and children's services. you know, we absolutely need to be able to provide those services. if there

is financial headroom then, you know, we really need to give consideration to those very, very important services that we provide. and just tell me what the plan is for derbyshire county council? where do you think you would have to cut in the services you provide to your citizens? , , ., m citizens? this is, we are faced at the moment _ citizens? this is, we are faced at the moment with _ citizens? this is, we are faced at the moment with a _ citizens? this is, we are faced at the moment with a deficit - citizens? this is, we are faced at the moment with a deficit of- citizens? this is, we are faced at. the moment with a deficit of around £33 million. we are hoping to bring that down before the end of quarter four. we having to take immediate action and stop things like recruitment at the moment. except in those areas where we absolutely need to staff, particularly home—care workers and so on to provide adult social care so we can keep people out of the care system. that helps us. but next year, you know, in the autumn statement yesterday there was a national living wage increase, which equates for us as a local authority next year another £41;

million authority next year another £4.4 million of costs on top of already very considerably high savings that we having to make as well. and i know that this is playing out right across the country with upper tier authorities, that that increase is equating to i% of council tax rise next year for most local authorities. that is pretty significant. for us that is £4.4 million, getting on for i% of council tax next year. that is something that we didn't have to worry about two days ago was like to thank you very much. that is councillor barry lewis, leader of derbyshire county council. thank you forjoining us on bbc news. more now on those net migration figures published by the office for national statistics earlier this morning. let's take a look again at the numbers. gfx uk net migration was 672,000 in the year tojune 2023. this number is slightly higher compared to the year tojune 2022.

however, it is down on updated estimates from the office of national statistics. net migration is the number of people arriving in the uk, minus those who left. reducing net migration, and stopping small boats crossing the channel is one of the prime minister's key pledges to the nation. i'm joined now by the shadow home secretary, yvette cooper. thank you forjoining us here on bbc news. now labour has been critical of the government's record on immigration. what does labour think is unacceptable number of migrants coming into the country? ishiellll. is unacceptable number of migrants coming into the country? well, these fiuures coming into the country? well, these fi . ures are coming into the country? well, these figures are around _ coming into the country? well, these figures are around three _ coming into the country? well, these figures are around three times - figures are around three times higher than at the last general election, when the conservatives promised to cut them. and what they reflect is the conservatives failure on the economy, on immigration and on the economy, on immigration and on asylum. because at the heart of the figures is a 65% increase in

work migration, a particularly big rise in health and social care visas, which reflects the complete failure by the government to tackle the skill shortages in our economy. to tackle issues in the labour market and to have that proper economic plan in place. and that is why one of the things that labour is calling for immediately is to end the unfair 20% wage discount in the immigration system, which encourages employers to recruit from overseas rather than training properly and paying fairly here in the uk. 50 paying fairly here in the uk. so what would be your net migration target? we have seen the figures out today. what would be your target and how would you reach it? we today. what would be your target and how would you reach it?— how would you reach it? we think that net migration _ how would you reach it? we think that net migration should - how would you reach it? we think that net migration should come . how would you reach it? we think - that net migration should come down. we don't think it is sensible to set a specific numerical target because every time the conservatives have done it they have made a complete mess of it. but ending the 20% wage

discount, which we think is unfair and prevents employers training. but also having proper links between the immigration system and training and tackling skills shortages. so for example we have seen this huge increase in social care visas going from around 3000 to over 100,000 in the space ofjust a couple of years. at the same time as the government has halved the budget for training and recruitment of social care workers in the uk. so the approach that labour would take is to link the immigration system and the training and the issues around tackling those skill shortages. that is vital and also getting rid of the unfairness that the 20% discount in the system as well. immigration is an important part of our country but the system needs to be properly controlled and managed so that it is fair. “3: controlled and managed so that it is fair. . ~ controlled and managed so that it is fair. ., ~ ., fair. c were talking about fixing the system. — fair. c were talking about fixing the system, dealing _ fair. c were talking about fixing the system, dealing with - fair. c were talking about fixing the system, dealing with the i fair. c were talking about fixing - the system, dealing with the asylum backlog but all of this is going to

cost money. and the shadow chancellor rachel reeves has agreed to stick to the conservative government's spending plans. so where are you to get the money to overhaul the system?— overhaul the system? rachel reeves has riahtl overhaul the system? rachel reeves has rightly said _ overhaul the system? rachel reeves has rightly said that _ overhaul the system? rachel reeves has rightly said that we _ overhaul the system? rachel reeves has rightly said that we will - overhaul the system? rachel reeves has rightly said that we will not - has rightly said that we will not set out plans that we can't explain how they're going to be funded. and we have done that across the board, whether that be in the nhs or in policing. we have explained how everything we say will be fully funded and that's really important. butjust funded and that's really important. but just on asylum funded and that's really important. butjust on asylum for example, at the moment today's figures show that 56,000 people are now in asylum hotels. that is 10,000 more than when rishi sunak promised to end asylum hotel use. that is a shocking figure and it is costing the taxpayer of £8 million a day. that is around £3 billion a year. we could save that money because we would end asylum hotel use and clear the asylum backlog. it would include recruiting more caseworkers and also

setting up a new asylum returns unit to make sure that the system is fair and effective and properly enforced. and that would end up saving the taxpayer potentially £2 billion and we think that is the right thing to do, especially at a time when the economy and public finances and family finances are so stretched as a result of 13 years of complete conservative failure. the government on its art conservative failure. the government on its part says _ conservative failure. the government on its part says it _ conservative failure. the government on its part says it is _ conservative failure. the government on its part says it is introduced - on its part says it is introduced some measures, for example cancelling dependent visas for some students. it says some of its measures are working. and so perhaps if you were the next government, you would be inheriting an immigration, a system where immigration numbers are going down anyway. so a system where immigration numbers are going down anyway.— are going down anyway. so we suworted _ are going down anyway. so we supported those _ are going down anyway. so we supported those measures - are going down anyway. so we| supported those measures and are going down anyway. so we - supported those measures and clearly international students are important to the economy but that also has to be a fair system around that. so we supported those measures. we also

recognise that in the past we have done things like support people coming from ukraine during the war and that was right, the right approach to take. but there particularly has to be properfair controls on immigration. it has to be a system that works and is effective and the key issue in the figures that we are seeing today has been this very big increase in work migration and in work visas because the conservatives are completely failing to tackle the skills shortages in the economy. so one of the things that we would do that they are not doing is have proper links between the immigration system and proper training requirements, proper skills plans and we would get rid of this 20% wage discount that again the conservatives are just completely failing to do. and that is just not fair completely failing to do. and that isjust not fair on completely failing to do. and that is just not fair on anyone to have that sort of 20% wage discount built into the immigration system. find into the immigration system. and 'ust into the immigration system. and just explain _ into the immigration system. and just explain the 20% wage discount for our viewers. just explain the 20% wage discount for ourviewers. i5 just explain the 20% wage discount for our viewers.— for our viewers. is what it means is at the moment _ for our viewers. is what it means is

at the moment if _ for our viewers. is what it means is at the moment if employers - for our viewers. is what it means is at the moment if employers are . at the moment if employers are recruiting from overseas on shortage occupations, and there is a very long shortage occupation list now because of the failure by the government to tackle skill shortages. if employers recruit from overseas, then they can recruit at 20% less than the going rate. now thatis 20% less than the going rate. now that is not fair. that means that is not fair on people who have come here to work, it is not fair on people who are working here in the uk and it means there is an incentive on employers to recruit from overseas rather than actually tackling the skill shortages, making sure that their training on making sure that their training on making sure that their training on making sure that they are paying people fairly in the uk. i think most people aren't aware that there is this 20% discount on wages that overseas recruitment. it is not fair on anyone and that is why we have argued strongly that that discount should go. argued strongly that that discount should no. ., .,, ., ~ should go. yvette cooper thank you for 'oinin: should go. yvette cooper thank you forjoining us- _ should go. yvette cooper thank you forjoining us. that _ should go. yvette cooper thank you forjoining us. that is _ should go. yvette cooper thank you forjoining us. that is yvette - forjoining us. that is yvette cooper, the shadow home secretary. i just want to show you this dramatic footage from here in the uk.

a majorfire broke out in reading and more than 50 firefighters attended the scene. here in this footage you can see a workman who appeared to be trapped on the roof being lifted to safety by a crane. two people were taken to hospital for treatment for smoke inhalation. the covid inquiry is continuing today after england's former deputy chief medical officer, professor sirjonathan van—tam, revealed during wednesday's session that he and his family had been the victim of death threats. appearing in front of the inquiry today, professor dame angela mclean, who at the time was the deputy government chief scientific adviser, has criticised a "lack of appreciation that very quick decisions were needed" during the pandemic. she also told the inquiry she was not aware of a pandemic planning exercise called 'operation nimbus', which considered a large number of deaths from flu. i actually hadn't heard about exercise nimbus until i heard ben warner giving evidence to you.

so if i had known about exercise nimbus on that day, i would have thought, "oh, well, they've had an exercise on it." it was a flu pandemic exercise, but it is still very, very large number of deaths. so if i had just known that exercise nimbus had happened, i might have been encouraged. actually, if i had known who went to exercise nimbus i might have been a bit discouraged. the people who were present at exercise nimbus were not the secretaries of state, who would be sat around the cabinet table making these decisions. were you concerned that the government had not got a grip on the situation? i was concerned that the people who were being asked to make these very consequential decisions that were coming our way very fast may not have got their heads round what it would feel like to have three quarters of the population affected and 1% of them die. i mean, that is clearly unconscionable, not something any politician could conceivably agree to.

dame angela mclean also told the inquiry it became clear that intensive care units would be in "big trouble" if the number of cases continued to rise at the same rate as they were ahead of the first lockdown. you have already heard from colleagues that it was too late. so if we are doing with the benefit of hindsight exercise here i would say it should have been two weeks earlier. that would have made a really huge difference. now, we didn't have the data two weeks earlier, so by the 16th we have enough data, in my opinion, we should have gone into lockdown on that monday the 16th. find should have gone into lockdown on that monday the 16th.— that monday the 16th. and that is a critical period _ that monday the 16th. and that is a critical period from _ that monday the 16th. and that is a critical period from your _ critical period from your perspective, the 16th? in terms of the datasets that you had at the time _ the datasets that you had at the time and — the datasets that you had at the time and the knowledge base you had at the _ time and the knowledge base you had at the time? | time and the knowledge base you had at the time? ~' ., ' ~ at the time? i think on the 16th, civen at the time? i think on the 16th, given what _ at the time? i think on the 16th, given what we — at the time? i think on the 16th, given what we knew _ at the time? i think on the 16th, given what we knew about - at the time? i think on the 16th,

given what we knew about how. at the time? | think on the 16th, i given what we knew about how fast this epidemic was spreading. given what we knew and could surmise about the fact that probably everybody could catch it, probably everybody was susceptible to capture, i think there was enough information on that date to say we need to stop all nonessential content. you date to say we need to stop all nonessential content.- nonessential content. you are watchinu nonessential content. you are watching bbc— nonessential content. you are watching bbc news. - nonessential content. you are watching bbc news. a - nonessential content. you are l watching bbc news. a reminder nonessential content. you are - watching bbc news. a reminder of some of our top headlines. israel says it is offensive in gaza continues after a four day pause in the fighting was delayed. you're watching bbc news. stay with us here for the latest headlines after this short break.

this is bbc news final details of a pause in the fighting. the release of hostages is

not expected to begin, now, before friday. aid agencies want to use the expected positive step up deliveries of humanitarian supplies to gaza. another headlines, an anti—immigrant politician italy a coalition talks after his party wins a dramatic victory in the netherlands election. welcome to bbc news. israel's defence forces say they've arrested the director of gaza's largest hospital, al—shifa. they say mohammad abu salmiya has been transferred for questioning by the israeli security agency. they say they followed evidence that 'al shifa hospital, under his direct management, served as a hamas command and control centre'. they added that there was 'extensive hamas terrorist activity�* at the hospital under the his management.