Pulled out of the Australian Open because of this long term hip problem. He is contemplating surgery now. What effect could it have on his future career . We will talk to you later. In the weather, darren, its been wet and windy and now its going to get cold. Yeah, we are going to get cold. Yeah, we are going to get cold. Yeah, we are going to look at the extreme weather we have been seeing in north america in the next hour. Here at home we are going to replace the cloudy wet and windy weather with something much colder as the weekend goes on. More later on. Thank you very much. Also coming up. The real italian job, a multiMillion Pound heist at the doges palace in venice. Thieves made off with several treasures owned by a member of the qatari royal family. Hello, this is afternoon live. I am simon mccoy. No change for five years thats the message to britains farmers many of whom were getting increasingly worried about what brexit will mean for them. The environment secretary michael gove said the government would guarantee eu equivalent subsidies until the 2022 election. But hes also warned all farmers that future subsidies will have to be earned. Duncan kennedy reports. Britain has more than 200,000 farm holdings, but the imminence of brexit has put farmers and food policy into a state of uncertainty. A healthy rural economy. Thats why issues of Animal Welfare, food standards and trade deals dominated todays Farmers Conference in oxford. Michael gove said britain would be a high quality food exporting nation after brexit. He said eu subsidies would be phased out, but farmers would still get financial help. We guarantee that, in cash terms, the amount of money that we give to farmers will remain exactly the same right up until the next general election in 2022, and what we want to do is to ensure that thereafter there is a smooth path towards a different form of paying farmers. Youve just got them on hay here, craig, or something. Minette batters farms in wiltshire and says the certainty of Michael Goves financial commitment to farmers after we leave the European Union will be welcomed by the industry. Weve worked for 43 years under european policy so, of course, its going to take time, and we really welcome his commitment to be looking at a longer period. 2024 is very well received. Michael gove was, of course, one of the key leave campaigners in the eu referendum. He said that it was britain that should decide what its farmers can do, what trade policies they can work out and what food standards should be for the public. But there are others who are saying that his message today is far too optimistic in terms of what britain can achieve when it leaves the eu. A separate report today from mps said that brexit trade deals risked britains very food security, as we face cheap foreign imports. They warn that we could end up having to take products like american chickens washed in chlorine as part of the price we pay for trading with non eu countries. Michael gove also said today Public Access to farmland as well as top quality Animal Welfare was at the centre of government policy. But the uncertainties of brexit and what follows make it difficult for him and all those involved in farming to know exactly how our agricultural landscape will change. Duncan kennedy, bbc news, oxfordshire. Iamjoined i am joined now from our westminster studio by liberal democrats leader sir vince cable. At lot of farmers i am assuming a sigh of relief and at least we now know . I am not sure they do know. We have no idea what they do know. We have no idea what the trading arrangements are going to be after brexit. What the farmers do know is what the current arrangements are, when we joined the European Union the Common MarketAgricultural Policy did pose enormous problem, people were subs dyed to produce excessive food, its been reformed, in many ways reflecting british interests and kind of thing which michael gove is talking about, stripping out subsidies might be applying to a farm arable farmers. Dairy farmers, many of those are struggling, theyre only able to keep going because of subsidies because of squeeze on prices from supermarkets. You have hill farmers, sheep farmers that depend heavily on the existing system of european support. A great deal of damage could be done by brexit unless its very carefully managed. I get that. Brexit unless its very carefully managed. Iget that. But brexit unless its very carefully managed. I get that. But what he said is that no change for five yea rs. At least said is that no change for five years. At least that transition period is now set in stone, there is a guarantee that whatever you are getting now from the eu you will continue to receive. Well, if that isa continue to receive. Well, if that is a meaningful guarantee i am sure that will be treated with some relief. But it contradicts what the government is saying elsewhere that it wants to press ahead with trade agreements with other countries outside the European Union. On top of the list of the United States, if we did open up to american competition as the government appears to wish, this would have radical implications and mostly fairly damaging for british agriculture if theyre now saying none of thats going to happen for five years, i think a lot of those people who have been promised early trade agreements outside of the European Union are going to be very disappointed. The governments got to make up its mind which audience it is speaking to. What do you how do you think farmers will react to a policy which suggests that in five yea rs policy which suggests that in five years time there will be a farm policy made in britain for british farmers . Well, to a large extent the policy already reflects the interests of british farming. Its a slogan, its not clear what it means. You could have a british farm policy that was very sensitive to the interests of particular groups of farmers like Dairy Farmers who are undera of farmers like Dairy Farmers who are under a lot of pressure or the hill farmers, or you could have a fairly brutal open market approach which sweeps all xet above cost petition aside. It isnt clear what made in britain Agriculture Policy actually means. What it means is that the £3 billion a year of taxpayers cash that comes to the uk through the Agriculture Policy of the eu will be decided, that figure, whether its the eu will be decided, that figure, whether its large or smaller, whatever, it will be decided here in the uk. Thats right. But the question is what is going to happen to it . If the subsidies are to disappear or be substantially reduced which i think what the government is aiming to achieve this is extremely bad news for those parts of the farming industry that depend heavily on subsidies. You are talking about hill farmers, Dairy Farmers who are currently squeezed, margins squeezed very severely by the supermarket system. If he is trying to reassure farmers by saying we are extending the whole process for five years, presumably the implication of that is that after those five years the regime facing them is going to be a very tough one. Isnt the argument that at the moment 80 of subsidies goes for basically doing nothing more than owning land, that cannot be sustainable . Well, untilyou think about the alternatives were, the system we inherit itted was that there were substantial farm prices, generalfarm prices that there were substantial farm prices, general farm prices that encouraged overproduction. So as a result, subsidies have been switched to keeping land underoccupied and has a substantial environmental value in many cases, particularly in the hill farming areas. So, there are pluses and minuses in the present system. M rg ove and minuses in the present system. Mrgove made it quite clear. What the governments intended will have damaging consequences indeed. But m rg ove damaging consequences indeed. But mrgove has made it clear that the price of future subsidies from a uk government will be those environmental concerns, the things you have just talked about. Well, he seems to be promising something to everybody. Are we talking about more subsidies for Environmental Resources . Subsidies for Environmental Resources . Are we talking about subsidies to marginal farmers . Resources . Are we talking about subsidies to marginalfarmers . Are we talking about getting rid of subsidies which he seems to be promising on other occasions . There isa promising on other occasions . There is a very, very confusing picture andi is a very, very confusing picture and i think although farmers may ta ke and i think although farmers may take some reassurance from the fact that we now have a transition, the end of that period could result in a lot of turbulence and a lot of distress in the farming sector. While i have you there, words you will dread, i wondered while i have you there, words you will dread, iwondered if while i have you there, words you will dread, i wondered if you were pleased to hear from tony blair again on the radio this morning . Well, you know, tony blair is rather marmite, he was in many ways a very successful Prime Minister for a long period of time and then he ruined his reputation with the iraq war. But he is actually speaking for a lot of people when he expresses the view that the way in which the brexit issue has to be dealt with is bya brexit issue has to be dealt with is by a vote at the end of the process. It was interesting this morning that the overwhelming majority, notjust of my partys supporters, but of labour supporters, and nationalists in scotland, overwhelmingly support the idea of having a vote and tony blair made that case very cogentally this morning. Thank you for your time. The row between donald trump and his former top aide steve bannon has intensified, with lawyers for the president threatening legal action over comments attributed to mr bannon in a new book about the presidency. The remarks allege that a meeting mr trumps son had with a group of russians during the president ial campaign was treasonous, and claims that mr trump was poorly prepared for thejob. The president said mr bannon, who was sacked last august, had lost his mind. Dan johnson reports. The president s right hand man, driving the right wing America First politics, that put trump in the white house. But like so many advisers steve bannon didnt last long. He is not a racist, i can tell you that, he is is a good person, he actually gets a very unfair press in that regard. But, we will see what happens with mr bannon. Quite. Well he found himself outside the big white house tent, and now, he is taking careful aim. He says a meeting between Donald Trump Jr and russian officials should have been reported immediately to the fbi, describing it as treasonous and unpatriotic. Predictably the president s spokeswoman didnt agree. I think that is a ridiculous accusation and one i am pretty sure we have addressed many times before, if that is in reference to comments made by mr bannon i refer you to the ones he made previously on 60 minutes where he called the collusion with russia about this president a totalfarce. So i think i would look back tharkts if anybody has been inconsistent it has been him, not the president or this administration. Donald trumps response was even tougher. When he was fired he not only lost hisjob, he lost his mind. Its fire and fury indeed. The book claims the former Prime Minister tony blair was bidding to be a white house middle east adviser. And that he told the president s son in law that British Intelligence may have spied on the trump campaign. This story is literally a totalfabrication, i mean i have never had any such conversation, not with someone in the white house, outside of the white house, not that the time or any time, not anywhere. The idea that British Intelligence services was interfering in the middle of an american president ial election is preposterous. This is politics today, and you get these wild conspiracy theories that unfortunately, people believe, but it is literally an invention. There are also claims Trumps Campaign team were shocked and horrified by his win, that his wife was in tears about it, and that the president was angry many a list celebrities snubbed the inauguration. His daughter apparently mocks his hair and is planning to take on the topjob. The truth isnt clear in a white house defined by an unconventional new normality. Iwan morgan is professor of United States history at University College in london and is director of the United States presidency centre. He joins me now from a chilly north london. Thank you for hanging on for us. Iam london. Thank you for hanging on for us. I am wondering, this is great publicity for a book but you do sense there are real nerves within the white house about it. Yes. Michael wolff has form for inaccurate statements in previous newspaper columns and books he has written but hes obviously hit a nerve with donald trump. Its probably going to be an inside the beltway fire storm which will not wash over the rest of the country, i suspect, but it all depends on how far bannon goes in documenting or evidencing his claims about this meeting that took place between donald trump junior and russian officials in june 2016. Nevertheless, it all adds to that picture of a slightly dysfunctional establishment of the white house itself. Yes, nothing new, reports have been coming out of newspapers like the New York Times and the wash post detailing this in considerable fashion. Washington post. I dont think it revises our opinion of trump is who is most unorthodox president who ever held office in the 45 men who have done so since george washington. Trumps unort dpoksy is both his strength and weakness. Its a strength for his base. They didnt want a conventional politician but its also a weakness because it doesnt allow him to expand on his base, reach out to people who arent his co re reach out to people who arent his core supporters and he has to do that if he is going to be re elected. That if he is going to be reelected. Does he, because you have an American Economy which seems to be going from strength to strength, you have those who voted for him in the last election saying he is doing exactly what we voted him to do. Yes, there is that but it all depends on the distribution of the vote working out in the Electoral College just as it did in 2016. One interesting fact, yes, the economy is doing extremely well at the moment and donald trump is claiming full credit for that. Dubious claim but nevertheless he is making it as any president would. But the point is that trumps tax bill which is what fuelled new Business Investment is very unpopular in the country at large and is regarded as a tax giveaway. This is one incident i think of its not the economy, stupid, that is working against him. This row between the president and steve bannon, from the outside there is an element of humour looking at this exchange but isnt it rather serious . I think it could become serious . I think it could become serious if bannon advances further evidence to support his claims. If, for example, he testified before special prosecutor muller, but for the moment its all hearsay. Bannon has not retracted his statements. But i would want to hear more before seeing them as extremely damaging to trump. In terms of what happens next, obviously everybodys waiting to read the book but the rumours about melania and ivanka it adds to those who say its not a suitable man to be president. Yes, it is a dysfunctional white house. You cant say anything other than that, i think. But trump is not an ordinary politician. I dont think he is going to change in the next three yea rs going to change in the next three years and if he runs again he will run on the characteristics that held appealfor people run on the characteristics that held appeal for people who voted for him in 2016, whether it works again that remains to be seen. Professor, thank you very much. Our headlines. The environment secretary says farmers in england will continue to receive the equivalent of eu subsidies for around five years after brexit. But they will have to adapt the way they work. Donald trump has issued Legal Proceedings against his former chief strategist steve bannon following his contribution to a new book in which he describes a meeting between his son and a russian lawyer as treasonous. Theresa may apologises as nhs figures for the last week of 2017 show a big jump in delays for patients arriving at a e. Coming up, theyre calling it a bomb cyclone, a new term for a severe winter storm about to hit the eastern United States. The severe Pressure Drop follows a cold snap that has already claimed 11 lives. In sport, andy murray pulls out of the Australian Open as he struggles with a hip problem. Injury worries forjoanna konte too. And late england wickets give australia the advantage on the opening day of the fifth and final ashes test in sydney. More in about ten minutes. The Prime Minister has apologised this lunchtime for a decision to postpone some operations in england until next month, saying she knows its difficult, frustrating and disappointing. Her remarks came after further evidence of pressure on the Health Service this winter figures published this morning show a Record Number of people called the nhs111 number during the festive period. There was also a sharp increase in the number of ambulances being held outs