arriving in north—east scotland later. details throughout the programme. good morning. it's monday, the 20th of november. our main story. it's the start of a big week for the covid inquiry, which will hear evidence from the high—profile doctors and scientists who helped to shape and explain the government's response to the pandemic. the former chief scientific adviser, sir patrick vallance, whose diaries from that time accused boris johnson of chaotic leadership, will appear today, followed by professor sir chris whitty, jonathan van tam and damejenny harries over the coming days. our health reporter jim reed reports. patrick, over to you. thank you very much. numbers are increasing and they're increasing across europe and in the uk. sir patrick vallance was up there at the downing street podium in some of the darkest days of the pandemic. we're also recommending increased social distancing. that's the phrase that you hear. already the inquiry has heard extracts from his private notes or diaries, written in what lawyers described as a brain dump at the end of a stressful day. sir patrick vallance notes in his evening notes, - "number 10 chaos as usual. "on friday, the two metre rule i meeting made it abundantly clear that no one in number 10 or- the cabinet office had really read or taken time to understand - the science advice on two metres. "quite extraordinary." sir patrick starts what is a busy week of scientific evidence. tomorrow, his colleague at the podium, sir chris whitty, will give evidence, followed by the deputy chief medical officer for england, sirjonathan van—tam, perhaps best known for his covid football analogies. it's a bit like being 3—0 up in a game and thinking, well, we can't possibly lose this now. and later in the week, the government's current chief scientific adviser, dame angela mclean, and the head of the health security agency, damejenny harries. so we will follow the science. we'll be guided by the science at all times. . and that's why we're following the scientific advice in the way that we are. that mantra was heard again and again as covid spread. whether the government really did follow scientific advice, and how that influenced crucial decisions from facemasks to lockdowns, will now come under intense scrutiny as this inquiry continues. jim reed, bbc news. we will be going live to the inquiry and talking to our correspondence later. but first, sarah has more of the news. thirty—one babies who were trapped inside gaza's main al—shifa hospital are now in the south of the territory, and are expected to be moved to egypt today. it comes as the israeli military released footage which — it says — shows a 55 metre—long tunnel, built by hamas, beneath the hospital. our middle east correspondent yolande knell reports. a glimmer of hope. the plight of these premature babies has symbolised the suffering in the devastating war between israel and hamas. they're the smallest survivors of the standoff at al—shifa hospital. now they're to be taken to egypt. doctors in southern gaza have been working to stabilize them. several others have died. "even the water used for their formula was contaminated," says this doctor, "and there was no sterilisation. "they suffered from vomiting and diarrhea and weight loss. "some had blood poisoning and severe infections." back at al—shifa, israel released this video as it comes under pressure to justify its raid on the hospital. it says this tunnel leads to a blast proof door of the kind used by hamas for its command centres. and more video, this time from security cameras, which israel says shows two hostages being taken to al—shifa on the 7th of october, one of them wounded. at this stage, we can't verify any of the military footage. for the families of the hostages each day is an ordeal. but qatar—brokered talks to try to free at least some of them in exchange for a humanitarian pause in fighting, are increasingly said to be showing signs of progress. we are hopeful that we can get a significant number of hostages freed in the coming days. i don't want to go into the details of these talks. they are obviously very sensitive. the less we go into the details, the better the chances of such a deal. but they are very serious efforts, and i'm hopeful that we can have a deal in the coming days. and for gazans, any break in this war can't come soon enough. some 1.7 million are now displaced, most of the population. to add to their misery, the territory is now being lashed by strong winds and rain. and this is just the start of the wintry weather. yolande knell, bbc news, jerusalem. yolande joins us now from jerusalem. yolande, we heard there about the worsening weather in gaza. that's only going to make the situation even harder for civilians there, isn't it? that's right. even in normal times i have been to the gaza strip to report on problems caused by the wintry weather when there is really not enough power to pump away water and sewage that accumulates, and that can cause flooding. now with so many people displaced, living in tented accommodation down in this area that is supposed to be safe in the south, you are talking about many people who left home with very few possessions. they don't have many clothes to give them dry or blankets to keep them warm, it really could be a very desperate situation. we are expecting these strong winds, the wet weather, to continue for at least another day. the humanitarian organisations, this raises concern about the spread of diseases. separately, you have the brutalfighting diseases. separately, you have the brutal fighting continuing diseases. separately, you have the brutalfighting continuing in the gaza strip. we have been hearing reports this morning about a deadly israeli strike on the indonesian hospital in the north of the strip. there is no comment yet from the israeli military on that or other fighting taking place. thank you. the shadow foreign secretary, david lammy, is making labour's first visit to israel since the start of the war on the 7th of october. he'll meet the israeli president and palestinian authority officials in the west bank. labour has been divided over its suppot for a humanitarian pause in the conflict, with nearly a third of its mps defying leader sir keir starmer and calling for a ceasefire. police have launched a manhunt after a woman was killed in west yorkshire. she was found seriously injured in the ravensthorpe area of dewsbury last night, and later died. officers have appealed for information. russell brand has been questioned by the metropolitan police over allegations of historical sex offences. an investigation by the sunday times, the times and channel 4's dispatches programme revealed claims of rape, sexual assaults and emotional abuse against the actor and comedian, which he denies. the chancellorjeremy hunt is preparing to deliver his autumn statement on wednesday, amid speculation that he may be planning to cut either income tax or inheritance duty. our chief political correspondent henry zeffman is in westminster. henry, the rumour mill was in full swing over the weekend — are we any clearer as to what mr hunt is planning? yes, another big week for the government after all the political drama of last week. on wednesday, jeremy hunt will unveil his autumn statement. usually that's much smaller than what you get in the spring. that is the full budget. but it does sound like we might get some significant tweaks, even cuts, to tax. if you'd asked me a few months ago whether that was possible, if you had asked jeremy hunt if that was possible a few months ago, i think you would have said no. two things have changed. one is the politics. frankly, the conservatives are still a long way behind labour in the opinion polls. and conservative mps are desperate for something to change the political weather. the other thing that has changed is the economics. the people who do the forecast for the government to say the government has perhaps as much as £30 billion to play with that they didn't think they would thanks to higher—than—expected tax receipts and a few other things. so what might happen? we have heard lots of speculation about the possibility thatjeremy hunt might cut inheritance tax. it seems, cautiously, like the government might be edging away from that this morning. labourwere might be edging away from that this morning. labour were very clear at the weekend they would attack that if the government went forward with it as a tax cut for the wealthiest during a cost of living crisis. so you are left with personal income tax, perhaps income tax or national insurance. on income tax rishi sunak said when he was running for leader that he wanted to cut the basic rate from 20p to i6p by the end of the decade. so perhaps a ip cut would take in that direction. on the other hand, cutting national insurance might be less likely to fuel inflation. so, whichever option jeremy hunt goes for, if he does go for one of those, it will tell us a lot about how the government sees the economic situation, but also how it sees its political situation in a year or so out from a general election. thank you. henry zeffman. the people of argentina have elected a far—right populist as their new president. javier milei won nearly 56 % of the vote in a tight campaign that centred on the country's struggling economy. the former us president, donald trump, sent his congratulations on social media, saying the new leader would "make argentina great again". the grammy—winning singer shakira is due in court in barcelona on charges of defrauding the spanish tax authorities. she's accused of failing to pay more than 14 million euros — around £12 million — between 2012 and 2014, and could face up to eight years injail if found guilty. shakira denies the charges. the former us first lady, rosalynn carter, the wife of presidentjimmy carter, has died aged 96, after being diagnosed with dementia in may. her husband, who was in the white house from 1977 to 1981, described her as his equal partner and a source of guidance and encouragement. 12 minutes past six. a national lottery winner who spent part of his jackpot on a professional standard pool table, has won a bronze medal while representing england at the european blackball championships. neiljones and his partner won more than £2 million back in 2010. the 59—year—old, who gave up work to concentrate on pool, says his success was down to all the extra practice he got in during the covid lockdowns. well done. that is a good story, isn't it? a good positive outcome after winning that money. brilliant. caroljoins us for the after winning that money. brilliant. carol joins us for the first time this week. good morning. how are you? this week. good morninu. how are ou? good morning. how are you? good morninu. good morning. how are you? good morning- my _ good morning. how are you? good morning. my weekend _ good morning. how are you? (13mm morning. my weekend was lovely. i hope yours was two. i will find out later this evening. what we have todayis later this evening. what we have today is a fairly mild day in prospect. fairly cloudy as well. and we have some rain. various weather fronts, one in shetland are sinking south, one in northern ireland, southern scotland and northern ireland, sinking south through the day, this one, producing heavy rain and gusty winds in the southern half of england wales, will quickly be pushing eastward through the day. in fact, it should probably clear east anglia and kent around about lunchtime. meanwhile, our other front pramac racing south through the day. generally cloudy, breaks in scotland and wales. more persistent rain in the north—east of scotland in the afternoon. windy too across the north and west, with the winds easing in the eastern side of the english channel. temperatures ranging from seven to about 13 degrees, north to south. as we head on through the evening and overnight, once again it is going to be fairly cloudy for many. there will be some showers on the east coast, getting towards kent. clearer skies as high pressure building across parts of scotland and northern ireland. wendy in the north, north sea coastline, and also the irish sea. temperature wise we are looking at a frost tonight across parts of scotland and northern ireland. in sheltered glens temperatures could follow a 2—2. not as cold though as we come further south, where we have got to the cloud and the rain. that is how we start the day tomorrow. fairly cloudy, dregs of a weather front pushing down towards the south—east. a lot of dry weather, a fair bit of sunshine. and out towards the west there will be a wee bit more clout. with the westerly breeze it does mean we could see some showers along the west coast. these are the temperatures. eight in the north, to 12 or 13 in the south. 0nce temperatures. eight in the north, to 12 or 13 in the south. once again, the weather this week is a mixed bag. somehow, i thought you might be about to say that! i wondered what you are about to say. see you later. let's take a look at today's papers. "are we finally on the brink of a real tax cut?" asks the daily mail. the paper cites media interviews by the chancellorjeremy hunt over the weekend, in which he said he wanted to bring down the tax burden. the daily mirror leads with its own investigation into the rents charged for luxury apartments owned by the chancellor, claiming one of the properties saw a rise of 18%, at a time the public were urged to show restraint over demands for pay rises. the paper acknowledges that mr hunt has said all profits are donated to charity. "nuke sub mins from disaster" is the sun's headline, in reference to a decades—old royal navy submarine, armed with trident missiles, which started sinking towards its crush depth but was saved just in time. the navy told the paper it does not comment on operations. and if you don't want to know who got voted off strictly come dancing last night, spoilter alert! look away now! angela rippon became the latest star to say goodbye. here she is pictured alongside her professional partner kai waddington. the pair performed their american smooth dance routine to tea for two by ella fitzgerald. look at these smiles on claudia's and tess�* faces. she�*s been amazing. they talk about wanting to make it through to blackpool and did that. and all that come dancing heritage in blackpool too. wonderful. a great weekend. 0ne in blackpool too. wonderful. a great weekend. one of the the inside pages? i quite like this in the times. talking about a former in beverley in the east riding of yorkshire, who decided to diversify, a slightly different tack, a dairy farmer who has gone into cow cuddling. 200 calories that weren�*t producing the milk they might have been, she wasn�*t making as much money from them, so for a0 quid an hour you can go and lie on the stroll and cuddle a cow. yeah, i can see why that might appeal. when is your birthday? you could do a double session. you have to be over 16. apparently it�*s hugely popular. they are selling out just like the did last re tickets, which have also gone. this is a great story. glastonbury tickets. a tall bag dropped by astronauts on a space walk will apparently be visible as it flies over britain tomorrow. the kit was lost by two nasa astronauts as they fixed a solar panel on the international space station. experts say the bag is surprisingly bright, and though —— although it is below naked eye visibility, you should be able to spot it. how big is the bag? it must be enormous. how many tools do you need fixing something on the iss? the idea of it being up in the sky and the dark... we will find out later if this guy will be clear enough. 0ne enough. one big tool bag. maybe it has got a big flashing beacon on it or something, i don�*t know. 18 minutes past six. three wonder drugs which are used to treat cystic fibrosis may no longer be prescribed to new nhs patients in england, wales and northern ireland, because they�*re too expensive. a consultation into the proposal ends on friday, with the final decision expected to be announced in march. tim muffett went to meet one family who face an agonising wait for that decision to be made. we found out when he was three weeks old. i�*d never even heard of it. and ijust remember being absolutely devastated. there is no cure for cystic fibrosis. it�*s a genetic life—shortening condition affecting around 11,000 people in the uk. to be told that your child is only expected to live to a1 is heartbreaking. those who have it, like seven—year—old mikey, have inherited a copy of a faulty gene from both parents. when we�*re told that he�*s got this lung disease, and that he�*d inherited it from us. and again, me and dale didn�*t know that we were carriers. kayleigh and dale have shared mikey�*s story on social media. the lungs fill with sticky mucus that other people would be able to cough and bring up quite easily. so, lots of stints where we�*ve had to go to the hospital, and just generally he would be unwell. but 18 months ago, new medication transformed mikey�*s life. what impact has this medicine had for you? well, i don't cough after my nebuliser and i can keep up with my friends in the playground, and it gives me more energy. you�*re doing well. that�*s really wobbly. you can't get him to stop. he's got all the energy i that you'd ever wish for. not coughing. we've hardly ever gone to the hospital since. . yeah, i can�*t remember the last time he was on antibiotics. what impact does this drug have in terms of long term prognosis and the future? there�*s evidence to show that that might extend people�*s lives to around 80 to 82 years old, which is in line with the general uk public. so it�*s quite literally doubling people�*s life expectancy. mikey�*s medication is called kaftrio. it can cost the nhs around £160,000 per year, per patient. that�*s too expensive, according to the health spending watchdog, the national institute for health and care excellence. in draft guidance it said the nhs should no longer provide it to new patients, along with two other cystic fibrosis drugs, symkevi or 0rkambi. as mikey already receives the medicine, his supply won�*t stop. if finally agreed, this change would only affect new patients. but injanuary, mikey will have a new baby brother. we know that the baby has cystic fibrosis and has exactly the same genes inherited from us as mikey has got. however, he comes under this umbrella of potentially not being able to have the medication. you could potentially be in a situation where you have one child who has access to this drug, another child with the same condition, who does not have access to this drug. that�*s right, yeah. what�*s your message to the people who will make this decision? i would love for them to come and tell our second son when he�*s old enough, why exactly they think that his life isn�*t worth the same as his brother�*s. i think it�*s disgusting that this has even been thought about. he was very sweet and actually said yesterday that he would share his medication with his little brother. ijust want to share them with him, so he could be healthy like me. as yet, no final decision has been made as to whether or not these drugs will still be made available to new patients via the nhs. a consultation is under way until november the 2ath. final guidance is expected in march. so the national institute for health and care excellence says it�*s evaluating the cost effectiveness of the medicine so that, quote, "taxpayers continue to get value for money". what�*s your reaction? it�*s laughable really, isn�*t it? it sounds like a complete joke. the nhs spends money on helping people quit smoking. we pay for drug addicts to go and g