sharon barbour has been on the front line with ambulance crews. there were ambulances backed up outside, two hours in an ambulance. it's been a long night for margaret. are ambulances parked out there today. there are no beds. people on trolleys in the corridors. all today. there are no beds. people on trolleys in the corridors.— trolleys in the corridors. all night with her was _ trolleys in the corridors. all night with her was her _ trolleys in the corridors. all night with her was her sister. - trolleys in the corridors. all night with her was her sister. i - trolleys in the corridors. all night with her was her sister. i didn't i with her was her sister. i didn't slee so with her was her sister. i didn't sleep so i'm — with her was her sister. i didn't sleep so i'm very _ with her was her sister. i didn't sleep so i'm very tired. - with her was her sister. i didn't sleep so i'm very tired. rates | with her was her sister. i didn't| sleep so i'm very tired. rates in a&e here _ sleep so i'm very tired. rates in a&e here have _ sleep so i'm very tired. rates in a&e here have been _ sleep so i'm very tired. rates in a&e here have been as - sleep so i'm very tired. rates in a&e here have been as long - sleep so i'm very tired. rates in a&e here have been as long as| sleep so i'm very tired. rates in i a&e here have been as long as 30 hours. the hospital trust reporting a near 70% increase in patients coming in. in the foothills of the lake district, cumberland infirmary is the largest accident and emergency hospital in cumbria but it's not big enough. it's already at capacity. there are no more beds. health bosses are working day and night to try and discharge patients. currently i don't have beds free in hospital and we have patients waiting and that is a concern for us and for patients. we have ambulance weights and so we are doing work to look at how we can maximise the space. look at how we can maximise the sace. ., �* , look at how we can maximise the sace. ., �*, ., ., look at how we can maximise the space-_ it'si space. how's it going today? it's bus . no space. how's it going today? it's busy- no beds — space. how's it going today? it's busy. no beds and _ space. how's it going today? it's busy. no beds and not— space. how's it going today? it's busy. no beds and not enough i busy. no beds and not enough doctors, busy. no beds and not enough doctors. with _ busy. no beds and not enough doctors, with the _ busy. no beds and not enough doctors, with the hospital - doctors, with the hospital increasingly reliant on locums, and operation already been postponed. i9 operation already been postponed. 19 in the last week.— in the last week. low, you are through- _ in the last week. low, you are through. plan _ in the last week. low, you are through. plan come _ in the last week. low, you are through. plan come from - in the last week. low, you are through. plan come from a - in the last week. low, you are | through. plan come from a few in the last week. low, you are - through. plan come from a few miles away, a team working on a solution. they are working round the clock to try and stop patients going into hospital in the first place and they are trying to get them out. we hospital in the first place and they are trying to get them out.- are trying to get them out. we try and refer anybody _ are trying to get them out. we try and refer anybody going _ are trying to get them out. we try and refer anybody going into - and refer anybody going into hospital to the services that are needed, anything to prevent that admission. �* . , needed, anything to prevent that admission. ~ . , _, , admission. across the country there are fears about _ admission. across the country there are fears about how _ admission. across the country there are fears about how the _ admission. across the country there are fears about how the nhs - admission. across the country there are fears about how the nhs will. are fears about how the nhs will cope this winter. we are fears about how the nhs will cope this winter.— cope this winter. we are always worried about _ cope this winter. we are always worried about patient _ cope this winter. we are always worried about patient safety, i worried about patient safety, ambulances reaching patient at home who have not yet seen a clinician of the area of greatest risk. that is why we are looking at improving handover times so we can get ambulances back out. itheiith handover times so we can get ambulances back out. with space in hositals ambulances back out. with space in hospitals already _ ambulances back out. with space in hospitals already running _ ambulances back out. with space in hospitals already running out - ambulances back out. with space in hospitals already running out and i hospitals already running out and doctors about to strike, the nhs winter forecast is bleak. joining me now is our health correspondent, nick triggle. but these latest figures for the nhs in england into context, because they show some improvement but against a pretty low bar.— they show some improvement but against a pretty low bar. there has been a lot of— against a pretty low bar. there has been a lot of data _ against a pretty low bar. there has been a lot of data published - against a pretty low bar. there has been a lot of data published this i been a lot of data published this morning and overall i think it shows a slight improvement on the same period last year. the government has invested extra money and that's helped to get extra staff and open up helped to get extra staff and open up more hospital beds but it's worth mentioning that the nhs is still a long way from meeting its key targets and last winter was the worst since records began, nearly 20 years ago, so where the government is going to bejudged is what happens next. a lot of the data is for november but talking to front line staff this week, they say there are signs things are deteriorating and that is ahead of the three—day strike byjunior doctors next week. after that, the first week of the new year, there will be a six—week —— six they were cut byjunior doctors, the longest in nhs history, which happens to be at the point where the nhs tends to be busiest. what's certain is it is going to get more difficult from here for the nhs. . ~ more difficult from here for the nhs. . 4' ., ~ more difficult from here for the nhs. » ., ~ _, you can check how your local hospital trust is performing using the bbc�*s winter tracker. the tracker can be found at www. bbc.co.uk/nhstracker. within the last hour, the bank of england has decided to hold interest rates at 5.25%. it's the third time in a row the bank has kept rates where they are, the highest level for 15 years. 0ur economics correspondent, andy verity, reports on what people in liverpool think. music: it's the most wonderful time of the year at this christmas market in liverpool, some are trying their best not to think about the money. the price is a bit high but i think, yeah, christmas, still... can afford to treat myself and my family a little bit. oh, it's tough times, isn't it? but i think at christmas, you've just got to try and splash out and have a good time and enjoy the season. but others have hit a crunch point. i sold my car last week, - thinking the cost of travelling from southport to liverpool, it would be cheaper for me i to go on the train. ijust had my flat repossessed, so it has really affected us. and it is that to do with the interest rate payments just going up? yeah, yeah. if you're going into debt to get through an expensive time of year, it's the bank of england's official interest rate that sets a floor on the minimum interest your lender will charge. until recently, it's repeatedly raised rates to make it more expensive to borrow, to put households and firms off spending too much, which might put up prices even further. but price inflation has dropped now from a peak of more than 11% to less than 5%, not because of government policy but due to cheaper energy and raw materials and a global economic slowdown. that's encouraged interest rates heads at the bank of england to avoid playing scrooge and keep rates on hold for the third time in a row. this chart shows you the bank of england's official interest rate. you can see on the blue line there, ia rises since december �*21. and on the red line here, it shows you what the city thinks is going to happen. they are predicting that rates have peaked already at 5.25% and are going to drop in the coming year by up to i%. people's lifestyle is adjusted around having a cheap mortgage and the problem is, mortgages are not cheap now. yes, next year, hopefully they will be a bit cheaper than what people are paying now but comparatively speaking, it's still going to be very expensive for people. the big decision people are going to be having to make is do they consider may be a two—year fixed rate or do they consider a five—year rate or maybe a two—year tracker. they are the three most popular types of rates out there. higher interest rates are likely to mean that savings accounts may grow faster than prices for the first time in years, but partly because of the squeeze on borrowers, the bank of england expects the economy as a whole to stay flat in the months to come, making 2020 for a year of stagnation. —— making 2024 a year of stagnation. joining me now is dharshini david. i guess no surprise that interest rates have been put on hold again but what is the longer term picture. it's intriguing, because no change but in the last few minutes we've had comments from bank of england saying we are looking at persistent inflation but it's too early to talk about interest rate cuts could even though he hopes there at the top of that cycle. some people might say, why is he saying that, given we have falling inflation? is there a danger the bank of england had been at the cooking sherry? it's a rather complex relationship. inflation is twice as high at more than the bank of england to target their particular areas they are worried about, servicing pollution, so mobile phone bills, hotel charges, those kind of things, also private sector wage and they are concerned about that which is why they think inflation will still perhaps be above target in two years' time. some members of the panel want to see rates go up again compare that with america or the eu, where many expect rates to come down in the early part of next year. those amputations of the first rate cut are changing a bit as we speak but there is plenty more pain in the system. interest rate hikes take time to feed through the top hundreds of thousands of people remortgaging are going to see higher bills, which is curbing spending and jobs growth, and a second clematis might shift if you mind on the third interest rate cut but for now no change reads more pain for some. a judge has ruled that a former soldier will stand trial for murder in relation to bloody sunday in londonderry in 1972. 13 people were shot dead by the parachute regiment at a civil rights demonstration in the bogside area. 0ur ireland correspondent, chris page, is in belfast. this has broken in the last couple of hours. bring us up to date. to of hours. bring us up to date. trr remind you of the background to this case, bloody sunday was, in terms of the number of people killed, one of the number of people killed, one of the worst incidents during the conflict in northern ireland, the trouble it was also one of the most significant days in the development of that conflict the parachute regiment shot dead 13 people on the 30th of january 1972 at civil rights demonstration in the mainly irish nationalist bogside area of derry. the veteran who is being prosecuted is known as soldier f. he is charged with murder in connection with the killings of james wray and william mckinney and also facing five charges of attempted murder. the prosecution began in 2019 but a hearing has been held in derry to decide if the case should proceed to a trial and a districtjudge has this morning ruled that the evidence is strong enough to send soldier f for trial in the crown court in belfast. no date has been fixed yet for that trial but it will be scheduled in due course. a new study suggests the decades—long decline in smoking in england has stalled since the pandemic. in the years leading up to the covid outbreak, the number of people smoking fell by about 5% a year. but, between 2020 and 2022, the rate slowed to 0.3%. the parents of ten—year—old sara sharif, who died at her home in woking in august, have pleaded not guilty to her murder. urfan sharif and beinash batool also pleaded not guilty to a second charge of causing or allowing the death of a child. urfan's brother, faisal malik, appeared beside him on a video link from belmarsh prison and also pleaded not guilty to both charges. a senior nurse who drugged patients for an easy shift has been jailed for seven years, two months in prison. catherine hudson, who's 54, worked on the stroke unit at the blackpool victoria hospital when she used an unprescribed drug to sedate two patients between february 2017 and november 2018. her colleague, charlotte wilmot, an assistant practitioner, was sentenced to three years for conspiring with hudson and encouraging her to sedate a patient. 0ur north of england correspondent, fiona trott, reports. the nurse who showed no compassion. instead, catherine hudson showed contempt. at her trial, the court heard she'd drugged her elderly stroke patients because she wanted an easy shift. she used sedatives, like this one — zopiclone — which police found at her home. the sleeping pill can be fatal to seriously ill patients. aileen scott was one of the women she drugged. the pensioner was paralysed and relied on hudson for care and support. aileen�*s son was in court throughout the trial. yesterday, he spoke directly to hudson and said... "you've been found out. "you're a nurse in a profession, as a nation, we all look up to. "now, i enter a hospital with an element of suspicion." whatsapp messages reveal more about what was going on at the unit. hudson said... "i sedated one of them to within an inch of her life lol. "but she's flat for a week." julie whitfield also had suspicions about the way staff behaved. her partner, david, was treated at the same unit. ijust felt like i was walking on eggshells speaking with some of the staff. her police complaint did not form part of this case. you sort of asked questions, you were made — you felt you were a nuisance. i'd ask how david was doing and the staff would maybe pull a face if he'd been particularly troublesome during the night. what's been striking about this case is that it was a student nurse who plucked up the courage to report what was going on. she told the court that hudson suggested giving zopiclone to a restless patient, and when the student nurse pointed out it hadn't been prescribed, hudson turned round and said, well, that patient has a do not resuscitate order. and so if they died, there wouldn't be an autopsy." she said she then saw hudson take some tablets from her pocket and put them in the pill pot besides the patient�*s bed. "i was really shocked", she said, "and i knew it wasn't right." the blackpool teaching hospital's nhs trust has apologised and said it had made significant improvements in staffing, managing medicine and creating a more respectful culture. another one of its workers, charlotte wilmot, was found guilty of conspiring with and encouraging hudson. 0ne relative said their actions will haunt his family for the rest of their lives. fiona trott, bbc news, preston. the government could be facing another by—election after the commons standards committee recommended that scott benton — who was elected as the conservative mp for blackpool south — should be suspended for 35 days. he's been accused of offering to lobby ministers on behalf of the gambling industry. the standards committee says he had sent out the message that he was "corrupt and for sale". 0ur political correspondent, harry farley, joins us from westminster. just tell us more about the case and the background to it.— the background to it. earlier this ear, the background to it. earlier this year. scott _ the background to it. earlier this year, scott benton _ the background to it. earlier this year, scott benton held - the background to it. earlier this year, scott benton held a - the background to it. earlier this i year, scott benton held a meeting with what he thought was a company investing in the gambling industry investing in the gambling industry in the uk. in fact, the company was fake and part of a sting operation by reporters from the times newspaper. but in the meeting, mr benton offered to provide access to confidential government documents in return for payment from the company. he offered to table parliamentary questions on behalf of the company and arrange half dill face—to—face meetings on behalf of the company. mr benton said within an hour of the meeting he realised what he agreed to do would breach parliamentary rules are made no further contact with the company and said he had also exaggerated his own influence and denied he had broken any rules. today, mps on the standards committee said he had caused significant damage to the integrity and reputation of the house of commons. they said in fact it was a very serious breach of the rules and recommended that he be suspended for 35 days with a loss of salary. what it means is it could trigger a by—election in his constituency of blackpool south. mr benton has already been suspended by the conservative party, he sits as a conservative party, he sits as a conservative mp, but it means rishi sunak could be facing a by—election in this key target seat for the labour party in the coming weeks. thank you very much, harry. the time is 1.17. our top story this afternoon: latest figures from the nhs in england show slight improvements in waiting times for accident and emergency care and routine hospital treatment. and still to come we get a look at the brand new panini women's super league stickers collection. coming up on bbc news... after daring to dream on their return to the champions league after 20 years away, newcastle united's european ambitions for this season were ended by milan at stjames' park. as britishjews celebrate the final days of hannukah, new figures reveal the number of anti—semitic attacks against them has reached more than 2,000 since the attacks on israel on 7th 0ctober — up from around 300 in the same period last year. our special correspondent lucy manning went to meet a group of young jewish teenagers to hear what life is like for them. singing. the candles of hanukkah symbolise light where there is darkness. as soon as we step out the gates, we feel, i feel victimised. i always have to look over my shoulder. they show hope where there has been death, war and despair. in a way, it's strengthened myjewish identity. never so appropriate for these times for these young britishjews. it's made life a lot more scary, going around. at the uk's largestjewish school, they're not immune to the more than 1000% rise in anti—semitic incidents. this is real, this is anti—semitism. i was walking out from school and a group of men screamed from their windows some anti—semitic comments at us. and how did that leave you feeling? iwas... i felt so uneasy. i felt worried and stressed. my friend's school, - some of the walls were plastered with swastikas. it's just horrifying to see. shockingly, it's led to a change in public displays of theirjudaism. around hanukkah at the moment, we aren't putting our hanukkiahs by the windows, which you're supposed to, because my mum doesn't want other people around to know that we're jewish. my grandma, she used t