At Oxford University and all those who they work with. Uk inflation falls to a fresh four year low a record drop in fuel prices pushed the rate down to 0. 5 in may. Manchester united and england star Marcus Rashford welcomes a government u turn on Free School Meals over the summer but says he wants the policy changed permanently. Some people literally arent sleeping and they cant do the normal things they do day to day. Probably because they are thinking about where the next meal is going to come from for their kids. Its the day football fans have been waiting for the premier league is back after a 100 day absence because of the pandemic. China cancels more than 1,000 flights into and out of beijing as a spike in virus cases continues. And having fun at a social distance, how leisure and cultural attractions are working to be covid secure for when they re open. Good morning. The Health Secretary matt hancock has said the breakthrough in the search for a coronavirus treatment is some of the best news weve had through this crisis. A cheap and widely available steroid called dexamethasone has become the first drug shown to be able to save the lives of seriously ill covid 19 patients. Mr hancock says the discovery by scientists at the univeristy of oxford isnt a cure but significantly increases the chances of survival. Its just a wonderful breakthrough in british science and this is the first drug thats been clinically proven to save lives from covid 19. So its a testament to british science and the way that we do science properly in this country. It will make a massive difference in terms of the likelihood of surviving once you are already in hospital and on oxygen. It works for those who are the worst affected and if you are on a ventilator, then it increases. Sorry, decreases the chance of mortality, of dying by 35 . It is a very significant improvements. Now, it is not a cure and theres still work ongoing on a whole series of other treatments that we hope will be able use alongside dexamethasone, both earlier in the disease to stop people ending up on oxygen, on ventilators and also hopefully alongside to increase the chance of surviving it further. So it really is the single biggest scientific breakthrough that the world has yet made. In other searches for treatments, scientists at Imperial College london are appealing for volunteers for their first human trials of a Coronavirus Vaccine which begin tomorrow. They hope that a viable vaccine could be ready by spring next year. The first part of the Clinical Development is to check that it is really safe, because it is going to be used in the general population and check it induces the right kind of immune response we would predict would be protected. But we will move into large scale efficacy trials in 0ctober into large scale efficacy trials in october and then it is a numbers game. It depends on how many infections are ongoing in the community. If we see a lot of infections we make a result fairly quickly. If there are very few infections, obviously it will take a lot longer to get enough data to be able to prove that the vaccine works or not. So in a way it is ironic that you need a certain number of cases to be sure of the efficacy . Yes, absolutely. It is good news for the uk if there arent many infections going on, but itjust means it will take longer to get the data to prove the vaccine works. The footballer, Marcus Rashford, has vowed to continue speaking up for disadvantaged families after he successfully campaigned for children in england to continue receiving Free School Meals over the summer. The Manchester United and england star said he was shocked and grateful that his campaign, which he talked about exclusively on breakfast, prompted a government u turn. John mcmanus reports. The premier leagues about to resume, but Marcus Rashford has already scored a major goal thats got more than just football fans sitting up and taking notice. His open letter calling for Free School Meal vouchers in england to be continued over the Summer Holidays was a skilful piece of footwork that forced the government to concede. More than 1 million children will benefit. But the man united player was characteristically modest as he spoke exclusively to bbc breakfast. That must make you feel like youve achieved an incredible thing . Yeah, its a nice feeling. But im just more happy that, you know, peoples lives and peoples summers, especially, will be changed for the better. That was the important thing that i tried to change going into it. Last week, the Prime Minister was still insisting he wouldnt change his mind over the meal vouchers. But by yesterday Boris Johnson appeared to have thought again. I talked to Marcus Rashford today and congratulated him on his campaign which, to be honest, i only became aware of very recently, today. And i thank him for what hes done. I do think its right that we should be looking after families of the most vulnerable, the neediest, right now. Labours welcomed the change of heart. It was obvious that there was a need for these Free School Meals. They should never have put that in jeopardy. We had to push them all the way. And Marcus Rashford played a really important part in that. So far, Marcus Rashford seems to have any all the usual criticism that sports stars should stay out politics, mainly by insisting that this wasnt about politics. Among those lending in the support, gary lineker, who said rival city congratulated rashford. And 0lympic gold medallist denise lewis told him this doesnt appear to be the end of his campaign though. Youve achieved this incredible thing in such a short space of time. You have a platform. Whats next . I think it, obviously, this is only going to be successful throughout the summer period and then, you know, weve bought ourselves an extra six weeks of time there to sort of plan and figure out whats next and how we keep taking steps forward, because i dont want it to be, i dont want this to be the end of it, you know, because there are definitely more steps that need to be taken and so we just need to analyse the response. John mcmanus, bbc news. Lets get more from our assistant Political Editor norman smith. Good morning. Here you have a 22 year old footballer who just got it, didnt he, that children shouldnt go hungry over the summer because of this unprecedented situation we ourselves in. Yet, the government didnt get it, at least not straightaway . They didnt, although it is funny listening to ministers and listening to Boris Johnson yesterday thanking Marcus Rashford and going out of their way to praise him, co opting him somehow on the governments side. Although he did bring about a government u turn. The fact that Boris Johnson hadnt caved in, his situation would be worse. Notjust because of the of ublic oinion, it was court of public opinion, it was clear public sympathy overwhelmingly late with Marcus Rashford because of the way he articulated his case. But interestingly, on the tory backbenches, although there was only a couple of tory mps who went public with their disquiet, there were many more who are very nervous about the sta nce more who are very nervous about the stance the government was taking and interestingly, predominantly mps in the so called redwall seats, the former labour constituencies in the north which went to borisjohnson because he promised to level up. This whole school meals things seem to fly in the face on his pledge. And gavin williamson, the education secretarys statement doing the u turn in the commons, got up and intervened to say, we welcome you are doing this u turn, but Free School Meals are so important to our constituents. I wonder, school meals are so important to our constituents. Iwonder, even school meals are so important to our constituents. I wonder, even if you took Marcus Rashford out of the equation, whether the government would have found itself in an incredibly difficult position . No doubt, he was the key element in bringing about the u turn, listen to matt hancock talking about him this morning. I think what matters is the substance and also the way that Marcus Rashford has made his case, using his personal story but telling it in such a dignified and compelling way. So i congratulate him, i know he spoke to the Prime Minister yesterday and we are really grateful to be able to make this change. Norman, what does this say about the Decision Making process at number ten . Because the questions being asked on the criticism as even hinted at, isnt just asked on the criticism as even hinted at, isntjust coming from other political parties, it is coming from within the conservative party itself with the Prime Minister, we are told, not knowing about Marcus Rashfords involvement in all of this until yesterday . No government likes to be forced into u turns, this one has done for significant u turns in as many weeks and that is bad. But, the sort of unease reverberating over Boris Johnsons leadership isnt to do with the u turns, it is more broadly to do with the leadership in the covid crisis and the two areas which is the two metre rule. Many mps take the view borisjohnson has to make a decision, they will not be unequivocal, Scientific Evidence which shows you can easily reduce the two metre rule. He has to take responsibility, make a judgment call and make it seem because of the potential impact on the economy. The other areas is in relation to schools. There is a similar sentiment that there is a lack of a plan to get schools back in september. Unless this is gripped, u nless september. Unless this is gripped, unless mrjohnson moves to create more classes, to provide more teachers, then we will not be in a very different situation in september. So it is a sort of grumbling about a lack of grip, lack of leadership. I wouldnt jack grumbling about a lack of grip, lack of leadership. I wouldntjack it up into any sort of threat to his position, but there is disquiet he hasnt taken a firmer hold on the situation. 0k, norman, thank you very much. Norman smith, at westminster. After a 100 day absence due to the coronavirus pandemic, premier League Football returns this evening. Sheffield united and aston villa will kick off the restart to the season with Manchester City hosting arsenal in the late game. 92 top flight matches will be crammed into the next a0 days with the season concluding on 26 july. Our sports news reporter, jane dougall is outside Manchester Citys etihad stadium. Jane, good morning. It will be football, not quite as we know it, but tell us more . Yes, it has been such a long wait. But imagine the logistics that have needed to be considered in order to get the premier leagues project started, opened on under way and to get it going safely as well. Here at Manchester City, they take on arsenal but in the earlier kick of villa park, they will have Sheffield United in both matches will look very different to what we are used to. First and foremost because they will be no fans inside either of the stadiums because of course, there is no way social distancing would be able to happen. Instead, there will be big screens in the stadium so some fans can zoom in so there will be something of an atmosphere if and when players score goals. When they do score goals, and are celebrating with each other, that will have to be socially distanced and they wont be socially distanced and they wont be able to gather around official to remonstrate, they have to keep their distance. Mikel arteta, the arsenal manager will return to the etihad. He worked for many years under Pep Guardiola as his assistant at Manchester City. At Manchester Citys Media Conference the other day, Pep Guardiola was obviously asked about the match, but he was also asked about their big rivals, Manchester United and their player Marcus Rashford, as we have been hearing about this morning and his performance off the pitch this week. So excited for the fact to see him, to see him again, one of the nicest people i have ever met. He was an incredible, important part of our success in the last days. Yeah, looking forward to see him. It is phenomenal and as a coach ive learnt so much from him, weve had some amazing moments together, some difficult ones as well. Experience next to him has been incredible. Talking about looking to speaking to each other, seeing each other at a distance tonight. As we mentioned, the first match is at villa park where Sheffield United will travel to. They are pushing for a place in europe next season, they were doing very well before the premier league pause. But when it did close, aston villa were in the relegation zone so they are concentrating on survival. 0ur confidence was very low when the season was brought to a halt and a pause. And its given us an unbelievable opportunity to and reset and ourjob now is to go and prove to ourselves that we are good enough, but also proved a lot of people wrong who have written us off. We have done as much as we possibly could have done, first and foremost as a football club, then moving on to staff and players combined to give us the best opportunity of producing a decent performance. But ill only know at six oclock when that ball gets rolling. The other noticeable difference is that for the next 12 matches in the premier league, the players will not have their names on the back of their shirts, instead they will have their shirts, instead they will have the words, black lives matter following the death of george floyd. All matches will be broadcast on television, which means fans will get theirfix of television, which means fans will get their fix of football, albeit not live and not in person. So it might feel strange at first but many things do at the moment. At the moment, it is football and it is back. Just picking up on that last point you are making, it is going to be strange, it is not going to be the same experience, but do you think everyone willjust get used to it and get into the flow until hopefully, fans can return to the stadiums . They are going to have to, there is no choice at the moment. Many football fans have been watching the bundesliga are all illegal which have got under way over the past few weeks. They have coped with it very well. The priority for a lot of fans is to get the leak finished. And priority for a lot of fans is to get the leakfinished. And in order to do that, they have to take the safety measures, they have to take these precautions otherwise it wouldnt be possible. We are still seeing the odd positive test for coronavirus amongst players and staff and they have to make sure that it doesnt spread amongst crowds and make sure fans dont turn up crowds and make sure fans dont turn up outside stadiums and they are warning fans not to do that in order to ensure the virus isnt spread. 0nly to ensure the virus isnt spread. Only 300 people are allowed inside each of the stadiums as the premier League Matches are ongoing and that includes all staff and all players and media as well. Even the media are being socially distanced, we are told. In the press box there are three seats between every member of press. I think fans will have to get used to it. I think they are just pleased there is football back in some form or another in england. Pleased there is football back in some form or another in englandlj think some form or another in england. think you are rightjane, something fresh, something new to watch. Jane mcdougall outside the etihad stadium. Lets talk about this some more. Emily brobyn is a Manchester City supporter and season ticket holder, who writes for the clubs king of kippax fanzine. She joins us from wigan. Good to talk to you this morning. Good to talk to you this morning. Good morning. You have been talking about football without fans being nothing, but this is the way it is and have you changed your mind on that at all . I have, i was really banging the drum about football without fans being nothing. I do still stand by that but when you base your life around the fixture list and you are dedicated to football, as it is getting closer, i have been getting excited. It is a Global Pandemic and we dont have any choice, we just have to roll with it and it doesnt mean that we are any with it and it doesnt mean that we a re a ny less with it and it doesnt mean that we are any less of supporters. I am very excited now. As you say, this is better than not having any games as far as many people are concerned. Although there were plenty of voices saying this season should have been made null and void, where you ever supporter of that . No, we still have three trophies to play for us city fans, the fa cup and the Champions League, so we would be shooting our selves in the foot if we were going for the null and void option. We are fully aware liverpool will win the league, fair play to them, they deserve it and they will not take anything away from them. We still have to play for second place, but the fa cup in the Champions League matter to us and we can view the premier league games as a warm up for that. I am excited and looking forward to what might happen. for that. I am excited and looking forward to what might happen. I will you be watching the game . forward to what might happen. I will you be watching the game . I will be watching at home with my partner and my children. Normally i would be there. It will be very surreal, i am intrigued to see how it will happen and pan out and what it will be like. But i am used to being there, having a couple of drinks before the game and seeing my friends. I think it is the social aspect of it i will be missing the most. We havejust got to adapt and one day we will be backin got to adapt and one day we will be back in the stadiums, but safety is paramount and that is the most important thing right now. paramount and that is the most important thing right now. I guess you are wondering what it will be like for the players as well, how that will affect the performance not having that Live Audience for the game . Yes, absolutely. Ithink having that Live Audience for the game . Yes, absolutely. I think may be out of all the games we have got left to play in the premier league, the one game i know a lot of people do have a little dig at our attendances and atmosphere, or lack of at Manchester City, but the one game we will miss the atmosphere with will be the liverpool game. Because last season was one of the best atmospheres i have ever been in that game. It was absolutely phenomenal. I think when it comes to that game the 12th man would have had an influence, but we have to deal with what is in front of us now and we will be cheering on from home and we will be cheering on from home andi and we will be cheering on from home and i dont think any fans will be silly enough to gather at the ground. Everyone is aware of the safety aspect and why it has to be like this. Finally and briefly, i am sure water wont be different, there will be plenty of banter on social media post match to discuss what went on . Yes, that is what i miss. 0n the social media, twitter and instagram, everybody has so many conversations about it. I do think it has become really political recently, so it will be nice to go back to football and have that aspect of it again. I cant wait now, cant wait for tonight. Emily, enjoy the game. Theres more evidence this morning of the effect the coronavirus lockdown has had on the economy. Prices have risen at their slowest rate for four years. Falling petrol prices, and cheaper clothes and footwear saw the official inflation rate drop to 0. 5 . Food prices have gone up though, as supermarkets were among the few shops allowed to stay open. Thousands of workers whove been shielding have been left without pay through the lockdown, with many not receiving sick pay and being denied access to the furlough scheme, according to citizens advice. It says 27 of shielders have lost more than half their income. And in the worst cases, some people have even told the bbc they believe their employers are using shielding as a way to try and get rid of them. In a separate development, the Health Secretary says people whove been advised to shield from coronavirus will soon be contacted to hear when their confinement can end. Rachel stonehouse reports. As life begins to return to normal, one group still faces barriers as they are told to stay at home. But for many of them, its not an easy decision. Leanne is a dental therapist and single mum. Shes been without any pay for three months. Im currently shielding because i suffer with a rare condition called behcets disease, for which i take lots of different medications. But they obviously affect my immune system quite severely. Ive fallen through the cracks with the furlough scheme because im self employed, but because im seen as employed with hmrc i dont actually get the self employed grant either. Where are you with your work situation at the moment . I desperately want to go back to work, but im officially quite nervous because of the risks. Its a bit of a vicious circle to know what to do for the best. Im lucky ive been able to extend my mortgage payment holiday for another three months. But my loan payments, they wont extend it again and its worrying. Hundreds of thousands of people shielding are employed and research by citizens advice shows almost 70 of them havent been offered furlough, despite being eligible and 27 have lost more than half their income. Ive spoken to other people who have fallen through the cracks and havent received any sick pay or been furloughed and in some extreme cases, believe their employers are trying to get rid of them. Ellie is a nurse in a private care home and shielding because she has severe asthma and ulcerative colitis. Shes agreed to talk to me but didnt want to be identified. Ellie is not her real name. Shes received no sick pay so requested to be furloughed, but it came with conditions from her employer. They sent me a contract. It basically said that once my shielding period was over they reserved the right to either drop my hours or to lay me off without pay. Its very upsetting. According to the union we shouldnt even need to be furloughed, we should be receiving full pay. I have heard of situations where people are using this as an opportunity to, you know, get somebody out and thats obviously not the way to do things. Marsha says she is also hearing from people who are being forced to return to work by their employer. You know, we have heard of stories where they are being threatened with dismissal action and being told they have to return regardless of the fact they are shielding. Now, employers cannot do that. Employers need to tread carefully around this issue and ensure they are treating their employees reasonably. The governor says it has schemes in place for people who are shielding and cannot work from home. Lets talk to kerry bell who is shielding. Kerry is an hr manager and has been advising other shielders whove been having issues with their employers. And Marsha Thompson is an employment solicitor with the law firm, capsticks. Kerry and marcia, good morning to you both. Marsha, iwill begin kerry and marcia, good morning to you both. Marsha, i will begin with you both. Marsha, i will begin with you just picking up on what is said in that report, you are aware of cases where employers are using shielding to get rid of someone. Tell us more on how they are trying to do this . It is a range of circumstances. This situation has brought up a number of issues. Employers need to ensure they are treating their staff fairly. In situations where people believe they are in serious, imminent danger and refusing not to return to the workplace, an employee has to look at that and take that into account. An employer cannot treat somebody u nfa i rly an employer cannot treat somebody unfairly because they have raised issues about returning to work or because they have to work and they are protections for people who are in sucha are protections for people who are in such a situation. Someone who is vulnerable in the shielding and has a genuine concern about their health and safety, the employer should assess the risk around that before taking any action. What you are talking about presumably includes people being pressured to return to work before they feel comfortable to do so and is safe to do so . Exactly, the test is if the person believes they are in serious and imminent danger, if subjective tests, it would depend on that presents circumstances. It would include the age, ethnicity and the type of work they are carrying out. Their issue will be dependent on the number of factors, so what they need to do is risk assess and it is vital employers carry out a risk assessment, carry out specific covid 19 risk assessments to ensure minimising the risks to these people. They should not be forcing people to return to work in a situation where they feel unsafe. You are nodding along to what was just been said. As someone who is shielding yourself and in the position of hr manager, you have been involved with a couple of groups, social media groups where you have been advising people who are shielding about their circumstances. What are the biggest concerns being raised with you . think going back to what marsha has just said, the lack of clarity on the terms of returning to work. With the terms of returning to work. With the Current Situation with shielding being extended to the 30th ofjune, but letters saying the 15th ofjune, employers are not prepared to accept those letters. So it is causing enormous stress to those who are shielding and the fear factor is absolutely immense. The issues are around Mental Health and anxiety. Yes, that anxiety not helping the situation at all. Are you finding that the issues, you talk about confusion over advice, sometimes lack of transparency, are you finding those issues are primarily with small businesses, or is it with larger businesses or across the board, kerry . Right across the board. I board, kerry . Right across the board. Lam board, kerry . Right across the board. I am speaking to people who work for small and medium sized businesses, but also people working in the Public Sector as well. There seems to be no extent in terms of the type of employer. Which is really quite sad to see. You have these large organisations, public and private sector who are putting enormous pressure on people to return to work immediately. Marsha, looking at what kerry is saying about different businesses from small to big business, you know, putting pressure on mps to return, are you seen putting pressure on mps to return, are you seen examples of Good Practice out there as well and for anyone who is experiencing issues with their employer, what advice would you give them, what should they say to their employer . There are some good examples of employers who are doing this properly. A good sample ofan who are doing this properly. A good sample of an employer that is treating their employee fairly is someone treating their employee fairly is someone who will consult. It is about trying to get employers and employees to Work Together to find out what works for both of them and that will take both the employer and employee working together about what the particular risk is, how the risks can be minimised. In terms of what an employee should do in the situation, speak to your union if you have a union rep, seek advice at an early stage if you do feel genuinely your employer is treating you badly as a result of you refusing to return to work. What is clear, the claims that are available for individuals in the situation dont find a quick fix, it could ta ke dont find a quick fix, it could take up to two years to get to a hearing so they need to ensure they have active dialogue with their employer to see if they cant agree something that is reasonable. Kerry, what would you add to that in terms of advice because i know you think there are lots of tribunal is brewing he currently . The other thing i have been advising people to do, particularly with Public Sector employees and Larger Companies is seek the advice of their Occupational Health service, get them involved as soon as possible and get reports sent to their employers. I would also echo the thoughts of marsha, involving the unions if they have one or any employment support groups they have within their organisation. This also extends to people who are shielding with children as well. I am getting a lot of information from people who are shielding the children, they are receiving no money at all. 0k, briefly, marsha, the bottom line is there are Legal Protections there, thatis there are Legal Protections there, that is what you are saying . there are Legal Protections there, that is what you are saying . I am saying if there are situations where employees genuinely feel they are in imminent danger, the law is there to protect them. I should add the law protects them in terms of situations they are the person he was vulnerable. If they have a Family Member they live with, a spouse or a child who is in the vulnerable category and they refuse to work as a result of that persons condition, the law also protects them to take steps to protect their Family Member. So it is widely interpreted and seek advice at an early stage and seek advice at an early stage and try and work with your employer without having to get into a complaint of going down the course of litigation because it can be costly, it can take a lot of time and it can be very stressful. So the key thing is working together. 0k, thank you both very much. Now its time for a look at the weather with carol kirkwood. Hello. We are going to hang on to this muggy feel until we get to the weekend and things start to change. Maggie again today, low cloud hugging parts of the north sea coastline, pegging temperatures back. We have got showers in east anglia and towards the south. We will not all see the showers, but if you do, it could be torrential with thunder and lightning and hail. Maximum 22. This evening and overnight the low cloud and the fog rolls back in from the north sea and a weather front does as well, bringing in rain across the midlands, east anglia. Quite a muggy night to come. That weather front slowly moves northwards tomorrow and this cloud will push back to the north sea. Brighter across scotland and northern ireland, but a lot of showers across the rest of england and wales. Some will be torrential, slow moving and thundery and we will have as much as two inches of rain. Hello this is bbc news. The headlines. The World Health Organization welcomes the news that a widely available steroid can be life saving for patients critically ill with coronavirus. Uk inflation falls to a fresh four year low, a record drop in fuel prices pushed the rate down to 0. 5 in may. Manchester united and england star Marcus Rashford welcomes a government u turn on Free School Meals over the summer, but says he wants the policy changed permanently. Its the day football fans have been waiting for, the premier league is back after a 100 day absence because of the pandemic. The former snooker player and bbc commentator Willie Thorne has died at the age of 66. He went into septic shock earlier this morning after being placed into an induced coma in hospital in spain last week following respiratory failure. He had been treated for leukaemia since march. Willie thorne was an household name during snookers height in popularity in the 1980s and was twice a quarter finalist in the world championships. Incredibly well known as a commentator after he retired from playing the sport. His good friend gary lineker has tweeted this morning, deeply, deeply saddened to hear that my friend Willie Thorne has passed away. One of lifes great characters, a marvellous snooker player and a lovely man who has ported his final black much too soon. A touching tribute from gary lineker. A touching tribute from gary lineker. More now on news of whats being described as a breakthrough in the search for a coronavirus treatment. A cheap and widely available steroid called dexamethasone has become the first drug shown to be able to save the lives of seriously ill covid 19 patients. The Health Secretary matt hancock says the discovery by scientists at the univeristy of oxford isnt a cure but significantly increases the chances of survival. If you are on a ventilator, then it decreases the chance of mortality, of dying, by 35 . So it is a very significant improvement. It is not a cure and there is still work ongoing ona cure and there is still work ongoing on a whole series of other treatments that we hope we will be able to use alongside dexamethasone, both earlier in the disease to stop people ending up on oxygen and on ventilators and hopefully alongside to increase the chance of surviving it further. It really is the single biggest scientific breakthrough that the world has yet made. Im joined now byjennifer rohn, a cell biologist from University College london. Good to have you with us again on bbc news. Lets talk about dexamethasone. This drug has been around for a while, yet we are now finding out that it can help some very ill patients, people who have coronavirus. What do you know about how this discovery was made . Well, first of all it is an amazing discovery. Dexamethasone has been around since the 1960s and has been used for all sorts of things. It was discovered in a programme called recovery, looking to re purpose drugs used for other things to see if they might work against coronavirus. This is one of several candidates that has been looked at. There was a mass trial, which is the standard for medical evidence, and it works. As you say, this idea of re purpose in something that has been around since the 1960s, you say, rather than finding a com pletely say, rather than finding a completely new treatment. Do you think that is potentially where the real avenue for breakthroughs lies . I think so because you have to keep in mind any new drug has to go through a completely monstrous and torturous approval procedure. It ta kes yea rs torturous approval procedure. It takes years to get a new drug online and it is hard to know if it is going to work or not. But this is already approved, it is in widespread use, we know about its safety profile, we know how it takes. This is the sort of game changer that will make a difference in the short term. How specifically is the steroid working when it comes to treating people who are very ill, people who are on ventilators . Is it to do with helping their breathing . There are two ways to fight coronavirus. You can fight the virus itself and an antiviral drug tackle isa itself and an antiviral drug tackle is a microbe, but the steroid is tackling our bodys response to the virus. The reason why these people have such a problem and why they are on oxygen support and ventilation is because the bodys immune system is overreacting to the presence of the virus. This steroid, dexamethasone, ta bs virus. This steroid, dexamethasone, tabs down the immune system and it calms it and this is why we think it is helping people who are critically ill. That is really interesting. We are also hearing this morning about the human trials of a vaccine being developed by Oxford University at Imperial College. Tell us what you know about that and how promising that might be. Absolutely we are looking all the time for any good news on treatments or the holy grail, a cure. These are two competing, we are all friendly here in science, but the oxford vaccine isa in science, but the oxford vaccine is a more traditional vaccine and it is a more traditional vaccine and it isa is a more traditional vaccine and it is a common cold virus that has been repurposed to display one of the coronavirus proteins, whereas the imperial vaccine is a next generation vaccine, completely different. It has never been approved for use. It involves injecting peoples muscles with a genetic blueprint of the virus protein. You basically put the genetic blueprint of the coronavirus spike into the muscle and then your muscle cells actually produce the protein and educate your immune system to fight the virus. They are two extremely different strategies, both really interesting. The oxford one has a bit of a head start, they are finishing their phase one trial, whereas the imperial is about to start ina whereas the imperial is about to start in a few days. This is fantastic news for british science, british researchers and scientists. What would happen if this vaccine proves eventually through trials to bea proves eventually through trials to be a good candidate . We made this discovery around dexamethasone as well, what happens in terms of that information and that data, that science, being rolled out to elsewhere in the world . Well, it will need to be approved in every country where it is used. These are just the beginning. The phase one trial is to show it is safe, it is used on healthy people, they are looking to see it does not cause side effects and there is a good immune response. After this there are further trials with more people to show it is safe and effective. It is difficult in the uk where the virus is relatively under control. This is relying on people encountering the virus and whether they get sick or not. But if a lot of people are socially distancing and not encountering the virus, it will not work. But there is no guarantee that any of these and will work. Thank you very much for your expertise today. Marcus rashford is all over the news this morning following his campaign to extend the Free School Meals programme in england during the Summer Holidays. Deservedly so, he has done a fantasticjob. Deservedly so, he has done a fantasticjob. Yesterday the government changed its mind and agreed to provide them for vulnerable schoolchildren after he has been speaking to sally nugent about the decision. When you heard the news how surprised were you . Yeah, i was obviously shocked, its a big decision for someone to make and im just grateful that the Prime Minister did change his decision and he understood. You know, i spoke to him earlier on today and thanked him for that and, yeah, it was a nice conversation to have with him and just that we understood each other. How did that chat go . Did he phone up and say, hi, marcus, its boris. . Yeah, no, he was just saying thank you for using what ive built into a positive manner. In a positive manner. It was just thanking each other really because he didnt have to do what he did and neither did i. He was just grateful that someone had just had an opinion and shared it with people and had just been that voice for people that didnt really have the platform to speak out as much as they would like to. Are you aware that the way borisjohnson was informed about yourcampaign was he was actually played the interview that we did the other night . Yeah, he mentioned that on the phone and he just said that is what sort of moved him really because he probably understood it a little bit more, like hearing it from someone rather than just reading it or hearing about it. Yeah, i think that was obviously a key factor in him changing his decision. That must make you feel like youve achieved an incredible thing. Yeah, its a nice feeling but im just more happy that peoples lives and peoples summers especially will be maybe changed for the better. That was the important thing that i tried to change, going into it and coming out of the end of it now is something of the end of it now its something im proud of, a proud moment. Your mum obviously, we talked at length about your mum the other night. What has she said to you about the decision . Shes rang me about ten times today. No, shes just very happy and when she was going through it if somebody would have spoken out then, maybe the situation would have been different. I think shes just happy that now people that are going through it, people are aware of that now and they are trying to help them as much as they can. She is just happy that we are taking steps in the right direction. And when you started this campaign, i think it was only five days ago, who were you thinking of . Were you thinking of your family or were you just thinking of the families of fans . Who was it in your mind . Just obviously the areas that i grew up in i knew a lot of different people and a lot of families that would have still been going through it now. Its not so much about my family any more because obviously the situation has changed and ijust dont want people to go through the same thing. Its just important to understand the place that i come from and my background and its quite simple really, the reason why i want to help people in that situation. You now have a really powerful voice, youve achieved this incredible thing in such a short space of time, you have a platform, a lot of attention focused on you. What is your next focus . Now youve done this, whats next . I think obviously this is only going to be successful throughout the summer period and then weve bought ourselves an extra six weeks of time now to talk and to figure out what is next and how we keep taking steps forward because i dont want it to be the end of it because there are definitely more steps that need to be taken. We just need to analyse the response and things like data in these type of topics are very important. Like i said before, its something i wasnt aware of beforehand and now that i am aware of that i will be watching it closely and seeing the response and how people cope with the situation, how it changes their lives for the better, the problems that they might face with the system, so there are a lot of things that could change in the future and beyond this campaign. But well have to just see how it goes. Marcus rashford talking to sally nugent. Marcus rashford talking to sally nugent. The husband of a nurse who caught coronavirus days before she died has accused luton and Dunstable Hospital of behaving irresponsibly by allowing her to continue working at the start of the pandemic when she was heavily pregnant. Mary agyapong, who was 28, died shortly after her daughter was delivered by emergency c section. In his first interview, marys husband ernest has been paying tribute to her. Hes been speaking to our reporter, sima kotecha. Take your time, come over, come on over. A year ago, mary encouraging her son, aj, to walk. Hey sometimes he will wake you up in the middle of the night and tell you, i want mummy, and at that point in time there is nothing i can say to him. She was just 28 and leaves behind a son and a daughter who was delivered by emergency caesarean section just days before she died. She was very kind. Her heart was pure. And she was very genuine. We know, men are not perfect, everybody is not perfect, but mary was. In the morning, going to work, without this one. Hi, bubs, look. Mary was a nurse at the luton and Dunstable University hospital, in bedfordshire. She was diagnosed with coronavirus in early april and died a week later. Her husband says she should not have been working at the hospital because she was heavily pregnant. This was before the government had issued guidance for expecting mums. When mary passed, i had a call from one of the junior reps and confidently told me, you know what, i actually met mary on the ward and i told her, mary, it is not safe for you, you need to get out of here, but she said she could not help it, she was helpless. The nhs trust responsible for the hospital says the first patient to have test positive for coronavirus was not patient to have tested positive for coronavirus was not admitted onto her ward until after mary had gone on sick leave with pregnancy related problems. While holding his newborn, ernest says he does not believe that was the case. We find it a bit difficult to comprehend because, even at the time mary was off sick, some of her colleagues were even self isolating. In a statement the trust says. Do you think that your anger that you are feeling at the moment, that you are perhaps taking that out on the trust . For me, i think mary was not treated fairly. Her family has not been treated fairly and, for that matter, i believe my voice is what i have now. Mary at her sons second birthday last year, dancing with her father who died from suspected coronavirus five days before she did. Painful memories for ernest as he tries to contemplate a life without what he calls his first true love. Theres no amount of ways that really can explain how i am feeling within. Sometimes, you know, ijust laugh and smile about the precious moments we had together for the past three and a half years. At times too i could just be walking andjust crying and. So that there are a lot of emotionsjust in between. That was sima kotecha reporting. Facebook says its taking action to prevent interference in the us president ial election in november. The companys Vice President , sir nick clegg, says that foreign state media will be banned from advertising on the platform during the election period. Facebook has been criticised for its recent decision to allow controversial posts by President Trump to remain on the platform unedited. A government watchdog has suggested the home office has no idea how many people are in the uk illegally. The National Audit office says the Department Responsible for tracking cases hasnt seen an up to date estimate in 15 years. The home office says its working tirelessly to tackle illegal migration and remove those with no right to remain. The chinese capital, beijing, is again being locked down with fears a second wave of coronavirus could take hold. More than a thousand flights into and out of the city have been cancelled as part of efforts to control the fresh outbreak. 31 new cases of the virus have reported today. Schools, which had begun to re open, have been ordered to close again and residents have been urged not to leave beijing. The outbreak is linked to a wholesale food market. After more than 50 days without an infection, there have been at least 137 new cases, all linked to a huge market supplying 80 per cent of meat and vegetables to the city. After 3 weeks with no new cases new zealand has also seen a return of the virus. Its after two women who flew in from the uk tested positive. They had been allowed to leave quarantine early. Prime Ministerjacinda Ardern said it was an unacceptable failiure and has now put the military in charge of the countrys quarantine system. This case represents an unacceptable failure of the system. It should never have happened and it cannot be repeated. I am the first to acknowledge that the decision we have made here to suspend compassionate leave will not be a popular one for many, but i have to prioritise their health, safety and well being of new zealanders, that is myjob, and so my view is that until we can have complete confidence in the system, that is the best course of action on behalf of new zealand. Wear a mask, dont fill the carriage and sit at least two metres away from other passengers. Those might sound like the new rules for catching a commuter train but youll face the same guidelines if you fancy a go on the rollercoaster at Blackpool Pleasure Beach this summer. With an estimated 400 thousand jobs under threat, the uks leisure and cultural attractions are working hard to be covid secure for when they re open. 0ur media and arts correspondent David Sillito reports. Blackpool, the pleasure beach, a place that should be, at this time of year, a cacophony of shouts and screams. It is a very strange atmosphere here because the only thing you can hear is birdsong and this should be a place that is, at this time of year, teeming with people. They are hoping they will soon get the chance to open the gates but the question is, how do you do socially distanced fun . This is the First Time Since 1896 that this park has ever closed. We were open throughout the wars, both wars, so this is just an extraordinary time for us and, being a family business, it is particularly difficult because you have got to look after so many families as well that work here for you. And to make it work, they are even socially distancing the rollercoaster. Are you going to be able to fill the train . We are not, to enable distance between people, as well see with your measuring tape, here. The one seat back there, that is only a metre so you have to go. Pull that back a bit further. That is exactly two metres. So wed leave this row empty and then we would load these seats maintaining a safe distance. It is a very different experience, you see, you have to wear a face mask on here, theres no one behind me, there have to be two sets behind, because if social distancing, everything is going to be, well, a lot slower, that is, apart from the ride itself. And if you do not want to be terrified alone, bring someone from your own household. Britains Visitor Attractions and cultural venues have seen income plummet and, even when things do reopen, it will be gradual. London zoo for instance is outdoor only with strict viewing points and one way systems. Research released today says our Creative Industries are losing more than £1 billion a week in revenue. Here at the design museum, i was shown how they are adapting theirforthcoming exhibition on the music industry. There is a one way flow into the main exhibition. Time limited, an hour and a half. Of course one way systems work for museums but not other cultural venues. It is interesting that the exhibition deals with an aspect of music and Live Performance in club culture because that part of the Cultural Landscape is really severely hit at the moment, even more than museums. The opening trajectory for live venues and for music performances and so on is a lot further down the line. Even the museums are going to be quieter than normal. We need to start carefully. It is small steps. Small steps, keep moving, no dawdling. Hundreds of thousands ofjobs depend on places like this but it is going to be tough businesses that rely on mingling, crowds and people feeling comfortable being close to one another. David sillito, bbc news, blackpool. Now its time for a look at the weather with carol kirkwood. It is quite a turbulent weather story to tell at the moment. We may well see some decent sunshine and warmth out there, but it is quite humid and that is likely to trigger off some afternoon thunderstorms, some of them heavy, slow movie, with plenty of rumbles of thunder and hail mixed in there. Early Morning Cloud and fog will drift its way back to the north sea coast. Lots of sunshine comes through. The emphasis of the showers tomorrow perhaps a bit further south in england and wales, fewer in north west england and scotland. Dodge the showers and keep the sunshine and you will see highs of 22 or 23. On wednesday evening some of those showers will drift away for a time before we see heavier and persistent rain moving across east anglia and the midlands. As we go through the day on thursday there will be a spell of rain across there will be a spell of rain across the north of england and that will be replaced by sharp, thundery downpours. This is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. The World Health Organisation welcomes the news that a widely available steroid can be lifesaving for patients critically ill with coronavirus. The Health Secretary pays tribute to the uk team who led the research. It is the single biggest scientific breakthrough the world has yet made and i pay tribute to the researchers at Oxford University and all those who they work with. Manchester united and england star Marcus Rashford welcomes a government u turn on Free School Meals over the summer but says he wants the policy changed permanently. Some people literally arent sleeping and they cant do the