this is bbc news. i'm gavin esler. the headlines at midday. theresa may won't say whether she knew about a failed trident missile test when mps were voting to renew the weapons system. i absolute faith in our missiles. when i made that speech in the house of commons, we were talking about whether or not we should renew our trident. we understand the prime minister chose not to inform parliament about this and it has come out through the media some months later. it is a pretty catastrophic error. the prime minister confirmed she will be the first world leader to meet president trump when they hold talks on friday. millions took to the streets in protest against the new president, but the white house accuses the media of dishonestly reporting numbers attending his inauguration. the gambia's defeated leader, yahya jammeh, flies into exile, 22 years after taking control of the west african state in a coup. world tennis number one andy murray crashes out of the australian open after a shock defeat in the fourth round.

and coming up in half an hour, click on the latest tech news. good afternoon. labour has demanded a commons statement over reports that a rare test—firing of the trident missile system went wrong last year. this morning, theresa may repeatedly declined to say whether she knew about the failure when parliament voted to replace the navy‘s trident submarines weeks later. but said she had absolute faith in trident. i have absolute faith in trident missiles. when i that speech in the house of commons we were talking about whether or not we should renew trident, whether or not we should have an independent nuclear deterrent in the future.

did you know it has happened? i think we should defend our country. play a role with an independent nuclear deterrent. jeremy corbyn thinks different. this is a very serious incident. did you know about it when you told the house of commons? the issue we were talking about was a very serious issue, it was about whether or not we should renew trident. whether we should look to the future and have a replacement trident. that is what we were talking about in the house of commons. that is what the house of commons voted for. i believe in defending our country, jeremy corbyn voted against it. with me now is our news correspondent alexandra mackenzie. what are the political implications? the prime minister was asked question four times about whether she knew about that. she did not answer. she did talk about the vote in the house of commons for the renewal of trident which took race last year after this incident. that

is obviously very different from this incident that took place off the west coast of florida. there have been calls from labour to debate this or bring this to the house of commons, and to ask what actually happened and why it happened, and why it wasn't discussed prior to this. because there are several months since this has happened. and the ministry of defence says hms vengeance, one of four trident nuclear submarines, it was on a routine unarmed, we should stress, test launch of a trident missile lastjune. the geography of this, it was around 200 miles off the west coast of florida and it was due to fire to the west coast of africa. but we understand that dieudonne malfunction this revered

towards the united states. the labour leader, he reacted to this this morning. jeremy corbyn has accused the prime minister of not telling the public about this alleged misfiring of a trident missile from a submarine, and he made his comments in an interview on sky news. i think this failure is something that ought to pause everyone for a moment and just think what happened. we understand the prime minister chose not to inform parliament about this and it has come out through the media some months later. it is a pretty catastrophic error when a missile goes in the wrong direction. and whilst it wasn't armed, goodness knows what the consequences could have been. i think we need a serious discussion about that. but also, let's look to the longer term future. if there is a role in westminster, you can bet your bottom dollar that will be a huge row in holyrood, the snp loathe this. yes, trident is

controversial anywhere but particularly controversial in scotland. and nicola sturgeon has been vocal about not wanting the renewal of trident. snp mps fought against the renewal last year. and nicola sturgeon had previously said that along with wrecks it, the renewal of trident could possibly be a trigger that takes scotland further towards a second independence referendum. she has already tweeted today. we have also had a statement from the mod today. we have said they capability and effectiveness of the trident missile, should we ever need

to employ it, is unquestionable. and they say, we do not provide further details on submarine operations for understandable security reasons. theresa may will be the first foreign leader to meet the new us president at the white house. they're expected to hold talks on friday and trade, nato and brexit are expected to be on the agenda. our political correspondent, susana mendonca said trade was at the top of the agenda. theresa may knows she is embarking soon on trade negotiations with the eu on britain's role outside of the european union, and so she needs to have a strong hand. this is a great opportunity for her because it gives her a chance to put across that image that she has a close relationship to the new american president. she is meeting him on friday, and trade will be the main focus of that. she will talk about how she wants to have a good trade

relationship with donald trump, but accepts that she is somebody who has been focused on putting america first. he and people around him have spoken about the importance of trade arrangement with the united kingdom and that that is something they are looking to talk to us about at an early stage. i would expect to talk to him about that alongside the other issues i will discuss with him when i am in washington. i think free trade is important in the world, i believe globalisation is important and it brings economic benefits to our countries, but we do need to make sure as i said this week in davos, the economic benefits and prosperity is spread across the whole of the uk. she was also talking about the other issues she would discuss with donald trump, and nato is one of those, because there are concerns whether donald trump is as committed to nato as the us has beenin as committed to nato as the us has been in the past, and theresa may made it clear she will raise that

with him and it is an issue she feels strongly about. i have spoken to him about nato. nato is very important. it has been that will work over security in europe and we work together in nato. we have both made the point before about contributions the united kingdom is spending 2% of its gdp on defence and i believe that is important. do you agree with what he said about other nato countries not paying their way? there are other countries also paying 2% and other countries working towards doing that. what is important is that we recognise the value of nato, which she does, the value of nato as an organisation which helps defend europe and defend the interests of all those allies in nato. with me is the former international development secretary, andrew mitchell. i suppose part of the story is that she is the first, and that is quite important, the first foreign leader

to meet president trump? yes, and it also underlines the fact that the eyes of state in britain have very close interests, many things that we see in the same light. we have a common view. it is very well, president trump is deciding to reach out to his principal ally in this way. in terms of trade, which people are saying is top of the agenda because we are all fascinated by brexit and what will happen, but it is hard to expect anything beyond words because we cannot negotiate a trade deal, we can't do that for a couple of years, who knows what things will be like, and mr trump might face a more hostile congress in the few years' time. you cannot signa in the few years' time. you cannot sign a trade deal before brexit, thatis sign a trade deal before brexit, that is true, but you can talk about what might be in a deal. you can put m, what might be in a deal. you can put in, paperahead of what might be in a deal. you can put in, paper ahead of that. america is one of the biggest trading nations in the world, we are the fourth or fifth biggest trading mission in the

world. the principles which underlie a free—trade agreement like this will ricochet across the rest of the world and have a big impact on other trading deals that are being reached. over recent years we have seen reached. over recent years we have seen a move away from reached. over recent years we have seen a move away from protectionism towards a free trading system because everyone now accepts that a freer trading system enriches the rich and poor alike. when the talks come to nato, will the prime minister want to make sure this president is behind nato? he did suggest it was obsolete. he reflected a feeling of restlessness in america that they were aiming for european security which european nations should do more to help themselves. and on that i think that president trump and theresa may will be in full agreement because we have reached for the 2%, and we believe

others should do that. when president trump says he believes all nations should share the burden and not rely on america, what he's saying is perfectly fair and proper. on the defence question any to ask you about this trident missile test. there will be a huge row in the commons, want their? probably, but there are two issues. the first is whether whatever caused the malfunction had been corrected or not, and it looks clear that that has taken place. and the second issueis has taken place. and the second issue is who should have been told and when. i think the interests of national security would not have been served by the government telling parliament. the government's first duty is to defend the realm. what they had to do was correct in this function. i don't think the government should be pilloried in any way for not telling the public, but clearly the public will want to know and parliament will want to know and parliament will want to know that whatever was wrong has been put right. and mr trump, some of the headlines have suggested this

is maggie and ronnie, going back to reagan and thatcher, but this is a very different president, and we have a fairly straight talking woman president, he has a reputation as a misogynist and sexist which is why thousands of women around the world marched about this. that could have a shadow on the relationship. marched about this. that could have a shadow on the relationshipm won't be like president reagan and prime minister thatcher because history never quite repeats itself. but our prime minister is straight talking. she has made clear to people all around the world that comment he made about women are com pletely comment he made about women are completely at acceptable. but as she eagerly pointed out, he has apologised for those comments. and it isn't everyone's interest around the world that we wipe the slate clea n. the world that we wipe the slate clean. that it is accepted he is starting again from now in that respect, i would look forward to how britain and america, and america with its pivotal place in terms of security and trade and values, that

relationship is set in the right direction, and for that reason it is a very good thing that our prime minister will be first through the door of the white house. thank you for coming in. that announcement about theresa may's visit to the us was made during donald trump's first day in office, which also saw a series of protests against his administration and white house attacks on the media. the new white house press secretary, sean spicer, used his first briefing to accuse the american media of "sowing division". these attempts to lessen the enthusiasm of the inauguration are shameful and wrong. as you know the president was at the central intelligence agency today and greeted by a raucous crowd of some 400 plus cia employees. there were over a thousand requests to attend, the president will have to come back to greet the rest. the employees are ecstatic that he is the new commander—in—chief, and he delivered an important and powerful message. he told them he has their back.

and they were grateful for that. they gave him a five—minute standing ovation at the end in a display of their patriotism and enthusiasm for his presidency. i would also note that it is a shame that the cia did not have a director to be with him today when he visited because the democrats are stalling the nomination and playing politics with national security. that is what you guys should be writing and covering, instead of sowing division about sweets and false narratives. the president is committed to unifying our country and that was the focus of his inaugural address. this kind of dishonesty in the media is making it more difficult to bring our nation together. the has been talk in the media about holding donald trump accountable. i am here to tell you it goes to ways. we will hold the press accountable. the american people deserve better, and as long as he serves as the messengerfor this incredible movement he will take his message directly to the american people

where his focus will always be. that was sean spicer, the new white house director of communications. and from monday here on the bbc news channel we have a new programme covering donald trump's first acts as president, the brexit effect and much more. that's 100 days with katty kay in washington and christian fraser in london at 7pm. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news this afternoon. an express train has crashed in eastern india, killing at least 36 people and injuring more than 60 others. the accident happened in andhra pradesh — it's not yet clear what caused the train to derail. four people have been killed after a tornado hit a small town in mississippi. it left a a trail of destruction around 30 kilometres long and almost a kilometre wide. houses were destroyed and power was knocked out as the tornado touched down in hattiesburg in the middle of the night. the authorities in chile have declared a state of emergency in a vast area affected by the country's worst

forest fires in decades. there are currently more than 70 uncontrolled fires in chile's central region. hundreds of people have been evacuated from their homes. a charity says many local authorities and clinical commissioning groups in england are doing too little to encourage women to have smear tests. jo's cervical cancer trust says there has been a drop in women having checks and many women did not respond to invitations to have checks. they also found embarrassment and worries about pain were putting many people off. a smear of lipstick to encourage women not to ignore their smear tests. they are offered to women aged 25 to 64, to help prevent cervical cancer. last yea r‘s campaign drew celebrity support, from the model cara delevingne to reality star lauren pope, and the charity behind it says this year their message has never been more important.

at the moment, in england, for example, the number of women who attend cervical screening is at a 19—year low. that is hugely concerning, because if it carries on, we are going to see more women diagnosed, we are sadly going to see more women passing away, and we just don't want that to happen. the charity's latest survey suggests half of women aged 25 to 29 have put off getting a smear test. the reasons — more than a quarter said they were too embarrassed, a similar numbersaid they were worried about pain, and almost one in ten said they had never had the test at all. nhs england says it is particularly worried about the fall in young women getting smears in the last few years, because that has been linked to a rise in women under 35 getting cervical cancer. it says it is working on projects to encourage more young women to take up the tests. voting has begun in france in the socialist party's primary to decide the nomination for the presidential

election in april. six men and a woman are taking part. they include the former prime minister, manuel valls, but not the unpopular current president, francois hollande. a run—off will take place in a week's time. the headlines on bbc news: theresa may won't say whether she knew about a failed trident missile test when mps were voting to renew the weapons system. the prime minister confirms she'll be the first world leader to meet president trump when they hold talks on friday. the white house accuses the american media of dishonestly reporting the size of the crowd at friday's inauguration of president trump. sport now, and a full round up, from the bbc sport centre. andy murray is out of the australian

open. he lost a mischa zverev in four sets. with novak djokovic already out, many saw it as his best chance to make a final in melbourne. the scene was set for andy murray to become history and open champion. but mischa zverev had a different end in mind. the number one was sent home afterfour end in mind. the number one was sent home after four gruelling sets. it was one set each going into the third, but at this point the momentum swung in the german's favour. it seems that murray was running out of ideas. the world number one was asking questions at the net, but mischa zverev, a seven volley specialist, had all the a nswe rs. volley specialist, had all the answers. murray is a specialist in dealing with adversity and was not about to concede just yet. but

mischa zverev and his superb net play frustrated murray. the german felt like a superstar. the final act, one that mischa zverev will a lwa ys act, one that mischa zverev will always remember. for andy murray, this was not with the story was supposed to end. always a tough match. a pretty long one. hard conditions. it was hot out there. and misha came up with great stuff. he plays a game style but not many players play these days, and he played extremely well. especially at the end of the match. he came up with some great stuff, really good volleys a nd with some great stuff, really good volleys and pick—ups, reflexes. he was really good up there. he deserved to win. tough one to lose. dan evans' run is also over, after he lost to 12th seed jo—wilfried tsonga. evans had knocked out world number seven marin cilic and then bernard tomic to reach the fourth

round of a grand slam for the first time. but the frenchman was too good. despite taking the first set on a tie break, evans lost the next three. tsonga goes through to face us open champion stan wawrinka after an excellent tournament, evans will climb from 51st to 45th in the world rankings. i need to get a bit fitter so i can last out those matches. i think today i was flagging after the first set. i did feel that, my body was so. set. i did feel that, my body was so. maybe that's something i can improve on. but i still come a long way from where i was last year, i think. there are highlights from melbourne on bbc two from 5.15. england's cricketers have posted a solid total in the third and final one day international against india in kolkata, on a pitch that is providing some assistance to the indian bowlers, england made 321 for 8

from their 50 overs. jason roy hit his third 50 in a row and whilst none of the batsmen could kick on and make a big score, some late big hitting from ben stokes has given their bowlers something to defend. india's innings isjust underway, coverage of course available on 5 live sports extra and the bbc sport website. premier league leaders chelsea could end today as much as nine points clear at the top of the table. they play hull city later, while arsenal could go up to second if they beat burnley. we have to make sure they do not find a solution away from home on sunday because it is a "rows. we have to prepare well, and even away from home recently they have been lacking some games. there's one game already underway in the premier league. southampton host leicester. the score at st mary's is 0—0.

that's all sport for now. i'll have more in the next hour. the defeated president of the gambia, yahya jammeh, has left the country he's run since seizing power in a coup 22 years ago. he had been refusing to step down despite losing a presidential election to adama barrow last month. our correspondent told me a little earlier that life is gradually getting back to normal. the president laughed last night, we understand he is in equatorial guinea. life is picking up here after three days of a total shutdown. shops, banks, gas stations, everything was closed for three days as people stayed home for fear of violence. troops were sent in to threaten to remove mrjamey by force. in the end, mrjamey left. he

was left with no option from west african leaders who gave him an ultimatum. either he was walking out of the state house or he would be removed by force. the african union, the regional bloc, and the united nations have issued declarations saying they would work to ensure there is no witchhunt of former supporters, and have also said that ya hya supporters, and have also said that yahya jammeh was leaving temporarily, but she should be able to return to the gambia at the time of his choosing. it isn't clear yet the exact terms of the agreement under which he has left the country, but certainly people here are no preparing for the return of the new president, adama barrow. a survey suggests that delays

in assessing patients' needs are worsening the problems hospitals have in discharging patients. healthwatch england — which champions patients — says many local authorities are failing to get the job done within the recommended six weeks. emma forde reports. nhs england says at the end of november last year, nearly 7,000 hospital beds were occupied by patients who should have been discharged. it says one in three remained in hospital because of delays in assessment, and care packages not being in place. healthwatch england has investigated how widespread delays in social ca re assessments are, both in the community and in hospitals. the longest reported delay in the community was nearly two years. it said that data from local authorities on waiting times for assessments was incredibly patchy. not only that, it also found assessment reviews, which according to the care act should be done every 12 months to assess changing needs, simply aren't being done. the department of health said it was investing £900 million of additional funding into adult

social care over the next two years, and will continued to challenge local authorities that fail to carry out timely assessments. the time new cars are allowed on britain's roads before they need an mot could go up from three to four years, under government proposals. the department for transport said safer technology and improved manufacturing means new vehicles stay roadworthy for longer. the change, which could come in from 2018, would bring britain in line with northern ireland and many other european countries. jane austen may be one of britain's favourite authors, but little

is known about what she looked like. only one portrait was made during her lifetime — a sketch by her sister. that was one of the challenges facing the artist who's been tasked with creating what's thought to be the first public statue of the writer to mark 200 years since her death. ben moore reports piano music. "how quick come the reasons for approving what we like." jane austen in her novel, persuasion. it is hoped the town of basingstoke will echo that sentiment over a bronze statue of the author. it is like she is walking down the stairs and someone says "good morning" and she says "good morning" back. she was a real person, a headstrong woman of her time, living in her time. she is relevant for us today walking past her as her work is still here. the statue has taken shape from adam's early sketches, but finding a real likeness of jane austen has historically been a problem, as only two portraits were ever done. i have to go back and study from life. i have to read between the lines of what was written about her and i have to put together a real face. she was born just a few miles outside of basingstoke in stevenson. and basingstoke is staking its claim.

jane austen knew basingstoke well. she even attended social gatherings at the assembly hall here in market square. it was alljust such a great influence on her that here she wrote the first draft of pride and prejudice. many places have been better at trying to claim her, so on this anniversary of her death we want to have a permanent memorial to the fa ct have a permanent memorial to the fact that she has our most famous of residents. it has taken two years and almost £100,000 to bring this forward. everyone we have discussed this with has come on board. really, the association with basingstoke is not as well—known as it should be. that is what we want to celebrate, that jane austen spent time here and lived and shopped and danced in basingstoke. the final and rather delicate work

has now been done and it will be cast in april, leaving this town with a sense of pride, not prejudice. now let's get the weather. a lovely crisp day for many of you. for others, lack of sunshine but not a lack of sleet or snow, like covering here. patchy rain, sleet and snow is heading across the pennines to burst of lincolnshire and yorkshire at the moment. that continues in the afternoon. a few showers in devon and west wales. some will see the sunshine but it will be cool for all of us, sunshine or not. through the night the frost returns. where we have cloud breaks later this afternoon, to bridges

could drop quickly. mr todt badges could drop quickly. mr todt badges could form, for the most dramatic and east wales and the midlands towards the south—east. temperatures will vary widely on monday morning. cater for the chance of frost first thing. the frog will take awhile to shift. it could linger in a midlands and east anglia, but for most a lovely monday afternoon in store. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines. theresa may won't say whether she knew about a failed trident missile test when mps were voting to renew the weapons system. i have absolute faith in our trident missiles. when i made that speech in the house of commons, what we were talking about was whether or not we should renew our trident. we understand the prime minister chose not to inform parliament about this and it has come