the highestjudges in the [and say ministers alone can't trigger brexit talks — only the uk parliament has that power. the supreme court rules that the government cannot trigger article 50 without an act of parliament authorising it to do so. it's a victory for the woman who says she brought the case to defend our democracy. no prime minister, no government can expect to be unanswerable or unchallenged. parliament alone is sovereign. so parliament has the power — but ministers warn mps against using it to overturn the referendum. this judgment does not change the fact that the uk will be leaving the european union, and it is ourjob to deliver on the instruction the people of the uk have given us. the judges say the governments in scotland, wales and northern ireland don't have to be consulted — we'll have all the reaction. also tonight: bt shares plunge.

it follows an accounting scandal and its warnings about where the economy is heading. formula one's bernie ecclestone is forced off the grid — the sport's new owners want a fresh start. #to # to open the world... and la la land equals an oscar record, with m nominations. coming up in sportsday on bbc news, roger federer rolls back the years at the australian open. he's nowjust one match away from his first grand slam in over a year. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. in a ruling of huge constitutional significance, the judges of the supreme court have said that only parliament can trigger the brexit process.

it's not the decision that theresa may wanted. she'd argued that it could be done by ministers alone. thejudges also said that the devolved administrations in scotland, wales and northern ireland do not have to be consulted. tonight, the bbc has learned that the government will present a brexit bill to parliament as early as this thursday. and the brexit secretary david davis had a warning for mps: don't use the debate in parliament to try to stop brexit happening. our political editor laura kuennsberg has our first report. a hot ticket — to see judges ruled, is it the prime minister of parliament that is in charge? theresa may wanted to avoid asking mps for permission to start leaving the eu. but businesswoman gina millerfought the eu. but businesswoman gina miller fought and fought and fought again. arguing that the government

simply does not have the power to do it alone. there is no precedent, so can our departure start, so—called article 50, without parliament saying yes? today, by a majority of 8-3, the saying yes? today, by a majority of 8—3, the supreme court rules that the government cannot trigger article 50 without an act of parliament authorising it to do so. the referendum is of great political significance, but the act of parliament which established it did not say what should happen as a result. so any change in the law to give effect to the referendum must be made in the new age permitted, by the uk constitution, namely by an act of parliament —— in the only permitted. to proceed otherwise would be a breach of settled constitutional principles stretching back many centuries. and there are

consequences from that clear instruction. ministers have no choice. mps must have a say. of course the government is disappointed with the outcome, but we have the good fortune to live in a country where everyone, every individual, every organisation, even government is subject to the rule of law. so the government will comply with thejudgment law. so the government will comply with the judgment of the court. the challenge is why well—financed about outsiders, won the day. no prime minister, no government can expect to be una nswerable minister, no government can expect to be unanswerable or unchallenged. parliament alone is sovereign. the judges crucially did not say exactly what parliament should do, nor did they give the scottish, northern ireland or welsh administration is a formal say. thejudges have ruled that the scottish parliament does not need to be consulted. are you disappointed? we were told we had the most powerful devolved parliament in the world. it appears thatis parliament in the world. it appears that is not the case. should be

prime minister have listen to people like you in the first days? she could have listened to people like me, seeing as i have been saying this for six months. this melee, this for six months. this melee, this court case was never about whether or not we leave the european union, but the verdict is not what the government wanted. they must now seek authority from just across the square before they can start the process of leaving the european union. is brexit still on track? so what next? despite the courtroom drama, the government has been preparing for weeks. the majority of mps have already said they will back them. the government's priority for them. the government's priority for the european referendum is to respect the outcome and picture it delivers in the interest of the whole country. this house voted by six have one to put the decision in the hands of voters, and that bill passed the other place unopposed. so there can be no going back. the point of no return was passed on june 23 last year. point of no return was passed on june 23 last year. labour won't allow its mps to stop the bill, but will try to make changes. we are

very clear. we are going to hold them to account to protectjobs, to make sure british industry does have market access, and we are not going to allow ourselves to become some kind of offshore tax haven. that's not what people voted for. but while mps will have more power, the judges‘ decision not to insist holyrood have a formal say could further strengthen union between scotla nd further strengthen union between scotland and the rest of the uk. the decision is looming for scotland. are we prepared to allow our future to be dictated by a westminster government that has gone down a path i think the majority of people in scotla nd i think the majority of people in scotland do not want to go down, or are we going to take the future into oui’ are we going to take the future into our hands? and convinced europeans, lib dems and a handful of labour mps might vote against article 50 to express their fears. unless the government concedes a new deal for the british people so that the british people have a say over the final arrangements between the uk

and eu,i final arrangements between the uk and eu, i will final arrangements between the uk and eu, iwill vote final arrangements between the uk and eu, i will vote against article 50. but for the woman who started all of this, success, yes, after a lonely fight. good people didn't seem able to stand up and put their point, so i thought if i stood up, others would join. others would come together and we would have a coalescing of one voice talking about this, talking about the fact that parliament is sovereign. but no one turned up in the seven—month process i have been through. i have been very surprised. this whole fight has been about right and wrong. it‘s right that an individual citizen could bring this case. it is wrong that a government think they are above the law, and it is wrong for a government to carry on spinning the truth. the prime minister never wanted an ugly fight in the courts. she doesn‘t now want weeks of angry arguments as it moves to the house of commons. but for all its potential, this legal tangle has not strangled the government in knots. ministers were ruled to be run on fundamental matters of law ——

they were ruled to be wrong, but while they lost the case, the government has not lost control of the argument, at least not yet. just as theresa may‘s motorcade swept past the court, she has been able to brush aside some of the arguments. one senior tory told me, we are on oui’ one senior tory told me, we are on our way. laura kuenssberg, one senior tory told me, we are on ourway. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. so as we‘ve heard, the government insists today‘s ruling will have no impact on the timetable for triggering talks on leaving the eu. but that depends what happens next in parliament. our deputy political editorjon pienaar has been looking at the what all that could mean. thejudgment is the judgment is in. thejudgment is in. now it is up to the politicians. the news went around the world in seconds, a story ministers hoped never to hear told, not in any language. but the government‘s had time to get ready, so government‘s had time to get ready, so could parliament get in theresa may‘s way? here is what lies on the road ahead. the government says the legislation paving the way for brexit will be tabled within days.

that will be voted on by both houses, commons and lords. theresa may intense article 50 will be triggered by the end of march and once triggered, written will have two years to leave the eu. one shadow minister is ready to defy labour orders and vote against brexit, although it might end her career. my constituents voted to remain in the european union. i am leaning towards voting against article 50 because i am here to represent their views. and if i have to resign my shadow ministerial position because of the stands i take, it would be unfortunate. many labour mps accept that stopping brexit is not an option, and worry that the party could concede too much. we cannot be a party that rubber stamps a hard brexit. i accept that we are leaving the european union and i am minded to vote for a article 50 bill to be triggered, but i will not give this government a blank cheque on the contents government a blank cheque on the co nte nts of government a blank cheque on the contents of the deal. i will not give theresa may the ability to run a coach and horses through the living standards of middle and low

income families in my constituency. around westminster, people are wondering who will work with whom. the snp, like the lib dems, feel they need more help in the battle of brexit. we need to work with as many people as possible to hold this government to account. and we need labour to get their act together. opposition parties are split, and labour out of step with so many of us labour out of step with so many of us brexit supporting voters, can‘t agree on tactics or policy. that is good news for theresa may. the bill to start britain‘s even divorce proceedings were passed comfortably. in the commons, mps will try to force more votes before the divorce deal is settled. and in the lords, there will be more resistance to brexit. but many peers are nervous about defying the verdict of the eu referendum. would it not be foolish in the extreme if this house—lite house plate itself as an unelected body in confrontation with the bulk of the british people? locking

brexiteers today, so far, so good. you are looking a bit triumphant right now. well, i am keen we did not end up with a bogged down deal, instead of which a simple bill would go through both houses. theresa may will be on time in triggering article 50. she has made it clear, which means the effort to stop us leaving has failed. so another long day on the road to brexit. the bill approving the exit talks comes out on thursday, but this just the beginning. the real political slogged towards an eu deal has yet to begin. john pienaar, bbc news, westminster. so tonight, there could be trouble ahead for the government at westminster and in scotland, so in a moment we‘ll hear from laura kuenssberg, but first, our scotland editor, sarah smith, is at holyrood. we have heard the anger and disappointment from the snp, but what more realistically can nicola sturgeon du? well, even though the supreme court ruled that that does

not have to be a vote in the scottish parliament, first minister nicola sturgeon has announced that she is going to go ahead and call one anyway. that vote will give msps a chance here at holyrood to vote against triggering article 50, something they are very likely to do, reflecting the fact that 62% of the scottish electorate voted to remain in the eu. that vote won‘t have any legal standing. the scottish parliament cannot stop the uk government from going ahead with its brexit plans. but the snp do hope it will be highly significant politically, because it will help them to bolster their argument that them to bolster their argument that the prime minister isn‘t listening to scottish wishes. nicola sturgeon has that again today that a decision is looming on when scotland might wa nt to ta ke is looming on when scotland might want to take control of its own future. in other words, she is warning that she might call for another scottish independence referendum. she will be hoping that yet another argument with westminster could build the case for scottish independence. laura, let me

continue at westminster. as you said, this isn‘t the decision theresa may wanted. what do you think is the mood amongst ministers tonight? something slightly strange has happened, in a sense. the government loss today in a monumental legal case that will go down in constitutional history. it will be remembered forever and discussed by lawyers and academics and the rest of it. but the government was defeated, but tonight they are feeling rather chipper. there are a couple of reasons for that. 30, they don‘t have to deal with what they feared, a hugely competitive battle between westminster and holyrood over how they had to involve the devolved administrations. and also because the court wasn‘t extremely forthright in trying to force them to publish encyclopaedias of information about how they plan to proceed. so they have been asked, in their view, to do the minimum that their view, to do the minimum that the court has required them to do, and that is a relief that has put them ina and that is a relief that has put them in a good mood. it means they

are going to proceed, we think, on thursday with legislation, probably only a couple of lines of a government bill, proceeding at great speed with the help of rapping it allup in the speed with the help of rapping it all up in the house of commons within a fortnight. none of this means that in the next couple of yea rs, means that in the next couple of years, the recent going to be enormous political trouble ahead, huge battles and they fight between the government and backbenchers, government and the opposition and crucially between theresa may and the other countries in the european union. but so far, in terms of this huge case that could have caused such trouble, theresa may‘s team feel that even though the a, there is something of a victory about today —— even though they lost. laura kuenssberg and sarah at holyrood, thank you both very much. so as we‘ve heard, today‘s ruling goes to the heart of how british democracy works. let‘s get a view from our legal affairs correspondent, clive coleman. we heard of the political significance of what has been going on today, but in legal terms, what is yourjudgment? itjumped

it jumped scores the itjumped scores the core principle at the heart of our unwritten constitution that parliament is sovereign, parliament creates the law and only parliament can change that law. although this case was about where ministers and parliament, it points up the importance and the role of the independent judiciary. importance and the role of the independentjudiciary. through judicial review, they were able to stop government in its tracks because what ministers were proposing to do was unlawful. be you ever so proposing to do was unlawful. be you ever so mighty the law is above you. this case also demonstrates judges applying another vital principle, nobody, not even government, is above the law. now, some regard our judges as unelected and unaccountable, one newspaper even dubbed them as enemies of the people. for many others they remain a vital check and balance against the miss use of power by ministers and by the state. all right, clive, thank you very much. thank you. the

time is 6.16pm. ourtop story thank you very much. thank you. the time is 6.16pm. our top story this evening. the supreme court rules that government ministers alone can‘t trigger brexit talks, only the uk parliament has that power. still to come: there‘s no stopping her — a record 20th oscar nomination for the actress, meryl streep. coming up in sportsday on bbc news: the latest from melbourne, as venus williams becomes the oldest woman in the open era to reach the australian open semi—finals. shares in bt plunged today after the company revealed the impact of an accounting scandal in its italian business is far worse than originally thought. the head of bt europe resigned this afternoon. our business editor, simonjack, has the details.

not every big company is a household name, but bt is. it is serviceses are used by millions. its shares are some of the most widely owned by the public with nearly a million small investors holding shares from the privatisation back in 1984. here is what happened to those shares today. a 20% what happened to those shares today. a20% drop, what happened to those shares today. a 20% drop, its biggest fall in its history as a public company. that caught even big investors off guard. it was a real shock. bt‘s not the kind of company we expect to have profit warnings. it‘s a strong company with quite a reliable, dependable and forecastable business. we don‘t expect these kind of issues. why this sudden and dramatic slump? bt has problems on a number of fronts. today, we learnt the accounting scat scandal in its italian business is much worse than expected. the black hole there has

widen from £145 million to £530 million. perhaps even more worrying for invest oshgs it also warned today that profits in its core business will be £175 million lower this year and next. now that‘s down to stagnating revenue from some of its biggest customers who are not renewing major contracts. today‘s news is set against an already uncertain back drop for the company. the company is fighting calls from competitors and the regulator to split off its reach network division open. it has the uk‘s biggest pension fund deficits and has been spending big on entertainment. there is nervousness given the review of the reach division and open the review of pensions due to happen thisser ya. if there is one thing that investors hate is uncertainty. any knock to bt sees an amplified effect. we have seen that with the

share price. heads have started to roll. the chief executive of bt italy has been suspended and the heath of bt europe is expected to resign. we are in the process of building our broadband business... bt expressed disappointment at events in italy and promised swift action. shareholders will be disappointed at today‘s record slump. when a company as big as bt say its biggest companies aren‘t spending money it‘s a worry for the wider company. simon jack, bbc spending money it‘s a worry for the wider company. simonjack, bbc news. the budget airline easyjet says it expects profits to suffer a bigger hit than expected this year. the carrier said higherfuel prices and the weaker pound, since britain voted to leave the european union, was to blame. shares in easyjet have slumped 6% since today‘s announcement. a 15—year—old boy has been arrested after a teenager was stabbed in north—west london and later died.

officers were called to capital city academy in willesden before 3.30pm yesterday. police say the area was busy, as children were heading home from school, and have appealed for information. us president donald trump has approved two controversial pipelines. the keystone xl, designed to carry crude from canada to us refineries on the gulf coast, was rejected by obama in 2015 because of environmental concerns. construction on the dakota access pipeline was halted last month amid huge protests from native americans who claim it threatened water resources. he‘s dominated formula one for nearly 40 years and turned it into the biggest annual sporting event in the world, outstripped only by the olympics and the world cup. but now bernie ecclestone is no longer in charge. he‘s been replaced by new boss chase carey, who has been talking to our sports editor, dan roan, about his plans for the future of f1. n ews news reel:

there is bernie ecclestone... he has been a driving force like no other. having ruled formula one with an iron gripfor having ruled formula one with an iron grip for decades, bernie ecclestone transformed it into a global, commercial phenomenon. 0h, my gadness, this is fantastic. at times it seemed as if he would go on forever. with a multi—billion pound american takeover came a sudden change in direction. today, f1‘s new boss told me it was the end of the road for the man he replaced. boss told me it was the end of the road for the man he replacedlj would road for the man he replaced.” would expect it‘s difficult for bernie. it‘s a big change for him. he calls himself a dictator. he ran it as he calls himself a dictator. he ran itasa he calls himself a dictator. he ran it as a one man dictator for he calls himself a dictator. he ran it as a one man dictatorfor a long time. i think the sport needs a fresh perspective. from second hand car salesman to team owner and f1‘s all powerful commercial rightses holder his rise is unique. the 86—year—olds deal making brought him famous friend and billions in the

bank. there was also controversy. some comments caused offence and he was forced to settle a bribery case in 2014. this is fantastic. recently, the sport has lacked some of the thrills of the past and amid dramatically declining tv audiences one team boss told me f1 now needs a revamp. the most important thing is getting back to the basics of outright racing, engaging with the fans, engaging with the public and perhaps decomplicating the cars a little and going back to man and machine being at the absolute limit. formula one be has been able to depend on its mix of speed, glamour and technology to guarantee true global appeal. there is a sense from within the sport that in an ultra competitive and shifting sports market, there now needs to be change. we need to use all the platforms available and the

marketing capability to tell the stories of the rivalries of the sta rses. we stories of the rivalries of the starses. we have to make our events larger than ever. week long events. cities at the tracks, music and entertainment with the sport at the centre of it. i talked about 21 super bowls that is what we should have. it's a seismic moment for f1. ecclestone has been offered a advisory role, so used to being the puppet master he is used to pulling the strings. the world of sport will never see his like again. dan roan, bbc news. to hollywood now and this year‘s oscar nominations have been announced. meryl streep has become the first star to be nominated for 20 oscars during her career and the film la la land has racked up 14 nominations — one of the highest number ever in the oscar‘s history. here‘s our arts editor, will gompertz. there‘s nothing hollywood likes more than a film that puts it centre stage. so no great surprise that la la land, the musical about two

wannabes making their way in tinseltown, has 14 nominations, including damien chazelle for best director and ryan gosling and emma stone in the best actor and best actress categories. it will get a run for its money from moonlight, barryjenkins‘ coming—of—age drama, which gets eight nominations and sees mahershala ali getting a nod as best supporting actor and naomie harris one for best supporting actress. i‘m turning to explain it to you the best way i know how. she will be up against viola davis, who puts in a powerful performance in fences, directed by and starring denzel washington, who was nominated in the best actor category. along with british actor andrew garfield as a heroic conscientious objector in mel gibson‘s, hacksaw ridge. that is some of the runners and riders. kate muir, you‘re

the times film critic. pick some winners, starting with best picture? has to be la la land. it‘s completely in a league of its own. it‘s glorious, romantic, it‘s dancing on air, but there is also the cinematic craft there. best actor? has to be casey affleck in manchester by the sea. it‘s a real nuanced performance. he‘s like an unexploded bomb. so not andrew garfield? no, hacksaw ridge is not our thing, i don‘t think. best actress ? i would really like to see natalie portman win this forjackie. i think it is a cool, elegant, clever performance. meryl streep is not going to get it, then? absolutely not. best supporting actor? i would like to see mahershala ali win this for moonlight. he‘s playing a drugs kingpin but against all odds, he is tender and fatherly. it‘s quite a surprise. best supporting actress? i would like naomie harris to win this for britain, for moonlight. she‘s usually miss moneypenny. here, she is playing

a crack—addicted mother. it‘s a great surprise. i think it will be viola davis. and then finally, best director? damien chazelle really deserves this for pulling all the stops out on la la land. we will find out if she‘s right at the oscars ceremony next month, when there‘s every chance that politically charged acceptance speeches could provide some of the night‘s best performances. will gompertz, bbc news. time for a look at the weather. here‘s john hammond. from moving pictures to stills. a lovely shot here of the sunsetting. for some of us it‘s been gloomy and foggy. this shot from devon, it‘s been fogging all day. the fog is thickening up and it will develop more widely across southern counties up more widely across southern counties up into wales, midland and eastern counties. thick fog and icy conditions as well. further north, milder here with patchy rain. let us

concentrate on that freezing fog. it cause issues overnight and tomorrow morning. check out your bbc local radio station. temperatures could be below freezing. it won‘t be foggy everywhere. out west a better chance of sunshine to the far south—west, wales and northern england. it will bea wales and northern england. it will be a reasonable day here. for northern ireland and scotland at 8.00am milder certainly, no frob problem with frost, a lot of cloud, breeze and drizzly rain to the western highlands. most of the rain will stay off shore. cloudy and breezy here. the fog further south and east will lift. it will lift into low cloud. a different day compared with today for some of us. cloudy and chilly. a slice of sunshine from the south—west up into wales and northern england. here it should not feel too bad at all. further north and west it will be mild. further south and east we go will be chilly. a sign of things to come in actualfact. we will be chilly. a sign of things to come in actual fact. we will drag will be chilly. a sign of things to come in actualfact. we will drag in particularly raw air off a still freezing continent. thursday could

bea freezing continent. thursday could be a shock to the system for some of us. be a shock to the system for some of us. a bitterly south—easterly wind temperatures above freezing if you add on the wind it will feel below. odd snow flurry, but potentially most of us will be dry. hopefully, you will see sunshine and it may warm up you will see sunshine and it may warm up a you will see sunshine and it may warm up a little bit come the weekend. thank you. our main story. the supreme court has ruled that ministers alone can‘t trigger brexit talks, only the uk parliament has that power. hello. this is bbc news. the headlines. in a landmark ruling the uk supreme court has decided that only parliament has the power, and not ministers, to trigger the uk‘s withdrawal

from the european union. today by a majority of 8 to 3, the supreme court rules that the government cannot trigger article 50 without an act of parliament authorising it to do so. the bbc understands that the bill to trigger article 50 will be introduced on thursday — something hinted at earlier by brexit secretary david davis when addressed mps. we will within days introduce legislation to give the government legal power to trigger article 50 and begin the formal process of withdrawal.