this is bbc news. the headlines at 2pm: theresa may is to become the first foreign leader to meet donald trump, hoping to open the way to a trade deal after brexit. ahead of their meeting, theresa may laid a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier at arlington cemetery, virginia. i'm at the white house were donald trump will be hosting to may and doing a press conference with her. tesco‘s share price rises sharply after the supermarket chain says it is buying the food wholesaler, booker. in the next hour, plans to ration hip surgery in worcestershire. surgeons express alarm at the money saving plans. church of england bishops say its teaching on marriage shouldn't change, and that gay clergy should remain celibate. head teachers in england are angry after hundreds of millions

of pounds of funding — promised to schools last year — is taken back by the government. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. theresa may is preparing to meet donald trump in the white house in a few hours' time, the first foreign leader to visit since mr trump became president. global security and a trade deal after brexit are likely to be high on the agenda. in a speech to us republicans last night, mrs may said the uk and america could not return to "failed" military interventions to try to "remake the world." her visit comes amid ongoing controversy over president trump's support for the waterboarding

of terror suspects and his war of words with mexico over the building of a border wall. here's our correspondent, richard lister. she will hope the blustery conditions aren't a portent for the meeting to come. washington has rolled out the red carpet for theresa may but the prime minister will have to tread carefully with a controversial president who is used to getting his own way. her priority is to lay the groundwork for a trade deal with the us to counterbalance britain's departure from the eu. on the quayside in liverpool, cars bound for the united states and construction equipment too. president trump has promised a building boom, and britain wants a part of that. for us as a company, if we can get a slice of that we can export the goods that he needs to carry on with that construction he is looking at. britain's trading relationship with the united states is already a healthy one.

the value of our exports to the us is £16 billion. that's a fifth of uk global exports, and we sell them more than we buy with imports totalling £35 billion. we export more to the us than we do to any other country. but we are only america's fifth biggest market. we need them more than they need us. in his first week as president, donald trump has said repeatedly his strategy will be "buy american, hire american." and although he wants bilateral trade deals they'll come with conditions attached. we want to deal with the ones that treat us well, and if they don't treat us well we terminate or we give them a 30—day notice of termination, and if they want to negotiate we get a better deal. until we leave the eu only brussels can make uk trade deals. the chancellor's there today and he accepted britain's hands are currently tied. we will continue to abide by the rules and regulations and laws of the european union for so long as we are members. so of course we want to strengthen

our trade ties with the very many trade partners we have around the world, but we are very mindful of our obligations anned the treaty and we will follow them precisely. for now, the key players in europe are wary of what mr trump has to offer. translation: let's speak frankly - there are challenges that the us administration poses to our trade rules. so we of course have to talk to donald trump — he was elected — but we also have to promote our interest and values as europeans. back in liverpool, this golden eagle marks the us consulate established here in 1790. a reminder of long—standing anglo—american trade ties. today, though, it's a french restaurant. that's a reminder the relationship can't be taken for granted. the assumption that everything will be fine with british trade is assuming that trump and his administration are rationale actors, that they'll behave rationally, but they might not.

the picture may become a little clearer later today. in a moment, we'll get the latest from westminster, but first to washington and our correspondent, barbara plett—usher. donald trump will be making a number of phone calls to world leaders. theresa may is the first foreign leader to visit. theresa may's staff have worked very ha rd to theresa may's staff have worked very hard to make sure that the first did the door, which britain always tries to do with the new president. britain needs this relationship more than ever because it is changing its relationship with the european union. she is taking this opportunity to present britain's

case and to ensure the special relationship is in donald trump's mind from the outset and to send the signal that there will be strong international options for britain when it leaves the european union. what exactly are we going to see later? from what we understand the meeting should start around noon local time and then there is a news conference scheduled and after that they will have lunch. we do not have a lot of details about what is going to happen when they meet privately, but presumably theresa may will be showing the bust of churchill that has been returned to the oval office when donald trump became president. i'm sure she will comment on that. and now to our political correspondent, tom bateman. how will they count success or

failure? as these talks take place behind closed doors, these are stage managed affairs. there may only be a couple of questions each to british and american journalist. there will bea and american journalist. there will be a briefing. we will hear about what the prime minister wants to talk about, such as a frank discussion about trade. it will take some time to grasp the fine details of the tightrope that theresa may after what. last night she said in her speech on military action was something off a reset of british foreign policy. she cocked about how the days are over of field policies, where britain and america tried to project their values on other sovereign nations. —— she cocked. we

have some reaction to that. i gasped what conflicts she was talking about when she talked about failed policies of the past, and they said that she was not singling out any particular areas. there are those who have added support to what she has said and we can hearfrom christian blunt who is the conservative chair of the foreign affairs select committee. i welcome it, iwelcome it, it i welcome it, it is a reality check to the unachievable policies of the us and britain in recent years that have had catastrophic consequences in the areas where we thought to intervene without beating the resources behind that intervention to deliver stability and the values that we promised. lick of afghanistan and iraq, they have been

severe lessons to afghanistan and iraq, they have been severe lessons to us afghanistan and iraq, they have been severe lessons to us which the prime minister is recognising. —— look at afghanistan. we also heard from a member of tony blair's chief of staff when he was prime minister. he said that theresa may contradicted herself because she said that should not be intervention but she said that we should project and uphold our values across the world. that is an issue that is likely to come up with the prime minister, urging the president to show stronger signs that he backs need to, a crucial alliance of western defence. around torture there has been a lot of talk ever since the president said that he thought it worked in the form of water boarding. many of those around him do not agree with that. it is the position of the uk government on the position of the uk government on the guidelines on torture that we

will not cooperate with foreign spy agencies if they use torture. that could put britain in a difficult situation if the us was to use water boarding. the prime minister reiterated that the british policy was very clear on this. what will the prime minister said? that question was pipped to the defence secretary. she will be making the british position on torture very clear. we oppose the use of torture and we condemn it. that will not change the matter what the american policy happens to be. she will make that clear. will she urged him not to go down that route because that could have significant implications for future intelligence sharing? we worked together on the basis of shared intelligence and the american position on torture changing could have implications and she will be making that clear. i expect to hear

much about the special relationship from the prime minister. sometimes this is in the eye of the beholder. there may be an exception in the white house this afternoon. thank you. and you can see full coverage of theresa may's visit to washington on the bbc news channel, including her news conference with donald trump expected around six o'clock. tesco, the uk's largest retailer, has agreed to buy britain's largest food wholesaler — booker — in a deal worth £3] billion. it would mean tesco gaining a massive share in supplying restaurants, pubs, and convenience stores in the uk. news of the deal sent shares soaring in both companies. here's our business correspondent emma simpson. tesco already has the lions share of the uk's grocery business. now it has its sights on serving even more

customers. it has struck a deal to buy booker. you may not have heard of it but this wholesaler supplies thousands of pubs, restaurants, caterers and corner shops. this market is growing faster than selling groceries in the supermarkets, and tesco wants a slice of it. what we do see... the two company bosses side—by—side for a web cast this morning to explain why this surprise £3] billion deal makes sense. the ability to improve the core offer of both the retail operation but also the independent and small business operation that charles currently serves, is definitely going to drive growth. better range, better value, better price. but what will the wider impact be? booker does not own these convenience stores but it owns the brands and supplies all the goods to the independent retailers who run them. tesco has about 10% of

the convenience and on the go food market. booker has a similar share, probably even bigger. clearly tesco supplying both of them will make it a bigger force. that may prompt some concerns including from the competition authorities who are likely to scrutinise this deal. if approved, it is a big bold move by tesco, extending its already formidable reach. we will hear more about that story in the business news at quarter to. two men are due to be sentenced shortly for manslaughter after a runaway tipper—truck killed four people in bath. they were hit by a lorry which had defective breaks. theirfamilies have been describing in court the impact the accident has had on their lives. jon kay reports.

they all lost their lives in a matter of seconds. four—year—old mitzi steady, chauffeur steve vaughan and businessman philip allen and robert parker, killed by a 32—ton truck, its brakes had failed while coming down a steep hill into the city of bath. just before christmas, these men were found guilty on four counts of manslaughter. on the left, matthew gordon, who ran the grittenham haulage company. on the right, peter wood, a mechanic whose job was to check the lorry. pictures of the vehicle's brakes were shown in court. the jury was told they were badly worn, rusty, and in a poor state of repair. the trial heard the company was a shambles, failing to carry out proper safety checks. today, relatives of those who were killed have told the court how their lives have been affected. the mother of mitzi steady said herfamily is bereft and she finds it a struggle to go on without mitzi's laughter and singing filling their home. mitzi's grandmother, who was also hit by the truck, needed to have

both her legs amputated. she described the physical and emotional pain she's been left with, saying life has changed completely. the wife of steve vaughan told the court about the moment she went to see her husband's body. she said as she held him she played songs they had only recently played at their wedding. it's just been a horrendous time. at the end of the trial she told me about the void now in her life. we were only married for six months and especially having to spend your first wedding anniversary alone was just so far removed from the one that we had planned. it's just been absolutely horrendous. the widow of phil allen said she had been robbed of her soulmate in an horrific accident that should never have happened. she said those responsible had shown a total disregard for the rules of the road. and robert parker's widow said she had thought of nothing else

since the moment he was killed by the runaway truck. she said the wreckless actions of others means her life will never be the same. john kay has been following that case and we will be with him at bristol crown court when sentence is handed down. that is due around now. we will have more from the courts the headlines on bbc news: theresa may is in washington to meet president trump. they will talk about trade, foreign affairs and strengthening ties between the uk and the us. tesco's share prices rise sharply after the supermarket chain says it is buying the food wholesaler booker. the royal college of surgeons has criticised plans to restrict head and new operations to try and save money. in sport now dalbeattie is his first

glance land final since 2014. he will face roger federer on sunday for the australian open title after winning ina for the australian open title after winning in a five set semifinal in melbourne. a deal has been agreed worth as much as £40 million for this player. the f1 team have folded this player. the f1 team have folded this afternoon after administrators failed to find a buyer for the business. just racing services has been an administration since the first week of january. i will be back with more at 2:30pm. the royal college of surgeons says plans to cut knee and hip replacement operations in worcestershire are ‘alarming'. three commissioning groups in the county say very obese patients — and those who are in only moderate pain — will not qualify for the surgery. they say the plan will save £2 million a year,

and bring them into line with other parts of the country. here's our health correspondent, robert pigott. at five and weighing a little over 18 stone, gordon can no longer expects swift access to the second hip replacement he needs. the pain from his osteoarthritis wakes him at night and his mind mobility is badly compromised. but new restrictions on surgery mean he would have to lose 10% of his weight before he would qualify for surgery. it is a very sharp pain in my hip. it's not an ache, it is very sharp. i haven't really had... been fully fit in terms of being able to go for a walk since before 2013. it would dramatically change my life. the first total hip replacement was carried out in an english hospital in 1962, more than 50 years on this revolutionary procedure is being widely rationed. the clinical commissioning groups will exclude from the hip and knee replacements

patients who rank as morbidly obese or those whose pain is not sufficiently severe to interfere with their daily life. the royal college of surgeons says the restrictions are not clinically justified and will often be a false economy. if a patient continues to be in pain he needs painkillers, he needs physiotherapy, he may not be able to work. he will be in severe pain for a long period of time. and also by waiting the operation may indeed become more difficult when he eventually gets it. the clinical commissioning group said they were bringing worcestershire into line with what other ccgs do. they said if the patient feels they require this surgery but do not meet these criteria, there is a clear appeals system. several other commissioning groups in england including harrogate, the vale of york, are imposing similar restrictions. demand for hip and knee replacements

is growing but the money to pay for them is increasingly scarce. an update from cambridgeshire police. we are hearing that a man arrested earlier today as part of its ongoing investigation into abuse and football is michael shankar some, better known as kit. he has worked extensively as a coach and scout for peterborough united, cambridge united, and norwich city. the police are confirming they have arrested a man in his 70s. michael sean casson. the church of england should not change its teaching on marriage as "the lifelong union of one man and one woman," according to the house of bishops,

which forms part of the general synod. it said there was "little support" for same—sex marriage inside the church, but urged a "fresh tone of welcome and support" for lesbian and gay people. it acknowledged its findings could cause "serious and painful disagreements". here's our religious affairs correspondent, martin bashir. for an ancient institution, three years of so—called shared conversations about same—sex relationships were not expected to radically alter doctrine. today's report lands squarely on the status quo. that marriage is a lifelong union between a man and a woman. the bishop who led the working group says that while the doctrine does not change the church must adapt its tone. it is not against the impact of cultural change. we uphold the authority of scripture, the tradition of the church, in common with the vast and overwhelming majority of churches round the world, but we want to engage the culture of which we are part. that culture has changed radically.

but lesbian and gay members of the church have reacted with disappointment, accusing the bishops of doing nothing to acknowledge the goodness or sanctity of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered relationships. substantially no change in terms of the doctrine of marriage. a little bit of warmth, little tilts perhaps in the direction of greater inclusion, but we are a long way from it yet. i think that is pretty much what most people expected. it is a classic anglican fudge. a sideways step, a nudge. conservative evangelicals have expressed relief that the bishops have upheld the authority of scripture. i want the church to stand with the teaching ofjesus. and my understanding is thatjesus taught very clearly that sex is for marriage and marriages between a man and woman. i want the church to continue to teach whatjesus taught on that issue. to try to find ways

of commending that lovingly to the world around us. this report will be debated at general synod beginning injust two weeks' time full—time. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news this afternoon. the number of urgent operations cancelled across the nhs is now the highest on record. data from nhs england shows 4,093 urgent operations were cancelled in 2016 as the health service came under intense pressure — a 27% rise on the 3,216 in 2014. restaurants and other spaces which cater to the public in france have been banned from offering unlimited sugary drinks in an effort to reduce obesity. it is now illegal to sell unlimited soft drinks at a fixed price or offer them unlimited for free. the number of overweight or obese people in france is below the eu average, but is on the rise. a senior labour mp responsible for

discipline has confirmed that she will decidejeremy corbyn discipline has confirmed that she will decide jeremy corbyn and discipline has confirmed that she will decidejeremy corbyn and built against triggering article 50. the bristol west mp said that she would vote against the party leadership's instructions, but did not say whether she intended to stand down asa whether she intended to stand down as a result. i was very clear last year that i would consider the options, but having looked around the single european market, though membership to that, was the best option for my constituency and the businesses and organisations they are. theresa may has ruled that out so are. theresa may has ruled that out soiam are. theresa may has ruled that out so i am going to oppose triggering article 50. where does that leave you as a party whip? just now i am thinking about my constituency. i will be meeting people there. will you resign? does now i'm focusing on my constituents. —— just now. you are watching bbc news.

hundreds of millions of pounds promised to schools in england, have been taken back by the treasury. the money had been announced as part of a plan to turn all schools into academies. but the department for education has revealed that when the compulsory academy plan was ditched, the treasury took back most of the funding. this from our education correspondent, sean coughlan. head teachers in west sussex and other parts of the country have been warning that schools are running out of cash. but only last year, the government announced an extra £500 million, for schools as part of their plan to turn every school into an academy. school leaders have been asking what ever happened to that money? but it has now emerged that when the academy plan was abandoned, most of the money, £384 million, was in fact taken back by the treasury. the education department said this was the right thing to do. the schools are receiving record levels of funding, according to them. head teachers are furious that so much money could appear and disappear when schools are struggling to make ends meet. sean coughlan, bbc news.

a formerjudge and his assistant have been jailed for six years for defrauding their own law firm out of more than £600,000. the pair siphoned off the money to pay for a lavish lifestyle. our correspondent is that the court. what more did the court here about how they managed to conceal this and how managed —— how much they managed to take out of their own company. there was some debate about the total amount of money. it could've been as much as a million, but it was given on the basis of around £640,000 was given on the basis of around £640 , 000 that the was given on the basis of around £640,000 that the peer defrauded from their old law firm, which was based in sussex. the list of things

they bought with that money is fairly impressive. they bought second, third and fourth homes. they had holidays to barbados, one of those trips involve 12 people. there was a range rover, a hot tub, days out at the cheltenham festival. initially the court was told it was a way to keep the business afloat, that was how the former deputy districtjudge and solicitor kept his business going, but his assistant, who result of having an affair with him at that time, she had an instinct for extravagance and that was why there was such lavish spending. when there was money she took it for her own needs. it is difficult to imagine a more spectacular breach of trust. one theft involved £85,000 from the estate of an elderly woman who had

passed away. this was a breach of trust because this money had been placed with them for safekeeping. they told the law firm they were moving it abroad because of the banking crisis. the firm's a ccou nta nt banking crisis. the firm's accountant realise that he'd been duped by the pair and accountant realise that he'd been duped by the pairand he accountant realise that he'd been duped by the pair and he took his own life because he felt under pressure from what he realised he had been part of. thejudge gave the sentence here, one formerjudge in the dock and one giving the sentence, he said it was a serious case and he gets six—year sentences to both the men. thank you. now it is time for a look at the weather. recently we have been shaking from the cold and better weather. it is changing now and

there is mild weather heading our way. the cloud streaming in of the atlantic, it gets stuck as it reaches western parts of the uk. it is western areas today that have the deckis is western areas today that have the deck is cloud and some rain, but also some areas in the midlands and northern england under a blanket of workload. gradually through today and tonight the temperatures will rise. there is a chance of a little bit of sleet in central and southern scotland, but the overall messages as we head into tomorrow milder air is setting in. there may be some clouds, but many western areas will see sunshine and showers. wholesaler.

hello, this is bbc news with simon mccoy and jane hill. the headlines at 2:30pm: with simon mccoy and jane hill. theresa may is in washington to hold talks with president trump, with a quick trade deal after brexit and security issues high on the agenda. ahead of the meeting, the prime minster laid a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier at arlington cemetery in virginia. britain's biggest supermarket, tesco, is to buy the leading wholesaler booker, for £3.7 billion. plans to restrict hip and knee replacements in england in order to save money have been described as "alarming" by the royal college of surgeons. some more news from the labour

party. following jeremy corbyn's decision to force labour mps to back the article 50 bell, where he wants a three line whip and there has been a three line whip and there has been a lot of protest and consternation about that, we have heard jo stevens has resigned. the second mp to do so. has resigned. the second mp to do so. we will bring you more and that a little later on. right now we will talk about sport. all the latest details including exciting news from melbourne... rafa nadal has reached his first grand slam final in nearly three years — he'll face roger federer for the australian open title

on sunday after beating grigor dimitrov in an epic five—set semi—final in melbourne, as drew savage reports. 14 grand slam titles to his name, nothing since the french open back in 2014. nadal and many fans also hoping he could turn back the clock. no problems in the first set. 6—3, but the bulgarian was aiming to reach his first ever grand slam final at the age of 25, and he was only getting going. this was turning into a classic. you could hardly separate the two players. nadal showed why he has only lost three semifinals, edging the first set on a tie—break. the scene was set for the spaniard to triumph, but dimitrov was not giving up. squaring the match at 2—2, this one was going all the way. it took almost an hour for nadal to make the breakthrough in the decider, and after five hours

of top quality tennis, finally a chance to rest. with an opportunity to make history in the final against roger federer, he will need it. england have named an unchanged squad, minus the injured alex hales, for the one—day series in the west indies in march. sam billings replaced hales for the final odi in india and in the first of the twenty20 games. ijust i just have to ijust have to keep working hard in all aspects of my game. and the results will come. it is not through lack of trying or lack of hard work, really. it is about being able to adapt and offering as much as i can do the side. that is what i will continue to do, hopefully. sunderland defender patrick van aanholt is having a medical at crystal palace after the two clubs agreed a deal that could be worth as much as £14 million. the move would reunite him with former sunderland boss sam allardyce, who says that van aanholt was a "major saviour" for them last season. palace are just a point ahead of sunderland who are bottom of the premier league.

six—time paralympic champion david weir says he was "gobsmacked" by the way he was treated by the british athletics wheelchair racing coach jenni banks, claiming she said he was a "disgrace to his country" after he failed to win a medal in rio last summer. he's confirmed he'll never race for his country again. after the really she sort of lead into me and said i was a disgrace to the country, you have let the country down. i know you have done that on purpose and i know, you know... —— after the relay. there we re know... —— after the relay. there were lots of things going backwards and forwards between me and her, and ijust and forwards between me and her, and i just felt a little little and forwards between me and her, and ijust felt a little little bit. you know, why would i throw a race, to upset her? i am here to win medals for team gb. here's british athletics' response: "we can confirm there was a frank exchange of views between an athlete and the relay coach following the race when the gb men's

wheelchair team failed to qualify for the final. we can also confirm that we have met with david weir to receive first—hand his feedback on his experiences in rio, and that we are working to ensure we learn from these experiences ahead of future team events." and manor, the british—based formula 1 team, has folded this afternoon after failing to find a new buyer. the team, which employed more than 200 staff and operated from banbury in oxfordshire, fell into administration at the beginning ofjanuary. however a buyer could potentially still purchase the remnants of the team. that's all sport for now. i'll have more in the next hour. —— lizzie will have more. thank you. more on that news from the labour party. jo stevens resigning from the shadow cabinet, further disagreements onjeremy corbyn's line about a three line whip on the bill on article 50.

correspondent carol is there. what are you hearing? a significant blow tojeremy are you hearing? a significant blow to jeremy corbyn's attempt to are you hearing? a significant blow tojeremy corbyn's attempt to unite his party and get his mps to support that article 50 bill that will allow theresa may to begin the formal brexit negotiations to go through the house. we have her resignation letter in the last few minutes in which she says she is a passionate european, jo stevens, and she says well she accepts the referendum result is to leave she believes leaving the eu is a terrible mistake and goes on to say i cannot reconcile my overwhelming view that to endorse the step that would make exit inevitable is wrong. she says she believes it to be the most important thought she will ever cast and makes it clear this is a question of runcible and conscience. she goes on to say she does not want to cause difficulty forjeremy

corbyn, but i think this does underline the huge problems he and his party have. he always knew there we re his party have. he always knew there were mps like jo his party have. he always knew there were mps likejo stevens who have campaigned strongly to stay in the european union, who have constituencies which voted strongly to stay in the european union and would find it very hard indeed to vote to begin the process of formally leaving the eu. we have already had one other shadow minister resign yesterday and there area number of minister resign yesterday and there are a number of other more junior shadow ministers who have already said they cannot support the article 50 bill and i said they cannot support the article 50 billand i think said they cannot support the article 50 bill and i think this means jeremy corbyn's efforts to have a clear line and a united front on this article 50 process is, frankly, falling apart. and those who are going, is there a hope on their part that perhaps jeremy going, is there a hope on their part that perhaszeremy corbyn will say, 0k, that perhaszeremy corbyn will say, ok, i will just that perhaszeremy corbyn will say, ok, i willjust change my mind, i will not make it as three line whip,

for example? does anyone really expect him and those around him to change their line on this?” expect him and those around him to change their line on this? i think it will be very difficult having had him on the record yesterday as labour leader cn, yes, this is a three line whip. that is parliamentaryjargon three line whip. that is parliamentary jargon for the most disciplinary instruction to mps to vote in the way he tells them to do so “— vote in the way he tells them to do so —— leader saying, yes, this is a three line whip. i think it would further compound the disarray within the labour party, but it leaves a question about what they will do about a number of other shadow ministers who have said they will not obey that instruction. jeremy corbyn was of course a serial rebel for decades. will he turn around and say, iam for decades. will he turn around and say, i am sorry, for decades. will he turn around and say, iam sorry, now for decades. will he turn around and say, i am sorry, now out of the shadow team. and how many holes will he have in his shadow team at the

end of the process? thank you, carole. relations are getting increasingly ugly between the us and mexico over president trump's insistence that the southern neighbour will pay for his planned border wall. the mexican president cancelled a meeting with mr trump in washington which was scheduled for next week. the white house has bitten back, saying they may impose a 20% tax on imports from mexico to foot the bill. and donald trump has treated... —— tweeted: joining me now from mexico city is our correspondent will grant. all you have to do is read his twitter account and that is it? right, and mexicans are now getting quite used to waking up to a fresh tweet from donald trump that brings a new chapter to this convoluted diplomatic spat. and that sets it out quite well. it is about trade, and it is about the immigration issue on the border. those are the

two areas that are causing the most friction. we have already seen it reach the point where the president of mexico has cancelled his visit to the white house, pretty extraordinary when we stop to think about it for a minute, and extraordinary when we stop to think about it fora minute, and on extraordinary when we stop to think about it for a minute, and on the flip side president trump clearly has no intention of sitting down with the mexican government until they accept this line that they simply do not look like they will ever accept nor want to accept, nor mexicans will accept, that they will pay for this border wall. donald trump says the us has a $60 billion trade deficit with mexico and it has been a one—sided dealfrom the beginning. he is not happy and to be fairto him beginning. he is not happy and to be fair to him doesn't he hold all the cards in this relationship? he wants a lot of them, absolutely. i would say on that $60 billion figure, it is quite complex. it is a trade deficit but it is not as if mexico or is that money to the united

states. for example, car parks are brought into mexico for the united states for companies like ford and general motors, and they returned to the us as assembled cars —— car parts are brought into mexico. this has been the case for decades, centuries even, and will not change overnight. but you are right, a key ca rd overnight. but you are right, a key card held by washington on one side, but mexico has issues it wants to bring to bear, not least security and the drug war. i think when the leaders can sit in the same room there is a whole raft of issues they need to discuss that go way beyond the concept of extending the border wall. what about people you meet socially? what do they think about donald trump? do they think it will blow over or either quite worried about it? i think they really are quite worried. i have been around

the country quite a bit —— or are they quite worried. i was in the centre of the country, an area which is sort of the industrial heartland of mexico, and they are very concerned there. the sauber ford pull out of a 1.6 billion dollar investment, and that has taken effect of the communities around what was going to become heartland. also around mexico city, speaking to ordinary people and friends. i used to be the correspondent here for three years, and people are really anxious, no doubt about that. even in small business, people who have nothing to do with sales to the united states, you're noticing that if the economy is being damaged, and it will be a difficult four years ahead, fewer customers are coming into your shop, enter your hairdressing salon, your coffee shop, or whatever it might be. people up and down the country are definitely concerned about what the donald trump presidency means for mexico. will, i will let you return

to wandering around mexico city. thank you very much. there's been a big increase in the number of people being declared insolvent. the figures for england and wales show there were more than 90,000 insolvencies last year, an increase of more than 13% on the year before. our personal finance correspondent simon gompertz is with me. simon, is that the figure for individual insolvencies, is that what we are speaking about? yes, people who have got to heavily indebted and the only way out is to go bankrupt, for instance, but there are several ways. this is amidst growing concern about levels of debt people are getting on. so that would be credit card debt, personal loans ove rd rafts, be credit card debt, personal loans overd rafts, that be credit card debt, personal loans overdrafts, that sort of thing. the figures month—to—month show an increase building over the last year or so increase building over the last year orso and increase building over the last year or so and there is concern about that. it has been voiced by the governor of the bank of england, mark carney, saying we need to be vigilant about the potential consequences of this, because what

happens if people take on too much debt? they get into a serious situation and have to go to some formal insolvency, and as you said, the figures, 91,000 in the last year, up by 13% from the previous year, up by 13% from the previous year, and within that there is a big figure. 50,000 people opting for something called individual volu nta ry something called individual voluntary arrangements, a very flexible form of insolvency where you come to deal with your creditors and end up paying off less but you have to do it in a very structured way and that is up 23%. a lot of people going for that. simon, thank you very much. we will speak more about that later. we have to leave it there because we have breaking news. yes, we will go straight to the crown court were the sentencing has just the crown court were the sentencing hasjust happening, the crown court were the sentencing has just happening, the four people killed after a 32 tonne tipper truck careered down a hill. john kay has the sentence which has just been delivered... yes, this was a tipper truck crash two years ago in the city of bath. this truck was heading

down a hill and hit a little girl and three businessmen from south wales back from a meeting. in the last couple of minutes the man who owned the truck, the haulage company, matthew gordon, he has been sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for those four counts of manslaughter, and mechanic peter wood who worked for the haulage company checking the vehicles, supposedly, we heard this particular truck within a particularly terrible state of repair, he has been sentenced to five years and three months in prison. matthew gordon, the owner of the haulage company, get seven and a half years in prison. peter wood gets five years and three months in prison. they we re and three months in prison. they were actually... they began their sentence just before christmas when they were convicted of these four cou nts they were convicted of these four counts of manslaughter. the judge told them on conviction they face lengthy jail terms and told them on conviction they face lengthyjail terms and he would send them to jail straightaway. they have

been behind bars since the end of december and they are there now and likely to be there at least for the next three or four years. likely to spend at least half of those sentences in jail. the spend at least half of those sentences injail. thejudge was very critical of the way this company operated. the state that the lorry was in when the brakes failed that day and he described it as, "lamentable." he that day and he described it as, "lamentable. " he described that day and he described it as, "lamentable." he described the seriousness and impact this crash has had, not just seriousness and impact this crash has had, notjust on the four families of those who lost their lives, and some of them gave victim impact statements in court earlier today which were heartbreaking, deeply emotional, in this searingly honest words they spoke about it, but also the impact this has had on the emergency services in bath and on the community in the western suburb of the city of bath where people remember seeing and hearing that accident on february after a couple of years ago. many have told us over couple of years ago. many have told us over the last few weeks they will never ever forget what they saw and

heard that day. thank you very much. that was breaking news they from john kay. before we look at the headlines, news coming through from london underground. we are hearing a couple of strike dates on the tube. 16 hour strike on february the 5th and a 15 hour strike on february the 7th. we do not have the specific start times whether it effectively ends up being a long period, we are not quite sure. we do not have the finest details but those are the initial details just coming through from the rmt union, the fifth and the seventh. that is about ticket office closures. more on that later. in a moment a summary of the business news this hour, but first the headlines on bbc news: theresa may is in washington to meet president trump — they will have talks about trade, foreign affairs and strengthening the ties between the uk and the us. jo steve ns

jo stevens has become the second labour shadow cabinet member to resign in protest atjeremy corbyn's decision to force labour mps to back the article 50 brexit bill. tesco's share price rises sharply after the supermarket chain says it is buying the food wholesaler, booker. in the business news: tesco, the uk's biggest supermarket, has negotiated a £3.7 billion deal to buy booker group, the uk's biggest food wholesaler. they supply everything from baked beans to teabags to 700,000 convenience stores, grocers, pubs and restaurants throughout the uk. more on this injust a moment. german prosecutors have said they believe the former volkswagen chief executive, martin winterkorn, knew of emissions cheating software earlier than he claims. prosecutors near vw‘s wolfsburg base said 28 homes and offices were also searched this week in connection with an investigation into the car—maker. quarterly profits at bt have dived

37% after the firm reported an accounting scandal in its italian division that cost it more than £500 million. it has now confirmed that their head of continental europe will step down over the affair. more on that tesco deal. the supermarket is buying supplier booker in a deal worth £3.7 billion. booker in a deal worth £3.7 billion. booker supply more than 700,000 convenience stores in the uk, so how are they feeling about the deal. james lowman is chief executive of the association of convenience stores. how are your members going to feel about being supplied by tesco, historically one of the biggest

threats to local independent shops? yes, we have tesco buying the right to supply them, so they are still clearly relevant to supply them, so they are still clearly releva nt a nd to supply them, so they are still clearly relevant and sustainable, convenience stores, so that is why tesco has commented by one of the biggest wholesale suppliers in booker. what will the retailers think? i think the reality is mixed views. speaking to retailers today, some think it will be great, better buying prices, because tesco and booker has come together as a big group which might mean better buying prices, but some others are saying, ido prices, but some others are saying, i do not want to be supplied by tesco. i do not want my biggest competitors being a partner in trade with there will be different views from different retailers and they will have to respond. a fall in sterling has put considerable price pressure on suppliers. do you think we will see more of this sort of consolidation in the market, big supermarkets looking to gobble up suppliers to make things easier for them? i think we will certainly see consolidation in the wholesale market, so the wholesalers who

supply independent retailers, they are quite fragmented, quite a diverse market at the moment, and i think this might trigger more consolidation in that market. i think the major multiple retailers again, ten, 12 years ago, looked like they had everything their own way. shoppers habitually went to big supermarkets once a week, stopped up, £100, a great business for those companies to be in but that market has contacted sense. people shop for discounters online and in convenience stores to tease out more so convenience stores to tease out more so it is possible some of those companies are trying to get more into those markets and of course it is not just convenience into those markets and of course it is notjust convenience stores booker supply, but service stores as well. i think we will see continued changes in the market is trying to get ahead of some of those trends. in terms of the deal itself, the competition markets authority may wa nt to competition markets authority may want to have a look. do you think they might have any concerns with they might have any concerns with the deal? they should look at it

carefully a nd the deal? they should look at it carefully and we will help them in any way we can as they do that. there are some differences. the stores supplies by booker, londis, those types of stores, they are run largely by independent retailers and they can choose to be part of that brand or group or they can choose to be part of that brand orgroup or canjoin they can choose to be part of that brand or group or canjoin another one like spar or whatever. it is different than other shops run by tesco where there is a manager there doing what they are told by tesco, so doing what they are told by tesco, so rather than the stories being run by booker they are owned by booker. many are supplied by booker and do not operate under those brands. i think the competition markets authority will have to consider all those differences in the companies. booker are very different company to tesco and they will ultimately have to think about the effect that has on competition. thank you for that. in other business news: jim farley, the boss of ford europe,

has warned the fall in the value of the pound since the brexit vote would be a significant challenge for the car—maker this year. he told the bbc that the drop could cost the firm as much as £480 million. the pound has fallen about 16% against the dollar since the referendum injune. ant financial, the digital payments arm of e—commerce giant alibaba, is buying us—based moneygram for £700m. moneygram for £700 million. moneygram has about 350,000 outlets in nearly 200 countries. ant financial has more than 630 million users. the takeover by the chinese group will need regulatory approval from the us committee on foreign investment. an update on the market numbers for you — here's how london's ftse 100 is trading, and germany's dax. tesco shares jumped 9% tesco sharesjumped 9% in confirmation of that deal, and to stop the price with a dividend as well. that is all the business news for

now. back to you, simon. thank you. many survivors of genocide are still facing discrimination because of their religion or ethnicity, according to research to mark holocaust memorial day. across the world, there've been ceremonies to remember the millions of people who died in the second world war, and in other genocides since. our correspondent holly hamilton went to meet one survivor and to hear his story. the door opened, three german soldiers came in. he took out his revolver and put it to my head. what did you do? and people ask me, what does it feel like when you've got a gun at your head? this wasn't the first time gabor lacko came face—to—face with death. and it wouldn't be the last. this was all around us, all the time. nothing was new. nothing was surprising, we were prepared for everything. it's made from bits and pieces of material because... his first yellow star,

worn to identify him as a jew, was made by his mother. a piece of history he has kept to this day. i'll never forget it. the first day i was wearing it, i had a medical appointment. at the top of the road, a lady who saw me trying to hide it with a newspaper under my arm said, "little boy, don't cover it. there's nothing to be ashamed of." the yellow armband, my father wore. like many survivors gabor waited for more than 20 years before talking about his experiences, motivated by a desire to help people understand what happened. i don't think young people appreciate how lucky they are. they worry about their mobile telephone, and their game consoles. they don't know what problems are, they don't know what it is when bombs fall from the sky and you don't know if you'll

survive it and an occupying army can take you away. it wasn't until 1956 that gabor decided to move to england. in those days people looked at refugees with different eyes, and they tried to make us welcome. i started a new life and i got on with it. with friends who went through the same. whatever is the conversation, after a while, it always turns to the past. we all have memories. you've got to live with them. you're watching bbc news.

time for a look at the weather. not a cloud in the sky, all on thomas's ty! you have been talking about that since lunchtime. as far as the weather goes you probably will not need your hot water bottle in the coming days because it is turning milder. still cold out there, don't get me wrong. this picture says it all. this is what it has been like. yesterday, what was that about? so—called! the clouds are starting to increase and the temperatures will be rising —— so cold. weather fronts are lining up in the atlantic, heading our way. a slow process but eventually this area of whether, milder winds and milder air, sliding across the uk

and pushing the cold weather away. a bit of rain in the forecast. not a novel it this afternoon. this is what it looks like right now, still chilly in some areas and then through the night where it is still cold, that rain may fall, across the pennines and scotland. perhaps behind this front temperatures may dip away, so a touch of ice in some areas perhaps in northern ireland. look at these green disks here rather than the blue colours. you can see the rain, i really cloudy and grotty bay across eastern areas. despite the milder air off the atla ntic despite the milder air off the atlantic and despite this process in the next day or two, it will still remain temporarily cold across these eastern areas and it will take time before that colder air pushes away. not pretty here at all, but in

western areas there will be some sunshine and also a few showers so the skies will start to clear and then cold enough for a bit of frost to form across more northern areas in the uk. sunday, not a great picture. cloud and rain on and off throughout the day but not that nice. to the north, stained bright with some sunshine, but that change from rain to sun, where that happens is still tricky to forecast. northern areas will be sunnier, then from monday onwards it looks like more weather fronts coming in off the ocean. then we have temperatures into double figures, i think, for many of us in the coming days. that is it. this is bbc news.

the headlines at 3pm: theresa may is to become the first foreign leader to meet donald trump, hoping to open the way to a trade deal after brexit. ahead of their meeting, theresa may laid a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier at arlington cemetery, virginia. two men have been sentenced to a total of 12 years in jail for manslaughter, after a runaway tipper—truck killed four people in bath in 2015. shadow welsh secretaryjo stevens becomes the first shadow cabinet member to resign in protest atjeremy corbyn's decision to force labour mps to back the article 50 brexit bill. tesco's share price rises sharply after the supermarket chain says it's buying the food wholesaler, booker. in the next hour, plans to ration hip and knee operations in worcestershire. very obese patients and those in only moderate pain will not qualify.