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. surgeons express alram at the money—saving move. church of england bishops

say their teaching on marriage shouldn't change, and that gay clergy should remain celibate. 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". here's our correspondent, richard lister. as she began her day in arlington

cemetery, paying her respects to america's war dead. security is at the heart of the meeting but so is trade, it is hope of the future deal driving this visit. in liverpool, ca i’s driving this visit. in liverpool, cars down for the united states and construction equipment as well. president trump has promised a building boom in britain wants a pa rt building boom in britain wants a part of that. if week and get a slice of that weekend export the goods he needs. britain's trading relationship with the united states is already a healthy one. the value of our exports to the us is £45 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. he is going to prioritise american jobs to the exclusion of other trading partners. the picture may become a little clearer later today. we can speak now to shanker singham, director of economic policy at the legatum institute — he's in our oxford studio. good afternoon. good afternoon. in

terms of trade conversations, what do you think will be the key things that donald trump's team will be laying out as their wishes and demands? we are a very early in the whole process and what is going to happen between the uk and us is still a scoping discussion about what may be on the table. obviously the us is anxious to get its services and agriculture and manufactured goods, although the ta riffs manufactured goods, although the tariffs and those are quite low, into the uk. from our perspective we wa nt to into the uk. from our perspective we want to have better services access in the us. we are predominantly a service industry so that is our main issue. britain cannot formally negotiate until we leave. eu. issue. britain cannot formally

negotiate until we leave.eu. ids conversations going to be going backwards and forward for a long time? we will trigger an article 50 by the end of march and then double bea by the end of march and then double be a two—year period of withdrawal. there is quite a lot that you can do with your potential trading partner in terms of scoping. every free trade agreement starts with this initial discussion to find out what barriers they have and what opportunities might arise. there are opportunities might arise. there are opportunities in financial services and in defence where we are very integrated. the parties will be doing that. that is always what happens at the beginning of the trade discussion. from the perspective of the us they will want to know what arrangement we will have after the two years is over. will we be ready to negotiate or will we still have a relationship with the eu such as being part of the customs union. from the

perspective of the us, they are looking to see if we are ready to go on the day after the two—year period is over. is it fair to say the us has the upper hand here? no, people tend to look at deals like this in a way where one party wins and another loses. that is not how a trade deal works. it is a commercial arrangement. trade deals are best when everybody wins, when both sides getan when everybody wins, when both sides get an advantage. there is a deal to be done between the uk and the us we re be done between the uk and the us were both sides gain an advantage. they will want some concessions from us they will want some concessions from us and we were they will want some concessions from us and we were one they will want some concessions from us and we were one something from them, but the purpose is to create wealth and to lift people up. them, but the purpose is to create wealth and to lift people upm them, but the purpose is to create wealth and to lift people up. is not about the timing of this visit, it is very quickly after the inauguration. some people are

expressing some scepticism about that. is it sensible to hit the ground running? i think it is. theresa may is the first foreign minister to meet with the us president. it is the biggest and most important economy in the world and he is the elected leader. we need to have this discussion. trade agreements go faster if there is political will on both sides and that seems to be the case here. i think prime minister theresa may is right to take advantage of it now. thank you. let's get more on this with our washington correspondent, barbara plett usher. it is difficult to know what will mark success at the end of this visit. success will be issue manages to

establish a working positive relationship with president donald trump. this is a chance that these figures to get to know each other. they are different characters but when that was put to the prime minister she said that sometimes opposite such act. they also have some shared goals, both would like to lay the foundations for a future trade deal. you cannot begin any detailed trade negotiations while britain is still a member of the european union, but i think the basis for a future trade deal can be discussed. if they both said positive things about that it will be deemed to have been a success. a difficulty for it to reza may is that there is a huge list of issues on which the both disagree. —— theresa may. for example, president trump would be prepared to use water

boarding, although his team do not wa nt boarding, although his team do not want that to happen. theresa may has said that if that is introduced it could compromise the prospects of future security and intelligence sharing. on the tour, she will want to get more commitment from donald trump that america will remain a key pa rt trump that america will remain a key part of the alliance. i think they will also want to discuss issues like russia and china. if she can step through this minefield of contentious issues, agree on some broad points and get some warm words, as the first world leader to meet president trump, she will believe she has come out of it as a success , believe she has come out of it as a success, but that is a tall order. we can go to washington. what will

success we can go to washington. what will success lookalike for donald trump's administration? it will probably be if he manages to carry this visit off without a hitch. we are expecting a news conference at donald trump is known to be unpredictable. he will want to look presidential and he will want to get to reza may assurance is that the americans take this relationship seriously. she will get a fair amount of pomp and ceremony. men are here dressed in military outfits to welcome theresa may. they have all the flags of the states and the british flag and the us flag. there are practising for her arrival. she

will be hosted here and then double bea will be hosted here and then double be a meeting followed by lunch. donald trump will be hoping to carry this off as a successful first visit in terms of the private meeting and the public appearance. there are areas that they be discussed that we have touched on in terms of trade issues, but the bigger political issues, but the bigger political issues are the ones that have the possibility of causing upset. his views on russia and nato. possibility of causing upset. his views on russia and natoi possibility of causing upset. his views on russia and nato. i think theresa may has a balancing act to do here, she has to save the right things and try to develop a working relationship with donald trump so she can keep britain's interest to the fore during his presidency. but she also needs to talk about issues that are important such as nato,

which donald trump has called obsolete, on the importance of a strong eu, which he has been dismissive about. they need to be wa ry dismissive about. they need to be wary about russia and to call them out for violating international law, these things she will have to say. in her meeting she will try to focus on the common interests of the united states and britain in dealing in these things and in trying to get the start of talks and discussions about some kind of trade deal after the negotiations with the eu ends. thank you. we will have continuing coverage of that visit to washington this afternoon. there is a news conference due at 6pm our time. theresa may and donald trump will give that a news conference then. two men have been sent to

prison 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. our correspondent, jon kay, is in bristol. thejudge said there the judge said there could be no excuse the judge said there could be no excuse for the state of that truck when it careered down a hill out of control. four people were hit and they died instantly. it would've been to anyone there were issues but that the call, but it was still driven that they and four lives were lost. we a re driven that they and four lives were lost. we are waiting for the families of the brief to leave court, but earlier today they gave emotional statements to the judge to explain how the loss had affected them two years ago and this book

about the silence in their homes and been left with a void in their lives. that came before the judge gave the sentences. 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. after hearing those impact state m e nts after hearing those impact statements from the families, the judge has sentenced these men. the order gotjust over seven years in prison and the mechanic got five yea rs. prison and the mechanic got five years. thejudge said prison and the mechanic got five years. the judge said that this lorry should not have been on the road, the brakes were in appallingly bad shape. these were serious faults that should've been to anyone. they went on to say that the judge told the boss he was not concerned for

the boss he was not concerned for the public, only for himself. the impact of the crash had been devastating for the families, as we heard in those statements, he said it was also devastating for the emergency sei’vices it was also devastating for the emergency services and for people living in bath. many people have told us that they will never forget what they saw and heard that afternoon. so matthew gordon sentenced to seven and a half years in prison and a mechanic to five yea rs in prison and a mechanic to five years and three months. they started their prison sentences before christmas because the judge told them they may as well begin their terms. they had to come back to court today to learn their true fate and they got lengthy prison terms. we are waiting to see if we get any state m e nts we are waiting to see if we get any statements later this afternoon, as the families cancel one another and taken the sentences before trying to

get on with the rest of their lives. we will come back to you later. the shadow secretary for wales, jo stevens, has resigned from the shadow cabinet over a disagreement with labour's three—line whip on the brexit bill, imposed by the party's leader, jeremy corbyn. in her resignation letter, the mp for cardiff central says that she is a passionate european and that triggering article 50 and leaving the eu would be a terrible mistake. our political correspondent, leila nathoo, is in westminster with the latest. we know there is disquiet within the party about this three line whip. give us a sense of what the snp going actually means. jo steve ns

going actually means. jo stevens is the first shadow cabinet member to resign over the three line whip is shutting labour members to vote in support of triggering article 50. this will be upload forjeremy corbyn trying to enforce the vote on mps who have very different views. jo stevens said she was a passionate european and she thought leaving the year was and she thought leaving the year was a terrible mistake and she said she had not seen enough guarantees that triggering article 50 will protect employment rights and so on. she says that she does not want to cause difficulties forjeremy corbyn, but this will be a tricky situation for him. we have already had resignations from other labour members. one resigned yesterday and we members. one resigned yesterday and we heard from other shadow ministers that they are also thinking about

voting against the bill, which is going to be debated in parliament next week. this does underline how difficult it is forjeremy corbyn to bring his mps in line over this. we are looking to see if other people will ball. absolutely. we have heard from two labour whips, the people responsible for keeping party discipline. it is the people that are meant to bring other peoples into line that are defying their own orders. labour whip we heard from last night said he would be voting article 50. we found it today that another will do the same. i was clear last year that i would consider the options, but full

membership of the single market is the best option for my constituents, theirjobs and the businesses 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. are you going to have to resign? at the moment i'm thinking about my constituents. i will be meeting lots of people there. for you resign? i am focusing on my constituents. she did not say that she would resign. it is not clear what punishment shadow ministers who vote against article 50 will face. we have not heard from the leadership yet. diane abbott said that she understood their concerns, but she urged them to think about how it would look if labour mps were seen

to ignore the referendum result. this reflects the wider problem that labour faces of trying to appeal to all the different groups of its supporters. the supporters are divided down the middle between leaving and remaining. jeremy corbyn, a serial rebel, is finding out just how hard corbyn, a serial rebel, is finding outjust how hard it is to be on the other side. thank you. we now go to bristol crown court. we are expecting state m e nts crown court. we are expecting statements from the police are amongst others very shortly. all in the sentencing of a tipper truck crash outside bath that killed four. following the successful conviction of the men, i am pleased with the jail sentences handed out today by thejudge at bristol jail sentences handed out today by

the judge at bristol crown court. matthew gordon faces seven and a half years, while peter would will sei’ve half years, while peter would will serve five years and three months after conviction in their involvement of the death of the people in february 2015. matthew gordon will also be disqualified from being a company directorfor i2 yea rs. from being a company directorfor i2 years. the sentences confirmed the seriousness of the offences committed. it brings to a conclusion a20 committed. it brings to a conclusion a 20 two month —— 22 month investigation the company. matthew gordon had no transport manager and he ignored every regulation that had been put in place to ensure public and employee safety. his mechanic signed off vehicles as safe when they were not. detailed and complex investigation showed that many of the faults on the vehicle were long—standing, highlighted by the

fa ct long—standing, highlighted by the fact that the bricks had 20% efficiency at the time of the crash. tragically this incident were foreseeable and avoidable. individuals in positions of responsibility with regards to servicing and maintenance must adhere to a duty of care, including the assessment of their vehicles. the public needs reassurance that work is properly undertaken and that it isa work is properly undertaken and that it is a top priority. added like to thank our partners in the investigation, the crown prosecution service, and the vehicle standard agency for their guidance and support during this complex investigation. finally i hope that the jailing of these men today helps to provide some closure on this dramatic time for the families of those who died or suffered serious

injuries following the incident almost two years ago. thank you. injuries following the incident almost two years ago. thank youm 2015, a lorry went out of control in bath. that was owned by martin gordon and with inadequately maintained by him and his mechanic. they failed to keep the brakes in good working order and failed to comply with conditions imposed on them by the traffic commissioner when she granted them and operators licence. the lorry careered down the hill and killed a four—year—old girl instantly, just after she had got off a bus with her grandmother. as well as seeing her granddaughter killed in front of her, her grandmother also suffered life changing injuries. the lorry then hit a changing injuries. the lorry then hita car changing injuries. the lorry then hit a car where there were three

men. these men hit a car where there were three itiei'i. these men were hit a car where there were three men. these men were all killed instantly. another lady was also seriously injured. today matthew gordon and peter would have been sentenced, but we need to remember the devastation that the gross negligence cause to innocent lives and their families as well as the deep impact this has had on the community at large, including the driver of the bus, the emergency services, and the passers—by, many of whom were, ties. the crown prosecution service worked with the police and then with the barristers who presented the case for us for ovei’ who presented the case for us for over 18 months in order to achieve this result. we hope it will bring soitie sense this result. we hope it will bring some sense of justice this result. we hope it will bring some sense ofjustice to all those whose lives have been affected by this terrible collision. i am alison

harris, senior prosecutor. we're staying with this to see if they will take questions but it would seem it they will not. moving statement there the senior prosecutor, talking about the absolute devastation caused out that gross negligence. a representative from the police saying that the bra kes from the police saying that the brakes on the lorry had only 28% efficiency at the time of the crash. four people were killed instantly and two other people were seriously injured. the headlines are coming up, but first the weather. we are going to say goodbye to the

cold weather and mild weather is on the way. not as mild as it can be, but warmer and it looks like it will come all the way from the atlantic in the coming day or so. there will also be closed and some rain. but it is still quite cold in parts of the country just now, some is still quite cold in parts of the countryjust now, some places it is just above freezing. here is the cloud in the rain that will come through tonight. there may be some ice and snow in the north, on the high ground. tomorrow the weather front is straddling eastern parts of the uk. it will feel less cold in the uk. it will feel less cold in the western areas with some sunshine. saturday and sunday it is a mixture of rain and sun, overall

mild weather. hello, this is bbc news with simon mccoy and jane hill. the headlines at 3:30pm: 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. you ahead of the meeting, the prime minster laid a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier at arlington cemetery in virginia. a haulage boss and a mechanic have been jailed for a total of 12 years following a tipper—truck crash that killed four people, including a four—year—old girl, in bath. jo stevens has resigned from the shadow cabinet in protest atjeremy corbyn‘s decision to force labour mps to back the brexit bill. britain's biggest supermarket tesco is to buy the leading wholesaler booker, for £3] 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. and stories, but first... —— we will speak more about those stories. time to catch up with the sport at the bbc sports centre with lizzie greenwood—hughes. 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. 1a grand slam titles to his name, but 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. winning a marathon second set. 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, the spaniard to triumph, but one problem — 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 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. and another sunderland defender, papy djilobodji, has been banned for four matches after being found guilty of violent conduct. video evidence caught him striking out at west brom skipper darren fletcher during sunderland's defeat at the hawthorns last saturday. 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 relay she sort of laid into me and said i was a disgrace to the country — "you've let the country down, i know you have done that on purpose and i know," you know... there were loads of things going backwards and forwards between me and her, and ijust felt a little belittled. 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. us then. —— join us then. more now on theresa may's visit to washington to meet donald trump in the first visit by a foreign leader since mr trump became president. the prime minster has said she hopes the two leaders can find a trade deal that will suit both countries. with me is randall kroszner, professor of economics at chicago booth school of business and former governor of the us central bank, the federal reserve and former member of the president's council of economic advisers. suyal you know what sort of a deal mrtrump hasa suyal you know what sort of a deal mr trump has a man, suyal you know what sort of a deal mrtrump has a man, and suyal you know what sort of a deal mr trump has a man, and that may differfrom mr trump has a man, and that may

differ from what she has mr trump has a man, and that may differfrom what she has in mind, or not? —— so you know what sort of ideal. i think it will be very different than a deal like the transpacific partnership, which runs to hundreds if not thousands of pages, and other trade deals have run into hundreds of pages. i think he will be thinking of something much more focused, focusing on issues like the particulars of trade and not environmental, labour standards, and a whole host of things that come into trade agreements. he has done deals all of his adult life and is facing a woman in theresa may who has to sell a deal back home. how do you see that circle being squared ?|j deal back home. how do you see that circle being squared? i think it will be easierfor the us circle being squared? i think it will be easier for the us side than for the uk. when you think about things like labour standards, environmental protections and such, they tend to be higher in the uk is that will not be a problem from the us point of view but may engender

some opposition among farmers or others who might want exceptions here that might make it more difficult to get it through parliament. do you have the sense that he has that i for detail. if theresa may says there may be a problem with gm, for example, different levels in america than here, and also companies who want a slice of the nhs action of review that may cause problems? would he be pragmatic about that or will he go into a strop? laughter the latter, i cannot say, what will generate that, but the particulars of the trade deal are negotiated by heads of state then i left to the people working at the council of economic advisers and things like that... it used to be like that but you can imagine him tweeting and saying, we will do this. but i think

he wants a relatively clean deal. whether he will get into the details, i don't know. how important is the personal relationship between these two? we cannot negotiate any deals at the moment. will the fact that they form this great bond, say, in the future will that be the most important aspect, if she can pick up the telephone and say, look, do you feel able to do this? if they have that sort of relationship then anything is possible, isn't it? lets not go that far. the personal is very helpful certainly but i think the necessary thing will be to get things done. in parliament, you know, you do need confirmation where passage of these bills depends on, not just by the passage of these bills depends on, notjust by the president, but the congress. you have president saying, let's put america first, and britain

are saying we do not mind being a close second. is that global?|j close second. is that global?” think as long as their interests are seen as aligned and the uk is looking to make sure trade is still open once brexit acquires aaron —— is that doable? and liking to maintain good trade relations with duty, i think it is certainly doable within that context of america first. what about this hat is doing the rounds? yes, someone told me about it. making america great britain again. ifi could buy one, i could. laughter randall kroszner, thank you very much for coming in. thank you very much. 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 lion's 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 supermarkets, and tesco wants a slice of it. what we do see is... the two company bosses side—by—side for a webcast 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 choice, better range, better value, better price. but what will the wider impact be? booker does not own these convenience stoi’es booker does not own these convenience stores but they own the brands, and they supply the goods to the independent retailers who run them. tesco has 10% of the convenience food market today in our estimates, booker has a similar share, probably bigger of the convenience markets and tesco supplying both will make it a biggerforce in convenience retail. 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. 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 feet, ten inches and weighing a little over 18 stone, gordon wainwright of malvern in worcestershire can no longer expect swift access to the second hip replacement he needs. the pain from his osteoarthritis wakes him up at night and his mobility is badly compromised. but new restrictions on surgery mean he would have to lose 10% of his weight before he could qualify for surgery. it's a very sharp pain, very sharp pain. it's not an ache. it's very, very sharp. i turn over in bed, abd it's like... i turn over in bed, and it's like... i haven't really been fully fit in terms of being able to walk properly, or gojust for a walk, pre—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 in wyre forest, redditch, bromsgrove and south worcestershire will exclude from hip and knee replacement 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. the patient continues to be in pain, he needs painkillers and physiotherapy, he may be unable to work. and 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 a patient feels they require this surgery

but do not meet the criteria, there is a clear appeal system. several other commissioning groups in england, including in harrogate, the vale of york, shropshire and the south coast of kent are imposing similar restrictions on non—emergency sui’gei’y. demand for hip and knee replacements is growing with an ageing population but the money to pay for them is increasingly scarce. 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 explains. yes, it's people who have got too 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 overd rafts, that sort of thing. the figures month—to—month show an 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, and within that there is a big figure — 50,000 people opting for something called individual voluntary arrangements, a very flexible form of insolvency where you come to a 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. that was simon gumpert speaking about the increase in insolvencies. —— gompertz. 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. two men have been sentenced to a total of 12 years for manslaughter, after a runaway tipper—truck killed four people in bath. jo stevens is the second member ofjeremy corbyn‘s cabinet to resign in protest at his decision to force labour mps to vote in favour of triggering brexit. in the business news: tesco, the uk's biggest supermarket, has negotiated a £3] 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. german prosecutors have said they believe the former volkswagen chief executive, martin winterkorn, knew of emissions cheating software earlier than he claims. prosecutors said 28 homes and offices were also

searched this week in connection with an investigation into the car—maker. and 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. tomorrow is the start of the chinese new year and the monkey will give way to the fire rooster. or cockerel, as we say here in britain. so what will the year ahead hold for china? particularly with president trump already making it clear that he sees china as a threat to american jobs? and what will it all mean for britain? miranda carr is a senior analyst at haitong securities. what will this mean for britain, with the case of china and the us locked in a trade war do we stand to benefit? the uk can actually benefit in some ways. if you have china increasingly shutout of the us

market then an obvious place for it to go as europe and while our relationship is not quite as good as that under the david cameron and george osborne's love in that they had with the chinese, we are seeing quite a lot of deals being struck in the uk and also more trade ties. we have the first train coming all the way from china to the uk, we had that just last week. way from china to the uk, we had thatjust last week. does chinese investment come with the caveat? for example chinese investment in other countries often means chinese workers go to those countries to workers go to those countries to work on those projects and in those plants? it is very different for the uk. what china wants with the uk is access to a lot of our service industries and even things like real estate, but even a lot of the advanced manufacturing or some of the brands. none of the deals here have really involved hordes of workers turning up and building the infrastructure projects. it has been about accessing some of the advanced

levels service side, or brands, like if you remember weetabix quite a few yea rs if you remember weetabix quite a few years ago, that is the kind of thing china wants from the uk. going forward , china wants from the uk. going forward, do you think a deal with china or the us combined, can that compensate for the lack of european trading britain might face if they leave —— when they leave the european union? coming back to the year of the rooster, it means you are between two quite big roosters, and what they might want to be very different, so balancing that off with the european negotiations, it will be quite tricky. obviously opening up to other markets is something the uk will have to look at, and china is fairly open to further co—operation. at, and china is fairly open to further co-operation. miranda, thank you very much. in other business news... the number of people declared insolvent because of unmanageable debts was 13% higher in 2016 compared with the previous year. over 90,000 people in england and wales found

themselves in that situation. but even though the numbers are rising they still remain well below the peak level of insolvencies reached in 2010. 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 £1180 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 £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. a quick look at the markets before we a quick look at the markets before we go back. the ftse 100 a quick look at the markets before we go back. the ftse100 is in green. the biggest share move was tesco this morning, up 9% on news of that deal and they said they would

reinstate the dividend. that is it from me for now. i will be back in an hour with my business news. thank you. 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's little support for same—sex marriage inside the church, but it urged a ‘fresh tone of support‘ for gay people. 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. against cultural change.

i want the church to stand with the teaching ofjesus. and my understanding is thatjesus taught very clearly that sex is for marriage and marriage is 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. 900—year—old skeleton found in hampshire has revealed important clues about the history of leprosy. reportedly a man who caught the disease on travels to a shrine in spain and brought the disease back to the uk. he was thought to be a religious

pilgrim and their excavation took place at the burial site in winchester. it's not every day that a tropical turtle washes up on a beach in wales. but that's exactly what happened in november when a rare turtle turned up in anglesey. experts say they've seen nothing like it on british shores, as sian lloyd reports. she was driven all the way from anglesey where she was found last november to hertfordshire. six hours later and the team at the royal veterinary college were preparing their unique patient. they have never seen one hei’e their unique patient. they have never seen one here before. she is the first to be spotted in british waters since records began almost 270 yea rs waters since records began almost 270 years ago. getting a sea turtle into the scanning machine is no easy task but experts need to check her lungs for damage. we can see her sheu lungs for damage. we can see her shell all around and her lungs, and we can shell all around and her lungs, and we can also see there is some gas which is black and that is outside her lungs, so it is free gas,

potentially responsible for her buoyancy problem. staff caring for her on anglesey noticed she was unable to keep below the water. she may be struggling to dive, but the tea m may be struggling to dive, but the team are delighted by her appetite which is helping her regain weight. she is a real character. we have got to know her. she is starting to eat really well, demolishing a couple of kilos of calamari at the end she is a real personality, she likes to see us, she seems to recognise people, she knows what is going on. they can travel vast distances, but it is thought this one was carried by current thousands of miles off coui’se. current thousands of miles off course. she has been through a lot, and now it is time for some tlc. gel is applied to prevent her skin from drying and she is being kept warm, ready for her journey drying and she is being kept warm, ready for herjourney back drying and she is being kept warm, ready for her journey back to anglesey, before experts decide the

future. some news just anglesey, before experts decide the future. some newsjust coming through from the last few moments, from the unite union, speaking about british airways. another six days of strikes will take place in february, says unite, in part of that continuing dispute about pay. no dates given as yet but we will try to see we can find out what they might be. unite says there will be six more days of strikes in february as part of that continuing dispute. time to catch up with the weather with helen. good afternoon to you. a gradual change already. it does not feel as better in most parts of the country, but there is still some of that cold here holding on, so still a little fog around the first of four was in scotland and also in sheffield. —— that firth of forth.

clouds really coming and going here but this theme is it will be much milder, but with milder air off the atla ntic milder, but with milder air off the atlantic it also means more cloud. we have this cold air and have had it for sometime now, the milder atla ntic it for sometime now, the milder atlantic it coming through the rest of the weekend and into today. you can see of the weekend and into today. you can see the breaks up towards northern and eastern areas, some showers into the south. this is showers into the south. this is shower cloud out the west. all of that building across the uk, two into the evening and overnight there will be a few more spots of rain and drizzle, some wintry mess on the edge of that into scotland, so it could be icy in those areas. still cold morning across northern ireland for example with the overnight rain. once that clears away, bright day here, with temperatures not too bad at all, but it could be really slow brightening up further west. in the afternoon there could be some brightness to across the south west of england but further east on

saturday it will probably be quite gi’ey. saturday it will probably be quite grey. some rain. probably the first significant rain in eastern areas for some time, and the air is still cold enough for some snow over the hills. a fairly blustery breeze there as well, in those showers. the showers then clear away through saturday evening, just a few wintry flurries over the hills. through the night is the major fly in the ointment, a bit a headache for us weather forecasters. south of thes' for it will be pretty wet and cold start in scotland on sunday but it looks mainly dry. the bit in between, we are less certain about. how far north will this system go? on sunday it was much further south. today a little further south than yesterday so obviously detail will be tricky for the central region. if you have plans on sunday it looks like we will see some rain around. wet weather, and windy, for a change, particularly for engen and

wales and northern ireland as well, though scotland might escape. chilly start, five or six in the north, and it carries on, settled and next week. —— settled and milder. this is bbc news. the headlines at apm: 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 where preparations are underway to welcome theresa may, who is expected to arrive in an hour. two men have been sentenced to a total of 12 years for manslaughter, after a runaway tipper—truck killed four people — including a four—year—old girl — in bath. tragically, this incident and

subsequent loss of life, serious industry and long—standing effects on the community were foreseeable and totally avoidable. a member ofjeremy corbyn‘s front bench resigns in protest at his decision to force labour mps to vote in favour of triggering brexit.