this is bbc news and these are the top stories developing at 11: president trump promises a renewal of the american spirit in his first address to congress. from now on, america will be empowered by our aspirations, not burdened by ourfears. penalties for using a mobile phone at the wheel double from today, with new drivers facing the loss of their licence. in the next few minutes we are expecting a live statement from french presidential candidate francois fillon. he has pulled out of a key campaign event later today. this is the scene in paris right now no trains will run in and out of liverpool lime street station for several days after a wall collapsed onto the railway. also, why campers at some of scotland's most famous beauty spots could be told to pack up beauty spots could be told to pack up their tents. authorities say some

wild campers are ruining the environment with a letter and anti—social behaviour. critics say it undermines the right to roam. and a premature baby becomes the youngest patient ever to undergo and survive major abdominal surgery anywhere in the world. good morning. we will have coverage of the francois fillon news conference as soon as it begins. it is due any time. stay with us for that. first, news of donald trump's first speech to congress. he said he was there to deliver a

message of unity and strength and that a new year of strength was beginning. he condemned recent threats aimed jewish centres and the shooting of two indian immigrants in kansas. and he called on republicans and democrats to work together on the issue of immigration. our washington correspondent laura bicker watched the speech. donald trump's trip to congress gave them a few last moments to practise his speech. the president of the united states. again, the president delivered what few had expected, the most presidential speeches. we are witnessing the renewal of the american spirit. our allies will find that america is once again ready to lead. he softened his tone on immigration, talking of reform and a new merit—based system. that is a slight shift in policy. he said it was still important to keep out those who would harm america.

those given the high honour of admission to the united states should support this country, love its people and values. we cannot allow a beachy head of terrorism to form inside america. we cannot allow our nation to become a sanctuary for extremists. then the announcement the republicans were waiting for. tonight i am calling on this congress to repeal and replace obamacare. still, no detail on how health care would be reformed for the millions who rely on this. there was also little mention of foreign policy. president trump stuck mostly to his america first mantra. but there was this reassuring is for nato, which he once called obsolete. we strongly support nato, an alliance forged with the bonds of two world wars that dethroned fascism. and the cold war. and defeated communism. there was much

in the speech for democrats to like. a trillion—dollar investment in infrastructure, talk of paid family leave, but most stayed stony—faced throughout. others showed their displeasure and dressed in the white colours of suffrage, despite the president's calls for unity. we all bleed the same blood. we all salute the same great american flag and we all are made by the same god. democrats decided to focus their message on the division they feel president trump has caused. real leaders don't spread division. real leaders don't spread division. real leaders strengthen, the unifi, they partner and offer real solutions instead of ultimatums and blame. the speech was prime—time television.

his supporters loved it. overwhelmingly positive. it was a fantastic speech. but i didn't expect anything less. when he spoke about the economy, when he spoke about the economy, when he spoke aboutjobs, about the economy, when he spoke about jobs, harley— davidson, about the economy, when he spoke about jobs, harley—davidson, i about the economy, when he spoke aboutjobs, harley—davidson, i had my biker hat on. i like to ride once in awhile. i thought it was pretty make america great again. he was presidential, calm. he's great. i get goose bumps, the hairs on my back stand up every time he speaks. after such a rocky first month, republicans will be delighted their man delivered. there were a lot of big promises and very few real details. but the speech was inclusive, optimistic. how long will this good feeling last? all eyes will be on twitter for that answer.

how has president trump's speech been perceived by his supporters and his critics? we heard from some voters there that we re very we heard from some voters there that were very pleased with what they heard. with me to discuss is professor inderjeet parmar, professor of international politics at city, university of london. a couple of the adjectives repeatedly used were presidential and calm, different from previous addresses? compared to previous addresses, it was calm and presidential. but i think the bar is pretty low. he has gone off message on many other occasions. in terms of what he actually said, there was a change, it seems, in policy on undocumented immigrants. but that wasn't actually said there, that was an informal lunch. was there anything in the messaging coming out of the speech that was that

different from what he has been saying? not really. in terms of the overall message that foreigners, in some way, are coming to the united states to commit crimes and so on, they are involved in terrorism, or that america has looked after everybody else in the world, exporting its wealth for the benefit of other nations, that is the anti—outsider, it is pretty much the same. i think that shores up a lot of his core base, who are already very happy with his performance in the last four weeks. 84% of republican voters are very happy with his performance. this speech might actually help to extend that a little bit more to those that are sceptical about donald trump. you say the majority of republican voters are happy, but if you look at his overall ratings, they are the lowest for a president at this stage in his term in office. obviously you have got to wonder whether that is weighing on him as he perhaps changes the tone? it may be weighing on him, but the key issue of the 84%

approvalfrom on him, but the key issue of the 84% approval from republican voters on him, but the key issue of the 84% approvalfrom republican voters is that republican seats in congress and the senate remain relatively safe. it is when the figure starts to go down, rather than the general figure, because that other people that the election for him. he will be trying to keep that shored up. other areas of his speech, talking about draining the swamp, he was going against the sort of things he said he was going to do in regard to cabinet appointments, lobbyists, special interests. actually, he has loaded his administration with large numbers of people from big banks, wall street, goldman sachs and so on. i think that suggests that his image of giving power back to the people has been severely dented by the actual practices of appointing so many people from big finance. what about what he said on hate crime? there was a strong condemnation, hate and evil in all it's very ugly forms. correct. quite

early on he mentioned that and it was a good thing. on the other hand, the large part of the rest of the speech was about foreigners and those that don't fit, those that are in some way outsiders. they are going to be targeted in various ways. that is the platform on which he was elected. yes. it is also a democratic country. democracy is more than the number of people that may vote for you in the election. the protection of minority rights, due process, the way in which the constitution and the bill of rights work, those are parts of american democracy too. although he was elected on the so—called muslim ban, that was actually illegal and unconstitutional, and it was smacked down. you can win an election on many promises, but you can also violate the basic tenants of democracy. that is what caused a large number of people to protest against his administration in america and the rest of the world. thank you very much. on the travel ban on seven mainly muslim countries, it is expected that the president will outline a new executive order later today. we will

stay across that. let's go live to paris. the conservative french presidential election candidate francois fillon is due to speak shortly. we don't know what he's good to say, but it comes against a difficult backdrop for him, with allegations being made about payments made to his wife and children for work that, it is claimed, was not actually done. it has damaged his presidential campaign. let's bring in hugh schofield. just fill in the context around this, more about who he is and what has been going on. around this, more about who he is and what has been going onm around this, more about who he is and what has been going on. it has been a very exciting and tense morning, which started at about eight o'clock when we got a flash that francois fillon, the centre—right candidate, the one—time top favourite to be the next president, was not going to attend, as scheduled, his appearance at the farm show. the farm show in paris happens every year, and in election

time it is an absolute must go for presidential candidates. it is seen as part of the french way of life. they all go. he pulled out at the very last minute, so late in the day that his whole team was there and we re that his whole team was there and were astonished to learn the candidate was not turning up. since then, rumours have been flying here in paris about what could possibly have prompted this. obviously, speculation centring on it being connected to his judicial problems. as we know, he has this issue concerning his wife, his british wife penelope, who it is alleged worked for many years, or was paid for many years as a parliament resista nt, for many years as a parliament resistant, but it is alleged, was drawing a salary for doing pretty much no work. this has been a very damaging allegation that has been swirling around him. he has denied it, but over the last few weeks the judicial noose has tightened and a

formal investigation was opened. it was reported in the media that soon he will be summoned by the judge leading this investigation and, at that meeting, he will be placed himself, personally, under formal investigation. if that happens, it becomes a very tense moment for him. at the very beginning of the campaign, he said if that were to happen to him, he would not run for the presidency. he may have resile their little bit from that position, he may wish to argue that things have changed and that it is a plot against him. the fact is that he said at the beginning of the campaign thatany said at the beginning of the campaign that any candidate over whom there werejudicial investigations have no right to be in the campaign. that would be held against him enormously, were he to persist. huge speculation about what he's going to say. he has called all of the bigwigs of the party there, to his hq, he has been talking to alainjuppe,

to his hq, he has been talking to alain juppe, one of to his hq, he has been talking to alainjuppe, one of his rivals, nicolas sarkozy, who he beat, and we will have to see in the next few minutes what he is going to say. thank you very much. you can see there the scene live in paris, still no sign of francois fillon. as soon as he arrives, we will bring you coverage of that and hear what he has to say. the government's facing its first defeat over the brexit bill, in the lords today. opposition peers want an amendment to protect the rights of eu citizens living in britain. the home secretary amber rudd had sought to reassure members that eu nationals‘ status would be a priority once brexit talks begin. but a cross—party amendment calling for a firm guarantee is expected to secure the backing of most peers. our assistant political editor norman smith is in westminster. how tricky would that be? how tricky would that be ?m how tricky would that be? it would certainly be symbolic. it would be her first defeat on brexit and on

one of the most contentious issues, namely the position of eu migrants living in the uk. she has repeatedly stressed that she will not guarantee their rights until the eu guarantee their rights until the eu guarantee the rights of brits living in the rest of europe. i am joined by the labour leader in the lords, angela smith. she clearly has a point, if we unilaterally guarantee the rights of eu citizens here, british citizens could be left high and dry? i don't think that is going to happen at all. i think it is inhumane, and also not pragmatic, to use human beings as a bargaining tool in negotiations. if we say here and now that we guaranteed rights of eu nationals living here, that helps protects uk citizens living there, but also our uk and british citizens that are married to europeans in this country but facing leaving. we are already getting reports from universities, from research institutions and business, they are losing staff and staff are applying forjobs because they don't know what the future holds for them and

their families. does it not come down to trust? theresa may has been clear, i want to do this, you had the home secretary amber ruud saying that parliament absolutely will get a vote before anything changes, why isn't that good enough? we have heard words before, haven't we? everybody will remember the dubs amendment, that we will support these children that are at risk from trafficking, who knows what kind of horrors, we will care about them. they cared for about 350 and close the door. we need assurances in the bill, notjust on the door. we need assurances in the bill, not just on the the door. we need assurances in the bill, notjust on the prime minister's words. amber ruud's letter is quite extraordinary. when we get letters from ministers before votes, normally they are saying, yes, we are looking at this and we can do something different. they try to recheck compromise. they have done nothing of the sort. it is extraordinary. my plea to amber ruud is to take a leaf out of theresa

may's book. she came to the debate, why didn't amber ruud come to the house of lords today and listen to some of the debate? this hasn't been drawn up on the back of envelope, a lot of research went into this amendment andl lot of research went into this amendment and i think the government should support it. if you feel so strongly about this, why don't you make a fight of it? we hear that you're going to vote against the government by kryptonite, they will reverse it in —— the government tonight's, and then back down?|j reverse it in —— the government tonight's, and then back down? i had a message from somebody who voted for brexit, he is a conservative, but he said we are not wrong. i think they will have pressure from conservative mps. business wants this, our citizens want this, it is the right thing to do. it doesn't damage the brexit bill, it doesn't damage the brexit bill, it doesn't damage the brexit bill, it doesn't damage the government's timetable, but it makes a statement of the kind of brexit that we have. this is what people who voted for brexit want to

see. you are pointing the finger at the government, should you not be pointing the finger at other countries in the eu? theresa may said publicly that she wants to do this, but they haven't? she hasn't, it would have been a good move to talk about donald tusk in the eu, but she went to just one country, angela merkel. the easiest thing to do is to do it with the eu, not for each individual 27 countries, but we really need to talk to uk ambassadors in the uk, do we really believe that if we say, even though we are leaving the eu, we're guaranteeing the rights of your citizens, what are they going to say? they will welcome that and reciprocate. how soon, realistically, do you think this can be resolved? realistically, do you think this can be resolved ? or realistically, do you think this can be resolved? or is there a possibility that, actually, eu nationals and brits living in the rest of the eu could be left in this limbo fora rest of the eu could be left in this limbo for a long time? theresa may's

relying on having separate negotiations with 27 countries that could last a long time. we are losing citizens here. nothing is worse in life than that uncertainty of not knowing anything about your future, what is going to happen. the government could resolve it here and now. i suspect it might get to a house of lords voted to do so. i would say to conservative mps, listen to your constituents and do the right thing. thank you for your time. we will get that vote around about 5:30pm. it will be interesting to see if amber ruud takes up that challenge to come to the lords, listen to the debate, a bit like theresa may, and maybe we will see what sort of killer stare she has got. the headlines on bbc newsroom live: donald trump calls for an end to trivial fights in his donald trump calls for an end to trivialfights in his first donald trump calls for an end to trivial fights in his first address to congress. drivers caught using a mobile phone at the wheel face much tougher penalties from today, with new drivers losing their licence

completely. this is the scene in paris, where we are expecting a statement from the french presidential candidate francois fillon, who has pulled out of a key campaign event. letjoin let join catherine letjoin catherine for let join catherine for the letjoin catherine for the sport. newcastle have taken a big step towards making an instant return to the premier league. they are top of the championship and above brighton after beating their nearest rivals 2—1. brighton were leading until newcastle had a real piece of fortune with their equaliser — mohamed diame levelled when christian atsu's shot looped up off his boot. ayoze perez completed the comeback for newcastle in the 89th minute, who now have an eight point lead over third placed huddersfield. it has emerged leicester city have held informal talks with roy hodgson about the vacant manager position. the bbc understands he was one of a

few candidates they have spoken to. it remains likely that craig shakespeare will remain in charge at leicester until the end of the seasonif leicester until the end of the season if results continue to go well for the struggling champions. the rule makers of golf are set to announce a new set of changes. i think, collectively, they will make a big difference. individually, minor adjustments. the fundamentals of the game will remain exactly the same. it will be a simple ball and stick game, where you are trying to get the ball in the hole in the fewest number of shots. the idea is that you don't get bogged down in complicated rules and that sort of thing, attracting penalty shots, generally having the game working against you. the idea of the governing bodies is to make it more enjoyable, to make the rule book so much easier to understand. at the

moment, if you get into difficulty on the golf course, you open up the rule book, i am a golf correspondent and there are times when i am scratching my head looking at it and saying, what should i be doing next? they are trying to get away from that. breaking news on the raf gunner who disappeared after a night out with friends. police investigating the disappearance have arrested a man on suspicion of attempting to pervert the course of justice. savic raz de maree have said the 26—year—old was arrested on wednesday and is being questioned over information provided to the investigation. corrie mckeague is 23 and from fife. he was out last september when he disappeared. he has not been seen since. there has been no sign of what happened to

him. we are hearing that a man has been arrested on suspicion of attempting to pervert the course of justice, a 26—year—old man questioned over information provided by the investigation. breaking news to bring you about sex education in schools. all schools in england are to have compulsory sex and relationship education. the education secretaryjustine and relationship education. the education secretary justine greening has confirmed that. it had been spec related this would happen. it would potentially mean children as young as four being taught sex education, and she had previously said it would be age—appropriate teaching. we have confirmation about sex education becoming mandatory in all schools in england. no more detail on it. two women have been charged with the murder of kimjong nam, the half—brother of north korean dictator kim jong un. the pair, one of whom is vietnamese,

the other indonesian, face the death penalty if found guilty. malaysian police believe they wiped the deadly vx nerve agent on his face just over a fortnight ago in kuala lumpur airport. the women claim they thought they were taking part in a video prank. our correspondent stephen evans is in seoul in south korea. bring us up—to—date with the latest on the court appearance. well, they we re on the court appearance. well, they were brought in in a phalanx of heavily armed police, with helmets and visors. the malaysian authorities assume they may be vulnerable to attack. the two alleged assassins, because they are in court accused, would clearly know who the other people in the group work and may know the identity of the organiser. everybody outside north korea, most people outside north korea, most people outside north korea, most people outside north korea, sudan that the trail ——

assume that the trail leads back to pyongyang. pyongyang denies that. everybody else says it is north korea. campers are set to be told to pack up their tents if they pitch them on the shores of loch lomond. as of today, new rules come into force to protect the famous beauty spot as well the trossachs. our reporterjames shaw reports. loch lomond, the largest inland body of water in britain, drawing in millions of visitors every year. without doubt one of the jewels in the crown of scotland's natural heritage. these pictures — holiday snaps from hell you might call them — record the damage that has been done in previous years. which is why the park authority wants to bring in by—laws which will control wild camping in the busiest areas. this is a kind of typical example of people coming along and trying to get themselves some firewood that's maybe a bit bigger than they're able to tackle. the sheer volume of folk can end up

being damaging in itself. if you mix that with a bit of anti—social behaviour, then sites can become degraded quite fast. we've got some of the most wonderful landscapes you can imagine here and you can see why people come to enjoy it, so we want the sites to match that while they're here. from today, anyone wild camping in managed areas along the shores of the most popular lochs within the park could face a fine of £500 and a criminal record. wild camping enthusiasts see that as a breach of scotland's legal right to roam. they believe the park authority should focus on educating people about respecting the countryside. there are things that the rangers and the authorities can do to clamp—down on this. they already can fine people for littering, for anti—social behaviour. there's no need to create this by—law which criminalises people who aren't doing

it the wrong way. and let's be honest, it is a small number of people and we're almost letting them win. and with the new restrictions there could be a lot of disappointed campers this summer. the idea of scotland when i first came here was you could camp anywhere. no matter where you are, just say that that's the law and you can camp. you come up here for the fact it's untainted, and you can go wherever you want whenever you want. that's why people come to scotland. if it's in a designated area, they can still come, they can still camp, they can still enjoy it but everyone else can enjoy it as well. people coming with kids, animals and there's not all the rubbish left. this is the only location on the east side of loch lomond where wild camping will be permitted. the question is, will people know about these new controls and how strictly are they going to be enforced ? the new by—laws will be reviewed in three years. so, for the wild campers, this is a fight which is not over yet. james shaw, bbc news, on the banks of loch lomond.

we will say goodbye to viewers on bbc two in a few moments. we are still expecting a news conference from the french presidential candidate francois fillon, live from paris. it was due to start at 11. a little bit delayed. we don't know what he's going to say. he is in difficulty over allegations of payments made to his wife, and this morning he, the last moment, pulled out of what is seen as an essential campaign stop for presidential candidates. are expecting to hear from him and we will have full coverage live on the bbc news channel. goodbye if you are watching on bbc two. we will leave you with a weather update. not a bad day for the most part.

plenty of sunshine across northern parts of the country. that said, it is actually quite chilly, despite the sunshine. we have wintry showers as well. further south, the sunshine. we have wintry showers as well. furthersouth, it the sunshine. we have wintry showers as well. further south, it is all change. we have cloudy weather. it feels pretty chilly, despite it being slightly milder. the atlantic area is bringing rain with it and eventually it will bring snow. we have snow in the north in the form of showers, and also a good deal of sunshine. for england and wales, as the cloud creeps further north, the sunshine will turn more milky and there will be patchy rain by the end. this evening is where it gets interesting. the rain tends heavier and moves northwards. the wind escalates. we could have gales in southern and western areas, through the bristol channel. that could be an issue if you are travelling. this could be snow over the hills of north wales, northern england, the midlands, across to lincolnshire. a bit chilly towards the north as well. tomorrow, improving pictures. the wind uses in the south. the showers is elsewhere. wejust the wind uses in the south. the showers is elsewhere. we just have

this to come later in the day. this is bbc newsroom live with joanna gosling. the headlines at 11.30: president trump has said the us is witnessing a "renewal of the american spirit", as he delivered his first speech to congress. from now on america will be empowered by our aspirations, not burdened by our fears. the embattled french presidential candidate francois fillon is expected to make a statement shortly, after abruptly cancelling a campaign stop. the government's facing its first defeat over the brexit bill, in the lords today. opposition peers want an amendment to protect the rights of eu citizens living in britain. two women have been charged with the murder of kimjong nam, the half—brother of north korean dictator kim jong un. they face the death penalty if found guilty. live to paris, francois fillon has

just started to speak. translation: ladies and gentlemen, my solicitor has informed me i will be summoned on 15th march by the investigating magistrate for questioning. this is unprecedented in such an important affair, that a summoning should be launched just a few days after the appointment of the judges. without having taken appointment of the judges. without having ta ken knowledge appointment of the judges. without having taken knowledge of the file and the necessary supplementary investigation, based on the report of the police, which means to condemn. the sole cases which we know are the persons who recognise the fact but do not recognise the fa ct. the fact but do not recognise the fact. i haven't embezzled public money. i have counted on the

confidence and trust of my collea g u es confidence and trust of my colleagues who have assisted me and prove it and it comes within the lies since the beginning and contrary to what‘ been said. i haven‘t been treated in fair way like the others. the investigation was open within hours and the procedure, according to the law was immediately announced to the press without any notice. the investigators, the arguep uments of the fact that i have presented have

not been heard nor the argument of law, which are shared by a number of professors of law have been disregarded and the reason age logic has completely disappeared. two days before the closing of the sponsorship and because of of my candidacy of the presidency, and so to make sure that the right does not appear. a number of my political friends and of those skr supported me in the primaries and the 4 million

electorate are talking about a political assassination. it is in fa ct political assassination. it is in fact an assassination because if this is unprecedented by the choice of this calendar, it is not only me who is being assassinated but the presidential elections, too. it is the fault of the electorate of the right who have been disregarded and millions of french who want a genuine alternative. . . it is our voice that is being ex—powsed from the debate and the political democracies that have been persecuted. i would like that now there should be taken, i will answer there should be taken, i will answer the summon. i will answer the judges. i don‘t despair of the judges. i don‘t despair of the judges although what we have seen is

not natural. i will tell them my truth which is the truth but today it is up to you, it is to you my compatriots that i am addressing, beyond the judiciary compassion, it is to the people of france and alone that i will be addressing, to those who are following me as well as those who are fighting me. it is to the french people that i talk to. the vote will decide who will be the next president of the republic. i will not cede. i will not give up. i will not cede. i will not give up. i will not cede. i will not give up. i will not withdraw, i will go to the end because it is democracy that is being challenged. i would like you to follow me. it is not about me, about my rights or my innocence, it is about you, your sovereign

volu nta ry is about you, your sovereign voluntary should not be annulled, destroyed and disguarded. it will be that democracy and democracy alone will be the choice of our collective future. with renewed determination, i will not permit that the only choice, which is collectively given to us, which is a foolish adventure or the continuation of nilism. i will not accept that everything is organised so that to lead us to renunciation. france is bigger than us. france is bigger than my mistakes. it is bigger than a big number of the press. it is bigger than the opinion polls and it is because i am totally decided to

serve this france that i will impose with all my force that calculations, that will decide the future or the fate of the french during a very decisive choice. imtelling you with gravity. do not let yourself abuse, do not everybody deny you your choice because your voice and your voice alone should decide your future and because my will to serve is bigger than the accusations levelled combens me. i ask you to —— levelled combens me. i ask you to —— levelled against me. i ask you to resist. i will do it. my family will do it. despite all that has been done my political family will do likewise and all those who believe this at the end it is only the people who can decide. yes, i will bea people who can decide. yes, i will be a candidate to the presidential elections and we will fight this

with force and to use all our force so that we can win it and we can correct mistakes. thank you. applause studio: well, very strong words there from the french presidential candidate, francois fillon. it had been suspected he may be holding that news conference to announce he was standing down as a presidential candidate but he has come out defiant. he will not be standing down. he was speaking about the allegations that have been made against him about financial em—bazlement. he said "i have not embezzled public money." "i have counted on the confidence and trust of my colleagues, i have not been treated in a fair way." he described the treatment of him as being like an assassination. he said it is not just an assassination of me, but the french presidential election, too. and he put out an appeal to the

voters to say, it is you the voters who will decide who will be the next french president, i am determined to represent my country, to serve my country, i will not cede, i will not withdraw. at the same time, the judicial process and the investigation into the allegations made against him that he paid his wife and children for work that was not done goes on and he has been summoned for questioning is he. he said there, by investigating magistrates that. is going to happen on 15th march. he was very critical of how quickly that legal process has got under way. but he says he will fight on and will continue to stand as candidate in the french presidential campaign. a matter of weeks ago he was the front runner and the allegations against him have damaged his campaign significant cli. he is no longer the frontrunner. he is in fact in third place behind the other two main candidates but a very interesting developments there in france and

we‘ll get more analysis of it a little later. now a violent paedophile has been sentenced to 27 years in prison. michael dunne, 57 and from redcar was jailed for a string of offence, included repeated abecause of a girl he hid in his home. teeside crown court heard dunne, who was said to be paranoid, controlling and short tempered abecaused four victims over decades. no trains will run in or out of liverpool lime street station for several days after a wall collapsed on to the railway. a section of trackside wall, loaded with concrete and cabins fell, blocking all four lines into the station. the collapse, which happened yesterday evening, left rubble strewn across the tracks and overhead wires damaged. commuters and travellers are being urged to seek alternative routes. an appeal court in tliend has upheld the death sentences against two burmese men for the murders of two

british tourists in september 2014. the two men were convicted in december 2015 after a controversial investigation which was marred by questions over the quality of the dna testing on which the conviction was based. drivers caught using their phone behind the wheel will face tougher punishments from today. fines in england, wales and scotland will double to £#24u7bd and offenders will get six points on their licence. it‘ll many newly—qualified drivers, with less than two years on the road, face losing their licence if caught sending a text. £2 moneyed 00. -- £200. robert halljoined the police. ona robert halljoined the police. on a busy road in cambridgeshire, police catch another offender. the evidence from around the uk is crystal clear, we have been warned but we aren‘t listening. the most recent front rac found 32% of drivers admit to using a hand—held phone at the wheel, compared with 8% two years ago. he had it held in two

hands texting or doing whatever, with both thumbs. can you just follow me. this driver was spotted holding her phone to plot a route you had your phone using both hands. you had your phone using both hands. you may or may not be aware it is going change, six points, £200 fine and no option of any education force at all. it was how she was using her phone that makes it an offence. it is more than just making a phone that makes it an offence. it is more thanjust making a phone call. further up the road a two—minute call will have serious consequences for this hgv driver. you were on your moe. you are aware it is an offence. not not 20-odd years i have seen people with laptop, food in one hand, on their knee, food in the other. in relation to the scale of things, no, but i should no better. there has been an accident. unfortunately your mum has been killed. police operation also

now run alongside a media campaign, centred on the family of one victim higher penalties are only part of the answer. in the end we must all be conscious of the lives we put at risk there is nothing that is so important it cannot wait. don‘t use your phone whilst you are driving. let‘s go back to your breaking news. the french presidential candidate, francois fillon has announced he is going to continue in the race. there had been speculation he might pull out after allegations of financial impropriety and payments made to his wife previously. there were claims that she didn‘t actually work for the money. he has woman out fighting ina the money. he has woman out fighting in a news conference in the past few moments saying that despite those allegations he is going to remain candidate in the french presidential election and he described what has happened to him as being like a political assassination. we‘ll talk more about it in a moment but first let‘s remind you of the background to this and more about who francois

fillon is. those media reports about use of public money hit his campaign about a month ago. he suffered a blow over allegations his wife was paid for years of work that she did not do. well, now, a french magistrate is investigating payments made to his familiar lane we just heard from him in his news conference. he has been summoned to be questioned on the 15th march. he isa be questioned on the 15th march. he is a centre—right candidate. he is currently third in the opinion polls but that has changed since the allegations emerged because prior to that, just a a matter of weeks ago, he was the frontrunner in this campaign. he denied wrongdoing. he had said at the start of his campaign he would quit if placed under investigation but as we have just heard, his position on that has changed. he has criticised the speed with which the investigation has happened and said he will carry on. derailment of his campaign would leave the race wide open. marine le

pen is one of the names in the frame. she is the leader of the far—right front nationale. she is ahead in the polls and there the other person in the picture there auto is emmanuel macro, he is the wildcard. macron he was the economy minister under the current president, francois hollande. 0k, president, francois hollande. ok, that‘s the stated of play. let‘s talk more about what has just happened in the past few moments with a french broadcaster and editor of marie—anne. it was dramatic. there had been speculation he was going to announce, he was pulling out but quite the opposite. we waited 30 minutes for him to aware and make that statement. he was incredibly good natured, combative. he used incredibly powerful words. "this is a political assassination", he said, he said "this is not about me, this is about democracy that is

being defied that is being challenged." so he really put it to the french people saying — this is the french people saying — this is the presidential election that some conspiracy, from the media or perhaps from the ely say, that‘s the su btext, perhaps from the ely say, that‘s the subtext, is trying to derail. what is interesting is that he is going to that summons from the judge on 15th march. he could actually say, "ivm 15th march. he could actually say, "i‘m not going." he is entitled because he has immunity as an mp and this is exactly what marine le pen is doing. she refuses to go and see judges for similar scandals. so that‘s interesting because he put himself in, within the law, saying — yes, of course, i don‘t recognise the facts but i will go and see the judge and so, you know, this morning he was busy talking to his party and having everybody backing him because, obviously now he needs the

whole of the french right backing home solidly. so, this is a war call for the presidential election and i haven‘t seen him that tenacious in a very, very long time. just put all of this into context for us. the french presidential election, obviously a big deal but at stake, potentially, there is an candidate in the running, who would like to see france pull out of the euro. so context tullise the whole picture of what is going on with the whole french presidential election for us and what is at stake? well, first of all, it is probably the most unpredictable and surprising campaign we‘ve had in decades. because it is the fist time, really that the candidate who was the front runner is actually placed under formal investigation. sow that‘s one. so that‘s one and he was also

elected by the french right in the primary by the electorate in france and he got 4 million votes. so he had legitimacy but that‘s under attack by these allegations, financial scandal. so now, attack by these allegations, financialscandal. so now, in attack by these allegations, financial scandal. so now, in most likelihood. if he goes on, if he runs, indeed, the polls say that marine le pen is going to face probably francois fillon in the second round and you know we have two rounds. so the question really is whether fillon is going to come out on top of that scandal and face—off with thejudges out on top of that scandal and face—off with the judges or whether he will be so damaged that marine le pen can actually become france‘s next president. so the stakes are incredibly high. agnes thank you very much. ina agnes thank you very much. in a moment we will have a summary of the business news. first our headlines: donald trump says "a new chapter

of american greatness" has begun in his first address to congress. drivers caught using a mobile phone at the wheel face much tougher penalties from today, with new drivers losing their licence completely. and the french presidential candidate, francois fillon, is refusing to withdraw from the race, despite an investigation into payments made to his wife. in the business news this morning: meetings will be held at ford‘s bridgend engine plant later amid claims by the unite union that 1,160 jobs will go by 2021. ford says jobs will stay at similar levels "in the upcoming years". a decision to cut investment in a new dragon engine project was announced in september. uk house prices were up in february with property values rising by 4.5% in a year. according to the nationwide —

house prices were up 0.6% compared with the previous month, bringing the cost of the average home to just over £205,000. uk manufacturing activity fell in feb, although it is still growing, just not as fast. the pmi figure was 54.6, down from 55.7 in january. but anything over 50 marks growth. analysts say new orders slowed and brexit—induced cost pressures remain high. itv has reported a 14% decline in pre—tax profit to £553 million. the drop is mainly due to costs associated with the purchase of talpa media, the makers of the voice. but if you take out those one—off costs, profits were up 4% at £847 million. joining us is gill hind, media analyst from enders analysis. thank you for coming in. tell us,

we re thank you for coming in. tell us, were you expecting these figures? yes, i think they were broadly in line with expectations, in the guidance that itv gave us previously. revenue tops £3 billion last year for the first time, up 3%, a lot of that was depriven itv studios where revenues were up 13%. itv has been heavily reliant on advertising and advertising is linked to the state of the economy and is therefore cyclical. in the last few years itv has tried to balance its business base better. pa rt balance its business base better. part is through the development of itv studios, whether it is through acquisition ortega beganic growth and they‘ve invested quite significantly and organic growth in the uk was up 6% last year, fairly high and now actually itv studios, internationally has more than 50% of the total studios revenue n that respect it has done quite well. what has been slightly disappointed but actually expected, is that itv‘s net

advertising revenue or nar was down 396. advertising revenue or nar was down 3%. now this net advertising revenue figure looks at spot advertising, how we traditionally determine advertising but that‘s only sort of advertising but that‘s only sort of a part of a tv revenue now and what was interesting is the decline we saw in ad revenue in nar is offset by reve nu es saw in ad revenue in nar is offset by revenues in pay and dingal reve nu es by revenues in pay and dingal revenues and a lot is driven but the broadcasting model, people watching through and through itv‘s hub. broadcasting model, people watching through and through itv's hub. over the last year shares have fallen by about one—fifth. given how weak sterling is, do you think itv could be in danger of being a takeover target? i mean, every year different companies will look at itv and will run the rule book against t it is obviously still reliant on advertising and at the moment the state of the advertising economy is not exactly certain going forward. a will the of the speculation is obviously, as you say, around the

price of the pound and sterling. there will be companies that will be looking at t we will have to wait and see on that. —— looking at it. thank you very much for your time this morning. in other business news: travis kalanick — the boss of car service uber — has been forced to apologise after a video emerged of him swearing at one of the company‘s drivers. mr kalanick says he intends to get leadership help. the company which manages the undersea rail link between the uk and france says 2016 was the best year since in its 23—year history. eurotunnel says net consolidated profit reached £169 million as passenger numbers and freight traffic both saw strong growth. the company also said it was confident about this year mitie is selling its business for just £2. let‘s take a quick look at

how the markets have been getting on. yesterday the markets were cautious, waiting to hear what donald trump was going to say in jient union address in the states. crit civil that he didn‘t give detail but he had a slightly more serious tone which seems to have reassured investors. —— criticism that he didn‘t give detail. the manufacturing numbers still growing in the uk but down slight lane lower than expected, which has caused a fall in sterling, it slipped against the dollar, $1. 23. more business throughout the afternoon. see you later. prime minister‘s questions is due to startjust after midday. our assistant political editor norman smith will be listening in. let‘s catch up with him before it gets under way. if last week‘s pmqs was the by—election question time i think this week‘s might be the budget question time. we get the budget next week. you can expect maybe mr corbyn may try to compound the pressure on mrs meefr the personal

independence payments, extending the number of people who can claim that benefit. expect tory mps to be truly etting some of the recent economic figures, the lower —— trumpeting the economic figures. let‘s mull it over with our guests. mark harper, ifjeremy corbyn does press m rs mark harper, ifjeremy corbyn does press mrs may top give ground on personal independence payments, do you think she should?|j personal independence payments, do you think she should? i don't. i listened carefully to what damien green announced in the house of commons, and what we are doing, is we are putting the rules back to what parliament intended and what everyone thought they were before they were expanded by the courts. we are spending this parliament. each year we will be spending more money on supporting disabled people, spending more money each year than in 2010. we are expanding more money, this is about controlling the growth of the spending. no—one who is currently getting a personal independence payment will have the amount reduced. it is about controlling the growth. and i think

the changes set out by the work and pensions secretary, are sensible. what kind of country are are we that we have hundreds of thousands of disabled people who are treated in the way they are. this has nothing to do with the best interests of the disabled and everything to do with cutting costs. i have seen tragic cases in my kone constituencicy. i rememberone cases in my kone constituencicy. i remember one woman diving cancer who battled for a year to get personal independence payments so she could still keep working while alive and more recently for the head of number ten policy unit to say that, somehow, mental illness is not — they are not really ill they are just at home... he didn't. they are just at home... he didn't. they are just at home taking pills. to be fair he has apologised. but then what it says are some of the prejudice that is lie behind an ill—informed policy hitting people in this country very hard indeed. ill—informed policy hitting people in this country very hard indeedlj in this country very hard indeed.” wa nt to in this country very hard indeed.” want to move on. maybe, that‘s an easy line forjeremy corbyn to take but maybe the lesson in copeland and

perhaps stoke is the party has to be credible on the economy and jeremy corbyn again and again dodges the issue. the party is in crisis. ukip, ukip are falling aport at the seams asa ukip are falling aport at the seams as a consequence of having lost. with respect that‘s not how i asked i asked about the economy and why jeremy corbyn never talks about the economy? do we need to learn lessons, we do, do we need to be economically credible without hesitation? it is a big quhal enfor us hesitation? it is a big quhal enfor us at the next stages. the british people will not vote for a lib government unless they are confident, as they have been in the past that we can run the economy well. i'm confident we can win that argument. last word! we saw during the copeland by—election ridiculous scare stoerries from labour, offensive about the national health service. the voters have not fallen for it and jack repeated something thatis for it and jack repeated something that is not true. we are not putting pips. we are increasing the amount we will be spending on people every year of this parliament. we knead to be straight with people. if labourp aren‘t. —— we need to be straight.

we‘ll have to stop there. we are going to have blast off, soon where we will see if it is the budget question this week. of course we will have full coverage. thank you very much. while we wait for prime minister‘s questions to begin, let‘s catch up with the weather. helen is joining us. lots of weather to tell you about. wintry weather in the north and snow showers but someshine. this is how to looks in north yorkshire. contrast that with cornwall now, the rain is here. the rain has been in cornwall for much of the morning and creeping its way across eastern parts towards london and through the afternoon it‘ll, well meander its way slowly northwards. the sun turns more mickey. the best further no. we are 1st march but 6—11 the beggs we can hope for. now through the evening and overnight the winds escalate. we are talking about gales, a rather blustery night across the southern half of the country and then as the rain turns heavy it is likely to turn to snow

because it is comes into the cold air. north wales, northern england some parts of the midlands across to lincolnshire, we could see a fewp centimetres of snow to be aware of through the night and tomorrow morning. the ice in the north, snow over the hills, winds in the south but an improving picture through the day tomorrow. sunshine comes through, winds ease down but we‘ll still have a few showers around here and there. 7—11 but nick will have more detail as we go through this afternoon. this is bbc news and these are the top stories developing at midday. president trump promises a renewal of the american spirit in his first address to congress. french presidential candidate francois fillon vows to continue with his campaign despite an investigation into payments made to his wife. my will to serve is bigger than the accusations levelled against me. i ask you to resist, i will do it! penalties for using a mobile phone at the wheel double from today, new drivers face losing

their licence completely. and this is the scene live in the house of commons where prime minister‘s questions is about to get underway. i wish the people of the uk and across the world a happy saint david ‘s day. iam sure i am sure the whole house will want tojoin me in paying tribute to our former colleague gerald kaufman. he was a committed mp who dedicated his life to these service of his constituents. as father of a house, his wisdom and experience will be missed across the house. i am sure our thoughts are with his friends and family. this morning i had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others, in addition to my duties in this house i will have further such meetings later today.” in this house i will have further such meetings later today. i would like to associate myself with the prime minister's remarks and assure

the relatives and friends of our former colleagues that they are in our thoughts and prayers. following la st our thoughts and prayers. following last week's historic by—election victory in copeland... does my right honourable friend believe this is an endorsement of her government's plans to maintain a strong economy, bring our society together and ensure that we make a huge success of leaving the european union?” thank my honourable friend. first of all, i would like to congratulate the new member for copeland. all, i would like to congratulate the new memberfor copeland. i look forward to welcoming her to this house very shortly. my honourable friend is absolutely right that last week‘s historic result in copeland was an endorsement of our plans to keep the economy strong. and our plans to ensure that places like copeland share in economic success after yea rs of copeland share in economic success after years of labour neglect. it

was also an endorsement of our plans to unite communities where labour seek to sow division. i think it was an endorsement of offering strong, competent leadership in the face of labour‘s chaos. thank you, mr speaker. code ijoin the prime minister in wishing everyone in wales and all welsh people all around the world a very happy st david‘s day. but i also expressed hope that the workers at the ford plant in bridgend get today the assurances they need about theirjob today the assurances they need about their job security and today the assurances they need about theirjob security and their future? i also want to echo the prime minister‘s tribute to gerald kaufman, who served in this house since 1970, the longest serving member. he started as an adviser to harold wilson in the 1960s. he was

an iconic figure in the labour party and in british politics. he was a champion for peace and justice in the middle east and around the world. yesterday, at his funeral, the rabbi who conducted the service conveyed your message on behalf of the house to his family, which was very much appreciated. i was speaking to members of his family and asked, how would you describe him? they said he was an awesome uncle. i think we should remember him as that. and we convey our condolences to his family. just after the last budget, the den work and pensions secretary resigned, accusing the government of balancing the books on the backs of the poor and vulnerable. last week, the government sneaked out a decision to overrule a court decision to extend personal independence payments to people with severe mental health

conditions. a government that found £1 billion in inheritance tax cuts to benefit 26,000 families seems unable to find the money to support a 170,000 people with debilitating mental health conditions. will the prime minister change their mind? let me be very clear about what is being proposed in relation to personal independence payments. this is not a policy change. this is not a cut in the amount that is going to be spent on stability benefits. nobody is going to see a reduction in their benefits from that previously awarded by the dwp. what we are doing is restoring this particular payment to the original intention that was agreed by the coalition government, agreed by this parliament after extensive consultation. well, extensive

consultation. well, extensive consultation is an interesting idea. the court made its decision last year, the government did not consult the social security advisory committee and instead, the last minute, sneaked the decision. the court ruled that the payments should be made because the people who were going to benefit from it were suffering overwhelming psychological distress. just a year ago, the new work and pensions secretary said, you can tell the house we are not going ahead with the changes to pip that were put forward. the courts have since made a ruling. her friend, the member for south cambridgeshire, said the courts have given their reason, and i believe we have a duty to honour that. isn't she right? on the issue of these payments and those with mental

health conditions, actually, the personal independence payment is better for people with mental health conditions. if you look at the figures, two thirds of people with mental health conditions who are in receipt of personal independence payments and in receipt of that, two thirds of them actually get awarded the higher daily living rate allowa nce. the higher daily living rate allowance. that compares, that two thirds, compares to less than a quarter under the previous dla arrangements. it‘s the second time the right honourable gentleman has suggested that somehow this change was sneaked out. it was in a written ministerial statement to parliament. imight remind i might remind him, week after week coming he talks to me about the importance of parliament, we accepted the importance of parliament and made the statement to parliament. he also referred to the social security advisory committee. they can look at this. my right

honourable friend the work and pensions secretary called the chairman of the social security advisory committee and spoke to him about the regulations on the day they were being introduced. he called the chairman of the work and pensions select committee and spoke to him about the regulations being introduced. he called both offices of the shadow work and pensions secretary, but there was no answer and they did not come back to him forfour and they did not come back to him for four days. mr speaker... mrspeaker... mr mr speaker... mr speaker... calling the chairs of two committees and making a written statement to the house does not add up to scrutiny. asi house does not add up to scrutiny. as i understand it, there was no call made to the office of my friend, the shadow secretary of state. the reality is, this is a

shameful decision that will affect people with dementia, those suffering cognitive disorders due to a stroke, military veterans with post—traumatic stress disorder and those with schizophrenia. can she look up the effects of her decision to override what an independent court has decided, and think again? the issues that he raises, the conditions that he raises, these are taken into conditions that he raises, these are ta ken into account conditions that he raises, these are taken into account when decisions are made about the personal independence payments. what the court said was that the regulations we re court said was that the regulations were unclear. that is why we are clarifying the regulations and we are ensuring that they reflect the original intention that was agreed by this parliament. i say to the right honourable gentleman, if he wa nts to right honourable gentleman, if he wants to talk about support that is being given to people with disabilities, this government is spending more than ever in support

of people with disability and health conditions. we are spending more than ever on people with mental health conditions. as i say to him, what we are doing with the personal independence payments is ensuring that those who are most in need get most support. the government has overridden an independent court decision on this and they should think very long and hard about that. her friend, the think very long and hard about that. herfriend, the member think very long and hard about that. her friend, the member for think very long and hard about that. herfriend, the memberfor north east bedfordshire, said this week that the government had to make it very clear that physical and mental health have the same priority. in 2002, the prime minister made a speech to the conservative party conference. i remember it very well, i was watching it on television. she described her party as the nasty party. she said some tories have tried to make political capital by demonising minorities. this week, her policy chair suggested that

people with debilitating conditions we re people with debilitating conditions were those who come and i quote, ta ke were those who come and i quote, take pills at home, who suffer from anxiety and were not really disabled. isn't that prove the nasty party are still around? my honourable friend has rightly apologised for the comments he made andi apologised for the comments he made and i hope the whole house will accept his apology. the right honourable gentleman asks me about the parity between mental health conditions and physical conditions. it is this conservative government that has introduced parity of esteem in relation to deal with mental health in the national health service. how many years were labour in government and did nothing about that? 13 years! mr speaker, it was a labouramendment to that? 13 years! mr speaker, it was a labour amendment to the health and social care bill that resulted in parity of esteem being put on the

face of the bill. i am surprised she has forgotten that, because she could take this opportunity to thank the labour party for putting that forward. the prime minister made a speech earlier this year supporting parity of esteem for mental health. i'm glad she did. 40% of nhs mental health trusts, however, are having their budgets cut. there are 6600 fewer mental health nurses and 160,000 people with severe mental health conditions about to lose out on support. can she not recognise, parity of esteem means funding it properly and not overriding court decisions that would benefit people suffering from very difficult conditions? we should reach out to them, not deny them the support that they need. as i say, we are spending more than ever on mental health.

£11.4 billion a year. more people each week are now receiving treatment in relation to mental health than have done previously. is there more for us to do? yes, i said that in relation to questions previously. we will do it, shouts the shadow foreign secretary, from her normal secondary position, commenting... oh, sorry! we are doing it, that is why we are putting record amounts of money into mental health, why we are seeing more people provided with mental health treatment every week under this government. there is one thing that i know. if you are going to be able to provide that extra support for people with disabilities and health conditions, if you are going to be able to provide treatment for people with mental health conditions, you need to have the strong economy that enables us to pay for it. the one thing we know about labour is that they would bankrupt britain! coming

from a government that, by 2020, will have borrowed more and increased the national debt by the total borrowing of all labour governments, that comes rich! mr speaker, the mental health charity rethink said the government has spoken forcefully about the importance of parity of esteem between physical and mental health. yet, when presented with the chance to make this a reality, has passed the opportunity by. mr speaker, as a society, we are judged by how we treat the most vulnerable. the respected dental health charity mind has said this misguided legislation must be reversed. can't the prime minister luck —— look again at the decision of the court, look again at the consequences of it, with draw this nasty decision on support the

courts, and support those that are going through a very difficult time in theirlives? going through a very difficult time in their lives? that is how we will all be judged. the way we are dealing with a disability benefits is to ensure that payments are going to those that are most vulnerable. what we are doing in relation to the personal independence payments is ensuring that the agreement of this parliament is being put into practice. but he talks about funding and he talks about borrowing. i understand that today... a constant debate while the prime ministers having the leg asking the question, the question was part and was heard and the answer must be heard without consta nt and the answer must be heard without constant hubbub in the background. he talks about accepting the position and paying for that. i understand the labour shadow health secretary, when asked how labour would pay for the increase, said we have not outlined that yet. that‘s

just sums up the labour party, and the labour party leadership. after the labour party leadership. after the result in copeland last week, the result in copeland last week, the honourable member for the result in copeland last week, the honourable memberfor lancaster and fleetwood summed up the by—election result by saying it was an incredible result for the labour party. you know, ithink an incredible result for the labour party. you know, i think that would actually describes the right honourable gentleman‘s leadership. incredible! on monday, i chaired a seminar, looking at the opportunities for the science community as we launch brexit negotiations. i understand the prime minister may be too busy

to attend in march herself, but would she agreed to meet with me when the report is published so i can resent the collective concerns to the science community in person, particularly around collaboration and people? it is an important issue. he is right to raise it. we do want the uk to be to go to place for innovators and investors across the world. we wanted to secure the best possible outcomes for the uk research base as we leave the european union. it is one of the objectives i have set out in our negotiations for the european union, in relation to science and research. we are already a leading destination for science and innovation. i am interested in what my honourable friend has said and i am sure the report will be looked at very carefully by my right honourable friend the secretary of state for exiting the european union. we join the prime minister and the leader of the prime minister and the leader of the labour party and extended condolences to the family and friends of sir gerald kaufman, and also our best wishes to the people

of wales on st david's day. prior to prime minister's questions, in scottish questions, ministers were unable to answer basic questions about government plans for agriculture and fisheries. these are important industries for the rural economy and they are devolved areas to the scottish government and the scottish parliament. with brexit ending the role of brussels in these areas, we'll all decisions about agriculture and fisheries be made in hollywood, yes no? we are discussing with the devolved administrations the whole question of the uk framework and devolution of the uk framework and devolution of issues as they come back from brussels. the overall aim for everything we do is that we make sure we don‘t damage the very important single market of the united kingdom. a market which, i might remind the right honourable gentleman, is more important to scotla nd gentleman, is more important to scotland than the european union is.

that is a very interesting answer. during the brexit referendum, people in scotland, including those working in the agricultural and fisheries sector, were told that farming and fisheries powers would be exercised fully by the scottish government and the scottish parliament. now it seems, judging by the answer, that is not going to be true. will the prime minister confirmed today, and she has the opportunity, will she confirmed today that it is her intention to ensure that it is uk ministers that will negotiate and regulate over large areas that impact on scottish fisheries and agriculture, post—brexit?” impact on scottish fisheries and agriculture, post-brexit? i repeat to the right honourable gentleman that he seems not to have quite understood this point. we are in the process of discussing with the devolved administrations the whole question of which of those powers that currently reside in brussels

will be returned and remain at a uk level four decision, and which would be further devolved into the devolved administrations. that is a discussion that is taking place at the moment. when he asks about the negotiations for brexit with the european union, it will be the uk government that will be negotiating with the european union, taking full account of the interests and concerns of the devolved administrations, and the other regions of england. does the prime minister agree that when tickets to a teenage cancer charity gig by ed sheeran are being resold on ticket websites for over £1000, with none of that money going to the charity, tickets to the hit musical hamilton, they are touted for £5,000, when the viagogo know that tickets resold are invalid for entry, it is unfair and not

indicative of a market that works for everyone? what will the government do to make sure genuine fans are not least by ticket touts and rogues? —— at fleeced. fans are not least by ticket touts and rogues? -- at fleeced. he is right to identify circumstances where there are websites that are acting in the way he talks about, causing problems for people who believe they are able to buy tickets for what they wish to attend. i understand he recently met the minister of state for digital and cultural matters to discuss this issue. as he will be aware, the consumer rights act introduced new rules on ticketing and a review of online ticket sales. dcms will respond to the report on this issue. we are looking at the general issue of where markets are not working in the interests of consumers. can i

add my condolences to those already expressed about the former father of the house and also welcome to his place the new member for stoke—on—trent central. mr speaker, young black men using mental health services are more likely to be subject to detention, extreme forms of medication and severe physical restraint than other people. in extreme cases, this has led to death, including that of my constituent shane lewis. too many black people with mental ill—health are afraid to seek treatment from a service they fear will not treat them fairly. will the prime minister meet with me and some of the affected families to discuss the need for an inquiry into institutional racism in the mental health services? i have the honourable gentleman and i am happy to welcome the new member for stoke—on—trent central to this house. can i say to the honourable

gentleman, it is precisely because of concern about how various people we re of concern about how various people were being treated within our public services that this government has introduced, and i introduced last year, an audit of the disparity of treatment, a racial audit of the disparity treatment in public services. i saw this as home secretary when i looked at the way that particularly black people with mental health services were being dealt with in terms of the police and detention in various ways. that is the issue we are looking at. i am happy for him to write to me with the details of the issue he has set out. with the prime ministerjoin me in congratulating my west suffolk college, the staff and, in particular, the principal, who, last week, in the times educational further education awards won the teaching and learning initiative for

the whole country, by combining maths, art, religion and science. i am sure she would agree that this initiative drives forward inquisitive minds and grows future generations that we will need for the skills that they need to succeed? i am very happy to join my honourable friend in congratulating west suffolk college for the award but they have been given in this category for best teaching and learning initiatives. ithink category for best teaching and learning initiatives. i think it is an interesting initiative that they have put in place. i congratulate all of the staff. this is a sign of the dedication of the staff and stu d e nts the dedication of the staff and students at west suffolk college. all colleges across the country should be aspiring to reach these standards. she is absolutely right, we do need to ensure that young people have not just we do need to ensure that young people have notjust a skill set, but also the inquiring mind that enables them, as they look forward to what may be different careers

through their life, to look forward to obtaina through their life, to look forward to obtain a new skills through their careers. my constituent's 16—year—old daughter, megan, tragically died after drinking half a three litre bottle of frostyjack cider, 7.5% proof, and, at under £4 per bottle, contains the equivalent of 22 shots of vodka. does the prime minister accept that cheap, super—strength white is a health —— white cider is a health hazard and should carry much more duty per unit? i am sure that members across the house will want to join me unit? i am sure that members across the house will want tojoin me in offering deepest sympathies to the family of this 16—year—old, the constituent of the honourable lady. she does raise an important issue. we recognise the harm associated with problem consumption of alcohol.

we have taken action through the duty system, so high—strength cider and beer is taxed more than equivalent lower strength products. we have also taken action on the very cheap alcohol, by banning sales below duty plus bat. —— vat. it is also about making sure that young people are aware of the dangers of alcohol, and public health england and the nhs have offered campaigns and the nhs have offered campaigns and have worked with schools to increase awareness. we are rightly proud of that young people, regardless of race, creed or colour, can study at colleges and universities. this week, jewish students are being subjected to intimidation, fear and anti—semitism asa intimidation, fear and anti—semitism as a result of so—called israel apartheid week. what action can my right honourable friend make to make sure that councillors and principles ensure that anti—semitism is not allowed to prosper on campuses?

first of all, i want to assure my honourable friend of higher education institutions have a responsibility to ensure that they provide a safe and inclusive environment for all students. we expect them to have robust policies and procedures in place to comply with the law, investigate and swiftly address hate crime, including any anti—semitic incidents that are reported. my honourable friend the universities minister has written to remind institutions of these expectations. he has urged them to follow the government‘s lead in adopting the holocaust remembrance alliance definition of anti—semitism. remembrance alliance definition of anti-semitism. there is a flaw in the legislative reform order with which the government is seeking to create private fund limited partnerships, which allows criminal owned partnerships to convert to these new type of partnerships. will

these new type of partnerships. will the prime minister step in and delay this until such time as the current review into slps is completed? we have taken review into slps is completed? we have ta ken important review into slps is completed? we have taken important steps to tackle money—laundering, terrorist financing and other economic crimes. i oversaw the establishment of the economic crime command and the crime agency. i understand the department for business consulted last year on further transparency requirements for slps. they will be publishing proposal soon. my right honourable friend the business secretary is gathering evidence that may lead to further reform. my right honourable friend will be aware of the concerns over the new business rates. whilst they are welcome for many of the businesses that will be taken out of businesses that will be taken out of business rates, there is a concern amongst those that have seen an increase, in one case as much as 85%. can she give me an assurance, and give the businesses and

assurance , and give the businesses and assurance, that we can do all we can for the people that work very hard to be the engine room of our economy, and a rise of this size might threaten their livelihood itself. well, business rates, as my honourable friend knows, are based on property value. as he will also know, it has been seven years since robbie values were last looked at. i think it is absolutely right that we update them. as i recognised last week, there are different impacts on different businesses. we have already put significant sums into transitional support for businesses. asi transitional support for businesses. as i said in this house last week, i asked my right honourable friend is the chancellor and the communities secretary to make sure that the support provided is appropriate and is in place for the hardest cases. i would expect my right honourable friend the chancellor to say more about this next week in the budget. a recent national audit office

report exposed massive overspend on new free school sites, with the department estimating it will need to spend a further £2.5 billion on land for these schools. schools across my constituency are reporting chronic levels of underfunding. will the prime minister please review the plans for new free school 's and provide our existing schools with the investment that they need?” provide our existing schools with the investment that they need? i am happy to say to the honourable lady that we have protected the core schools budget in real terms. yes, we have had free school is, i understand that she raises a concern about that. what we have seen through the programme we have had free schools and academies that has been continued under this government is to ensure that we are creating more good school places across this country. that is what we want to do and that is what our policy will continue to do. thank you mr speaker, i would like

tojoin the prime minister in wishing wales a happy said david‘s day. the secretary of state for wales has been working with collea g u es wales has been working with colleagues across government, sending out the message to the world this wales is one of the best places in the united kingdom to live, to work to visit and to trade work to visit in the united kingdom to live, to work to visit and to trade with. does the prime minister agree with me, that welsh interests must remain at the heart of our united kingdom? as we leave the european union, the future of the uk union has never been more important.” future of the uk union has never been more important. i would like to thank my honourable friend for that question. he is absolutely right to be raising the importance of wales and my right honourable friend the welsh secretary is doing important work reminding the world that wales is one of the best places in the uk to live, work and trade with. and in the forthcoming negotiations, we are committed to getting a deal that works for all parts of the uk, including wales and i think the best way to achieve that is for the uk government and the devolved administrations to continue to work together. i‘m pleased to say i will

be hosting a st david‘s day reception in downing street tonight to celebrate everything wales has to offer and can to celebrate everything wales has to offerand cani to celebrate everything wales has to offer and can i once again wish all members of this house she speaks welsh. thank you, mr speaker, congestion, journey times and connectivity between bradford and leeds are among the worst this the country. will the prime minister support our campaign to ensure that bradford is part of the hs 3 network and will she commit to delivering the investment we so desperately need for our west yorkshire powerhouse?” desperately need for our west yorkshire powerhouse? i apologise to the honourable lady. i missed the first part of her question. i think she was talking about investment in infrastructure in the area. hs 3. i‘m clear we have set out commitments that we have made as a government in relation it infrastructure. as she will know we believe that infrastructure plays an important part in encouraging the

growth of the economy and in ensuring that we do see that we increase productivity around the rest of the country and of course we will be looking, over time at further project that can do just that. canvassing in copeland recently people wanted it talk about the future of the localm ternity unit. it was just like being at home future of the localm ternity unit. it wasjust like being at home in banbury. rather than politicise the nhs, would the prime minister agree for a review of maternity services, encouraging not just for a review of maternity services, encouraging notjust care that is safe but also care that is kind and close to home? well, my honourable friend does raise an important point in relation to local maternity services and as i have said, i‘m looking forward very shortly to welcoming the new member for copeland in this house but during that campaign, she made it very

clear she didn‘t want to see any downgrading of the west cumberland hospital services, but she did also something else. she put forward a very powerful case for what may honourable friend has just suggested, which is a review to tackle the recruitment issues that affect these maternity services up there and that professionally—led review seems sensible. i know the health minister is looking at it. a 19—year—old constituent of mine faces being discharged by the mental health trust for a ending is time because they have neither the skills nor the cash to provide the support he needs. what‘s the prime minister‘s message to him? he needs. what‘s the prime minister's message to him? i'm sorry, obviously i don‘t know the full details of the individual case the honourable gentleman has raised. ido the honourable gentleman has raised. i do know we are ensuring that more money is being put into mental health conditions over the year and will continue to be but if he wishes to write to me, to the secretary of

state for health about that case, i‘m sure he will be looking into it. asa i‘m sure he will be looking into it. as a leader whoonts it spread wealth and opportunity —— who wants to spread wealth and opportunity as widely as possible, will the prime minister ensure we end the practice of developers buying free hold land on which they go and sell new houses on which they go and sell new houses ona on which they go and sell new houses on a lease hold basis. many first—time buyers on help—to—buy feel they are being ripped off by this practice and look to the government for help in this area?” thank my honourable friend for raising noint. it is an issue he has raised with me. previously i know he is concerned about it and working on tour is concerned about it and working on t our housing white paper sets out that developers should be building holts for people who live n that means we will act to provide #235irness for the growing number of lease holders. —— provide fairness. but we‘ll look at measures to tackle the unreasonable abuse of lease hold as my honourable friend the housing minister has said and other than in

exceptional circumstances i don‘t know why new homes shouldn‘t be built and sold with the free hold interest at the point—of—sale. built and sold with the free hold interest at the point-of-sale. could i add my condolences to the family of gerald kaufman, one of my friends in this place. my minister yesterday received an e—mail from the lobea pharmacist, who since the government‘s announcement in october of last year, has had to implement cost—cutting measures in staff and services. —— local. it is about the descriptions dispensed and he has had a deruction of nearly £9,000, which represents 18.8%, well beyond the 4% the pharmacy minister spoke about in october last year. can can i ask you, could the government recommit to look at pharmacy funding asa recommit to look at pharmacy funding as a matter of urgency? we all recognise the important service that pharmacies provide. that‘s why spending on them has risen in recent yea rs, spending on them has risen in recent years, and also we have seen an

increase of over 18% this the past decade in the number of pharmacies. the system does need to reform so that the nhs resources are spent efficient lane effectively and just to look at some of the figures, two —fifths to look at some of the figures, two—fifths of pharmacists are within ten minutes walk of two or more other pharmacists. the average pharmacy receives £220,000 a year in nhs funding and most pharmacists receive the £25,000 establishment payment regardless of size or quality. what we did do was to look at this concern when it was raised last summer inindeed made changes to ensure there was greater support available to pharmacists in particular area. one of da david cameron‘s greatest legacies were his efforts to fight human trafficking with the modern day slavery act. last year this country looked after 800,000 children in syria or the surrounding

countries. for the same investment of looking after 3,000 in this country. by doing that, we help defeat human trafficking. could the prime minister confirm that we will continue with that policy? well, i'm very happy to join continue with that policy? well, i'm very happy tojoin my continue with that policy? well, i'm very happy to join my honourable friend in paying tribute to david cameron. i was very pleased that he supported the modern slavery act when i proposed she should introduce twe are when i proposed she should introduce t we are indeed committed to continuing our policy in relation to thisser why. i have set up a modern slavery task force at number ten which i chair, bringing together various parties to ensure that across government we are doing what is necessary, both to break the criminal gangs, to deal with the perpetrators and to provide necessary support for the victims. mr speaker, may i on of what of my honourable and right honourable friendsjoin the lead honourable and right honourable friends join the lead the prime minister and leader of the opposition in expressing condolences to the familiar lift late father of the house. he will be greatly missed. the prime minister i‘m sure

cannot failed to have noticed the intervention by two former prime ministers recently in relation to the brexit debate and as a result, very helpful they were i‘m sure. i‘m sure the prime minister will know of course what they and everybody else means by "hard brexit" what is meant by "soft brexit" but we are all now wondering what is meant by a "soft coup , wondering what is meant by a "soft coup", and when indeed... laughter and when it might be triggered and when we will know if it is being triggered or not? perhaps the prime minister can elucidate on that as well since she has been so helpful in so many other ways. would she ta ke in so many other ways. would she take the opportunity today however to make it clear that whatever former prime ministers may say or whatever members of the unelected upper house may say the reality is that her plan is to trigger article 50 by the end of march is now clearly on track?

i thapg the right honourable gentleman for the question he has asked. it is indeed my plan it trigger by the end of march and when i refer to that, i refer to the triggering of article 50, rather than attempting to trigger any coup, soft or otherwise. it is still our intention to do that. i think it is important the article 50 bill of course does respond to the judgment of the supreme court but it also ensures we are responding to the voice of the united kingdom when people voted to ensure that we do leave the european union and that is what we will do. thank you mr speaker, mr speaker, perhaps you, like many other honourable friends and members here today took a shower this morning. laughter and i am sure, mr speaker you were very careful to check whether the shower gel contained microbeads.

products containing them can result... studio: i want to hear the thrust of this fascinating question. mrs powell, let‘s hear it. shower gel products containing them can result in 100,000 micro—beads or plastics being washed down the drain every time we use them, into the water system and into the marine environment, damaging the precious habitats. would the prime minister join with me in welcoming the steps this government is taking to introduce a been on micro—beads use in cosmetics and personal care products, with the consultation ending just a few days ago? thank you, mr speaker. i think ending just a few days ago? thank you, mr speaker. ithink ...the thank you, mr speaker. ithink the speaker: let's hear the answer. i think answer. ithinki answer. i think i should say, for clarity to members of this house that i am not

ina members of this house that i am not in a position to know whether or not you took a shower this morning. but in responding, my honourable friend has raised a very important point and it is completely unnecessary to add plastics to products like face washes and body sh scrubs where harmless alternatives can use and our consultation closed recently. we are aiming to change legislation by october 2017 and we ask for evidence of what more can be done in future to prevent other sources of plastic to prevent other sources of plastic to entering the marine environment. we are committed to being the first generation to leave the environment in bear the state than it was inherited. together we can all work to bring an end to these harmful plastics clogging up our ocean.

studio: i think philip and sally are reassured by what the prime minister said. . along the m4 corridor in south wales, over 1,000 families woke up this morning deeply worried about potential job losses woke up this morning deeply worried about potentialjob losses at ford in bridgend. families in are particularly frightened. frightened that ford is not going to be able to bring in new contracts into the factory with the uncertainty of brexit ahead of them. can i have an assurance from the prime minister that she will arrange for her ministers to meet with ford and with unite the union to see what can be done to support ford to ensure continuity of engine production in the bridgend ford plant. can i reassure the honourable lady our automaticive sector is one of the most productive in the world and with we want to see it going from strength—to—strength. that‘s why a nyonesters strength—to—strength. that‘s why anyonesters in this government have

been engaging with various companies in the automaticive sector including ford and other companies. ford is an important investor here. it has been established here for over 100 years. we account for one—third of ford‘s global production and bridgend continues to be an important part of that. we have had, as i said, dialogue with ford. we‘ll continue to have a regular dialogue with ford in the ways in which government can help to make sure the success continues. the speaker: order, order. in a moment. will the member wishing to ta ke moment. will the member wishing to take her seat please come to the table... . studio: prime minister‘s questions has finished. next week will be the budget. there were questions on the personal independence payments from jeremy corbyn, something which has become an issue with the government wanting to scrap pip payments to people with mental health issues. their disability payments and it‘s

been quite a controversial issue but theresa may standing firm on t saying there is not going to be a policy change. it doesn‘t mean a cut for everyone currently on the personal independence payments, it is about restoring the payment to the original intention agreed by the coalition government. there was clays by a tribunal ruling which mented that the personal independence payments be extended to people with mental health problems and that was really the start of the prime minister‘s questions between jeremy corbyn and may. now back to our main news. more now on our top story, donald trump‘s speech to the us congress — the first since his inauguration. lets hear some more of what he had to say. foreign policy calls for a direct, robust and meaningful it is american leadership, based on vital security interests that we share with our allies, all across the globe. we strongly support nato, an alliance forged through the bonds of two world wars, that dethroned fascism, and the cold war and defeated communism.

applause but our partners must meet their financial obligations and now, based on our very strong and frank discussions, they are beginning to do just that. in fact, i can tell you the money is pouring in. very nice. in his address to congress, president trump also vowed to take strong myers to eradicate islamic terrorism. we cannot allow a beach head of terrorists to form inside america.

we cannot allow our nation to become a sa nturary for extremists. applause that is why my administration has been working on improved vestting procedures and we will shortly take new steps to keep our nation safe and to keep those out who will do us harm. applause as promised, i directed the department of defense to develop a plan to demolish and destroy isis, a network of lawless savages that have slaughtered muslims and christians and men and women and children of all faiths and all beliefs. we will work with our allies, including our friends and allies in the muslim world, to extinguish this vile enemy from our planet. joining me now is michaeljohns, former speech writer for president george w bush and a founding member of the tea party movement.

thank you forjoining us. what did you think of the speech? it was exceptional in every way. the way we judge the success of these speeches are number one, was he able to articulate it? he was great in that. he kept nearly every commitment he made through the campaign. i think the american people looked on, whether they support president trump or not or are neutral, really got the sense he is a man of his word. he meant everything he said and intends to follow through and three, he strung together a number of themes that are a complete break from our past administration and seemed to really address the concerns that are at the heart of most americans. when he talked about the renewal of the american spirit. how would you describe what that is? what is the essence? well, jeffjust gone through eight years and even

longer where our domestic economic growth, ourjob creation has been very wea k growth, ourjob creation has been very weak the long—standing tradition of america as an economic powerhouse in the world remains but has been challenged. our liedership around the world, our —— our leadership, our relationship with our allies has been weakened over the last eight years. enemies such as isis and terror states like iran have grown in strength and, you know, there is a perception that some of the core foundations of american greatness, while they still remain, have been pretty significantly... over the last eight yea rs, significantly... over the last eight years, so i think he represents and articulates a vision that will put us back on a path towards economic stability at home and a strong america around the world and particularly with o you are national security cape abltsd. when you talk about a strong america around the

world, relationships with allies being important and also, obviously looking at the american economy, i mean, the messages from donald trump would seem to be inward—looking, more insular, american jobs would seem to be inward—looking, more insular, americanjobs for american people, trade tariffs. how does that marry up with good, strong, international relations and you know, the cooperation with other nations? i mean militarily as well? sure. well, ithink nations? i mean militarily as well? sure. well, i think what he is articulating is we need to put the united states‘ first. most countries around the world should put their own countries first as it relates to their interests yet we do have collective security and trade relationships that he articulated last night and has throughout his campaign and since the inauguration, his strong belief, which i think is shared by many americans that the trade agreements of the past has not strengthened the american worker.

they have been very lob sided. and well, we need to embrace trade as a realfundamental well, we need to embrace trade as a real fundamental component of american economic growth and prosperity. those trade deals are much better negotiated on a singular country—to—country basis than these giant conglomerate agreements over which we have limited control and once we are int which we have limited control and once we are in t have very limited ability to renegotiate. —— —— once we are in it. and then with security, he is recommitted to security and rebuilding t the infrastructure commitment also i thought was really important. —— rebuilding it. that‘s something that hasn‘t been addressed in this country for nearly the last decade or two decades, major infrastructure. and that is representing about a trillion dollars to update airports, highways and trains in the united states. think i it is something the american

people want. does it add up, though, when you talks about huge infrastructure investment, huge investment in the military, tax cuts at the same time and he talks about, well, if you look at the gdp in america at the moment it is just over 1%, if i can get that up to 3%, maybe even more, we‘ve got a whole different ball game. there is nothing to say that he will be able to get it up to that level and if that doesn‘t happen, how does it add up that doesn‘t happen, how does it add up economically? well, we are already seeing signs of a greater commitment for american companies to job creation, you are right about the gdp growth. president obama is the gdp growth. president obama is the first president in american history to not reach 3% growth in even one year of his presidency. and, you know there is no reason that he can‘t have a doubling, potentially tripling of that growth under trump‘s leadership with the tax cuts, regulatory relief and the general commitment to, you know,

getting america growing again. so, the growth obviously is hugely important in almost every way. he said last night, 94 million americans not in the labour force is an all—time high. our employment statistics haven‘t been representative, unfortunately but it isa representative, unfortunately but it is a serious crisis and wages in the country have been stagnant and even diminishing in real basis. he wreck nices that and i think and i think he recognises that. a violent paedophile has been sentenced to 27 years in prison. michael dunn, 57, from redcar, was jailed for a string of offences, including repeated abuse of a girl he hid in his home. teesside crown court heard that dunn, who was said to be "paranoid, controlling and short—tempered", abused four victims over decades. police investigating the disappearance of raf gunner corrie mckeague have arrested a man

on suspicion of attempting to pervert the course ofjustice. mr mckeague, aged 23 and from fife, vanished on a night out with friends on september 24 in bury st edmunds in suffolk. police said the 26—year—old was arrested on wednesday and is being questioned over "information provided to the investigation". surgeons believe they have operated on the youngest patient ever to undergo — and survive — major abdominal surgery anywhere in the world. st george‘s hospital in lonodon operated on a premature baby who was born atjust 23 weeks and was just six days old. patient abiageal peters weighed only 1.3lbs — or 0.5 kg. earlier on the victoria derbyshire programme, victoria spoke to both abiageal‘s mother, louise. i was just over half way through my

pregnancy. i was at home on a monday and ply waters broke. i kind of wasn‘t really sure what was happening to be honest. —— my waters broke. i was in denial hoping it wasn‘t what it was. i had to get an ambulance to hospital. when i got there they said that is what had happened. i ended up, two days later, i went into labour and she was born at 23 weeks plus three days. how was she then? oh, she was absolutely tiny. oh, she was probably just absolutely tiny. oh, she was probablyjust bigger absolutely tiny. oh, she was probably just bigger than the absolutely tiny. oh, she was probablyjust bigger than the size of my hand, i would say. she was a very strange colour, translucent skin. they immediately had to put her on life support. they put a tube down her throat which took them a little while to do. we were sat there waiting for an update on how she was. they said she could either come out looking very ill and probably wouldn‘t survive or if she looked strong they would work on her and rush her off to help her. so

fortu nately and rush her off to help her. so fortunately they were able to help her. but very scary. absolutely amazing. and you can watch the full interview on the victoria derbyshire programme page. the programme is on every weekday morning at 9.00pm on the bbc news channel and on bbc two. in a moment the news at one, but first the weather with nick miller. a fine 1st march so far. many seeing sunshine ady for daffodils, of —— a day for daffodils of course. a lot of sun will continue into the afternoon. one or two areas in scotland, wintry on hills. an area of thicker cloud, outbreaks of rain in southern england and into south wales as the afternoon goes on. becoming less cold here but not sure if feels much better with the cloud. elsewhere sunny spells. the most active weather overnight will be in england and wales. we‘ll see strong, gusty winds developing around the coast of south wales, south west

england transferring across southern england transferring across southern england overnight. an area of rain, and hill snow further north in the midlands and parts of northern england. snow in the hills of wales, the peak district and into the pennines. maybe a few centimetres settling. but with the windy weather and hill snow around it won‘t be much fun on the roads and first thing tomorrow morning as well. cycle the clock back and show what is happening to the north of the rain band. for northern ireland eventually some moving in later in the night for north—east england, frosty weather around wintry showers in the north and north—west of scotland. tomorrow morning starts windy across east anglia and the south—east. a blueingry day. rain and hill snow for parts of north wells and northern ireland and northern england easing to a few showers. still some wintry showers, sleet and snow into the north and far north—west of scotland but actually many places as the afternoon goes on, become dry and sunny. some spots

in the south into double figures. tend of the day further rain reaching into parts of northern ireland pushing into perhaps north—west england and southern scotla nd north—west england and southern scotland and again snow on the tops of the hills. from thursday, into friday, we see another area of low pressure developing to the south—west of the uk and that, on friday, looks like it is going to ta ke friday, looks like it is going to take some rain up across england and wales. still a it of about uncertainty about the position but some of that rain will be on the heavy side. again that won‘t be much fun travel tloog you that. to the north, it is mainly dry and into scotland, deept sunny spells. the weekend is looking unsettled. rain at times but not all the time. not a huge amount of sunshine, though, it has to be said. president trump appeals for unity in his first speech to congress — saying the time for trivial fights has passed. democrats listened mostly in silence — but the president struck a softer tone, urging people to come together for the good of the country. from now on, america will be

empowered by our aspirations, not burdened by ourfears. we‘ll be asking our correspondent in washington whether this really does signal a change in president‘s style. also this lunchtime... do we need to have girlfriends and boyfriends at this age? no. sex education is to be made compulsory in all schools in england. in france presidential candidate francois fillon vows to fight on — despite being put underformal investigation over fraud claims. tougher punishments for drivers who use their mobile phones at the wheel come into force today.