tonight at ten, the strongest warning yet from theresa may that britain could leave the european union without a brexit deal. the prime minister told mps that the ball was now in the eu's court and she signalled that leaving without a deal was a possibility. while it is profoundly in all our interests for the negotiations to succeed, it is also our responsibility as a government to prepare for every eventuality. as mps took in the full import of the prime minister's words, labour accused her of wasting time. 15 months on from the referendum, we're still no clearer what the future of this country will look like. the question must be asked — what on earth has the government been doing all this time? and in another development, mrs may hinted that britain would remain subject to the rulings of the european court ofjustice during any transitional period after brexit. also tonight... there were serious allegations of sexual abuse made against the mp sir cyril smith back in 1979, but prosecutors lied to the media about them.

increased pressure on the catalan leader not to declare independence when he addresses the catalan parliament tomorrow. meryl streep criticises the film producer harvey weinstein after he's fired in the wake of allegations about his mistreatment of women. and heartbreak for wales. and heartbreakfor wales. they failed to qualify for next year's world cup finals after defeat by the republic of ireland. and coming up in sportsday on bbc news, international recognition for top‘s harry kane as he is short listed for the ballon d'or award, given to the world's best player. good evening. the prime minister has given her strongest warning yet that britain might have

to leave the european union without a formal brexit deal. mrs may said it was profoundly in the interest of both sides to agree a deal, but that steps to minimise disruption would be needed in case the talks failed. the prime minister also signalled that britain could still to be bound by rulings of the european court ofjustice during any transition period after brexit, an approach that's already being opposed by some conservative mps. our political editor laura kuenssberg has the latest. since she last went off to the commons, she has survived an attempt to force her out, lost her voice in front of the nation and, if that's not all, ministers‘ antics have been fodder for the front pages. but the biggerjob in hand is to get the brexit talks moving. statement, the prime minister. theresa may, trying, hoping, to ignore the pressure on her. but first — to tory nods — she said no deal might be an option. while i believe it is profoundly

in all our interests for the negotiations to succeed, it is also our responsibility as a government to prepare for every eventuality. so that is exactly what we are doing. her option now, to dismiss the enemies. notjust with a shake of the head, but a determination to screw down on the other side. as we look forward to the next stage, the ball is in their court. but i'm optimistic it will receive a positive response. their answer to that claim — it's not me, it's you. there doesn't seem to be much of a mood for progress in this week's brussels talks. there has been, so far, no solution found on step one, which is the divorce proceedings. so, the ball is entirely in the uk court. are you concerned about your own position? and there are jitters in brussels, as at home, about who is really in charge. the many characters of the tory soap

opera, shaping up the plot. vows of loyalty, now aplenty. i'm looking forward to the prime minister's statement. but lots for labour to poke fun. just at the moment when britain needs a strong negotiating team we have a cabinet at each other's throats. half of the conservative party wants the foreign secretary sacked. the other half wants the chancellor sacked. we want both of them sacked! if this government can't negotiate a deal for britain, they should make way for a team that can. but with the ground shaky beneath minister's feet, competing tory visions are on display. should she push and push for a deal? or be ready to walk away? they are still refusing to discuss the long—term relationship between the eu and the uk. when does she call time? will the prime minister say that by march 2019, if we haven't got a deal as to the final brexit arrangements,

then we willjump off the cliff and there will be no deal? the answer to those questions were not straightforward. nor the response to a clear demand. after we leave, will the uk be bound by new rules made by the european courts? it sounds simple. any new rules that were put on the table during that implimentation period, given the way these things operate, it is highly unlikely they would actually be implimented during that implimentation period. an answer worthy of any whitehall mandarin, that provoked concern from brexiteers. keeping the european court or new eu rules means we are effectively in the european union for longer. which is not what the british people voted for in june of last year. just one of theresa may's problems. different sides of her party want to hear different things. doing a deal with her own tribe, let alone a continent, is hard enough. live to westminster and laura is

there. when the prime minister says it is prudent for ministers to prepare for possibly no deal, is that the increasing expectation of westminster? with all of these stumbling blocks in the way, and the stuttering progress of the talks, it certainly is a possibility. as time goes on, with the clock ticking louder and louder, i think you have to look at it as being something that does appear to be more likely. ministers used to talk about contingency planning is if they were talking about pulling the emergency cord. well, today it wasn'tjust the prime minister being a bit more explicit, it was also two government white papers, official documents published, in black and white, starting to sketch out the potential actions, the potential implications ofa no actions, the potential implications of a no deal scenario, to use the rather ghastly jargon. of a no deal scenario, to use the rather ghastlyjargon. to of a no deal scenario, to use the rather ghastly jargon. to be of a no deal scenario, to use the rather ghastlyjargon. to be clear, this is absolutely not what either side wants. nobody is calling for

all pushing for a bust up to take place. but i do think that there has been a bit of a change in tone in westminster. not just been a bit of a change in tone in westminster. notjust because whitehall has suddenly woken up to the fact that it might just whitehall has suddenly woken up to the fact that it mightjust be too difficult a deal to do, but also because of the politics. the uk wa nts because of the politics. the uk wants brussels to believe that we might walk away if the deal isn't good enough. one cabinet minister said to me, ironically, the more prepared we are to walk away, the better a deal we will get. also, for theresa may, such a rocky time, she has to keep her brexiteer backbench group on board. those that fear a bad compromise more than a clear break. all of these competing demands, theresa may has to try to manage them all. laura kuenssberg, thank you. the child sex abuse inquiry, has heard that prosecutors lied to the press in 1979 about the existence of serious allegations against the liberal mp sir cyril smith. it heard that officers who had been investigating claims that

cyril smith abused teenage boys in rochdale had decided there was a case, but prosecutors decided not to take action. our home affairs correspondent tom symonds has more details. in the 1960s, they called him mr rochdale. good to see you. he became mayor the town for labour, but defected to the liberals. do you want a man to represent you or do you want a party robot? in the 60s, it was never revealed that he had been accused of sexually abusing deprived boys. now this public inquiry intends, finally, to get the bottom of it. the decision to embark upon this investigation was, in part, in response to the public concern that some politicians, including cyril smith, were involved in child sexual abuse and able to abuse with impunity because they were protected by the establishment. it is claimed that cyril smith abused boys at a hostel,

cambridge house, which closed in the mid—60s. it is now a private home. when police began an investigation in 1970, smith asked for a meeting. a transcript records a police officer saying... you want to see what we know. and then smith started laughing at that. well, yes, fishing. i think that's fair comment. fishing because cyril smith was hoping to move from local politics to national. he told the police... in three weeks' time i've got to give a decision one way or another whether i'm going to fight the next parliamentary election as a liberal in rochdale. and if i'm going to be charged, i'm not going to accept, guilty or not guilty, it would be unfair to the party. he wasn't charged. but years later the press got wind, started asking questions. the inquiry has obtained these documents held by the security service m15, which record that the director of public prosecutions press representative had untruthfully told

bartlett, a journalist, that they had no record of this case. smith was re—elected in greater numbers than before and, far from diminishing him, the allegations appear to have had absolutely no effect whatsoever. also under investigation, the rife sexual abuse linked to this residential school, knowl view, where smith was a governor. at one point, a sex offender roamed its corridors at night. but, as with cyril smith, the central allegation is of a cover—up. this inquiry is attempting to learn the lessons of the past so that children can be better protected in future. tom symons, bbc news, at the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse. there's growing pressure on the leaders of catalonia to abandon their plans to declare the region independent from spain. the catalan president is due to address the parliament tomorrow, in what's likely to be a major

milestone in the political crisis and he's previously signalled that a formal declaration is imminent. tonight, there's little sign of any compromise between the catalan leaders and the spanish government in madrid. our europe editor katya adler reports from barcelona. barcelona is world famous as a haven for tourists, not a hotbed for political instability. so the storm around catalan independence has taken visitors a bit by surprise. well, there are a lot of people yelling, crying, "viva espana". we have seen people being very friendly, happy. happy to try to be independent, yes. the streets of barcelona have echoed with political slogans this week, demonstrations for and against catalan independence, following a referendum on breaking away from spain which was marred by police aggression, not recognised by spanish courts, but resulted in a majority for independence.

the tension of the last few days, including arguments over who did or didn't vote in the referendum, comes to a head here tomorrow in a special session of the catalan parliament called by the catalan president. and what will he say exactly? it's impossible to overstate how keenly watched, how closely watched his words will be, notjust here in catalunya, but across spain and the rest of the european union. because, ultimately, this comes down to european unity. will there be that declaration of unilateral catalan independence here or not? no—one knows. and if they do, they are not telling. translation: the law is very clear about declaring independence if a majority is in favour. but it is not for me to speak for the catalan president. there are only 2a hours left to wait

and then we will know. how do you feel tonight, i asked, a catalan citizen? translation: ifeel, like a lot of catalans, a mix of emotions. i'm worried, but also full of hope. one thing is for sure. nothing will ever be the same again after the referendum of the 1st of october. as the clock counts down to the catalan president's parliamentary declaration, political pressure is being ramped up to stop the push for independence, at home, by the spanish government... and abroad, with france, seen as culturally close to the catalans, declaring it will not recognise an independent catalonia. tonight, for many, is a time for reflection. the calm before a possible storm. tomorrow, catalans in favour of independence plan to surround the

parliament here, an attempt to bend the catalan president to their will. katya adler, bbc news, barcelona. the prominent hollywood producer harvey weinstein, whose work includes major successes such as pulp fiction and shakespeare in love, has been sacked by the company he founded, following allegations that he sexually harassed women over three decades. the actress meryl streep has called his alleged behaviour "disgraceful", but there's also been criticism of an apparent reluctance in hollywood to respond to the claims, as our correspondent nick bryant reports. there flash photography coming up. he's a behind the camera figure who's become one of the movie industry's most prominent red carpet stars. harvey weinstein, now cast by some as a sexual predator, the alleged villain in a saga of his own making. he is the producer behind a string of hits. pulp fiction showed how he could turn arthouse films into box office sensations.

the king's speech brought oscar—winning success. now he's been fired from the company he co—founded, in light of what the weinstein company described as new information about his misconduct. ashleyjudd was one of the first actresses to speak out. the new york times reported he had reached settlements with at least eight women who claimed he had sexually harassed them. i think the question stands, who protected harvey weinstein, who protected the women, did the women feel they could speak up? did they feel anybody would believe them? did they fear that this would hurt their careers? the plot sounds like a throwback to the bad old days of hollywood, a movie mogul allegedly praying an aspiring young actresses in a modern day version of the casting couch. but the industry has been slow to publicly condemn a figure of enormous influence, one with the power to break, as well as make careers. harvey weinstein is a prominent

democrat, with friends in high places such as hillary clinton. but today the first lady of hollywood, meryl streep, a friend who once referred to him as god, spoke out about the claims. judi dench, who won an oscar for her role in the weinstein movie shakespeare in love, said the allegations were horrifying. last week, he apologised for behaviour which in the past had caused a lot of pain — but also claimed many of the accusations were false. this, though, is a storyline that even he can't control. nick bryant, bbc news, washington. a brief look at some of the day's other other news stories. zahid hussain from birmingham has been jailed for life, for making a bomb from fairylights and a pressure cooker.

winchester crown court heard he'd been radicalised after watching hundreds of videos by so—called islamic state. a british—iranian woman imprisoned in iran, faces new charges, according to her husband. nazanin zaghari ratcliffe was arrested in april last year, as she tried to leave tehran. she was jailed for five years for trying to overthrow the government. human rights groups have called for her release. her husband richard ratcliffe says the new charges could add an extra 16 years to her sentence. the defence company bae systems is set to announce more than 1,000 job losses. it's understood most of the posts affected will be at its plants in lancashire, where the eurofighter typhoon jets are assembled. the government is about to publish its long—awaited audit of how people from different backgrounds in the uk are treated when it comes to education, employment, housing and health. the findings are expected to show that people from ethnic minority backgrounds are twice as likely

to be unemployed, and that white working—class students at state schools are less likely to attend university. our social affairs correspondent elaine dunkley has been looking at some of the issues raised. how fair is multicultural britain when it comes to race? this nursery in birmingham believes in equality is start early and have a lasting effect. in the past we have had children who have been excluded, which is quite shocking, from nurseries, other settings in the area. sometimes, when behaviour is identified in say black boys in particular, it can be seen as challenging. you know, black boys being badly behaved because they are very expressive or speak very loudly and are very excitable. that's boys per se. that also might be girls per se. it is not exclusively black boys or black girls, it is children. i have had cases where they have been labelled as young as one years old.

i have applied for manyjobs, especially media jobs. the government says its mission is to create a society that works for everyone, and will introduce training and mentoring in areas where there is inequality. one area is employment. black, asian and minority ethnic graduates in britain are paid less than their white colleagues with a degree, and are less likely to find a job. i have a law degree and i got a 2:1 in my law degree. i have a friend friend, he's asian. he got a first in his law degree and he works in sainsbury‘s! the reality of a lot of times in life, even if you are or you are capable, you are not given the opportunity to do or be the person you can be. my name is oluwatobi dontoye. if we put our names on our cv, with our middle names or surnames, our cvs could just be thrown in the bin because they don't want a black person working there. since then, when i have been applying for jobs, i always take out my middle name. if i disagree with something, i'm being aggressive, i'm being rude, i'm being disrespectful.

say like my white colleague was to have a fit at work and started effing and jeffing and carrying on, "oh, take time off, you can have a few extra days off work, blah, blah, blah." with me now it's a disciplinary or, "sorry we're going to have to cut your contract." there have been defining moment in race relations. the decades have brought protest and progress, but for some, prejudice is still a part of life. i bought a first—class ticket so i sat in first class and then this white woman came up to me and she was like to me, stand up. and i was like, why am i standing up if i bought a first—class ticket? it really annoyed me because just because i am black i can't sit in first class. mum told me, anthony, go to the shop, i need some milk. ok, cool. put your shoes on, walk to the shop, you got your milk, like, a police carjust drove, stop, came out the car and said "we're here to search you."

there are complexities and challenges among all races in britain. class, the environment in which you grow up in and aspiration can all play a key part. last year, children from white working class backgrounds were the least likely to go to university, according to the government's audit on race. school for me was, could be better. if my home life was more stable, maybe i would have paid a bit more attention. stereotyping was a big thing. i live with a travelling family. we get stereotyped all the time. it don't matter what background you're from, you get a choice whether you succeed in life or not, but success don't always start from right near the book. the hope is for a fairer society for the next generation. the challenge is finding radical measures that will get under the skin of racial and social inequalities. the snp leader, and scotland's first

minister, nicola sturgeon, says she won't consider a second independence referendum until there is greater clarity on a brexit deal. she acknowledged the snp still had to "build its case" for a second vote. and she suggested she'll focus on a domestic agenda, hinting that she'd be prepared to raise taxes in scotland to pay for public services. ms sturgeon was speaking to our scotland editor sarah smith. since their last party conference, snp members have been led halfway up the hill towards an independence referendum then halfway down again. now it seems they're neither up nor down. as nicola sturgeon says, she is considering calling for quite a different vote — a referendum on the result of the brexit negotiations. i have said i think the case for the argument for, not another vote on the principle of eu membership, but a vote on the outcome of that, may become quite hard to resist. i don't think we are there yet, it is not my party's policy, but i think this is an argument

that may gather strength. as the snp focus on public services, not independence, income taxes may soon rise. you've made a lot of public—spending commitments. are you planning to raise tax to pay for them? i think it is time to look at how we progressively use limited tax powers to protect our public services. we will do that responsibly. we have always been responsible on tax. we won't simply transfer the burden of austerity to the poorest in our society. income tax will be going up in scotland? we will announce tax decisions in our budget. i won't do that today. but i am being open about the debate we need to have as a country and a parliament. the snp have asked voters to judge them specifically on their record on education. scottish schools have slipped down international rankings. by your own government measures, literacy in numeracy standards are falling.

how can you say you are proud of the snp record on education? i don't accept that characterisation of scottish education. we do have challenges to overcome. that's why we are pursuing the biggest reform to school education in the lifetime of the scottish parliament, empowering head teachers, pouring significant extra resources into the hands of head teachers. our attainment challenge, much more transparency around the performance of our schools, so the system can be held to account, and crucially, i and the government can be held to account on progress. you are doing a big round of media interviews today, since early this morning. how worried are you about losing your voice before your speech tomorrow? you're speaking to my inner anxieties here! my voice is fine at the moment. i have a healthy supply of strepsils. fingers crossed, don't tempt fate, my voice will hold out. that speech may be a challenge, even without a cough. it is much harder to excite delegates with talk of tax rises than full—throated calls for independence. sarah smith, bbc news, glasgow. the co—leader of the greens,

jonathan bartley, has told supporters that the party can be the most influential force in 21st century politics. they won one seat in this year's general election, but mr bartley told activists in harrogate that they were setting the agenda. conference, let's not forget what we have achieved together. our ideas and policies are how common currency, part of the mainstream. we achieved the party's second—best general election result, and we helped deny theresa may her majority and her mandate. the dementia tax, dead. the ban on fox hunting, safe. the extreme brexiteers in retreat and the tories in disarray. the american economist richard thaler, has won the nobel prize for his work in behavioural economics. he argues that people are often more irrational in the decisions they make, than economic theory has traditionally allowed for, but that people can be "nudged" into making better choices.

his work led to the creation of a research unit under the former prime minister, david cameron, which looked at ways of changing public behaviour. our economics editor kamal ahmed assesses his contribution. 0k, ok, so she has a pretty good hand here... economists are not usually asked to appear in hollywood blockbusters. richard thaler is an exception. here he is with selena gomez explaining why the financial crisis happened. everybody bet opti prices would go up forever. —— property prices. this was a mistake. we make a lot of them. let's take his theory called nudge. the government wants us to eat far more healthily. it could pay lots of money on public education films warning us about a beastie. but mr

thaler says that might not what work. much better just thaler says that might not what work. much betterjust put healthy food in your eyeliner on a higher shelf. uses that could work much more, nudging us to the right choice. nudge could work in other ways. that forgotten gym membership, send a text reminding people that their friends send a text reminding people that theirfriends are send a text reminding people that their friends are still going to the gym. mr thaler told me his model allows us all to make mistakes. we are not always rational decision—makers. are not always rational decision-makers. behavioural economics is simply the addition of human beings into economic models. we misbehave. we eat too much, we exercise too little, we smoke. his ideas have been a major influence on government thinking. this is the official nudge unit in westminster. so savings behaviour, financial behaviour, getting people back to work quicker, it is all influenced

by behavioural economists and top of the pile is really richard thaler so he deserves that prize.|j the pile is really richard thaler so he deserves that prize. i wonder if you are a rational human being. how will you spend the £850,000 prize money? well, whenever i will you spend the £850,000 prize money? well, wheneverl am going to buy anything which is particularly fun, iam buy anything which is particularly fun, i am going to say it came from the nobel prize money and most economists would think that that is stupid, but i think it will give me a lot of pleasure. and that is enough of an economic good for most people. football, and wales have failed to qualify, for next year's world cup finals in russia. the were beaten 1—0 by the republic of ireland tonight — enough for the irish to make it to the play—offs as andy swiss reports. and this list is in cardiff. yes, welsh bands came here with such high hopes. they knew a win would guarantee them

a place in the world cup play—offs, perhaps even automatic qualification but there hopes have ended in defeat and disappointment. for nearly 60 years, the images have loomed over welsh football. in 1958, wales' only appearance at a world cup finals. but was that about to change? come on, wales! for theirfans, this was a night brimming with potential and passion. the hosts, singing their anthem unaccompanied with spine—tingling results. it felt more like a cup final than a qualifier. frantic, frenetic and wales began the brighter. aaron ramsey, agonisingly close. but the republic of ireland had to win to keep their hopes alive and shane duffy showed his attacking intent. and after the break, that early welsh optimism turned to despair. james mcclean firing ireland ahead with the sweetest of strikes. the contrasting emotions in the stands were plain to see. for injured talisman gareth bale, it was hard to watch.

as time ebbed away, so did the host's chances. they threw everything they could at ireland, but there was to be no fairy—tale comeback. the final whistle for their world cup hopes. ireland then head into the play—offs, but for wales, the waiting goes on. a night which promised so much, delivered only more heartache. yes, it was some performance from the republic of ireland. for wales, it was another case of so near, yet so far. they certainly missed their star player gareth bale tonight, injured just when they needed him most. once again, their world cup hopes have ended in deep