at least 31 palestinians were injured in violent protests, following president trump's recognition of jerusalem as israel's capital. the white house has warned the palestinian government against cancelling a meeting with us vice president mike pence, who is due to visit the region later this month. intense negotiations are continuing through the night to try to break the deadlock over the irish border issue in brexit negotiations. the british prime minister, theresa may, has spoken to the irish government, the european commission and her key allies at westminster. the us democrat al franken says he will resign from the senate over a string of sexual harassment allegations. mr franken said he'd been shocked by the accounts of his behaviour given by several women. these are the latest headlines from bbc news. now on bbc news, thursday in parliament. hello there and welcome to the

programme. coming up: the government distances itself from donald trump's decision to recognisejerusalem post israel's capital, but... the process has to move on, if it was derailed by this that would compound the and helpfulness of the decision. the opposition rejects further consultation on paying for social ca re consultation on paying for social care in england. they consulted this in the general election and they we re in the general election and they were rejected by the electorate. and ministers are urged to speed up effo rts ministers are urged to speed up efforts to tackle homelessness. the government only committed itself to eliminating rough sleeping late 2027. why does it take ten years? but first, a foreign office minister has repeated the government's

disagreement with donald trump over his decision to recognisejerusalem as the capital of israel. there has been a growing chorus of condemnation of the announcement. saudi arabia called it unjustified and irresponsible, while france said it did not support the move. president trump's decision reversed decades of us policy on one of the thorniest issues between israel and the palestinians. meanwhile, the israeli minister hailed it as historic and said he was sure more countries would follow suit. in the commons, labour asked an urgent question on the decision and the minister made it clear where the uk stood. we disagree with the us decision to move its embassy to jerusalem and recognisejerusalem as the israeli capital before a final status agreement, we believe it is unhelpful in terms of prospects for peace in the region. the british embassy to israel is based in tel aviv and we have no plans to move it. there is a reason that the four

yesterday no other country would locate their embassy in jerusalem and no other major country would recognise jerusalem as israel's capital. to do either thing, let alone both at the same time, conversely jitter missy alone both at the same time, converselyjitter missy on israel's occupation of east jerusalem, converselyjitter missy on israel's occupation of eastjerusalem, and occupation of eastjerusalem, and occupation with no basis in international law and is a permanent back barrier to achieving the settlement that we wish. the recklessness of that decision is no debate. donald trump is not crying fire ina debate. donald trump is not crying fire in a crowded theatre, he is the whitley setting fire to the theatre and he has the unbelievable cheek to claim that he is doing this to move forward the peace process when in reality he is setting it back decades. the minister said that question was how does the uk were government respond now as mac i think it is imperative that the work that the envoys have been doing, that the envoys have been doing, that they have shared with a number of partners now need to see this. this needs to come forward and all quickly than people anticipated. then we can see what their is to

work on forfriends, then we can see what their is to work on for friends, both of israel and the palestinians. the process has to move on, if it was derailed by this would compound the and helpfulness of decision. if the president has a cunning plan which he hasn't shared, can i invite my friend to smoky lake what it might be? i have no inkling to the thinking of him, but as everything in this whole business, is used one way or another, just possibly there are others within the state of israel who will recognise the whim he has gone out on and when push comes to shove that might be of assistance. regardless of political differences, we share the vault values of tolerance, inclusion and respect. taking this into consideration, or will respect. taking this into consideration, orwillthe respect. taking this into consideration, or will the secretary of state rule out a visit from president trump and send out a clear message that his divisive and reckless actions are not welcome here. alistair burt said an

invitation had been made, but no date had been set. can the minister confirm that if we are to maintain that he will maintain a robust decision to sit a two state solution, although i suggest it begins by pointing out where jerusalem is. he will be aware that one of the most previous consequences is one of the most previous consequences is the impact on palestinian public opinion, more people are giving up on a two state solution. with britain's historical response abilities, would it not be the time to honour the overwhelming vote in this house in 2014 and recognise palestine as a state? recognition of the state of palestine is not necessarily a consequence of what we heard yesterday. it is not a tit—for—tat, it is more important than that. accordingly, it should be a decision made by the uk at a time when we believe it is in the best interest toa believe it is in the best interest to a mac of the process of peace. that is the view and that is the

view from now. is the reality that the peace process has been stalled for 24 years and what we do need now, following this announcement, is direct peace talks between the state of israel and the palestinian representatives. and if we can get from the un a brokered position where those peace talks start, actually this could end up being a good decision. i have no sense that yesterday's decision made a contribution to a dancing peace process. trump's brash, desperation to kick off every illjudged campaign soundbite now threatens the peace process in one of the most volatile regions in the world. government welcomes his words about a two state solution but those count for little when his actions, coupled with the expansion of israeli illegal settlements means the prospect seems more distant than

ever. the government is clearly limited in its ability to influence the us position but surely it is now time to listen to the clear will of this house and for the uk to confirm our commitment to the two state solution by recognising palestine like we do israel. alistair burt said a collective decision had to be made about when the time was right to do that. he added the views of collea g u es to do that. he added the views of colleagues were well—known. mps have been told that a cap on social care cost in england due to come into effect in four years time is to be scrapped. the cap of 72 —— £72,000 on individual care costs was brought in following recommendations of the deal might commission in 2011. but the government says there will now bea the government says there will now be a fresh consultation on the future system of social care. the minister was making a statement following a vote mps earlier in the

year. the prime minister has been clear that the consultation include proposals to place a limit on the ca re costs proposals to place a limit on the care costs individuals face. to allow for full engagement and a development and the way it is paid for considered in the round, we will not be taking forward the previous government was that plans to introduce a cap in 2020. this is a shameful waste of taxpayers money, over £1 million was spent commissioning the review and it is a waste of parliamentary time in acting that cap. it is no good to say that the government are consulting on it, they consulted on this during the general election and their proposals were rejected why their proposals were rejected why the electorate. if we are going to doa the electorate. if we are going to do a consultation, can we start seriously with the challenges they face? i think that the government has its head in the sand regarding who will look after this movement. in the absence of a provision that i

might make and that was encouraged for me to make, is it reasonable for me to expect, social care cost we're to be paid for by the state and yet my heirs to a inherited my substantial housing assets? minister. i think my friend in a nutshell, he summarises neatly the debate that we have to have in the space which is how about we ensure that people can achieve care when they need it and it will be paid for, while at the same time achieving intergenerational fairness. i welcome the idea of a green paperandl fairness. i welcome the idea of a green paperand i hope we fairness. i welcome the idea of a green paper and i hope we can actually build a cross—party consensus that the long—term. at any change is going to be years away from that green paper and the problems are here and now for local councils and the minister didn't deal with the problem in her statement to. it is estimated that next year a funding gap of £2.6 billion. what is the minister going to do about that? where is the money

to do about that? where is the money to make sure that an adequate social ca re to make sure that an adequate social care system doesn't get worse? we have made more money available to local authorities but clearly they, more than any other constituencies, are desperate —— desperate for an assertion. i think it is incumbent to have a construction —— constructive solution. the key is that it constructive solution. the key is thatitis constructive solution. the key is that it is causing misery for thousands of people now. i am 53, will my children be suffering the same level of misery about my care cost we're in the next 30 years? when will we see the date of it committed? i think we were clearing the general election that we will be revisiting this issue. a liberal democrat raise a problem over backpay for overnight shift stuff. it said workers were owed the minimum wage for every overnight power. previously workers had been given the all clear to give sleeping

staff a flat rate of £30. any providers say the bill for six years backpayis providers say the bill for six years backpay is unaffordable.“ providers say the bill for six years backpay is unaffordable. if that is not sorted very soon, a number of very reputably —— reputable charities are likely to go bust. the minister said it was a big issue but the government is working with care providers to address it. you are watching thursday in parliament. mps have pressed the government for more urgent action to tackle what they say is a crisis imprisoned in england and wales. and has had put forward a prison safety and reform plan, with measures to tackle drug abuse, recruit more staff and create new prison places. ajustice committee report warned of a rapid iteration in city driven by a population at a historic high. now more than 86,000 inmates. the report was a focus of a debate in the

commons. we cannot avoid the reality that our prison system has reached a stage where we have to use the phrase a crisis. that doesn't come lightly to me. the truth is that we simply incarcerate lightly to me. the truth is that we simply inca rce rate too lightly to me. the truth is that we simply incarcerate too many people, particularly people with mental health problems. a staggering percentage of people in britain have mental health lens or a learning disability or autism and they need to invest more in the —— hitting people out and given the treatment they need to avoid the criminal justice system in the longer run. we need to be much more discerning and to do that we need to have a much more sophisticated approach to our penal policy, including putting in place genuinely robust alternatives to custody in the right cases for those who are not a threat and a danger to the public and who can be reformed without going to prison. that is critical. mps turned to other problems, including violence and drugs. assaults on staff

continue to rise and when we see the number of hospital admissions continuing to rise there is some real challenge in the system. i were contended that there is a challenge because of reduction in resources, a challenge because of reduction in staff but also a challenge because ofan staff but also a challenge because of an increase in the amount of psychoa ctive su bsta nces of an increase in the amount of psychoactive substances act drugs getting into prisons. there are gang operations going on within the presence that are putting pressures on some offenders who go out on licence, halfway through their sentence, and incredibly, are almost driven to reoffend deliberately to break their licence to then go back into prison in order to smuggle more drugs back in. it is an astonishing idea that in the 21st century we have reoffending as a way of making a living. the old prisons like rochester. they

are described as a —— deplorable and deteriorating. that impacts on recruitment, which had been frozen in this prison and the way in which the situation was proving demoralising to staff. new prisons wa nt demoralising to staff. new prisons want popular either. it would mean 2400 want popular either. it would mean 240 0 pla ces want popular either. it would mean 2400 places more than required in wales. the truth of the matter is, wales. the truth of the matter is, wales is england's affordable penal colony. the old south wales is being turned into 19th—century new south wales. these are the comments of france's crock. going so far as to draw comparisons between what an ebay and wales. we need to be asking if we should have jailed 8000 women

la st if we should have jailed 8000 women last year when it over ming majority committed a non—violent offence that half of them in prison for theft. if prison is about rehabilitation and punishment, what is the point of seven in ten women serving 12 weeks or less injail? seven in ten women serving 12 weeks or less in jail? recruiting more staff, investing in intelligence and technology, rolling out a drug strategy, giving more power. this will solve issues in our prisons. but prisons have always been difficult places to manage and there isa difficult places to manage and there is a significant investment going in to tackle the problems. it will not be done overnight but the actions i am outlining 'today' show our determinations to overcome the problems and make sure prisons are places of safety but also of reform. now with christmas not far off and a

cold spell on the way, pearson said the government must take emergency action to tackle homelessness. one peer raised the problem found in london and work being done in the run—up to the festive season. london and work being done in the run-up to the festive season. we admire the work done by these crisis organisations and those that look after people for christmas only but this is a much greater problem than just christmas. homelessness has become desperate and i've come in contact with trying to help people recently, it is extremely difficult. my noble friend is right about some of the particular town —— particular challenges faced by london and is right to pay tribute to crisis and shelter, both of whom are represented on the advisory board we have set up in relation to tackle the problem of rough sleeping. we put £28 million into that. as well

is the £20 million rough sleeping grant. but we could do something more on the lines of an emergency. wherever you go in our cities, whatever crisis, there are people who are out there, many of them me ntally who are out there, many of them mentally ill. it's an absolute disgrace. it's got nothing to do with human rights. we have to move very quickly because these people are dying before our eyes. my lords, could i paid tribute to the massive of work the noble lord does in this area. he and i visited sheffield together and sauce on project work and other projects which are considerable. i agree with him that complex problems are attached with this. it isn't straightforward. some of these pilots will be looking at the complex nature. people who have left the armed services. the homeless, working with the ministry ofjustice. people who have a

homelessness problem very often with rough sleeping. the noble lord is right. in the budget, the government only committed itself to eliminating rough sleeping by 2027. my lords, why does it take ten years? my lords, the noble lord is right about that. we are committed to halve it by 2022. it's a massive and complex problem. i think it is a realistic timetable. it isn't just problem. i think it is a realistic timetable. it isn'tjust associated with our cities. it is a national problem. it's a realistic timetable and we will be watching that. the noble lord will be holding our feet to the fight to make sure we are halving it. the major causes of rising homelessness are the shortage of supply and the huge rising cost of supply and the huge rising cost of housing, particularly in the

rented sector and would the government not try to address at least that part of the problem by engaging ina least that part of the problem by engaging in a programme of massive building of p —— prefabricated housing? as someone who is brought up housing? as someone who is brought up very happily in a prefab, a comfortable and affordable prefab, right through to my late teens, can i recommend to him is strongly that this is a rapid and effective way of addressing the fundamental problem of this 21st century. we are engaged on the most ambitious housebuilding programme for a generation and with targets of 300,000 new homes per annum by the middle of the 20 20s. he is right about modern methods of construction as we prefer to call these now rather than prefab but he is right, about 15% of new homes are modern methods of construction. we

are looking at doing that, my lords. the government faced criticism in westminster hall of its rejection of all six recommendations from the women and equalities committee to get more women to enter parliament. the chair explained so far progress had been slow. in the past 100 years since women were first given the right to vote and the right to stand for election, just 489 women have ever been elected to this place. i was number 265 elected in 2005. we have record numbers of women in work. women achieving record highs when it comes to education. butjust a handful of had the opportunity to use their skills and expertise to represent communities in this place. we re represent communities in this place. were you have one set of people, one type of people, they are more likely

to agree then disagree. it's better if he have people of different religions, sexuality, ability around the decision—making table because it will make for a better decision—making process. will make for a better decision-making process. labour has used the short list to boost the number of female mps. it unacceptable number of female mps. it u na cce pta ble we number of female mps. it unacceptable we look at very clear evidence that the heavy lifting and the reason we have more women in parliament now is that in the last election, the conservative party went backwards. the labour party surged forwards. don't get me wrong. the labour party is in no way... i had to apologise to someone, it is in no way for placentas area. but it is willing to do the thing that actually works and it's willing to do that at every single level of the political party. every single person who sits on the nec has to be balanced. it's not because of people

who want to claim that they are great heroes of the movement. it's because of women in the labour party fighting and bearing the scars. most political parties, individual consistence —— political parties, individual consistence — — constituency associations are autonomous and determined to retain control over the selection of candidates so we had to allow the parties to structures that allow those associations to have autonomy and i know that a one size fits all solution is not going to give us the answer. michael gove says the government will make an announcement on recognising the principle of animal sentience and providing stronger welfare protection in uk law. mps decided not to incorporate pa rt law. mps decided not to incorporate part of the treaty into the eu with brawl bill that recognises animals

can feel emotions and pain. ministers argued the recognition of animal sentience already existed in uk law, sparking an iq meant not least over the reaction on social media. a vote was raised in the commons at environment questions. media. a vote was raised in the commons at environment questionslj am commons at environment questions.” am many of my colleagues have been contacted am many of my colleagues have been co nta cted by am many of my colleagues have been contacted by constituents raising their concerns over clause 30 of the eu with brawl bill which was interpreted as a means to weaken the protection of animals. we are committed to the highest standards of animal welfare but can you provide absolute assurances this will be the case when we leave? my honourable friend has been a clear and consistent advocate for welfare and consistent advocate for welfare and it is absolutely the case that we are committed to ensuring not just that we recognise animal sentience but we provide appropriate and stronger protection and bringing forward a proposal shortly about the appropriate if —— the appropriate

legislative vehicle. the secretary of state was asked to confirm that article 13 of the lisbon treaty, that animals are sentience beings, would be passed with the repeal bill. he said absolutely. given he voted against including article 13, why did he change his mind?” voted against including article 13, why did he change his mind? i am tempted to quote from the american poet whose name i temporarily forget who made the point that i contain multitudes at the truth is, we want to go further than existing eu law doesin to go further than existing eu law does in the protection of animal welfare. we will make an announcement about that next week. another impact of brexit on animal welfare was raised by the former liberal democrat leader. britain leads the world in food hygiene and animal welfare but that is at risk, given the british veterinary association reckons that 95% of vets

in the abattoirs are from the eu and many will be leaving. will he released the impact assessment but i'm sure he has carried out and would he tell us what action he has taken to would he tell us what action he has ta ken to protect would he tell us what action he has taken to protect our meat industry, animal welfare and food safety from its clear and animal welfare and food safety from its clearand imminent animal welfare and food safety from its clear and imminent threat. i'm grateful to the right honourable gentleman to raise this issue. more than 90% of veterinarians in our attitude —— in our abattoirs come from the eu 27. we have been talking to representatives to ensure those who do such a wonderfuljob continue to feel valued and play the important role they do in ensuring the public of very high standards of food hygiene. finally, loyalty is a much tested trait in politics and it was clearly on display in the house of lords at question time. at the despatch box, lady goldie strongly defended the prime minister's starts

in brexit talks following monday but having stood up her boss, the pair made it very clear she wasn't going to give anything away about the negotiations. everyone will understand these are at and critical stage and you can play all will —— you can flail me, i will not be drawn on detail. lady goldie, refusing to crack under the pressure of questioning about brexit. and thatisit of questioning about brexit. and that is it from me for now but due tojoin me on friday night at 11 o'clock for our round—up of the week in westminster as the government tries to secure an interim brexit deal. but now, from me, goodbye. right now we are more concerned about snow and ice rather than the strength of the wind. but for a while on thursday we had a gust of 90mph in the far north

of scotland, all due of course to storm caroline. the centre of that storm is heading away from scotland and over towards scandinavia. but around that area of low pressure we've still got very windy weather right now. very quickly we're drawing down some much colder air, rapidly down across the whole of the country. so we've had some snow already. there will be more of that and some icy conditions continuing into friday. keep up to date with any travel disruption on bbc local radio. snow not unusual across northern scotland at this time of year. there will be more snow piling up. blizzards in the hills as well. probably largely dry and sunny and frosty into the central belt. more snow showers for northern ireland getting blown over the irish sea into north—west england and the north—west midland and wales.

it's here we could see most of the disruption into the morning. a wintry mix in the south—west of england. but for many eastern parts of england, friday could be largely dry and quite sunny as well. those wintry showers, mostly of snow inland, continuing in roughly in the same sort of area through the day, perhaps moving further into the midlands. the totals could be 5—10 centimetres here and there, perhaps more than that in the north—west of scotland. it will be a cold day. these are the temperatures. because it will be windy there will be a significant windchill. so it will feel quite a bit colder. a real change from what we've seen earlier this week. the winds gradually ease off a little overnight, but the wintry showers, mostly snow inland, continue, perhaps lacking some of the potency, but nevertheless icy conditions and a covering of snow in many northern and western parts of the uk. the frost more widely and quite severe in the countryside and over the higher ground.

it won't be quite as windy on saturday. there will still be wintry showers around, but not as heavy. probably turning more to rain in the south—west with damp is beginning to rise a little. elsewhere it is a cold day. coming into that cold air, more problems on sunday, with this weather system here. a lot of uncertainty about the position of that weather system. but there is the potential for some significant snowfall across parts of wales, england and northern ireland. very cold in that wet weather and to the north. mild and windy in the south—west. of wales, england and northern ireland. very cold in that wet weather and to the north. mild and windy in the south—west. welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers

in north america and around the globe. my name is tom donkin. our top stories: violent protests after president trump's recognition ofjerusalem as israel's capital. the un security council prepares its response. brexit negotiations are continuing into the night, in a fresh attempt to reach agreement over the irish border. if all parties agree, prime minister theresa may on her way to brussels first thing in the morning. we're live from downing street with the latest. us senator al franken is stepping down, after allegations of sexual misconduct and pressure from his democratic colleagues. 200,000 people evacuated as wildfires continue to rage across california.