this is bbc news and these are the top stories developing at 11. a political blow to president trump. democrat doug jones beats roy moore to win the senate race for alabama reducing the republican majority to just one seat. we have shown, notjust around the state of alabama, but we have shown the country the way that we can be unified! two people are charged with murder, over the deaths of three children at a house fire in worsley. backbench rebellion over the government's brexit bill. mps call for a legal guarantee that they will get a vote on the final deal cycling star chris froome faces an investigation after returning an "adverse" drugs test at the vuelta a espana. new chief inspector warns the hundreds of schools are failing to improve. the force was with the

hundreds of schools are failing to impr| for the force was with the hundreds of schools are failing to impr| forgecfi"; force was with the iii -"* from f; we will tram fz, we will be reviews from critics, and we will be talking to them shortly. good morning. it's wednesday 13th december. i'm annita mcveigh. welcome to bbc newsroom live. there's been a huge political upset in the united states, where the republicans have been defeated in a us senate election in alabama for the first time in 25 years. it's a major blow for president trump who had supported the republican candidate, roy moore. during his campaign, mr moore eight women came forward to say he

had been accused of sexual assault. one claim this had happened since she was 1a. his rival doug jones will now become the first democrat to represent the state in the us senate since 1992. the democrat victory narrows the republicans‘ majority in the upper house to 51—19, making it harder for president trump to get his legislative programme through. our correspondent david willis reports. it was a stunning political upset. doug jones, a former federal prosecutor, is the first democrat to be elected to the senate in this conservative southern state in a quarter of a century. his victory reduces the already razor thin republican majority in the senate to just one seat. as moral —— as doctor king liked to quote, the moral arc of the universe

is long, but it bends towards justice. if trump is losing in the deep red states, the republican side states, then the swing states, the blue states, this is an ominous warning to donald trump that this is not your country. i think they have destroyed a good man and i feel sorry for roy moore, because he was a good, christian person and i think it would've been a good senator. more perhaps than the strength of the victor, this result speaks to the weaknesses of his opponent. republican candidate roy moore, a firebrand evangelical who believes homosexuality is immoral and muslims should not be allowed to serve in congress, saw his sizeable lead in the polls start to falter after a string of women came forward to say that he had sexually assaulted them, in one case, when the accuser was just “i. roy moore denies the allegations. pa rt part of the problem with this campaign is that we've been painted

in an unfavourable and unfaithful light. we have been put in a whole, if you will. despite calls from senior members from his own party for him to withdraw from the race, mr moore continued to enjoy the support of president trump, who tweeted tonight: those so—called write—in votes could prove significant in a further twist to a long and often ugly campaign. the vanquished candidate is refusing to concede defeat. for this deep south state to prefer a pro—choice, pro—gay rights candidate like doug jones over a hardline conservative like roy moore is a reflection not only of the weakness of the republican candidate, but a major snub to the president who backed him. it will also be seen by some as a victory for the victims

of sexual assault whose claims roy moore has consistently dismissed as fake news. lets talk to scott lucas, professor of american studies at the university of birmingham. and from alabama. thanks for joining university of birmingham. and from alabama. thanks forjoining us. this is really significant on a number of levels. first of all, let's talk about the numbers in the senate and what this means. the republican majority is now only 51—19, and what that means practically is having failed to pass a single major bills since donald trump became president that their hopes of getting through a massive $1.5 trillion tax cut the necessity of getting a federal government budget, which has been delayed for months, that in jeopardy. this is compounded by a

second factor that there is a civil war in the republican party between what you might call the more established members and what you might call the hard right, around steve bannon. he was the driving force behind roy moore. with people blaming each other for last night's defeated means the republican party will find it even more difficult to show any type of ability to govern in the months ahead which become more crucial as we get nearer the 2018 mid—term congressional elections. you argue, and many would ee, elections. you argue, and many would agree, that morally, this result is even more significant. talk is through your thoughts on that. we can talk about the indications, and they are huge, but this was a time when i think people stood up for decency and tolerance against division and hatred, not only in terms of the rhetoric we have heard, including that from donald trump, but given the questions about roy

moore's character and his version of christianity, which is different from my might one, and his views towards muslims, homosexuals and women, are you willing to set aside 01’ women, are you willing to set aside or ethical separations for political expediency? and whether people are democrats or republicans, that is not acceptable and it's not the way we move forward. the black vote was hugely significant as well. we move forward. the black vote was hugely significant as wellm we move forward. the black vote was hugely significant as well. it was, and a lot of analysts in the run—up said they thought roy moore would win because they don't believe that african—americans win because they don't believe that african—america ns would turn win because they don't believe that african—americans would turn out. we think they will sit on their hands, like some did in the presidential election in 2016. african—americans made 30% of those who voted last night, turning out in huge numbers. this was not just night, turning out in huge numbers. this was notjust a racial issue. these were folks who came and said it was not a black or white issue, though were questions of housing, health care, civil rights, and we are not sure they are being answered

by the man in the white house or by the man named roy moore. instead, doug jones, who is a prosecutor who has handled high—profile civil rights cases, he became a symbol of what they are looking for. given the allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct and the allegations he denies. and that donald trump chose to back him as his man in this race given the sorts of allegations that donald trump faces of sexual misconduct, what could this mean for donald trump as women who have accused him of inappropriate behaviour are starting to make their voices heard again? donald trump has walked into a huge trap. he escaped last year, despite the video of him bragging about sexually at —— accosting women. but with others who have been accused of sexual impropriety, by backing roy moore and further by insulting the women

who have raised questions about his sexual behaviour, including what you might call slut shaming, and i use that term deliberately. trump was in the position of saying, look, if these standards are appropriate for all americans, why aren't the standards appropriate for you, sir? that is a question that will no longer go away. professor scott lucas, thank you very much. two people have been charged with murder over the deaths of three children in a house fire in worsley in greater manchester on monday. 14— year old demi pearson, 8—year—old brandon and 7—year—old lacie died in the house fire. their mother and three—year—old sister remain in hospital. two 16—year—old boys were able to escape the property. the government is facing the threat of a defeat by rebel backbenchers when mps vote on its flagship eu legislation. led by former attorney general dominic grieve,

a conservative mp, the rebels want to insert a legal guarantee that mps should get a vote on any final brexit deal before it is finalised. the amendment, which could be backed by labour, will be debated later. i'm joined from our westminster studio by our assistant political editor norman smith. how close do you think this vote is going to be? i think both sides concede it could be very close indeed, and where we are at the moment we seem to be in showdown country because there is no indication that either side is yet going to back off. the vote is not until seven o'clock, so there is a way to go on the government could come forward with some sort of compromise if they thought they were going to be defeated but the hope the moment is that they can enough pressure on some of the newer rebels to try and peel them off but this

morning we had a letterfrom david davis trying to set out the government case, promising a vote after theresa may had done a deal, promising a vote after legislation and further bills down the line. but that does not appear to have made much inroads into rebel support and we also heard from the education secretary that the government had adopted a conciliatory approach was listening to the concerns of critical mps. we will see what happens in the debate today but i think we genuinely tried to listen to some of the concerns and points people had been making. we had not wa nted people had been making. we had not wanted to garner a load of new powers without parliamentary oversight. what we have genuinely done is sat down and tried to walk —— work—out the balance between being able to respond as a government and parliament and if there are things we need to fix quickly after we leave the eu but at

the same time not do that in a way that does not have proper scrutiny. we have brought forward proposals today and i hope that they do reflect how much we have been listening to the debate in parliament and how much that goes out. i am joined parliament and how much that goes out. iamjoined by parliament and how much that goes out. i am joined by one of those threatening to vote against the government a night, nicky morgan. and let's be honest, tory rebels have talked up rebellions before and nothing has materialised, so aren't we entitled to be a little bit suspicious that maybe this time nothing will happen again? on the first point, no conservative mp wants to vote against their government or prime minister, so in previous votes the government has listened and there have been discussions and we have reached the point where we are able to accept government assurance that is a good thing in terms of showing parliament working. but today's boat is critical in terms of having a final vote on the final deal and that is something that millions of people in the country are wanting to see parliament achieve and we very much

hope the government will listen now at this late stage on that request and approve and accept dominic grieve's amendment number seven. the problem is this is notjust about brexit. from the government perspective, where they to back off and be defeated, that potentially reignites all the questions about mrs may's authorityjust when she had got back on herfeet mrs may's authorityjust when she had got back on her feet after the deal in brussels last week. had got back on her feet after the deal in brussels last weeklj had got back on her feet after the deal in brussels last week. i don't acce pt deal in brussels last week. i don't accept that. i think what it would do with the government did decide to acce pt do with the government did decide to accept amendments seven it would show they are listening to parliament on one thing the prime minister said at the dispatch box on monday when she talked about the deal achieved last week was that she thought it would find favour both with those who voted to leave or remain and one thing we want to get away from our these labels, these continuing divisions and the way we do that is by taking the good arguments from both sides and say let's do something in the national interest. a final vote, which is what the eu parliament will have, that's the right thing for the uk

parliament to have in the national interest. what you say to those like iain duncan smith who say that the name of the game is not about parliament having a vote, it is about scuppering brexit and refuse nick remainers not accepting the referendum and see this as a means to delay or thought brexit? that is absolutely not the case —— stop brexit. we have accepted the referendum result, however we campaigned and the uk will leave the european union at the end of march 2019th but i don't see why we have to do it ina 2019th but i don't see why we have to do it in a way that damages the constitution, the economy or our values. when people like my colleagues who are hard brexit campaigners, it says more about them and their unwillingness to move on from the divisions of the past than it does about those of us who are trying to make parliament work well to improve the legislation and to move forward. nicky morgan, thank you for your time. we are facing a real cliff edge tonight and i guess

my instinct is that the government will probably have confined some sort of way to meet the concerns of rebels because really, a defeat would be such a significant blow, not just for would be such a significant blow, notjust for brexit, but would be such a significant blow, not just for brexit, but also would be such a significant blow, notjust for brexit, but also mrs may going back to brussels to conclude the divorce agreement. norman, thank you very much. meanwhile in brussels, european parliament members have been debating the agreement reached between the uk and eu last week. the chief brexit negotiator, michel barnier told them that britain could not renege on its commitments. our correspondent adam fleming is there. as norman was reflecting, just as theresa may got back on her feet, no sooner had she done that than some mps were shall we say being equivocal about the deal and what it actually meant and what are the concerns like over that in brussels?

sorry to be a pedant, but we are in strasbourg, which is where the european parliament has their official seat. you would expect me to be in brussels but i am in france. meps have had a three hour long debate about whether brexit negotiations have got to which stage so far. there are two big concerns. the first which was the priority through the brexit talks, which was the rights of eu nationals living in the rights of eu nationals living in the uk and british people who will continue to live in the eu after brexit. they are particularly concerned about the administrative procedure that eu nationals will have to go through to get their settled status to stay in the uk. we heard the european parliament chief negotiator saying that the process should be free, so as accessible to a plumber as to a multi—millionaire banker. that is a thing to keep an eye on. the second thing they are concerned about his comment made by david davis over the weekend which

have been interpreted as potentially a bit of backsliding by the uk government on commitments made in the first phase of the brexit talks that culminated in the deal signed by theresa may and the european commission early on friday morning over breakfast. when meps vote shortly, they will vote on a motion that has been amended to apply a light slap on the wrist to david davis to remind the british government that progress in phase two with talks about trade and the future relationship is contingent on commitments made in phase one being kept. that is the signal that will be sent from the european parliament today. adam, thank you, strasbourg. we should not have let that slip through. thank you very much. adam fleming there. the headlines on bbc newsroom live. a blow to president trump. democrat doug jones beats controversial candidate roy moore to win the senate race for alabama. two people are charged with murder, over the deaths of three children at a house fire in worsley

in greater manchester. the government faces a backbench rebellion as mps call for a legal guarantee that they will get a vote on the final brexit deal. now the sport with katherine downes. chris ruane says the cycling world governing body are right to ask questions about his adverse drugs test. he had twice the allowed level in his urine during the 12 alice va nya. in his urine during the 12 alice vanya. the in his urine during the 12 alice va nya. the team in his urine during the 12 alice vanya. the team doctor said his asthma problems had increased. chris broome is not suspended. in the last hour, he has taken to social media to thank people for the messages of support —— chris froome. more to come on that one, i am sure.

jonny bairstow has moved up to six in the batting order as england name an unchanged team which starts tonight in the third test. if england lose, the series is lost, but the signs are not good as england have not won for nearly a0 yea rs england have not won for nearly a0 years in perth. but captainjoe root believes his team have a chance to change that history. it's been spoken about quite a lot and as a groupi spoken about quite a lot and as a group i believe, i genuinely believe we have a really good opportunity here and we have done some really good things in practice and we have spoken really well as a group and we know exactly how we need to go about things this week so it's just making sure we put it into practice and the quys sure we put it into practice and the guys stand up and deliver when it matters. burnley manager sean dyche has said football is about dreams after their 1—0 win over stoke city moved his side into the top four. a

late goal by ashley barnes put them into the champions league places. they climb above liverpool and arsenal, who play this evening. crystal palace are out of the bottom three for the first time this season after scoring twice in the final few minutes to beat watford. they were one goal down but turned it around after watfo rd one goal down but turned it around after watford had a man sent off. chelsea also beat huddersfield. that's all sport now. more on the website, but back now to anita. the chief inspector of schools in england says more than 700 schools have been struggling to improve for yea rs have been struggling to improve for years including some which have not been rated good by ofsted for a decade. the government says it is targeting additional help in disadvantaged areas. jon donnison reports. good afternoon. so this is english. children's at st peter's secondary school in huntington in cambridgeshire. in 2016, ofsted judged this school inadequate in some areas and it was put on special measures after years of problems. 18 months on, it has been turned around and is now ranked

as good in most fields. amanda spielman, ofsted's chief inspector of schools in england, visited st peter's this month and is full of praise for what's been achieved. but not all schools do so well. ofsted says there are 50 secondary schools and 80 primary schools in england that haven't been judged to be good at any point since 2005. for 12 years now, they haven't been managed to be good at any point in that. so, a child's time in a typical secondary school is five years. that means we're on to a third generation of children who have never experienced being in a good school and we shouldn't be happy with that. but teachers unions say the stigma of a bad ofsted report can often push a school into a negative spiral, where parents don't want to send their children there and where recruitment of teachers becomes hard. they also say many schools are under funded, but the government says

it's spending £280 million to give extra help to schools in designated opportunity areas including providing extra training for teachers. for star wars fans, the wait is nearly over. the eighth episode in the franchise, the lastjedi, gets its cinema release at midnight tonight. but last night the film's stars, including british actors daisy ridley and john boyega, were on the red carpet in london for its european premiere. a warning, this report from our entertainment correspondent, lizo mzimba, contains flash photography. the stars of star wars, cinema royalty, on the red carpet with actual royalty. princes william and harry, such fans of the saga, during filming, they secretly played cameos as stormtroopers, much to the excitement of the cast. it was great, fantastic. fantastic. phenomenal.

and they've done an official visit as well. they got in an x—wing and all that kind of stuff. it was fun. the lastjedi is the ninth star wars film since the saga began a0 years ago. it didn't scare me enough then. there's a huge degree of expectation among fans. what is star wars to you? star wars is everything, really. something i've always obviously been interested in. it's almost a way of life, i think. i think it isjust a cracking good story. it's all swashbuckling, goodies versus baddies, i think that's what makes it so great. fan power like this has driven the franchise for a0 years and is also the reason why many expect this film to make more in the final two weeks of 2017 than any other film makes in the entirety of this year. lizo mzimba, bbc news. i'm joined by the film journalist helen o'hara, who saw the film at a press screening on monday. the verdict? good. really good. it

manages to do everything you want of a star wars movie but surprise you along the way in lots of different, little ways. you think you know what will happen and then it doesn't. it's wonderful because it still feels like star wars but it's very different from anything we've seen before. and more emotional than the previous ones, you said?” before. and more emotional than the previous ones, you said? i think that was inevitable given the carrie fisher died after the film was shot, and so every time you see princess on screen there is that emotion in the sense that it's not part of the film—making, but apart from that, it's a really heavy, dense film and mark hamill‘s performances really emotional and waited. we see a lot more of him than we saw in the previous one, and i read an interview with him recently where he said that the last frames, standing ona said that the last frames, standing on a cliff, they may as well have written to be —— to be continued on

my forehead. what did you make of him? luke is different than we have seen him? luke is different than we have seen him before. he's been through a lot, and you know that luke had taught lot, and you know that luke had ta ug ht kylo lot, and you know that luke had taught kylo ren and is disappointed. he has been through the mill and he shows it. he is much older, sadder, more tired and he has to be brought back to the luke skywalker we know and love. what about the new generations of star wars figures introduced in the last movie? daisy ridley works closely with luke and he's trying to persuade her to teach her and he's very reluctant. john boyega goes off with one of the new characters, who is a wonderful addition to the story, and then you have poe dameron who has lots more to do. and kylo ren is genuinely my

favourite star wars villain. he has overta ken favourite star wars villain. he has overtaken darth vader. he so much more interesting. as someone who hasn't watched them before, could they watch this as a stand—alone? would it work? you might need summary would it work? you might need summary to talk you through and give you quick pointers on who is who first but there is so much going on and such incredible action scenes and such incredible action scenes and design i think it would still work. and it has lots of 5-star reviews. is it five stars from you? at least four stars. i want to see it again before i go for the full five. can't wait to see it myself. thank you very much. let's look at some of today's other developing stories. latest figures show that unemployment fell by 26,000 between august and october to 1.a3 million, while thejobless rate remained at a.3%, the lowest since 1975. but wage growth is still behind inflation for the seventh month in a row.

the office for national statistics says average weekly wages rose by 2.3% in the three months to october, which is lower than inflation. natural gas exports from one of the north sea's main oil and gas fields have been halted for at least three weeks until early january after the closure of britain's largest oil and gas pipeline. a crack was discovered last wednesday during a routine inspection. the pipeline carries about a quarter of the daily output of the entire crude oil production in the north sea basin, and handles a third of britain's total offshore gas production. kensington palace has confirmed that meghan markle willjoin the queen and other senior members of the royal family for christmas at sandringham. ms markle and prince harry will attend the traditional christmas day church service on the queen's private estate in norfolk. the couple got engaged last month and will marry in may. the headlines coming up in a moment,

and we say goodbye to be was on bbc two, but first it was a look at the weather forecast. good two, but first it was a look at the weatherforecast. good morning. we have temperatures much higher than they were yesterday morning, as they we re they were yesterday morning, as they were well below freezing across many areas, but because of the higher temperatures and the bit of rain we had last night a lot of the snow has started to melt and it's turning quite slushy in places. through the rest of the afternoon rain will continue to spread to the south—east and there will be sunny skies developing but also wintry showers, particularly over the higher ground of scotla nd particularly over the higher ground of scotland and northern ireland and into the afternoon but it is by the rush hour this evening where we are keeping a close eye. here for a short time there could be snow at lower levels, settling before it clears away and there is the risk of ice across central and northern areas of the uk into thursday, but during thursday it will be a dry day

with further showers towards northern and western parts. that's it from me. goodbye. this is bbc news. our latest headlines: in a major upset, voters in alabama have elected the democrat doug jones as their new senator — dealing a blow to president trump and the republican party. a man and a woman accused of murdering three children in a house fire in worsley in greater manchester have appeared in court, charged with murder, attempted murder and arson. the brexit secretary, david davis, has written to conservative mps, assuring them there will be a vote on the final terms of the uk's exit from the european union. he hopes to head off a rebellion by tory mps threatening to defeat the government over its brexit plans. and the four—time tour de france winner, chris froome is being investigated for an apparent breach of anti—doping rules. the cyclist says he increased his dosage of an anti—asthma drug within permissible limits on medical advice. and in control has been tweeting

about the alabama senate race. his man roy moore defeated by doug jones. first democrat to win in alabama for half a century. no mention that the deck includes allegations from a number of women of sexual harassment by roy moore, including when one of the accusers was just 1a. roy moore denies those

allegations but undoubtedly it had an important impact. the brexit secretary david davis has written to conservative mps, assuring them there will be a vote on the final terms of the uk's exit from the european union. mr davis hopes to head off a rebellion by tory mps who are threatening to defeat the government over its brexit plans in a vote later today. let's return to our assistant political editor norman smith who's at westminster. is that statement from david davis going to be enough? the written statement that we got this morning from the government does not yet appear to have won over sufficient rebels. at least not the ones i have been talking to. the government is good to try to keep the pressure on some of the younger conservative rebels, reminding them that theresa may has just bounced back after a

difficult few months. do they really wa nt to difficult few months. do they really want to raise questions about authorities again? do we really want to possibly helpjeremy corbyn? you can see the squeeze put on them. is that there's not enough, i would see is that the government would have to find some sort of compromise to defeat. defeat would be a significant moment. we can mull over that. we have a former conservative cabinet minister with us. this is a serious moment? actually, i do not think that it is. i am sorry to disappoint you and your viewers. most people have not actually been reading amendment seven. it says you cannot use statutory instruments to withdraw under other withdrawal bill, until you have withdraw under other withdrawal bill, untilyou have had withdraw under other withdrawal bill, until you have had an act of parliament, the implementation. i bill, until you have had an act of parliament, the implementation. lam not sure it is terribly material,

achieving any useful effect. it is largely bother about nothing. can i tell you why i do not think it is bother about nothing. many mps think it isa bother about nothing. many mps think it is a vehicle for ensuring that you have legislation before any final deal is agreed. rather than being presented with what they regard as a take it or leave it vote. if people believe that it does do that, they are going to and four terrible shock. why has the government not convince them?m could be that the government is actually relaxed about that, because it does not have any effect. it is happy to have a huge song and dance about something entirely useless. it is possible to construct legislation that can be put down as an amendment that can be put down as an amendment that would actually give mps the

ability to throughout the withdrawal agreement. going to have that ability anyway. this does not do that. you could also try to find some way to give mps the ability to stop the process but this does not do that. under article 50 that has got nothing to do with the withdrawal. it is perfectly clear from article 50 that we're going to leave the european union, withdrawal agreement or not. i want to suggest why the government is possibly not so why the government is possibly not so for more about that. it would be theresa may's foster feed. in the current climate, mrs may has just rebranded following the success in brussels, the last thing that she wa nts brussels, the last thing that she wants is to be forced back onto the defensive, inflicted by conservative rebels. i am sure the government does not like to be defeated. but no

material impact. authorities, and trying to negotiate a deal in brussels if it is damaged by this vote. it does in the media world, but what actually matters is if the government can do the things it is trying to do. however this goes to late, a vote or not, absolutely no impact on the price of eggs!m late, a vote or not, absolutely no impact on the price of eggs! if you area impact on the price of eggs! if you are a european union negotiator and theresa may comes back to brussels having suffered defeat on the exit bill, you could conclude she does not have the authority to deliver a deal? i think people in brussels are perfectly aware that we have got a slim majority. also going to know that we're going to be defeated in all sorts of respects in the house of lords. no majority at all. the only issue is at the end of the day can the government carry this and other confidence measures, the whole

bill, that would be a major issue. i am confident it can, with this or not. it is all great fun for the media and perhaps possibly for some of the viewers. thank you very much. put back in the box. it is all media fund. we will see. we shall. thank you. the banks have said that a rapid response scheme combating fraud has had success, teams can arrive at banks if they believe that somebody has been fraudulently obtaining money. the rolls—royce. some people have hearts set on getting one. things like this are used by criminals to get hold of cash. when i came into this bit

of inheritance, i thought, right, i always wanted a rolls—royce. it is a dream car. they are so comfortable and so easy to drive. barry fox in essex had a lucky escape thanks to swift action from his bank when he went to withdraw the money to buy another fictional rolls in an ebay scam. the fraudsters tried to lure him into bringing cash to a pick—up in the middle of the countryside. what was the danger? you might have gone bad... i might have gone there with £10,000 in my pocket and have been knocked over the head with a stick or something. no car there at all. when barry popped into his local bank and asked for £10,000 in cash, there was immediate concern about him. now, banks often find it difficult to explain to customers that they might be being scammed, but under the new arrangements, they were able to call 999, quote banking protocol and get

a police officer around here within half an hour. while in the branch, the police checked out the car. the situation just did not seem right... it wasn't where it should have been. it was registered in bristol. they check the business details against ebay. it was the correct business name, but the contact details did not match. banks say they've stopped customers being defrauded of £9 million ina year. however, that is just the ones going into branches. £100 million has been lost injust six months by people unwittingly paying fraudsters online. this is good news for those who use their branch. anything the banks can do to help them is good news. more and more of us bank online and certainly have to bank online because bank branches are closing. so we want to see more done to protect consumers from being scammed online.

automatic, preowned. but with the internet still playing a big part, it is worth being wary if asked to pay in cash. i would tell people, if they want cash, don't buy. the bank—police tie—up which meant barry did get his dream car will soon be in place across the country. simon gompertz, bbc news, in essex. a baby born with her heart outside her body has survived surgery at a hospital in leicester. vanellope hope wilkins was delivered three weeks ago and has had three operations to place her heart back in her chest. the rare condition was picked up in early scans. earlier vanellope's mum naomi findlay and her consultant, frances bu'lock spoke to my colleague victoria derbyshire. naomi started by sharing what chances the medical team had literally next to none.

there was a very, very slim chance that she would survive at all, either she would die in the womb or when she was born, through delivery, she wouldn't survive. and how did you and your husband respond to that? not very well, to be honest with you. it was not something that we wanted to hear. but i think as time went on, and the more scans we went to, and the more we saw her grow and her heart beat, it wasn't something that we believed was actually going to happen. we believed that she was a fighter. but obviously the first ten minutes of when she arrived, it was

a very crucial point. we didn't know, nobody knew how she would cope with being outside of the womb. so very much the first ten minutes, i think everybody was holding their breath, even the medics. she actually came out covering her own heart, she had her hand over her own heart, protecting it, and came out kicking and screaming, she did. and it was a real sense of relief. i think that then is when we decided it was all right to breath ourselves. the biggest hurdle, as naomi has already said, was getting her born safely and getting it arranged so that all the right things were around at the right time to manage that. there was a big logistical

organisation and information discussion to get her delivered at the cardiac unit. we had to have the obstetricians there, the neonatal specialists, and in the cardiac surgical team, get the baby out safely, get the heart covered, and then swap naomi out of the theatre and bring vanellope into the theatre and start the process of repatriating her heart to where it should be. wow. and so how would you say she is now? they are doing really well. she's certainly very active. she had a rough week the week before when we actually got the skin closed, that was a really big operation for her. caused a lot of swelling. she is getting over that. she opens her eyes, she wriggles, she waves her arms and we have to stop trying to pull her breathing tube out. yeah. so, she is showing considerable promise. in all story and send the best

wishes. hundreds of buildings and homes have been destroyed in fires across southern california more than 100—thousand people have been forced to evacuate — crews who have been battling the wildfires for a week have now managed to slow the spread of the blazes. there have also been stories of people saving their houses — including this from one homeowner who set up sprinkler systems around his house in monteseeto which withstood the fires. rain birds like this, and are wondering there, we have had that forfour wondering there, we have had that for four days. along the wondering there, we have had that forfour days. along the hillside. i do not know if that is what stopped it. you can see that, stopped coming up it. you can see that, stopped coming up the hill. and we had this whole thing going. you can see another rain bird. some hotspots. at the oak tree. rain birds there. all over the

hillside and roof. before we had to evacuate. that was the majority of trying to get things cleared up. and on the front balcony we to every single piece of wood furniture. i had that here. getting that off the balcony. no wood around the house. and wherever possible we got rid of all the furniture. enterprising homeowner. social media has been named as "the most significant factor" in driving harassment, abuse and intimidation of candidates in this year's general election. in a report commissioned by the prime minister, the committee on standards in public life is calling for new laws to force technology firms to take responsibility for material published on their sites. our media editor, amol rajan reports. millions of us use social media every day, but these big tech firms have come under scrutiny for how

they deal with bullying, abusive and extremist content. the report by the independent committee on standards in public life, an advisory body rather than a parliamentary or commons committee, attempts to address this scourge of intimidation on social media platforms. its recommendations include the introduction of a new offence in electoral law, to stop intimidation of parliamentary candidates and campaigners. but while the report is strong on the lack of transparency about data collected by these firms, and contains familiar statements about doing more to remove offensive material, it doesn't make clear how shifting legal responsibility for harmful content on to the companies would actually work. the scale of material uploaded online, a00 hours on youtube every single minute means that this is impossible to control completely. evenif impossible to control completely. even if it was practical, asking facebook to censor material before it was published with fundamentally

change the nature of the open web. consensus is emerging that technological giant should take greater responsibility but no consensus on how. the government said it will consider the recommendations. london's euston station will be turned into a shelter for the homeless on christmas day, when rail workers and charity staff will serve food to 200 rough sleepers. the station concourse will be filled with decorations and tables for a festive dinner in a partnership between network rail and homeless charities. iamjoined by i am joined by stephen from network rail. giving up your christmas to help. you are ahead of transformation and you will be transforming the station for christmas. this was your idea. group of four. network rail is a great company to work for, inspiring us to

do different things. we have come together and thought about what we could do at christmas. many people may not be looked after. we are taking euston station, putting some security measures in place, great day for 200 people. he mentioned that you have decided to go with that you have decided to go with that number because you feel it is manageable for this event. absolutely. we are all about safety. and this event, first ever we have done, we are keeping this to numbers that we are confident with. we know who's going to be coming. we been working with charities. two charities. inviting the guests for you? . the charities are brilliant. the street kitchen, it feeds 100

people every week. you can imagine who is doing the food. don't bring that along. got some decorations, tables, we deliver complex projects so tables, we deliver complex projects so this is just a pleasure to get involved in. could this be the start ofan involved in. could this be the start of an ongoing partnership beyond christmas? we are focused on christmas, getting everybody and to have a good time and we are focused on this christmas. and obviously, thousands of people as through euston every single day. will you be letting members of the public who use that station now about what is going on, can be contribute? we are going on, can be contribute? we are going to do some social media. we have invited the press. it would be great to see that. that is how we wa nt to great to see that. that is how we want to communicate. we want to focus on the homeless, giving them a good day. in terms of the nations, we are doing this without cost to the general public. we're not asking for donations as network. we are

going to talk to some companies if they would like to help with some things. the event is ready to go. thank you very much. two people have appeared in court charged with murder, over the deaths of three children in a house fire in worsley in greater manchester on monday. fourteen year old demi pearson, eiht—year—old brandon and seven—year—old lacie died in the house fire. their mother and a three—year year old girl remain in hospital. two 16—year—old boys were able to escape the property. our correspondent dave guest is outside manchester and salford magistrates' court. just take us through what happened in court today. two faced the district court and court number 16 behind me. the sink three charges of murder relating to a 1a year rd, and

eight—year—old and a seven year rd. those three died as fire swept through their home on monday morning. this pair have also faced charges of arson, an attempted murder of the mother, michelle pearson. she remains in hospital. three occurrence of attempted murder, a girland three occurrence of attempted murder, a girl and 16—year—old boys. thejudge ordered that murder, a girl and 16—year—old boys. the judge ordered that those individuals cannot be identified. this case has attracted a lot of media interest this week. the public gallery was full of the media. it was a very brief hearing. it to know more than five minutes for the districtjudge to say that more than five minutes for the district judge to say that this more than five minutes for the districtjudge to say that this had to be dealt with by a higher court,

reminding to the higher crown court. another hearing tomorrow but in the meantime, the pair have been remanded in custody. the only spoke briefly this morning to confirm names, ages, where they live. thank you. in a moment a summary of the business news this hour but first, the headlines on bbc newsroom live: the democrat doug jones defeats roy moore to win the race and alabama. two people are charged with murder, over the deaths of three children at a house fire in worsley in greater manchester and the government faces a backbench rebellion as mps call for the legal guarantee that they will get a vote on the final brexit deal. i'm ben thompson — in the business news... unemployment has fallen to 1.a3 million in the three months to october — the joint lowest it's been since 1975. it leaves the headline

rate steady at a.3%. but incomes continue to fall in real terms, with inflation eating into our earnings. more on this shortly. walt disney is close to confirming a deal to buy the entertainment business of 21st century fox. the deal is reported to be worth $60 billion. the sale would include the 20th century fox film studio and the sky and star satellite broadcasters in the uk, europe and asia. disney is the frontrunner to seal the deal after comcast, the owner of nbc, dropped out of the race. profits at tech retailer dixons carphone have slumped 60% in the first half of the year as customers put off upgrading their phones, holding onto their old one for longer. the firm has already lowered its profit forecasts for the full year after warning of challenging trading conditions. morning. let's get more on the latest

fall in unemployment — with the jobless rate falling by 26,000. it leaves the headline rate of unemployment at 2.3% but it's earnings which will still be a cause for concern. wages are still be outstripped by inflation, which means that in real terms, we're feeling worse off. ruth gregory, uk economist, capital economics joins us. fall in the number out of work. that has been pretty consistent. the lowest for some time. but wages are still a problem? the figures this morning were once again disappointing, more than expected. we saw the quarterly fall in employment growth and unemployment only continue to fall because more people were stopping to look for work and joined the so called inactive. wage growth has to rise to

meet inflation. the backdrop for the first period is pretty poor. the timing of all this, we were told that inflation would possibly start to ease by the end of the year. earnings not keeping up so in the pocket we have got less cash. we have seen inflation rising to 3.1%. and with regular pay growth still subdued, wages are continuing to be squeezed and household finances are being squeezed. we expect inflation to start to fall back in the new year, little festive cheer but things should start to pick up next year. while our wages not going up? you would start to think if your people are available to work, looking, employers have to start peeling some more to attract people. not happening? it is surprising that

wage growth has remained subdued in the folds of unemployment. that is linked to the weakness in productivity growth that we have seen. productivity growth that we have seen. it has been a defining period of the post—financial crisis. seen. it has been a defining period of the post-financial crisis. it has been good to talk to. thank you. we can show you what is happening on the markets. central—bank action. an update from the federal reserve. getting that later today. tomorrow, the bank of england. gas exports have been halted from one of the main pipelines. you may remember, they discovered a crack on wednesday. it is an important

pipeline. quarterfrom the north sea. third of britain's gas. that could affect prices at the pump. we will have more on that later. thank you. and we can take a look at the weather forecast. just before prime minister questions, we can get the latest. many of us would have noticed that this morning was not nearly as cold as it was yesterday. temperatures above freezing for many of us. as a result, the snow has started to thaw out. this was just one of the scenes. derbyshire, snow not looking too good. for the rest of the day, the rain is not going to help. snow pushing eastwards. scattered showers for scotland and northern ireland through this afternoon and by the russia, another band of rain moving through the

midlands, northern england, you can notice snow at lower levels as that clears away. ice could be a risk. does the morning, anything from the midlands to the north, and temperatures just above freezing. during thursday, dry for many, showers for north—west england in particular. becoming colderfurther north. 1—a. further south, particular. becoming colderfurther north. 1—a. furthersouth, 6—7. bye bye. this is bbc news, and these are the top stories developing at 12. a blow to president trump. democrat doug jones beats controversial candidate roy moore to win the senate race for alabama. we have shown, notjust around the state of alabama but we have shown the country the way that we can be unified. two people are charged with murder over the deaths of three children

at a house fire in worsley in greater manchester. the government faces a backbench rebellion as mps call for a legal guarantee that they will get a vote on the final brexit deal. we'll be live at the house of commons in the next few minutes, where theresa may is preparing to answer prime minister's questions. good afternoon. it's wednesday 13th december. i'm annita mcveigh. good afternoon. it's a busy day in parliament where, in a moment, theresa may will be answering questions from mps in the penultimate prime minister's questions before the christmas recess. our assistant political editor norman smith is at the house

of commons, waiting for it to start. can we expect brexit to be a focus or perhaps not? i think maybe jeremy corbyn might give brexit a body swerve. he might take the view that he will leave it to tory mps to slug it out amongst themselves and go on something else. he might pick up on the resignation of bob kerslake, the boss of the kings hospital trust, suggestions that the london hospitals are in difficulty and he might choose to go on that. he could go on the wage figures which are up by 2.3% but still below the rate of inflation which means wages are still being squeezed. maybe he will go on president trump and suggestions by the american ambassador that president trump will be coming in the new year. but i guarantee you what will certainly make the headlines are anything mrs may says about brexit and in particular to night's boat because

important as it is in terms of the brexit deals struck or the size of parliament or mrs may decide whether it matters big time for her own standing. clearly many of her supporters hoped that after her deal she would come back on the front foot, but now she's on the front —— on the back foot again. let's a listen to her. thank you, mr speaker. this week marks the six—month anniversary of the g re nfell tower six—month anniversary of the grenfell tower fire. i will be attending a national memorial service attending a national memorial service tomorrow attending a national memorial service tomorrow and i'm sure i speakfor service tomorrow and i'm sure i speak for members across the house when i say remains at the forefront of our minds as a truly unimaginable tragedy that should never have happened. many who survived the fire lost everything that night and i can assure the house that we continue to do everything we can to support those affected and take the necessary steps to make sure it will never happen again. this morning i had meetings with ministerial colleagues, in addition to my duties

in the house, i will have further such meetings later today. mr speaker, i think the prime minister will be able to take to that memorial service the thoughts and prayers of every single member of the house across the parties. my right honourable friend has said that at the end of the brexit process members of parliament will have an opportunity to vote on the deal. can she confirm that it is still her intention to hold such a vote ? still her intention to hold such a vote? i'm very happy to confirm to my right honourable friend that we will put the final withdrawal agreement between the uk and the eu to vote both houses before it comes into force. as we have said we expect the uk parliament to vote ahead of the european parliament, so we expect parliament to vote well before march 2019. to be clear, the final deal will be agreed before we

leave and honourable members will get a vote on it. and as the secretary of state for accessing the european union set out today, we will then withdrawal and in fermentation bill to give the withdrawal agreement domestic legal effect will be subject to full parliamentary scrutiny. after we leave, the withdrawal agreement will be followed up by one or more agreements covering different aspects of the future relationship and we will introduce further edges like —— legislation to cement this in uk law providing another opportunity for proper parliamentary scrutiny. thank you, mr speaker. this week does indeed mark six months since the avoidable and tragic fire at grenfell tower which took the lives of 71 people and injured and traumatised many more andi injured and traumatised many more and i too will be at the service tomorrow in memory of them. but that fire also shone a light on the neglect of working class communities all over this country. and since

this government came to power, homelessness is up by 50%, rough sleeping has doubled. homelessness and rough sleeping have risen every single year since 2010. will the prime minister pledged today that 2018 will be the year when homelessness starts to go down? across this house we don't want to see anybody who is homeless or sleeping rough on our streets. that is why the government is putting £500 million into the question of homelessness and why we backed the bill that was brought forward by my honourable friend the member for brent, i'm sorry, for harrow. and it is why we have ensured that we are putting into place a number of project that will deal with the issue of rough sleeping. but i have to say to the right honourable gentleman that when we look at the question of housing we need to look at ensuring there are more homes available to people, that we are

giving people support to get into those homes. that is why, in the budget, my right honourable friend of the chancellor set out a whole range of ways in which we will be helping people to ensure that they have their own roof over their heads. compared to labour, warehouse building went down by a5%. —— where house—building. where the number of homes bought and sold went down by a0%. and social housing went down by a00,000. a0%. and social housing went down by 400,000. mr speaker, the last labour government cut homelessness by two thirds during its time in office. when labour left up as the number of children in temporary accommodation was a lot less than it is now. i ask the prime ministerfor a pledge to reduce the amount of homelessness next year. the pledge was not forthcoming. 128,000 children will spend christmas without a home to

call their own. 60% up on 2010. it is too late for this christmas, but will the prime minister promised that by christmas 2018 fewer children will be without a home to call their own? i must say to the right honourable gentleman again that of course we want every child to wa ke that of course we want every child to wake up in their own home, particularly at christmas. but it is incredibly important that people know they can keep a roof over their heads even in the most desperate circumstances. that is why we are making sure that councils can place families ina making sure that councils can place families in a broader range of homes if they fall into the circumstances. since 2011, councils have been able to place families into private rented accommodation so they can get a suitable place sooner. we have changed the law so that families with children should not find themselves in bed and breakfast accommodation except in an emergency. and through implementation the homelessness reduction act we are making sure that families at risk can get

support before they find themselves homeless. i say to the honourable gentleman, i have been very clear, asi gentleman, i have been very clear, as i was a few weeks ago, that this government is going to be a government is going to be a government that puts a clear focus on housing, on building the homes that people need, and ensuring that people are given help to get into the homes and also on acting to prevent homelessness before it happens. that is what we are doing and that is what will make a real difference to people's lives. the sad reality is that one in 100 children in this country are homeless at any time. it is a national disgrace and it is getting worse. and for all she says about the private rented sector, can i quote from a letter i received from rachel this week. she says, i have a knotin rachel this week. she says, i have a knot in my stomach every new year period. when we are due to sign a new tenancy agreement. after renting

the same flat for ten years, never being in arrears and keeping the property in good order we were given notice to quit out of the blue. will the prime minister help people like rachel and back secure three—year tenancies for all private renters? cani tenancies for all private renters? can i say to the right honourable gentleman and i think he was present in the chamber when the budget was given to the chamber, and that is precisely why we said that we are looking at ways in which we can encourage longer—term tenancies. the point is, what is important is ensuring that people have the ability to have the accommodation that they need, and want and on the basis that it is right for them. that is why i say we are dealing with the issue of longer—term

tenancies. but he talks about people renting their homes, and his response on renting is to bring in rent controls. rent controls have never worked. they result in reducing the number of homes available for people who want to be able to have accommodation and a roof over their own head and it's not just roof over their own head and it's notjust me that labour party policy won't help people renting, shelter say it won't help people renting. mr speaker, evictions by private landlords have quadrupled since 2010. there is no security in the private rented sector and the prime minister well knows it. she also promised 1a1 replacement of council housing sold through right to buy. but just one housing sold through right to buy. butjust one in five council homes have been replaced. hundreds of

thousands of people are on housing waiting lists. will the prime minister apologise for what she said and tell the house when she will deliver this 1a1 replacement. —— one—for—one. deliver this 1a1 replacement. —— one-for-one. we have put more money into affordable housing, and he talks about the right to buy, and what a contrast. we action you want to give people the opportunity to buy their own home. the labour party would take that opportunity away from them. what do we see on housing? the shadow housing minister recently said that fewer people owning their own home is not such a bad thing. i have to say to the right honourable gentleman that what he is offering two people on housing, if you live in a council home, he will take away your right to buy. if you're looking to rent, shelter say the policy will harm you and his shadow minister doesn't want

to support people owning their own homes. it is only the conservatives who will deliver the homes this country needs. if only it were true, mr speaker. under the tories home ownership has fallen by 200,000. all homes sold through right to buy the latest figures show that nearly a quarter of all privately rented homes are not up to these standards, meaning many families are living in homes with damp, that are not secure, or very poorly insulated. does the prime minister support homes being fit for human habitation? of course we want it for habitation? of course we want it for habitation homes, but can i remind the right honourable gentleman that the right honourable gentleman that the number of homes failing to meet

the number of homes failing to meet the decent homes standard is down by a9% since the peak under the labour government. while i'm talking about the record of the labour government, statutory homelessness peeked under the labour government and is down by over 50% since then. it is this government thatis since then. it is this government that is delivering for people on housing. it is the labour party that fail to deliver over 13 years. housing. it is the labour party that fail to deliver over 13 yearslj would just remind the prime minister that under labour 1 would just remind the prime minister that under labour1 million homes we re that under labour1 million homes were brought up to decent homes standard. i would also assume from what she has said that she will be

here on the 19th of january to support my honourable friend, the memberfor westminster support my honourable friend, the member for westminster north's bill to make private rented homes fit for human habitation. when it comes to housing, mr speaker, this government has been an absolute disgrace. after seven yea rs, has been an absolute disgrace. after seven years, more has been an absolute disgrace. after seven years, more people are living on the streets, more families in temporary accommodation, more families in homes not fit for human habitation and fewer people owning their own home. when is this government going to get out of the pockets of property speculators and rogue landlords and get on the side of te na nts rogue landlords and get on the side of tenants and people without a home of tenants and people without a home of their own this christmas? under labour house—building down, homes bought and sold down, social housing down. one thing i will tell him that did go up under the last labour

government, the number of people on the social housing waiting list. 1.7a million people waiting for a home under a labour government. we have delivered over 3a6,000 new, affordable homes since 2010. more affordable homes since 2010. more affordable homes since 2010. more affordable homes are being to live in the last seven years than in the previous seven years under a labour government. we are building more homes, and last year we saw 217,000 more homes being built in this country. that is a record, apart from one year, for the last 30 yea rs. from one year, for the last 30 years. it is the conservatives that are doing what is necessary. labour would produce failure to this country once again. it is the conservatives that are delivering the homes that people need, the economy that people need, and the standard of living that people need. isabel weale is a 1a—year—old

constituent of mine who lost both her arms and legs at the age of six when she was a victim of meningitis. i was one of many mps campaigning for the meningitis vaccine to be introduced into the nhs. isabel is now on her way to becoming one of the uk's most accomplished gymnasts, one of the most talented trampoline nests in the country. she was recently handed the pride of sport award as a young achiever. will the prime ministerjoin mailing congratulating isabel on receiving this position is —— prestigious natural award —— national award? this position is —— prestigious natural award —— national award ?|j natural award —— national award?” am happy tojoin my noble natural award —— national award?” am happy to join my noble friend natural award —— national award?” am happy tojoin my noble friend in congratulating isabel on receiving the award and congratulating her on her achievements and also for her incredible bravery. she is an inspiration to all others. my honourable friend has mentioned about the meningitis vaccine and that she was one of those campaigning this issue. we know meningitis can be a devastating

disease and that is why we have taken disease and that is why we have ta ke n ste ps disease and that is why we have ta ken steps to disease and that is why we have taken steps to increase the availability of the vaccine. in september 20 15th we became the first country to have a meningitis vaccination programme and my honourable friend contributed to the work on that, and it is necessary that public health england continues to raise awareness of the symptoms and its campaigns are reaching hundreds of thousands of parents and the nhs has been running a programme to vaccinate teenagers, school leavers and university freshers against four different strains of meningitis. i think my honourable friend can be pleased with the impact she had and in the work she did in relation to this. in 2008, we collectively bailed out the royal bank of scotland at a cost of £a5 billion. in 2017, the royal bank of scotla nd billion. in 2017, the royal bank of scotland are paying is backed by turning their backs on 259 of our communities. given we are the

majority shareholder, will the prime minister step in and tell the royal bank of scotland to stick to their commitment and not close the last bank in town? i think the right honourable gentleman knows that the decision to open and close branches isa decision to open and close branches is a commercial decision taken by the banks without intervention by the banks without intervention by the government but we do recognise the government but we do recognise the impact it has on communities and the impact it has on communities and the secretary of state. and raised concerns about this with rbs. of course, more people are banking online and this has an impact but we wa nt to online and this has an impact but we want to ensure that all customers, especially bonera poor ones can access especially bonera poor ones can a ccess over especially bonera poor ones can access over the counter services and thatis access over the counter services and that is why we have the access to banking standard which commits banks to carry out steps before closing a branch —— especially vulnerable ones. the post office has agreed with banks to allow customers to use post office services. we recognise the importance of this on communities and have acted in a

number of ways. if the prime minister recognises the importance of this she should be summoning ross mcewan to see her and be clear that we will not accept towns and villages up and down the uk losing banking services. there are 13,000 in scotland where the last bank will be going. it is about time the prime minister accepted her responsibilities. will she summoned ross mcewan and tell the royal bank of scotla nd ross mcewan and tell the royal bank of scotland this must be reversed? the decisions on opening and closing branches is a commercial matter for the banks. as i say, this is an issue that the secretary of state has raised with the royal bank of scotland. what is important is that services are available to individuals and that is why those are being provided and alternatives are being provided and alternatives are available. i also say to the right honourable gentleman that an awful lot more people are banking online these days, not requiring the

use of a branch. we want to ensure that vulnerable customers who do not have access to online banking are able to have services provided and that's precisely what we are doing through the access to banking standard and the work with the post office. in 2015, the heart of england hospital trust which serves solihull got himself into major trouble due to poor management. in response, dame julie moore trouble due to poor management. in response, damejulie moore was brought in to take charge and as a result finances, patient care and staff morale have improved considerably. with the prime minister join considerably. with the prime ministerjoin me in praising my brilliant local nhs staff for this turnaround and agree we must encourage and support good management in the nhs? can i say to my noble friend that i am very happy tojoin him in paying tribute to the work that has been undertaken by university hospitals birmingham in support of heart of england foundation trust. we do want to see

strong management across the national health service. i understand there are practical and financial issues to resolve in this andi financial issues to resolve in this and i would encourage all of those involved to make progress on this matter, but i congratulate those nhs staff who have seen that improvement and worked hard to ensure it takes place. does the prime minister agree with me that the resignation of lord cu rzon with me that the resignation of lord cu rzo n la ke with me that the resignation of lord curzon lake really does but the government on a final warning —— bob kerslake government on a final warning —— bob kersla ke really government on a final warning —— bob kerslake really does put the government on a final warning. in my constituency, despite having a perkily good hospital, it is disgraceful that people have to travel 50 miles to get to their nearest accident and emergency —— perfectly good hospital. i think bob kerslake made the right decision in stepping down. i'm not surprised that the labour party are interested in this given that that lord curzon

la ke in this given that that lord curzon lake is a key adviser to the labour party. —— kerslake. he might want to look at what the nhs said about king's college hospital. the financial situation has deteriorated very seriously over recent months and we have now placed the trust in special measures to maximise the madoff scrutiny and support it receives. it is not acceptable for individual organisations to run up such significant deficits when the majority of the sector is working extremely hard to hit their financial plans and in many cases made real pros —— progress. they called a situation the worst in the nhs. sub —— perhaps it is no surprise that lord kerslake is advising the labour party on the matters of debt and deficit. at the end of theirfirst matters of debt and deficit. at the end of their first unsuccessful term, will my right honourable friend congratulate the teachers,

pa rents friend congratulate the teachers, parents and students of the newark preschool. a school designed to raise standards and performance in newark, as is happening across the country. and would she agree with me that for conservatives great teaching like this is notjust about education, it is a daily battle for social justice and education, it is a daily battle for socialjustice and we will never be distracted from eight. my honourable friend is absolutely right. i'm very happy tojoin friend is absolutely right. i'm very happy to join him friend is absolutely right. i'm very happy tojoin him in congratulating those involved in setting up this much—needed free school. as the chair of governors i know my honourable friend will ensure the young people in his constituency with an excellent education despite the school being opposed by the party opposite. my honourable friend is absolutely right. this is not just a question of education it is a question of social justice. just a question of education it is a question of socialjustice. a good quality education opens the door for the future of the lives of every one of those young people which is why it is so important we ensure the quality of education is there to

give young people the best possible start in life. tonight, this house will hopefully have the chance to vote on my new clause 22 to the eu withdrawal bill which would give parliament the power at a future date to determine whether we leave the single market by coming out of the single market by coming out of the european economic area. it does not dictate how honourable members should then vote, but it does ensure proper democratic oversight. shouldn't it be our sovereign parliament and not the prime minister that decides our country's economic future? first of all, as i indicated earlier in response to my right honourable friend, this parliament will have an opportunity to vote, and meaningful vote on the withdrawal arrangements can i say to the honourable lady that she says that it should be parliament that

makes the decision about our membership of the single market. actually this parliament gave the decision about membership of the european union to the people of this country. it is the people of this country. it is the people of this country who voted to leave the european union and this government will deliver for the people of this country. mr speaker, today, thousands are profoundly disabled children are denied the opportunity to enjoy a day out with their families simply because there isn't an adequate changing room. the stories of pa rents an adequate changing room. the stories of parents at the school in my constituency deeply moved me. could i asked the prime minister to strongly consider updating our building regulations to ensure broader provision and, in the meantime, to urge all relevant buildings to voluntarily install changing places to give these children the opportunities they deserve? can i say to my honourable friend that i think he is right to raise this very important issue, which at one glance might seem a

small issue, but is actually very important in the lives of those disabled children to enable them to lead the life that they want to lead. and i agree with him that the provision of changing places can make a real difference to disabled children, but also to their carers. i understand the department for communities and local government has worked to increase the number of facilities. i would urge relevant building owners to consider installing changing places where they can and i'm sure the communities secretary will be happy to discuss this matter further with my honourable friend. thank you very much, mr speaker. this week the right reverend bishop of stafford wrote to the conservative stoke—on—trent city council to plead with them not to cut £1 million out of the homeless aboard budget. does the prime minister agreed with the bishop when he said that the measure of society can be found in the way we treat our vulnerable people, and if so, will shejoined

we treat our vulnerable people, and if so, will she joined the calls for the city council not to cut the homelessness aboard budget, and will she agreed today to fund local government properly so it can play its part in ending —— ending the scourge of homelessness? as i said in response to the questions from the leader of the opposition, we do not want to see people without a roof over their head and that is why we are working in a number of ways to deal with this issue. it's why we are committed to halving rough sleeping by 2022 and eliminating it by 2027. a number of announcements have been made in the budget and we are dedicated over £1 billion to tackling homelessness and rough sleeping across a number of areas. that is £1 billion to deal with this issue, to tackle what we agree is something we do not want to see on our streets. it is now one year since i was sworn in as the mp for sleaford. during the last year the

biggest issue in my postbag has been the provision of broadband to rural areas. the government has invested heavily in the area and many are still struggling with slow connections. will my right honourable friend reassure my constituents that we will do everything to ensure that everybody gets superfast broadband and nobody is left behind? can i congratulate my honourable friend, not only on her election a year ago yesterday, asi her election a year ago yesterday, as i believe it, but also on her re—election earlier this year. and on her year re—election earlier this year. and on heryear in re—election earlier this year. and on her year in this house. she has raised an issue which is a matter of concern to many rural areas across the country, and we do remain committed to universal broadband coverage of at least 10 megabits so no home or business is less behind. superfast broadband is available to 90% of premises in lincolnshire up

from 26% in 2011 and we have committed over £1 billion for the next generation of digital infrastructure. i can assure my honourable friend we have not forgotten any community across the uk and recognise the importance of broadband to communities and we are working to ensure that we deliver further so people can have services they need. in 2016 the then home secretary launched the ending violence against women and girls strategy which emphasised the national need for a network of domestic violence refuges. in 2017 the government site proposals for short—term supported houses threatens this network. in 2018, will the home secretary, the now prime minister, show personal leadership, support women's aid and step in to save our refuges? i recognise the importance of dealing with the issue of domestic violence. when i was home secretary,

we ring fenced funding and we have continued to do that. we will be introducing domestic violence legal law, we have introduced a variety of changes that have improved the support for people suffering from domestic violence. we are proposing a new funding modelling and good reason for wanting to see a change, making this more responsive to the needs of the individual at the time of crisis. meeting the system work better. at the moment, the funding is not responsive. they have to respond to meeting housing costs, and access relies on freeing those women from meeting the housing costs and the overall funding will remain

the same. will the prime minister join me in thanking all of the wonderful staff from across the european union who are working in nhs and social care. will she give them the personal and unequivocal assurance that the families have the right to remain after britain with the european union?” right to remain after britain with the european union? i am happy to join my honourable friend in thanking all of those working in the social care sector, including those from across the eu. incredible work and it is absolutely correct me recognise the contribution that nationals are making in this sector and across society. that is why we wa nt and across society. that is why we want people to be able to stay and we wa nt want people to be able to stay and we want families to be able to stay together and that is why i am pleased that the arrangements we have work published in the joint progress report between the united kingdom and eu, last friday. showing clearly on citizen rights, when

people have made that choice to be here in the year of —— united kingdom, we will support them. so far the prime minister has shown she does not have a clue. today and on the 1ath of june she does not have a clue. today and on the 1ath ofjune she said no community will be left behind, but one community has been told that the natswest branch is to close. two more ahead of record breaking numbers. despite 13.5 billion half—year profits. will the prime minister admit that the government access to banking protocol has failed to keep a single branch open, and will she restore the bank levy and will she restore the bank levy and stop communities losing the last bank branch. the right honourable lady, i responded to the leader of

the scottish national party, in relation to rbs closures. that is what she is referring to. also, she and others need to accept that people's behaviour in relation to banking has changed over the years. less demand. we have the access to banking standards in place. she referred to the levy. there is a bank levy. and corporation tax charge. this is raising more money than the labour government ever did. with my right honourable friend join me in congratulating the united kingdom's community foundations who have just reached the notable milestone, contributing £1 billion to local communities across the country. would she agree the community foundation is a perfect example of the shared society, funds

from dormany assets should be provided to them to continue the very important work.” provided to them to continue the very important work. i am happy to join my honourable friend in congratulating trinity foundations. i was very pleased to be able to have a meeting with the chief executive of one of the foundations to learn excellent work undertaking. i know from what my honourable friend has said that from across communities these are an important contributor to the shared society. i understand dormant account schemes have already distributed 362 million to the benefit of good causes. reports on possibly expanding the scheme, significantly building on success of the current scheme. mr speaker, can i remind the prime minister ofjune two, 1987 when i had the competent speech, stressing

the importance of vacation or importance for so many young people. a crisis for apprenticeships, 62% fall and many independent excellent traders going out of business. and colleges in dire financial need. and ensuring that for the first time, called for this in women and equalities committee, i aim to be a strong champion for the equality of women, and i aspire to the title of honorary sister as best

towed on you mr speaker, so will the prime ministerjoin me in congratulating ruth cook on her appointment as chief executive of collar ron group, the largest housing association in the country, proving that exceptional women can get the topjob proving that exceptional women can get the top job in housing proving that exceptional women can get the topjob in housing and politics. iam politics. i am very, i am very very happy to agree with honourable friend and to congratulate her on her appointment for the clarion group. it shows that women can take on seniorjob, i have to say he is aspiring to an accolade that i don't think the right honourable friend member for camberwell and peckham has given to me, despite being only it could second female prime minister in this country and one day, maybe the

labour sisterhood will manage to get a female leader of the labour party. assessing the impact of leaving the european union on the different sectors of the uk economy, is surely basic spade work for thing in, yet the brexit secretary said none of it has been done why not? it isn't the case no work has been done in looking at the, as the right honourable gentleman knows from the over 800 pages of analysis that have been published. the prime minister has made clear that brexit means brexit. when it comes to the closure of grantham a&e now the trust believes it has recruited enough

doctors does she agree with me that temporary means temporary? can i say, i know my right honourable friend has been a strong champion on his constituents, i know he will agree with me the first priority must be to ensure patient safety and thatis must be to ensure patient safety and that is why a report was commissioned. i understand nhs improvement will, are continuing to work closely with the trust and i am sure the health secretary will be happy to discuss the detail with him in the run to christmas people will ta ke in the run to christmas people will take on extra seasonal work to earn extra cash but many employers will be offered unpaid trial work with a job doesn't exist. it is affecting tens of thousands up and down the uk, but i have a bill coming to end

unpaid trial shift, will she ensure this is the last christmas of this exploitation and give government backing for it? we already have a legal position in this country in relation to the payment of the national minimum wage, and ensuring people are paid for the work they do. given the scottish national party has an extra £2 million to play with, will the prime minister join me in calling on the film to rule out higher taxes for hard—working scots rule out higher taxes for hard-working scots this is a very real test of the first minister and government in scotland as to whether they are willing to recognise, last week i recall, or in previous weeks week i recall, or in previous weeks we have had strange claims being made by the scottish nationalists in

this house about the i impact of decisions on scotland but he is right. £2 billion extra going into scotland. let us watch carefully how the snp government choose to spend that money. last week i tabled a written question to the chancellor, asking for the evidence behind his extraordinary claim to the treasury select committee, that disabled workers are responsible for the uk's productivity problem, last night i received his written answer. up sur —— unsurprisingly there is no evidence for that claim. so disgracefully, since he has declined to express regret, will the prime minister take back control and order the chancellor to withdraw his remark and apologise for inaccurate and offensive comments. the chancellor did not express the views she claimed he was expressing, this is a government that values the contribution that disabled people

make, to our society and to our economy in the workplace n is a government that is working to ensure that we can see more disabled people getting into the workplace. we have had some success, there is more to do but we will continue to work, to ensure those apologies for that technical problem. we will talk to our assistant political editor than just assistant political editor than just a moment. we also have this piece of breaking news. the european parliament has voted as prime minister's questions was going on that sufficient progress has been achieved in the brexit talks, overwhelmingly backing that motion. meps also backed an amendment that said david davis had risked undermining the good faith that had been built up so far and reminded the uk government it had to respect

the uk government it had to respect the commitment made in phase one. norman. we can talk about that and what has been happening at prime minister's questions. your reaction to that european parliament news? relief. obviously that the european parliament have also concluded sufficient progress has been made. that would suggest when trees are me returns to brussels she will get the green light to move on from that divorce deal to those crucial trade talks. interestingly, a clear irritation and annoyance, anger towards the brexit secretary david davis from brussels because of the fa ct davis from brussels because of the fact he returned to westminster and then said we do not have to be too fussed by brussels because it was not legally binding. that has annoyed people in brussels. it is going to be interesting if the european commission seek to toughen up european commission seek to toughen upa european commission seek to toughen up a language around the deal that they have done, to make sure that it cannot be dismissed as somehow not

fully enforceable. thank you very much and apologies again for losing that line to the house of commons. more breaking news, the ringleader of the most prolific gang to be caught smuggling drugs and phones into prison using drones has been sentenced to another additional seven yours sentenced to another additional seven yours and two months in prison. the individual was already inside jail, prison. the individual was already insidejail, running prison. the individual was already inside jail, running this prison. the individual was already insidejail, running this from insidejail, running this from inside prison. organising at least a9 flights, smuggling contraband estimated at over £1 million. as far apart as the west midlands and perth in scotland. we have a report on this from daniel sandford. cameras originally set up to take pictures

of wildlife, capturing britain's most prolific drone smugglers. recording the pilot, flying from a field in worcestershire, illegal cargo underneath. the smugglers had a view into the jail, and the prison block, when the cargo was pulled in. over the months, confidence grew. they started by throwing things over the prison wall but then started using the drone, adding to the contraband. using the drone, adding to the contra band. phones. weapons. screwdrivers. even a freeview box. cameras inside so one of the ringleaders with an improvised hook. used to catch the fishing line and the contents were specifically or by inmates. the officer who caught the

gang said they had organised at least a9 jails into as far across scotland. the west midlands, birmingham, stoke, here, also manchester, liverpool, and as far north as hmp perth. off from the scene group north as hmp perth. off from the scene group of people? yes. the epidemic of drones drew from nothing and just four years. we could not see this one coming. literally coming from nowhere. it was a game changer. we had to look up the procedures, the methods of gathering intelligence. it gives the actual one an opportunity to breach the secure perimeter is almost effortlessly. to crack this case... officers downloaded the memories of what they seized, linking back to

mobile phone calls. the prison minister had to invest millions of pounds working together to catch this gang. what we have shown, this is the most prolific gang we have come across. we are able to do with them and they are going to be serving jail time. the gang, led them and they are going to be serving jailtime. the gang, led by this man, thought to have smuggled contraband this man, thought to have smuggled contra band was between this man, thought to have smuggled contraband was between 600000 and over £1 million. continuing even after they had been arrested and charged. with such huge profits, keeping drones away from prisons is going to be a battle. more breaking news. the comedian peter kay has cancelled his first live tour in eight years because of unforeseen family circumstances. this was a

statement on his official twitter account. he said because of unforeseen family circumstances, i am having to cancel upcoming projects, including my upcoming stand up tour, and any outstanding live work commitments. sincerest apologies. this decision has not been taken apologies. this decision has not been ta ken lightly. apologies. this decision has not been taken lightly. i am sure you will understand my family must a lwa ys will understand my family must always come first. this follows from the news of kay adding extra performance states, it was beginning in birmingham in april, going through to 2019. but peter kay lansing that his first stand up tour in eight years cancelled due to unforeseen family circumstances. there's been a huge political upset in the united states, where doug jones has become the first democrat in 25 years to win a us senate seat for alabama.

it's a major embarrassment for president trump, who had supported the republican candidate roy moore. he is yet to concede. our correspondent david willis reports. it was a stunning political upset. doug jones, a former federal prosecutor, the first democrat to be elected to the senate in this conservative southern state and a quarter of a century. the victory reduces the already razor thin republican majority to just one seat. as dr king quoted, the moral arch of the universe is long. but bends towards justice. if arch of the universe is long. but bends towardsjustice. if donald trump is losing in the deepest of red states, that should send an ominous warning. this is not your country. i think they have destroyed a good man. i country. i think they have destroyed a good man. lam country. i think they have destroyed

a good man. i am feeling bad for roy moore. he was a good christian person. he would have been a great senator. this result speaks to the wea knesses senator. this result speaks to the weaknesses of his opponent. republican candidate roy moore, firebrand, evangelical who believes homosexuality is immoral and muslims should not serving congress, saw the size of all lead start to falter after women came forward to crime that he had sexually assaulted them. in one case, the accuser was just a0. --1a. in one case, the accuser was just 40. -- 14. part in one case, the accuser was just 40. --14. part of the problem in one case, the accuser was just 40. -- 14. part of the problem with this campaign, we have been painted in an unfavourable and unfaithful light. we have been put in a hole if you will. despite calls from senior members of his own party for him to withdraw from the race, roy moore

continued to enjoy the support of president trump. those so—called write—in votes could prove significant in a further twist to a long and often ugly campaign. the vanquished candidate is refusing to concede defeat. for this deep south state to prefer a pro—choice, pro—gay rights candidate like doug jones over a hardline conservative like roy moore is a reflection not only of the weakness of the republican candidate, but a major snub to the president who backed him. it will also be seen by some as a victory for the victims of sexual assault whose claims roy moore has consistently dismissed as fake news. and a little earlier, i spoke to the

professor of american studies in birmingham in the united kingdom and from alabama himself he said the defeat for the republicans would make it difficult for president trump to get important legislation passed. the republican majority is only 51—a9. that means practically that having failed to pass a single bill since donald trump became president, the hopes of getting through that massive tax cut and the federal government budget, delayed for months, even that is in jeopardy. this is compounded by a second factor. now civil war in the republican party, between what you could call the more established members and the hard right, ireland donald,'s former chief strategist. the driving force behind roy moore. with people blaming each other over the defeat, the republican party

will find it even more difficult to govern in the months ahead. it becomes more crucial as we near the 2018 mid term congressional elections. you argue and many people would agree with you, morally this is even more significant. we can talk about political implications, they are huge, but... this was a time when i think people stood up for decency and tolerance, against division and hatred. not only in terms of some of the rhetoric, including from donald trump, but given the question about the character of roy moore and his version of christianity and attitudes towards muslims, the jewish and women, are you willing to set aside all of these ethical considerations for politics. i think a lot of people in alabama said lasley, democrat or republican, but

is not acceptable. black vote was hugely significant. it was. a lot of a nalysts hugely significant. it was. a lot of analysts said we think roy moore will win because african—america ns will win because african—america ns will not turn out. we think they might have sat on their hands. they made up 30%. huge numbers. this was not just a racial made up 30%. huge numbers. this was notjust a racial issue, this was people coming out again, not the black white issues, reason got housing questions, feel secure, civil rights and we're not sure that they are being cancelled in the white house or the man named roy moore. doug jones is a prosecutor who has handled high—profile civil rights cases. the professor talking to me earlier. the chief inspector of schools in england, amanda spielman, says more than 700 schools have been struggling to improve for years. they include some which have

not been rated "good" by ofsted for a decade. the government says it's targeting additional help at disadvantaged areas, as jon donnison reports. good afternoon. so this is english... children at st peter's secondary school in huntington in cambridgeshire. in 2016, ofsted judged this school inadequate in some areas and it was put on special measures after years of problems. 18 months on, it has been turned around and is now ranked as good in most fields. amanda spielman, ofsted's chief inspector of schools in england, visited st peter's this month and is full of praise for what's been achieved. but not all schools do so well. ofsted says there are 50 secondary schools and 80 primary schools in england that haven't been judged to be good at any point since 2005. for 12 years now, they haven't been managed to be good at any point in that. so, a child's time in a typical

secondary school is five years. that means we're on to a third generation of children who have never experienced being in a good school and we shouldn't be happy with that. but teachers unions say the stigma of a bad ofsted report can often push a school into a negative spiral, where parents don't want to send their children there and where recruitment of teachers becomes hard. they also say many schools are under funded, but the government says it's spending £280 million to give extra help to schools in designated opportunity areas including providing extra training for teachers. in a moment, the news at one with sophie raworth. first, the weather. and on. letters are messy where the story for the rest of the day. but one thing, it is milder. helping to

thaw snow. some outbreaks of rain, some of that clearly moving from the west. going to continue through the afternoon and it could be a wet end to the afternoon in the south east. some sunshine for some time before scattered showers start to develop with the wintry flavour. dark as the story for the rush—hour. it looks as though we could see wet weather, anything from the ma corridor north, rain, sleet. wet snow. hail. that could make for some tricky driving conditions. not expecting the snow to be too disruptive but it is worth bearing in mind. across scotland and northern ireland, plenty of showers, winter mix. and those are going to continue through the night. blustery, if not gale force winds.

it is going to be a tricky story throughout the night. temperatures close to freezing yet again. ice could be an issue in the morning. we start on thursday with the cold icy start, but the wind is gradually going to start to ease. most of the showers, at the west facing course. the chance of some more sunshine. top temperatures, 1—7. we could get nine at the channel islands. dusty, into friday, isobars vertical. north winds. things are going to get a little bit colder but noticeably quieter. not bad. dry weather and some sunshine around, highs of a—9. not as cold as we have seen. it is going to stay with us at the beginning of the week but some su btle beginning of the week but some subtle changes as we move to sunday. mild airset to

subtle changes as we move to sunday. mild air set to return. that means it is going to be cold with some sunshine on saturday, more cloud on sunday and indications of getting a little bit milder. for the first time in 25 years — the deeply conservative state of alabama has voted in a democrat for a us senate seat. as dr king liked to quote: "the moral arch of the universe is long but it bends towards justice. " we'll be assessing the political impact of the defeat on donald trump. also this lunchtime... four time tour de france winner, chris froome, is being investigated over an apparent breach of anti—doping rules. the prime minister promises mps they will be given a vote on any final brexit deal as she tries to avert a possible government defeat tonight. jailed — briton's most prolific prison smuggling gang — which used drones to get weapons and drugs into prisons. a man and a woman in their early 20s appear in court in manchester