this is bbc news. i'm shaun ley. the headlines at midday: a leading brexit supporting mp says he's unhappy about the idea of britain staying in the single market and customs union during any transition period. we cannot be a colony of the european union for two years from 2019 to 2021, accepting new laws that are made without any say—so of the british people, parliament or government. police in canada say they're treating the deaths of the billionaire businessman barry sherman and his wifea ' after a bitter campaign, south africa's governing anc is preparing to vote for a new leader to replace president jacob zuma. wildfires in southern california continue to burn out of control — scorching an area larger than new york city and paris combined. lost tv treasures — how rediscovered shows will be seen for the first time in decades today, at a london exhibition.

the ashes are slipping away from england. australia captain steve smith hits a double century, as his side takes complete control of the third test in perth. and in half an hour here on bbc news, click investigates the weird world of quantum computing. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. a leading supporter of brexit has said the uk cannot become a "colony" of the eu during the expected two year transition period after britain's withdrawal in march 2019. jacob rees—mogg made the comments after eu leaders yesterday agreed to move to the next phase of brexit discussions in the new year. they also suggested the uk would continue to participate

in the single market and remain under thejurisdiction of the european court ofjustice during any transition phase. the date when the uk leaves the eu, march 29 2019, is now likely not to be set in law. let's speak to our political correspondent tom barton. he can update is a story as it is developing. welcome back. first of all, what exactly is bugging jacob rees—mogg? all, what exactly is bugging jacob rees-mogg? it's all about this document. this was published after the european council last that when meeting last week, after which theresa may agreed to move the trade aspect of the brexit talks. you'll remember in september, she talked about britain negotiating a transition period of two years, essentially, this document is the european union's view of what's that

transition period looks like and in essence, what it is is that britain remains subject to eu law, even if that changes, to what are known as the four pillars of the european union which include, of course, free movement, and the jurisdiction of the european court ofjustice. and essentially, or that together, the european court ofjustice. and essentially, orthat together, has rather annoyed jacob rees—mogg. —— all of that together. the prime minister has consistently said that she is in favour of an implementation which means we leave in march 2019 and that the consequences of leaving are implemented. but we cannot be a colony of the european union for two years from 2019 to 2021, accepting new laws that are made without any say—so of the british people, parliament or government. that is not leaving the european union. that is being a vassal state of the european union, and i'd be very surprised if that were government policy. presumably, the government would not

ta ke presumably, the government would not take his policy to be a vassal state. but it is a direct shot gci’oss state. but it is a direct shot across the bow is, isn't it? presumably. soft brexiteers, not a server inside the government, would make the point that trade discussions may start straightaway asa discussions may start straightaway as a result of this deal but formal negotiations cannot begin until after the date that brexit date, the 29th march 2019. and they would say, ken clarke has been saying this, that it ken clarke has been saying this, thatitis ken clarke has been saying this, that it is in the interests of business, continuity of needs to continue so that nothing much changes. today, the chancellor was asked whether britain would keep on accepting those european laws, whether we would keep on accepting thejudgments of whether we would keep on accepting the judgments of the european court ofjustice the judgments of the european court of justice and the judgments of the european court ofjustice and his answer was, in a word, yes. we will no longer be members of the

european union and won't technically are legally be any cost and universe and market, but we will honour the agreement we have made this week to creating an environment which will effectively replicate the current status quo. —— we won't technically legally be any single market or customs union. we will continue trading our partners in the european union as we do now, borders will operate as they do now, and financial services and businesses it will be able to carry on conducting their business across borders as they do now. of course, you heard him say that despite all that, britain will be leaving the single market and customs union brexit day, but if they accept all this, nothing much will change for at least a couple of years after that. thank you very much. the billionaire founder of canada's largest drugs firm,

barry sherman and his wife honey, have been found dead at their home in toronto. police described the deaths as suspicious, but said they were not being treated as murder. barry sherman was one of canada's richest people. angus crawford reports. one of toronto's richest suburbs, a house for sale. in the basement, a discovery. two bodies, a man and a woman. barry sherman and his wife honey, one of the richest couples in the country. police can't yet say what happened. the circumstances of their death lead us to believe that there may be suspicious circumstances but it's an investigative tool. until we know exactly how they die, we treat it as suspicious and then once that, once a determination has been made by the pathologist and the coroner, then we move forward from there. barry sherman, who was 75, was thought to be worth more than £2 billion. he made his money

in pharmaceuticals, starting apotex in the 1970s, and building it into one of the biggest drugs companies in the world. stepping down as chief executive in 2012, he dedicated himself to charity work. today, the canadian premiere justin trudeau said that he and his wife sent condolences to the sherman family amd friends and to everyone touched by their vision and spirit. local people came to the couple's home to place flowers and pay their respects. this woman still can't believe the news. he was extremely respected. people look up to him. people are in shock and crying. and they are genuinely heartbroken. the company has released a statement, saying... for now, the investigation continues into two deaths which leave a

community in shock and a family in mourning. a special meeting of the governing party of south africa, the anc, has been delayed by a procedural debate over who will be allowed to vote for the party's next leader. the anc party executive has decided to follow court orders that barred some delegates from attending the conference on the grounds that they have been illegally elected. the south african president, jacob zuma — who's beset by allegations of corruption — will address the anc conference later today. a short time ago i spoke to our southern african correspondent milton nkosi — who gave this update. yes, we are now told that the conference has been delayed by about five hours now. it's scheduled to start at two, they had planned to start at nine this morning. the executive committee of the anc had been meeting, trying to decide which delegates would be allowed following the court judgment which nullified some of the delegates yesterday.

but most of these delegates who are supporting two different candidates, one is cyril ramaphosa, mr zuma's deputy president. the other is doctor nkosaza na dlamini—zuma, who is mr zuma's former wife. the ones who support cyril ramaphosa, largely middle—class and they think that he will have inclusive growth and he will kick—start south africa's sluggish economy. those who support nkosazana dlamini—zuma believe that as the economic landscape of south africa is still drawn along apartheid lines, they believe that she will try and get the economy into the hands of the majority, that is, to black people. those are the obvious differences between the two candidates but they are both anti—apartheid activists, they have got their own credentials in the anti—apartheid struggle, so they are supported by the same people who are in the same party,

who support the same policies. i was struck, attending the equivalent conference at the time that jacob zuma became party leader when he succeeded thabo mbeki, who effectively was forced out of the job. and the kind of bad blood between the two camps was quite striking. there was... i didn't see the two men speak, i was at a diplomatic reception, and they were practically next to each other but didn't look at each other or speak to each other. and jacob zuma was circulating, shaking hands, greeting people. he has been a big figure on the political stage in south africa. does either of these candidates measure up to him in terms of the impact they are likely to make? i mean, cyril ramaphosa, for a long time was behind the scenes and then almost vanished into business. obviously, mr zuma's ex—wife is a slightly different situation but she has been on the front line for long a period. yes, indeed, and that is why big business, for example,

think that cyril ramaphosa with his business background is the best person to kick—start the sluggish economy of south africa, whose growth potential is below 1% as we speak. they believe he will take it to greater heights, to create employment, unemployment here is around 27.7% which is incredibly high. and amongst the youth, from ages 25—34, it hovers around 55%. so those who support him believe he will deliver inclusive growth, which in turn will deliverjobs. but those who support nkosaza na dlamini—zuma believe that they would have policies such as radical economic transformation. they think that they will get the land back from white hands, they think that they would be able to get more black people into the mainstream of the economy.

that is, essentially, the difference between the two camps. austria is poised to become the only western european renowned scientist and television presenter heinz wolff has died at the age of 79. he was known to british tv audiences from putter grace, which involved getting people to invent things from everyday objects. —— a grace. former prime minister david cameron is to lead a uk government investment initiative with china. the announcement comes off the back of a two—day visit to the country by the chancellor phillip hammond. mr cameron will be involved in a new one billion dollar fund which will invest in the uk,

china and other countries. earlier i asked the bbc‘s china correspondent robin brant why phillip hammond was bringing david cameron back into the political fold. i think maybe the answer to that is more about uk institutional investors, their desire to have such a prominent figure on board. and mr cameron's desire to continue his work in government where he championed even closer ties, expanded ties, between the uk and china. philip hammond told me a few hours ago here in beijing that he supports this investment fund, he endorses it but it is not public money or taxpayer's money, it is not a government fund. nonetheless, david cameron, very well known, has taken a pretty low profile since he left downing street a year ago. he has campaigned on some health causes, he's been involved in the national citizen service for 16—17—year—olds in the uk. but he is now turning his aim to institutional investing and continuing that focus on, as i said, trying to improve and expand economic ties between china and the uk.

so i think philip hammond thinks that david cameron will lead this fund, is going to invest in a swathe of projects, possibly, pipelines, railways, infrastructure projects, closely linked with the rather awkwardly named belton road initiative which is china's number one public policy priority and is aimed at helping economists to the west of china and beyond in europe to develop, because that helps china gain access there and then helps those countries improve their economic ties with china. but i think what it shows more than anything, when you add it to comments from philip hammond, is how much the uk continues to believe in better relations with china, better economic ties, because it believes, especially as brexit approaches and then passes, that china, the world's number two economy, is key to helping the uk economy grew.

the headlines on bbc news: a leading brexit supporting mp says he's unhappy about the idea of britain staying in the single market and customs union during any transition period. police in canada say they're treating the deaths of the billionaire businessman barry sherman and his wifea ' after a bitter campaign, south africa's governing anc is preparing to vote for a new leader to replace president jacob zuma. officials in california say the biggest of the wildfires which have driven tens of thousands of people from their homes now covers nearly four hundred square miles. a firefighter has died tackling the flames north of los angeles. our correspondent james cook sent this report from the town of fillmore. 12 days on and still it burns. more than 8,000 men and women are now battling this blaze, saving homes one by one.

not far from here, the fire claimed the life of 32—year—old cory iverson, a firefighter, a father and a husband. he is survived by his wife, ashley, his two—year—old daughter, evie. cory and ashley are expecting a second daughter this spring. our thoughts and prayers are with cory‘s family and all of his friends and co—workers. it's not clear exactly what went wrong here but the terrain is steep and dangerous and was reportedly overrun by flames after a sudden shift in the wind. ——he was reportely overrun. the gusts destroyed homes, too. more than 700 of them. two apartment blocks and two hotel

also burned down and another 18,000 buildings remain at risk. the fire has destroyed homes, too. this is one of five homes in this tiny neighbourhood which was destroyed when the flames swept through here so fast that firefighters had to abandon the area. which ones survived and which were destroyed was a matter of pure luck. aaron lawson and his family were among the lucky ones. their home was scorched, but it survived, thanks in part to neighbours who lost everything but stayed to fight the fire. the most rewarding thing is seeing them, some of the guys who lost their houses, working with us, side by her side, to keep our houses safe those first few days. all week these skies have been alive with activity as pilots battle isa the blaze from the air. the widlfire has now ravaged an area the size of new york city and washington, dc combined, and with more gusty winds thousands of romanians are lining

the streets of bucharest for the funeral of king michael first, he was forced to abdicate by the communis government in 19117. he died this week and is to land at the age of 96. —— communist government. austria is poised to become the only western european country with a far—right party in government. the conservative people's party — which won the parliamentary election two months ago, but failed to secure a majority — struck a coalition deal with the anti—immigration freedom party. the leaders of the two parties have met with the austrian president, who has given his approval for the deal. the head of the people's party, sebastian kurz — who's thirty—one — will be the youngest national leader in the world. emergency services expect this

weekend be one of the busiest of the year as towns and cities are packed with revellers. there are fears and concerns that the so—called mad friday, the most popular day for work's christmas parties, could see a surge of alcohol fuelled incidents. it's one of the busiest night of the year for emergency services. so much so that london's ambulance services are bringing in an act of cruise. we will be incredibly busy this weekend and we will take a lot of 999 calls to patients that have suffered the effects of alcohol. that puts a massive strain on the system. so we are concerned about not diverging ambulance services to those from other people who need help. the pubs are packed in point being poor, but with many people drink into excess of the festive period, ambulance services across

the country have to bring in scores of extra staff, which puts huge pressure on our emergency services. in bath, locals have banded together on volunteer book patrols along the river avon to support the stretched emergency services. they are saving lives. —— boat patrol. emergency services. they are saving lives. -- boat patrol. we're not sure what happened in terms of, if you need further treatment.“ sure what happened in terms of, if you need further treatment. if he hadn't been here? he'd probably be dead. in parts of scotland, pastor sabin are patrolling the streets. it's the volume of people coming into town, the fact that some people, this is their annual night out in glasgow, they are not used to the city centre or to drinking orderly temperature. —— ought to the temperature. and was tonight said to be busy again, emergency services are asking people to drink responsibly as they do with one of the most difficult periods of the

year. severn trent water has apologised for a burst main. a wide area has been affected and it is a conjugated job to get the system back to normal. they have been handing out what to around 10,000 homes and businesses. it is the second major lea k to businesses. it is the second major leak to hit the utility in recent months. they were thought to be lost forever, but tv shows starring cilla black and pete postlethwaite will be seen black and pete postlethwaite will be seen for the first time in decades today at an exhibition in london. the event by the british film institute celebrates the discovery of programmes which were believed to have disappeared from the archives. # i could learn a lot of things from you. # you shine at every single thing you do...# cilla black and dudley moore together on her bbc one variety show. this episode of cilla has not been seen since it was first transmitted in march, 1968.

# you're the one who's really versatile. ..#. a copy has turned up in the house of a former fairground worker near blackpool, whose dad was a film collector. today it will be shown in full at the bfi southbank as part of their missing believed wiped series, where rediscovered tv is showcased, including a crackly recording of the first ever tv appearance by pete postlethwaite at the age of 29. i still like you, sometimes. come on. local loony hears voices from outer space, get on with it. let's get it over with. one was a half—hour bbc play broadcast in 1975, from which he played a journalist investigating a possible arrival of an alien spaceship. the original was wiped, but the director held onto the video of the first edit, which has been restored. other discoveries include the only surviving episode

of late night horror from 1968, which was cancelled by the bbc after one six—part series, due to the number of complaints about it being too scary. and an episode of itv police drama no hiding place has turned up in australia. in the 1960s it had audiences of seven million, but only 20 of the 236 episodes survived. this one is from 1960 and features a guest appearance by patrick troughton as a grumpy prisoner, six years before hejoined dr who. they don't release nutcases you know, not even after seven years good conduct. you will do another seven, in a straitjacket! it's hoped events like this will encourage more people to come forward with their own tv treasures.

if you haven't quite finished your christmas shopping and you have a spare half £1 million or so knocking around, you could be the proud owner ofa around, you could be the proud owner of a skeleton of a woolly mammoth. discovered about 10 years ago in the siberian permafrost, it goes on auction in france today. you will need to have a large house to fit it in as it is almost three and a half metres high. the animals lived alongside early man but became extinct more than 10,000 years ago. the winner of the comedy wildlife photography position sparred competition has been announced and there's not a mammoth among them but they are pretty striking. this is an

owl try to preserve his dignity and hold on for dear life as he falls off the perch, not in that way, you understand. i love the indifference of the two owls next to him. this wonderful one of laughing dormouse, though i wonder if he's sneezing because of pollen. this could be a selfie moment or a bit of mansplaining, can't figure out. you can't go wrong with monkeys, your oli shaw of a laugh somewhere along the lines. and finally, almost finally, what mother hasn't sat on the newport on occasion? or it could be dead, expose. and this one, i love, this is a sort of, how much?! expression. we have all heard that expression at some point. let's have a look at the weather prospects are the afternoon. hello. by the end of the weekend, we can say goodbye to the cold, frosty

mornings for a while as it is said to be milderfor the rest of the week. but today, though, looking cold once again. plenty of sunshine around across northern and eastern areas but further south and west, more cloud around. a few splashes of rain, too, temperatures here around 6-8, rain, too, temperatures here around 6—8, much colderfurther rain, too, temperatures here around 6—8, much colder further north and east. those targeted fall away rapidly this evening and overnight. a widespread frost about once again. a widespread frost about once again. a bit of mist and fog, but a weather system a bit of mist and fog, but a weather syste m m oves a bit of mist and fog, but a weather system moves on from the east, bringing cloud and outbreaks of rain. a mild evening but a cold one further east. we start off that east—west divide for sunday morning, cold and frosty, dry start in the east, wet and windy weather slowly spills its way southwards and his words eventually reaching the east in the afternoon but brightening up behind it and milder moving in, too. —— milder ear moving in.

(05) hello. this is bbc news. the headlines: a leading supporter of brexit has said the uk cannot become a colony of the eu during the expected two year transition period after britain's withdrawal in march 2019. the canadian pharmaceutical billionaire barry sherman and his wife honey have been found dead at their home in toronto. police have described the deaths as suspicious. and after a bitter campaign,south africa's governing anc is preparing to vote for a new leader to replace president jacob zuma. sport now and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's mike bushell. good afternoon. we saw another incredible batting display by the australian captain, steve smith. that has put aside a dominating

position. if they win this one, they will win the series and regain the ashes. england had a glimmer of hope when moeen ali sent shaun marsh back to the pavilion. he has a brother and gota to the pavilion. he has a brother and got a century. they went into the lead. england's bowling floors we re the lead. england's bowling floors were exposed with marsh and smith giving the field is the complete runaround. smith got his double century finishing the day on a career high score of 129. the hosts of 549-4. a career high score of 129. the hosts of 549—4. a lead of 146 runs. career high score of 129. the hosts of 549-4. a lead of 146 runs. we have two more days to play and we have two more days to play and we have got to get stuck in and play exceptional. is going to be tough but we had opportunities in the last game and opportunities in the previous game. we have had our

opportunities, wejust previous game. we have had our opportunities, we just haven't been good enough and they have been better in the tough moments and have taken the games away from us. there are two days to go and we have to believe we can fight hard over the next few days and there is a contest still to keep going. the premier league action is getting under way with leicester taking on crystal palace who would move out of the bottom three with a point. there are no scores yet but they have been playing five seconds. manchester city are 11 points clear at the top of the table. they are taking on totte n ha m of the table. they are taking on tottenham at the etihad stadium. spurs are unbeaten in the last four contests.