who's faced allegations of improper conduct, has resigned. mr green has been the prime minister's closest colleague in cabinet, an official investigation says allegations made against him were plausible. and he's been accused of making misleading statements, about pornography found on his parliamentary computers, in 2008, before he was a minister. the forced resignation came in the past couple of hours. we'll be asking how much of a blow it is for theresa may and the government. also tonight — following the collapse of two rape cases in a week, scotland yard is reviewing dozens of other cases, which are about to go to court. a warning that uncertainty over brexit is affecting the uk economy, as the imf downgrades its growth prediction for this year. the first big legislative achievement of the trump presidency, as congress approves his major tax reforms. it's the largest, i always say the most massive, but it's the largest tax—cut in the history of our country, and reform, but tax—cut!

we report from barcelona on the eve of crucial elections, which will have a big impact on the debate over catalan independence. #jingle bells, # jingle bells, jingle #jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle bell rock # and, the joy of old age, our special report on the real potential of anti—ageing drugs. and coming up in sportsday later in the hour on bbc news: a sixth premier league sacking of the season, paul clement is shown the door at swansea. good evening. damian green, the first secretary

of state, and the prime minister's closest colleague in government, has been forced to resign tonight. he's been facing allegations of inappropriate conduct, and on the basis of an investigation conducted by a senior civil servant, mr green has left the government. he's also been criticised for making misleading remarks, about pornography found on his parliamentary office computer, before he became a minister. reaction is still coming in, first this report by our political editor laura kuenssberg. sharing a joke right by her side only hours ago. damian green, until this afternoon, the second most powerful politician in the country. his old friend to may's deputy in government, not any more. is it right downing street investigate you? the allegations are completely false. he's always denied doing anything wrong but no 10 asked for anything wrong but no 10 asked for an investigation into him after claims from a female journalist that

he behaved inappropriately to her, and allegations he had downloaded pornography on his computer in parliament. he still denies he had anything to do with the pornography the police found when they raided his office in 2008 but the inquiry fan, and he accepts he wasn't honest when he said he knew nothing about itam admitting when he said he knew nothing about it am admitting his lawyers had been told in 2008 and it was raised again ina told in 2008 and it was raised again in a phone call in 2013. he wrote tonight, i regret i've been asked to resign from the government following breaches of the ministerial code. i've been clear i did not download 01’ i've been clear i did not download or view pornography. and on kate maltby‘s belief that he made u nwa nted maltby‘s belief that he made unwanted advances, the report found it impossible to reach a conclusion, she wouldn't comment on either her family said they were proud of her for speaking out. mr green wrote: i deeply regret the distress caused to

kate maltby following her article about me and i don't recognise the events she described but i clearly made herfeel events she described but i clearly made her feel uncomfortable and for this i clearly apologise. it's not just about the end of his ministerial career. but his closeness to the prime minister. a friend since university, an ally for a leader who keeps a close circle tight. as first secretary of state one of my overall responsibilities is for the oversight of intergovernmental relations... and asa intergovernmental relations... and as a minister on brexit and other issues his unofficial job as a minister on brexit and other issues his unofficialjob was keeping the show on the road. the prime minister in black and white tonight clearly sorry to see him go. she wrote: i'm extremely sad to be writing this letter. it is with deep regret and injuring gratitude for the contribution you have made over many years that i asked you to resign. those affectionate words do not make this an elegant departure. many of his colleagues will be furious on his behalf but damian

green himself has accepted that he was misleading, so the prime minister has lost one of the few politicians she could trust to watch her back. let's go life to westminster and laura is there. clarify the exact circumstances surrounding mr green's departure was mac there were two elements to the claims made about inappropriate advances towards a young female journalist and tory activist sometime ago and the allegation that pornography was found on parliamentary computer. taking them briefly interned on the first case the allegations made by kate maltby, the official report into his behaviour didn't find conclusive evidence, there were contradictory accounts, two sides to the story were put but it was found that kate maltby‘s account was plausible and on the second count, although mr green denies ever downloading or viewing pornography the computers in the houses of parliament behind me, he did himself

to not admit his statements on this had been misleading and that far from the case where he had always said he didn't know anything about this, he admitted in his letter to night that his lawyers had been told about this in 2008 and he himself had been told in a phone call in 2013. this was, therefore, in the view of whitehall officials and in the view of the second opinion that theresa may asked for from her own advise on these issues, those two things were breaches of the ministerial code. and, as such, i think that meant theresa may was left with not much alternative but to get him to depart. laura, in your report, you underlined again at the close collaboration and friendship between theresa may have damian green over many years. so what kind of blow is this dude mrs may and indeed to the government? this is interesting, had this happened a couple of months ago, or perhaps even a couple of weeks ago when things felt much rockier around westminster, the government felt much more fragile

and vulnerable, this could have felt like the finals piece pulled out before the whole thing came tumbling down. i think since the conclusion of phase one of the brexit talks, no 10's view, and i think it is agreed with, not by everyone certainly in whitehall, but it is quite a commonly held view now, that the government although not the silly strong, if not necessarily full of authority, has at least reached a place of more peace and stability —— not necessarily strong. having said that, damian green's departure will be something that counts to theresa may. it is clear she will try and keep him, having sought a second opinion on the initial report put forward to her to whitehall officials. but this is not necessarily a catastrophic blow. she will miss his counsel and his advice and his support but theresa may has been through an awful what in the last 12 months and it may well be that before too long his departure

doesn't seem like it turned out to bea doesn't seem like it turned out to be a very big deal. but on the face of it, losing her second most important ally in westminster is certainly a serious blow. laura, many thanks once again for the latest a nalysis many thanks once again for the latest analysis from westminster, laura kuenssberg. the metropolitan police, the uk's biggest police force, has confirmed it's urgently reviewing dozens of cases of child abuse, rape and sexual assault, which are about to go to trial. it follows the admission that police and prosecutors made mistakes in two rape cases, which collapsed in the past week, because of a failure to disclose vital evidence. our legal affairs correspondent clive coleman reports. are the scales ofjustice being unfairly tipped against defendants because the police are not sharing evidence that could help their case? one of the founding principles of the criminaljustice system is beset by problems. isaac itiary spent four months in jail awaiting trial on charges of sexual activity with a child, which he strongly denied.

the case against him was dropped yesterday when text messages from his alleged teenage victim's phone showed she routinely lied about her age. a few days earlier, the case against liam allan was stopped because text messages showed his alleged victim had enjoyed having sex with him. the last two years i have spent worrying and not concentrated on anything, so it has completely ripped apart my normal personal life. the metropolitan police is now carrying out a review into what happened to liam allan, and all the evidence in all of its current rape and sex abuse cases. that review is being conducted jointly with the cps, so with the lawyers in each case and our investigating officers, to make sure those cases are safe to go to trial. 0ur priority is those 30—something where trials are about to start. i have no reason to believe there are problems with any cases, but it is a pragmatic step to conduct that check now.

the police and crown prosecution service have made huge efforts in recent years to right the wrongs of the past and ensure that alleged victims in rape and sexual assault cases are treated properly, but some fear that the process of disclosing evidence to the defence has been damaged as a result. the attorney general has started a review into disclosure. he thinks part of the problem is the sheer weight of evidence. we have very large amounts now of mostly digital information in a whole range of trials that it's very hard to filter it effectively so you can find the evidence that ought to be disclosed. that is a problem we are encountering in fraud cases, in terrorism cases but also, as we have discovered, in other kinds of case too. but there have been many damning reviews of the disclosure process in recent years, and some of those working in the criminal courts believe the system's integrity is now under threat.

a real danger here is people can lose years of their lives locked up in prison for crimes they have not committed. evidence that could show they have not committed those crimes, evidence that could show they are innocent is not disclosed to them or their lawyers, and therefore there are grave miscarriages ofjustice. the prosecution's duty to pass evidence to the defence which assists the defence underpins ourjustice system. that duty is now under scrutiny as never before. clive coleman, bbc news. the head of the international monetary fund says its economists were not too gloomy, in their predictions about brexit, and that weaker prospects for economic growth in the uk, had underlined their case. christine lagarde was presenting the imf‘s latest report on the british economy, which slightly downgrades the prediction for growth this year, affected by the weaker pound and the uncertainty surrounding brexit. christine lagarde has been speaking to our economics editor kamal ahmed. she came before the

referendum with a warning. if britain voted brexit, then the economic risks were clear. it is going to be pretty bad to very, very bad. that is what we see. today she was back for the first time since that brexit vote, to give her analysis of where we are now. since the start of this year, growth has slowed notably. the significant depreciation of sterling that followed the referendum has pushed inflation over 3%, squeezing real incomes. how do you respond to those critics who suggest the imf is simply too gloomy on the uk economy? regrettably, the numbers that we are seeing the economy deliver today are actually proving the point that we made a year and a half ago, when people said "you are too gloomy and you are one of those experts." christine lagarde came

here to the treasury to deliver her report — and, let's be clear, she wasn't all gloomy. she said that employment was at record levels, and she welcomed progress in those brexit negotiations. but if i was to identify one big takeout from the imf today, it's this. in a world of growing global growth, the uk economy has suffered since the referendum. the imf said growth in the first nine months of the year was lower than in 2016. it said that prices had risen because of the fall in the value of the pound, causing a squeeze on living standards. and called for a quick agreement on the transition phase of the brexit talks to ease uncertainty and avoid crashing out of the eu. around the corner in parliament, it was the turn of the governor of the bank of england, also pushing for a free—trade deal, this time in financial services, despite grumbles from the eu that such a thing had never

been achieved before. i don't accept the argument that just because it has not been done in the past it cannot be done in the future. we would just walk away from progress if that were the approach we took to issues. the hunt for an agreement goes on, and firms like this gin manufacturer in london are keeping plans on ice until there is greater clarity. it clearly helps that the pound is not really strong and becoming more expensive, but it is not a major factor. until it is clear exactly what is going to happen with brexit, it is very difficult to commit to further investment here, because if the markets are difficult to access from the uk, it will be difficult to justify spending a lot more money growing the business. it is now all about that clarity — clarity on any deal with the eu, and clarity on the future of the uk economy once brexit has happened. kamal ahmed, bbc news. within the past hour, mps have voted

to fix the precise date and time of brexit on the 29th of march 2019, after which time the government hopes for a transition period of around two years. but today the chief negotiator of the eu says it should last no longer until the end of 2020, giving 21 months to adjust to trading arrangements. let's speak to trading arrangements. let's speak to adam fleming in brussels. is there any sign of conflict between what mr barnier is saying and what the government in london are saying? there is a little bit. this is no great surprise in brussels, mr barnier says this is a logical end point for the transition period, 21 months after brexit day happens in march 2019. that is because at the end of december 2020, that is the close of the eu's seven year—long

budget cycle which we are in at the moment. mr barnier says this is a logical end point for this transition period, a period where the uk will be expected to follow european rules and regulations and new ones without having a seat at the decision—making table. mrs may prefers to call it an implementation period and has asked for around two yea rs, period and has asked for around two years, a little bit longer than what mr barnier is offering. speaking to a group of senior mps today the prime minister said it is something to be discussed. the other thing we disagree about is when there will be a trade deal. mrs may says it should be signed, sealed and delivered by the start of the transition, mr barnier says that the point of the transition deal is to get it negotiated them. thank you, adam fleming. for the first time in its history, the european commission has threatened a member state with the loss of its eu voting rights. it's started disciplinary measures against poland, accusing the government of undermining the independence of the country's judges. polish ministers have dismissed the commission's actions as politically motivated. president trump says he's delivering

what he's called a "big, beautiful tax cut" for americans this christmas. the tax reforms, passed this evening in congress, represent the first major legislative victory for mr trump after nearly a year in office. the reforms will dramatically cut tax for us corporations, but at a cost to the treasury — as our north america editorjon sopel reports. if this was a smile— off, it would be hard to decide who had the biggest grin, a real toss—up between the president, his number two and the leaders of the house and the senate. finally, just days before christmas, donald trump has notched up his first legislative victory. pleased? he was over the moon. we broke every record. it's the largest, i always say the most massive, but it's the largest tax—cut, in the history of our country,

and reform, but tax—cut. really something special. and then the oh so familiar refrain. we are making america great again. you haven't heard that, have you? and republicans from both houses of congress came to celebrate the changes, changes that will be felt on both sides of the atlantic. a buoyant us economy ripples out a long way. so what does the republican tax bill involve? corporation tax will come down from 35% to 21%, a huge boost to corporate america that the president says will lead to morejobs and higher wages. individual tax rates will be reduced although the wealthy will benefit far more than blue—collar america, donald trump's base. the legislation will add over $1 trillion to america's debt, even though many republicans came into office vowing to slash the deficit. democrats, though,

are unanimous in their opposition to the proposals. now we know they are popping champagne down pennsylvania avenue. there are only two places where america is popping champagne. the white house and the corporate boardrooms, including trump tower. 0therwise americans have a lot to regret. an opinion poll suggested a clear majority of americans think the same. this is a tax cut for the already rich, not for them. that prompted this question to the republican leader of the senate. how easy will this measure be to sell? my view of this, if we can't sell this to the american people, we ought to go into another line of work. selling this tax reform package will be for 2018 but as 2017 draws to a close, donald trump can reflect that he has got his tax reform proposals through. the stock market is soaring. his supreme court pick is in place. regulations are being torn up. it may not have always been pretty but donald trump is sort of doing

what he promised he would do. jon sopel, bbc news, washington. catalans have been observing an official day of reflection before a vital regional election tomorrow. the vote is intended to resolve a stand—off between the spanish government and the campaigners who unilaterally declared catalan independence in october. all indications are that the result will be very close. two of the main independence leaders can't vote in person — including the ousted catalan government leader carles puigdemont, who's in effect in exile in brussels. live to barcelona tonight and our correspondent james reynolds. the election on the eve of the poll appears to be evenly divided between its two rival camps, pro—independence and pro—spain. the pro—independence and pro—spain. the pro—independence movement wants to try to win back the power it lost

when direct rule was imposed two months ago. to do so, it has decided to change tactics. pro—independence supporters are planning a revival... and a new strategy. declaring unilateral independence in october simply got their leaders sacked and even jailed. the deposed regional president carles puigdemont now campaigns from exile in belgium. so this time, if they win, they promise no more unilateral steps. if you win, will you make another effort to declare independence? translation: we are the people of dialogue, of agreement. the problem with the spanish government is that it is extremely weak. the strong come to an agreement, the weak impose their will. this election will test

which side is stronger, pro—independence or pro—spain. unlike the disputed referendum in october, this time both sides will vote. the pro—spain camp wants to use this election to block any more attempts to break away. the most powerful pro—spain voice belongs to ines arrimadas... the local leader of a party called citizens. she addresses her final campaign rally in spanish, not catalan. why do you oppose independence? because ourfuture is inside spain and inside the european union. we don't have any future outside the european union and outside our country. because catalonia is our homeland, spain is our country and europe is ourfuture. months of crisis are now marked

by a single election. vote by vote, catalonia will count its divide. james reynolds, bbc news, barcelona. britain's most valuable company, shell, and the italian oil company, eni, have been been ordered to stand trial in italy, in what has been described as one of the biggest corporate corruption cases in history. the companies and several senior officials face allegations in connection with a deal in nigeria. the oil firms and the individuals deny any wrongdoing. the trial in italy is expected to start in march next year. the acute volatility in the value of the digital currency bitcoin does not pose a threat to global financial stability, according to the bank of england governor mark carney. bitcoin, which is traded online and is not regulated by any authorities, has rocketed in value in recent months. those lucky enough to own one will know that it's currently worth nearly £12,000.

but some are warning the bubble is set to burst, as our technology correspondent rory cellan—jones explains. their wrists and flash photography in this report. it is either the digital currency which is the future of money or a dangerous bubble built on hype. —— there is some flash photography. but the value of bitcoin has soared more than threefold this year. and alessa nd ra more than threefold this year. and alessandra sollberger is one of the few people who has made serious money from it. as you can see, in 2012 it was about $9, that was for around 400 bitcoins. and fast forwarding we are at about $18,000. she's sold a lot of her coins to fund her nutrition business but still has a feud. you have a dozen 01’ still has a feud. you have a dozen orso, still has a feud. you have a dozen or so, what is that worth? 0ne bitcoin is worth around $18,000, so

you do the maths. that sort of story has sparked a gold rush. at this london cafe there is a bitcoin cash machine, you put in £20 notes and a tiny fraction of a bitcoin is transferred to your phone. what happens to you if they all go to nothing tomorrow? i'm holding, i will hold it. i have faith it will all go back up, even if it collapses i will hold it. unlike a normal currency, bitcoin is not controlled by any central bank 01’ not controlled by any central bank or governments. instead it depends ona or governments. instead it depends on a network of computers which all record any transactions. you hold it in what is called a wallet on your phone or computer with a unique address allowing you to send or receive bitcoin. new bitcoin are created in a process called mining involving computers solving increasingly complex problems. back at the cafe, this is one of the very few places you can actually spend bitcoin. actually as bitcoin

saws and value it is becoming less and less useful as a currency. why would you spend it today when it will be worth a lot more tomorrow, so will be worth a lot more tomorrow, so goes the thinking. so maybe for the same amount of bitcoin next week i could buy two cakes. that is one reason many are sceptical about bitcoin. david gerard has studied and written about it for six years. it is the irrational exuberance phase of a bubble. this is that economic bubbles work, people buy close others are, assuming they can a lwa ys close others are, assuming they can always sell it and get rich. when the bubble pops, when, not if, it will be a disaster for many. ever more energy is used by bust banks of computers mining bitcoin like these in russia. 0ne computers mining bitcoin like these in russia. one more reason to wonder whether this financial experiment has a sustainable future. let's talk about the football, it has been a great night for bristol city, who have sealed a memorable victory over premiership giants manchester united.

this injury time winner from corey smith saw them through 2—1. they will play either manchester city, arsenal or chelsea for a in the final. mutch a place in the final. life expectancy across the globe is continuing to rise, prompting scientists to ask how long people might live in the future. most think we will see gradual gains in longevity, but there have been predictions that anti—ageing drugs could eventually allow people to live for centuries. in the last of his special reports on so—called super—agers, our medical correspondent fergus walsh has been to california and arizona. i like to do things. i don't want to sit in the background. enthusiastic, engaged, optimistic. lester dray is 101. the oldest resident at this retirement village in sun city, arizona. you're going to miss something if you just moan and groan about how horrible life is.

show me your teeth. do you hear a sound? say ahhh... ahhh. he gets regular medical checks, as part of a study into longevity. it's an issue which is attracting interest from unusual quarters. in silicon valley, california, some of the biggest names, from google to facebook, are investing hundreds of millions of dollars into defeating the diseases of ageing. so why are tech entrepreneurs suddenly interested in human health? i think silicon valley is driven by curiosity. that same curiosity that drives a 14—year—old to programme computers in his bedroom drives somebody in their 20s or 30s to really apply their minds and their cash to this problem. the dna from the special part of the cell called the mitochondrion... it is why this british scientist set up in silicon valley. aubrey de grey is probably the world's leading advocate of life extension — the idea that humans can and will live in good health

for hundreds of years. there will certainly be no limit on how long people can live once we bring ageing under control. people will still die, there are still trucks to be hit by and so on. but the fact is people will, on average, live a lot longer unless there is some bizarre thing like we get hit by an asteroid or whatever. that's beautiful! that's a minority view. although extending life is possible in the lab, with fruit flies, yeast or worms, it gets more difficult higher up the evolutionary ladder. so in the lab in simple laboratory animals, we can increase life span by 100%, 200, 500%, really extraordinary differences in life span. it turns out ageing is really plastic in the simple laboratory animals. it may be more complex as we go over to mammals. the mouse, for example, we have been able to increase life span 20 or 30%. and we really do not know what is possible for humans at this point. we do know exercise is a magic formula that can keep us healthy longer.

and there are no drugs yet to match it. there is probably an upper limit to life expectancy of around 115 years. so the quest for immortality is still the stuff of science fiction. but increasing our health span, the number of years we spend free of chronic diseases, well that really could be a reality. here we go! # jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock! finding something you enjoy and staying socially engaged are key elements of healthy ageing. like the sun city poms, many of whom are in their 70s and 80s. i'm 78. born on the 4th ofjuly. so i'm still a firecracker, still going and booming.