for relations after brexit. work continues to clear snow from roads and railways lines after severe disruption. meanwhile, warnings of flooding as strong winds batter the coasts. and in italy, millions go to the polls in the general election with the anti—establishment five star movement expected to become the biggest party. now on bbc news... alicia mccarthy presents the week in parliament. hello and welcome to the week in parliament, our look back at the big events of the last few days here at westminster. on this programme: theresa may is urged to set out more details of her brexit strategy.

we will bring back control of our laws, our borders and our money. but labour says the government's in chaos. when is she going to put the countries interests before the outsized egos of her own cabinet? also on this programme: we talk to welsh mps as scotland and wales turn up the pressure on ministers to make sure they get control of some of the powers coming back to the uk after brexit. there's a call for a ban on live animal exports and is facial recognition technology a security boost or a big brother threat? the chinese ali baba site has introduced a system where you can smile to pay.

but first. . .. the acceptance that the uk cannot have its cake and eat it, was just one of the messages from theresa may as she set out details of what the uk wants from brexit. in a speech on friday she laid down five tests for a future agreement with the european union, including whether any deal respects the result of the 2016 referendum, protects jobs and security, and strengthen the ties between the four nations of the uk. the prime minister will update the commons on her ideas in a statement on monday afternoon. it will be another chance for mps to question her overjust where she sees brexit going. at prime minister's questions on wednesday, the labour leader jeremy corbyn had taunted theresa may over a recent ministerial get together at her country retreat, which aimed to thrash out the government's strategy and come up with a united way forward. mr speaker, the prime minister emerged to promise a brexit of ambitious managed divergence. what on earth does ambitious managed

divergence mean in practise? we will bring back control our borders and our money. that is in direct contrast with the labour party is positioned, want to be in a, and do whatever it takes that would mean giving away control of our laws, our borders, and our money. and that would be a betrayal of the british people! the government to so divided that the prime minister is incapable of delivering a coherent and decisive plan for brexit! so when is she going to put the country's interests before the outsized egos of her own cabinet? jeremy corbyn. well, one problem that's proving particularly tricky in the brexit talks is how to take the uk out of the eu's customs union while still avoiding checks on the irish border. in the week the eu put forward a plan for a common regulatory area for the whole island of ireland, which would avoid what's known

as a hard border with checkpoints between the north and south. but at prime minister's questions, theresa may made it clear that proposal wasn't acceptable to her. the draft legal text the commission has published would, if implemented, undermined the uk, market and threaten constitutional integrity of the uk by creating a customs border down the irish sea. no uk prime minister could ever agree to it. the snp's westminster leader picked up on the irish border issue, and a leaked letter from the foreign secretary boris johnson to theresa may. in it he said the government should prevent the borderfrom becoming "significa ntly" harder, a comment that came hot on the heels of a bbc interview where he'd compared the issue to crossing between london boroughs and the use of the congestion charge! the foreign secretary's leaked letter, says he cannot get

to grips with one of the most fundamental issues of brexit. the foreign secretary, compared crossing the irish border to going between camden and westminster! frankly, you could not make this stuff up! this is a uk government lacquered and mine that good friday agreement. theresa may didn't mention boris johnson specifically in her reply but insisted the government was committed to the good friday agreement. but mps wanted the foreign secretary to explain himself directly to them. so, straight after pmqs, labour put down what's known as an urgent question asking him to come to the despatch box. but as you might be able to see mrjohnson left the chamber, provoking much shouting from the opposition side. the dup's westminster leader used the opportunity to speak up and back theresa may in rejecting the deal proposed by the eu.

it is ironic, is it not, that those who complain hardest about a hard border between the irish republic have today welcomed proposals from the eu which would create a hard border between them. to use the belfast agreement or most specifically, to thwart exit in shape it in the way, it is outrageous and disgraceful! we have to realise, if we're not going to rip our nation further apart, we not only need a pragmatic approach to brexit but an honest approach to brexit but an honest approach to brexit but an honest approach to brexit. the only solution to a hard border is membership of the customs union and the single market. anna soubry.

of course the irish border isn't the only big unresolved issue. the governments in wales and scotland have real concerns too. for example, what might brexit mean for regulating welsh farming or the scottish fishing industry? control over agriculture and fisheries is technically devolved. but these powers are currently exercised from brussels. once the uk leaves the eu these powers will be heading to the uk. but where will they go? the welsh and scottish governments claim that westminster might try to grab them. the cabinet office minister david lidington tried to reassure the doubters. the vast majority of powers returning from brussels will start off in edinburgh, cardiff and belfast are not in whitehall. let me be in no doubt that this would mean a very big change to the eu (withdrawal) bill that is before parliament and a significant step forward in these negotiations.

isi is i asked liz saddle roberts why she thought westminster would hold onto the powers are not pass them on. i could turn the question back. why would the public not allow these powers to go straight to cardiff for edinburgh? if we are equals as nations in the uk, we should build to discuss that within parliament and come to an agreement together according to our proper needs and not expecting these to be held back in london before they get passed on to us. iam i am delighted to say i am joined in

the studio now by stephen doughty and by conservative david davis. david davis, let me start with you. these powers will affect people for yea rs these powers will affect people for years to come. shouldn't they have a say on them from day one? they will and much greater say than before. those powers are currently in brussels and they will come back to london where they will be decided upon bya london where they will be decided upon by a committee made up of mps from england, scotland and northern ireland. those powers are already coming back to the united kingdom. people will have a much greater say over how these laws are made. in the short—term, over the period of the next few years, many of the powers will be devolved straight down the m4 towards cardiff bay and into scotla nd m4 towards cardiff bay and into scotland and northern ireland will to everyone will have more powers as a result. that is the major sticking point. there is not one single thing

the welsh; do at the moment it will not be able to do after brexit. we're not taking any powers away from belfast scotland and wales. more powers will be going to them. the only reason why there is a slight delay if we need to ensure we do not have come if you like, four different nations all doing errands in because that would undermine the single market in the uk. —— doing their own thing. if we have a situation where scotland and wales are all pursuing different agricultural policies, we will lose a single market in the united kingdom. that all sounds utterly and entirely reasonable and you will get the powers in the end, what is the problem? the uk government has had plenty of time to resolve these issues amicably with the welsh and scottish governments. the discussions have come to a stalemate at this time. the welsh government

has had to set out a continuity built to try to keep things going because they have not come to this agreement. we do not want to be in this situation, back in the supreme court, arguing about these powers. the devolution settlement has been in place since 1999. wales has powers in those areas. to suggest they get stuck in westminster abbey grabbed back by some instances not acceptable. you talked about the continuity bills. wouldn't everyone be better off trying to sort out and negotiate with the government at westminster rather than going for the nuclear option of having a continuity bill and making more confusion and potential for the thing in the courts? we have raised this since day one. i have worked with my colleagues from the snp and plaid cymru as well. it is about the

powers that different governments have. the uk government has not responded adequately to that. we have even had scottish conservative mps agreeing, saying it is not an adequate situation, and yet they have not come forward. it may be because they want to grab back those powers and hold them in westminster. that is not acceptable. it is a problem for the government that whatever it does it will looks like it is walking rather roughshod over devolution hangs over the powers, it is in trouble if it goes for continuity it is also in trouble. whatever the government does, no matter how far it tries to support the welsh assembly and the scottish parliament, the leaders will not support brexit. we are not taking powers away from the welsh assembly but we are taking power back from brussels. going back from brussels

to uk parliament were welsh mps will have a say and then back down the m4 to cardiff. that is respecting devolution and the result of the brexit referendum in wales. final word to you. what to make of it? david is incorrect. we voted for a new wales act to give wales new powers. this is an attempt to claw back those powers for the ukip is backing the position of the welsh government was that it is the silly i’ow government was that it is the silly row we need not to be having. it is about the relationship with the united kingdom and that is what the government should be doing. thank you for coming in. now, i hear you ask, what's been happening in the wider world of politics this week? here's duncan smith with our countdown. # five, four, three, two, one. five. a wintry week at westminster and the heating failed at a late—night sitting in the house of lords, prompting peers to wrap up

warm. four. welsh nationalist mps are backing manchester city boss pep guardiola for wearing a pro—catalan ribbon at the cup final. he was charged by the fa for promoting a political message. plaid cymru mps tabled an early motion praising his stance. three. back in the lords, a quick thinking doorkeeper saved the day on wednesday. business can't end if the mace is in place. two. most fashionable subject for a speech this week, brexit as seen on monday, tuesday, wednesday, thursday, and friday. one. we return to the weather for our top story. and the snow at westminster inspired these images on social media. # five, four, three, two, one. duncan smith with our countdown. now let's take a look at some other

westminster news in brief. the international development secretary, is considering stopping uk aid for a number of charities after they failed to provide assurances over safeguarding to her department. penny mordaunt had set a deadline for the information, following the scandal surrounding sexual misconduct by aid agency workers. a number of organisations unbelievably mr speaker have not replied. we are following up. but without compelling justification they would have lost our confidence and we will consider whether it is right to continue their funding. the government's announced its abandoning the next stage of the leveson inquiry into press intrusion, set up in the wake of the phone hacking scandal. the culture secretary, argued the industry had changed and he reminded mps that phase one had cost £48 million. i have informed sir brian that we are formally closing the inquiry. but we will take action to safeguard the lifeblood of our democratic discourse and tackle

the challenges our media face today, not a decade ago. this announcement conveniently timed to be buried under a flurry of snow is a disappointment. a breach of trust and a bitter blow to the victims of press intrusion. but it is not in any way a surprise. uk millennials are on track to be the most overweight generation since records began, health experts say. based on population trends, more than seven in every ten people born between the early—19805 and the mid—90s will be too fat by the time they reach middle age. five—year—olds are now eating their own body weight in sugar every year, obesity is the second largest cause of cancer and it reduces life expectancy up to ten years. what is needed are mandatory reformulation targets for reduction in added sugar, fat, and calories across all

products as well as common—sense policies directed at early years. we have seen action. what we will see in the spring is evidence of whether or not it has had the desired affect and if it hasn't we have left all options open to take more action if required. the electricals retailer maplin collapsed in the week, putting two and half thousand jobs at risk and on the same day a further three thousand jobs were under threat when the uk's biggest toys retailer toys—r—us went into administration. in the lords, there was a dire warning that trading in britain's shops could decline by nearly a quarter in the next year. there is a crisis on the high street. can the minister tell us what the government is doing to recognise the pressure the internet is putting on physical shops? we found 2.3 billion and cutting business rates and found a degree of fairness to the system.

there are limits to how far one can go and one has to accept that a lot of what is happening is a result of what the consumers want. mps debated a call to ban live farm animal exports after more than 90,000 people signed an online petition. ministers are said to be considering the change. currently, live animal exports from britain are controlled by eu regulation. in 2012, a0 sheep had to be euthanized after being crammed into a truck. other sheep spent four days without having access to food or water are being transported to turkey. let this be one of the great steps as britain takes back control from the european union because as gandhi once said, "the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." we should not be banning live exports because if we do that, we will lose control

through the irish border and potentially the animals that we are seeking to improve the welfare of will end up travelling from southern ireland to spain or france, journeys that are considerably longer than they need to be. mps have been increasingly concerned about the plight of the rohingya people fleeing myanmar formerly known as burma. now the chairman of the international development committee says it's been blocked from making a fact—finding trip to the country after publishing a report on the crisis. yesterday our passports were returned to us without visas and clearly the failure of the burmese government to grant these visas simply prevents us from doing our job as a select committee, which is to oversee how overseas development assistance is spent in country. i understand, mr speaker, it was the leader herself who blocked the approval of our visas.

they indicated three reasons for that refusal, first that there is an extended public holiday in burma and secondly that access to the state remains restricted for security reasons and finally and i think this was something that was brought up in the press release yesterday evening, they were unhappy that individual members had signed a letter calling for the senior general of the burmese army to be held to account for the military behaviour. in the lords, there was a call for better regulation of facial recognition technology by the security services and police. biometric software can identify someone by comparing a photo or video to a stored face—print. it's used for security but also increasingly by private companies. one peer, who said she'd been arrested but not charged while attending peaceful protests, raised concerns. this technology is being used for a database full of illegal images of

innocent people and i include myself in that number. it seems that facial recognition technology is using police national database which contains tens of thousands of people who are never charged, nor convicted of an offence. it is six years since the high court ruled that the policy of retaining the mugshots of innocent people was unlawful. but the police still do it and they still upload them onto the police national database. the government's solution in 2017 was to allow individuals to write to the police asking to be deleted. that just isn't good enough. although it is still at a very early stage of development as far as its use in the criminal justice system is concerned, i have no doubt that it will eventually be accepted by the police and the courts as a quick and reliable method of eliminating the innocent from suspicion as much as for identifying and convicting the guilty. but he added there were no national

or international standards for how implement its use. these techniques are extremely powerful but they are out of the bag. the train has left the station or whichever metaphor you want to use on this concern. the chinese ali baba site has introduced a system whereby you can smile to pay. as far as i know, it is china and it is different of course, but i am not aware any other similar system is being adopted in the uk or in other western countries, but the point is that the technique is there and it is actually only a matter of time before non—state actors start to use these techniques far more widely than is currently the case. one peer and former m15 chief stressed the benefits in counter terrorism and was impressed with a system he'd experienced. i was going into the building the other day and they had a facial

recognition system at the door and it immediately and accurately identified me as myself and was able to do it on the basis of a 12—year—old photograph taken from the internet. so this is notjust about police custody records, you can do it without any of that stuff and a lot of people are doing so in the private sector. so for example the durham police force is using image cameras to make a troublemaker database which is against the principles of data protection and against the spirit of not using this type of technology for and —— intelligent gathering tools. there are is no legal status and no oversight, they are getting away with it. the home office minister said biometric data was critically important in law enforcement.

maintaining public trust and confidence is key, achieving this needs a more open approach to deployment and development of new technologies. we remain committed to our use of biometrics including provided to block enforcement is legal, transparent and robust. she also said the government was committed to creating a framework so that organisations could innovate with biometric data in an ethical and transparent way. finally, march 1st is the meteorological start of spring, which might have been a little hard to believe over the last few days, but it's also st david's day, and a chance for a few non—welsh speakers to have a go at the traditional greeting. can i wish all members... a happy saint david's day in welsh for all the non—welsh speakers among us.

and here is the scottish accent. speaks welsh. and here is how it should be done. speaks welsh but there was some bad news for those wanting more talk of st david's day. when the beast from the east takes on storm emma, one of the victims of the victims of the house will be the welsh members the debate on saint david's day has been cancelled so they can travel home safely. the weather intruding on commons business once more something pete wishart was keen explore, sort of. there are two items of business, the beast from the east, and the home —— foreign secretary, one is a white out that causes

damage wherever it goes and the other is the beast from the east. pete wishart. and that's it from me for now. but do join lucy grey on bbc parliament, on monday night at 11pm for a full round up of the day at westminster. but for now from me, alicia mccarthy, good bye.