pair. you're watching bbc newsroom live. it's ham and these are the main stories this morning: the duke and duchess of sussex are expecting a baby in spring next year. meghan and harry, who are in australia, are said to be delighted to share the news. there was already excitement about the duke and duchess coming to australia was up with today's news, the place will be buzzing. and for the place will be buzzing. and for the duke and duchess, what a place to be together as they prepare for their first to be together as they prepare for theirfirst child. brexit negotiations hit a problem over the issue of the irish border. the foreign secretary acknowledges the talks have entered a "difficult period". this is obviously a difficult period. there was always going to be a moment like this, but we should remember that a huge amount of progress has been made. there are one or two outstanding very difficult issues, but i think we can get there. fracking for shale gas is due to resume in the uk, for the first time since tests were linked to minor earthquakes seven years ago.

donald trump accuses some scientists of having a "political in president trump said he accepts that the global climate is changing, but he doesn't know if it is man—made and a ground breaking approach to surgery — scientists say they're close to working out a sat nav for the brain. good morning. welcome to bbc newsroom live. kensington palace has announced that the duchess of sussex is pregnant. prince harry and meghan are expecting their baby in the spring of next year. the news was announced as the couple started a tour of australia. kensington palace said the couple appreciated all of the support they have received from people around the world since their wedding in may, and "are delighted to be able to share this happy news with the public". the baby will be seventh in line to the throne. our correspondentjonny dymond is with the royal couple in sydney. here at sydney harbour is where the

duke and duchess of sussex are going to make their first public appearance tomorrow. it was always going to be an exciting time. the crowd were always going to be big, but the buzz will now be enormous as the news is spreading around australia about the duchess‘s pregnancy. senior members of the royalfamily were pregnancy. senior members of the royal family were told about that pregnancy on friday. and the duchess of sussex‘s mother has been told, greeted the news warmley, saying it was wonderful news and that she was looking forward to her first grandchild. the tour is notjust of australia but new zealand, fiji and tonga. there have been a couple of questions about keeping fiji and tonga on the itinerary because the official advice is to avoid those countries. kensington palace says that ethical advice has been taken

and the tour will continue as planned. finally, a thought for the couple themselves: what are placed this is for them to enjoy their time asa this is for them to enjoy their time as a couple and to prepare for their first child. asking in this astonishing scenery and the adulation that they will receive, and in theirown adulation that they will receive, and in their own company. theresa may has sent her warmest congratulations via twitter to the duke and duchess of sussex. and we want to know what you think about this story — you can tweet us using the hashtag bbc newsroomlive or text us at 61124. government sources are warning that the brexit negotiations have hit a "real problem" over the issue of the irish border. they say the eu wants further assurances to prevent the return of a hard border, involving physical checks on goods travelling between northern ireland and the irish republic. the talks faltered over the need for a back—up plan — known as the backstop —

to avoid a hard border. under the plans for a backstop, the eu would allow the uk to continue being part of a customs union beyond the end of the transition period if no new free trade agreement had been signed. in a moment we'll get the latest from adam fleming, who's tracking the talks in brussels, but first to norman smith at westminster. norman, explain what the latest difficulties are centring on will stop perhaps more than a difficulty because this is a fundamental crunch that now seems to have been reached. it also does on the northern ireland backstop, the arrangements put in place to make sure there is no hard border in northern ireland if the eu and the uk can't reach a trade agreement. now, back in february, the eu suggested, in those circumstances, we would have to have a new customs border, in effect down

the irish sea, to ensure there was no border between northern ireland and ireland. theresa may said no, that no it is prime minister could agree to that, brexiteers said it would lead to the annexation of northern ireland and it was unacceptable. government sources now say that the eu have put that option back on the table, saying that if the uk's proposals to have a uk wide customs arrangements don't work, then we're going back to our plan a, then we're going back to our plan a, the idea of having a separate deal for northern ireland, which would keep northern ireland inside the single market and customs union. it isa single market and customs union. it is a major, major rift that now appears to be looming full stop although this morning, the foreign secretary, jeremy hunt, trying still to strike an upbeat note. this is obviously a difficult period. there was always going to be

a moment like this, but we should remember that a moment like this, but we should rememberthata a moment like this, but we should remember that a huge amount of progress has been made. there are still one or two outstanding difficult issues, but i think we can get there. whether we do this week or not, who knows? but i know everyone is trying incredibly hard. my colleague dominic raab was here over the weekend, i was meeting eu foreign ministers yesterday evening. i think it is possible to do it, and with good will on all sides, we can get there, but there are some difficult issues yet to overcome. we can get there, says difficult issues yet to overcome. we can get there, sasteremy hunt, but not it seems by this wednesday's eu summit, at which mrs may will go and address eu leaders, because listening to ireland's foreign minister, he was pretty clear this morning that the prospects of a breakthrough, of a deal there, are nigh ona breakthrough, of a deal there, are nigh on a nonstarter. may think we are frustrated, but we are still pretty calm about that. i think everybody would like to have seen

clarity this week on the withdrawal agreement. time is moving on. ratification mechanisms are going to ta ke ratification mechanisms are going to take time, whether that is in westminster or in the european parliament, sol westminster or in the european parliament, so i think there was a real effort over the last ten days by the two negotiating teams to negotiate stoically intensify negotiations so they could have a set of recommendations for political leaders this week. that hasn't prove n leaders this week. that hasn't proven possible. yesterday, the negotiating teams agreed to disengage, effectively, until after this week's european council meeting, which is frustrating and disappointing from an irish perspective, as the country that is more exposed to the fallout brexit than any other eu country, obviously outside of the uk itself. so, for us, we want to see an outcome here that settles nerves and allows us to move ahead with a managed, sensible brexit. i still think it's possible to do that, but clearly, it's going to do that, but clearly, it's going to take a bit more time than many

people had thought. meantime, here, mrs may has almost no room for manoeuvre. we know the dup have already threatened to dynamite the budget. we know that leading brexiteers are on the war path. david davis at the weekend effectively called for a mutiny in the cabinet. it does seem that some cabinet ministers are going wobbly on the sort of backstop options mrs may could be looking at. slight limp better news for mrs —— slightly better news for mrs —— slightly better news for mrs —— slightly better news for mrs may this morning, with one cabinet member saying they would not resign. have a listen to the vice—chairman of the european research groups, . .. listen to the vice—chairman of the european research groups,... the cabinet had to stand up to the prime minister. what does that mean in practical terms? we have to ask

questions about chequers, about the fa ct questions about chequers, about the fact it would bind us to eu law for the foreseeable future. to ask questions? they need to push the prime minister, and if necessary, the cabinet need to say that they reject chequers because it betrays the spirit of the referendum that 17.4 million people voted. now is the time for members of the cabinet to put their country before their own careers and their ministerial ca rs own careers and their ministerial cars and red boxes. and that, blu ntly, cars and red boxes. and that, bluntly, joanna, is the real difficulty that mrs may is facing. she is having to fight on so many fronts. she has to try and appease, meet the demands of the dup, she has to try and fend off ardent brexiteers, you got members of the cabinet looking uneasy, and now she's got a showdown with the eu. it is very difficult to see how she secures that brexit deal. norman,

thank you. let's go to adam fleming in brussels. adam, theresa may has been likened to a chess player with only her king left, only able to move one square at a only her king left, only able to move one square at a time until she is checkmated. people here are not panicking. i wouldn't say there were relaxed, but not panicking, because they think there is still time to fix this, and they think the uk has to be given time for the dust to settle for theresa may to make difficult choices and bring people along the path so that they can get this withdrawal agreement signed. all this talk of a backstop can get very confusing, but it boils down to this: eu is insistent that in the withdrawal agreement, which is the divorce bit of the brexit process, there has to be a bit that says, some text that says, if there is no other solution, northern ireland could remain in the eu's customs union. that has to be there. the uk says, we cannot accept that because that affects the constitutional integrity of the united kingdom and

means that northern ireland would have a different relationship with the eu and the rest of the world on trade than it did with the rest of the united kingdom. those have been the united kingdom. those have been the position is for ages, and actually, nothing has changed in a way. it has just become very clear that those words will have to be in the brexit treaty, or the uk is going to have to find a way to get them taken going to have to find a way to get them ta ken out going to have to find a way to get them taken out the brexit treaty. which is going to be pretty difficult, because the eu is standing incredibly firm on this issue. what it has done for definite, though, is thrown out this week's planned brexit timetable. there was supposed to be a meeting of the eu prime ministers‘ advisers. then the remaining members of the eu we re then the remaining members of the eu were going to say, yes, we agree in principle to this withdrawal agreement, let‘s now put our heads down and start work on the next document, which is the shape of the future relationship, so that both those things could be put together and signed, sealed and delivered, at another summit

and signed, sealed and delivered, at anothersummit in and signed, sealed and delivered, at another summit in mid—november, so that the british parliament could stop voting or needle. that timetable has gone out the window now, and no one is sure of what is going to happen. adam, thank you very much. a british cyclist shot dead by a hunter in the french alps yesterday has been named locally. 34 year old marc sutton, who was originally from south wales, was killed by a stray bullet while riding in woodland near montriond, close to the swiss border. the former chief constable of police scotland, phil gormley, who resigned after allegations of bullying, has been given a major new role in policing. bbc news understands that mr gormley, who denies any wrongdoing, is about to be confirmed as an inspector of constabulary of england and wales. his new role involves overseeing the performance of 12 forces. he starts next week. authorities say flood defences in south wales will be reviewed following extensive flooding across large parts of the region over the weekend. many homes and businesses were flooded as several rivers burst their banks, with some roads still closed this morning. a 21—year—old died after a landslide in carmarthenshire on saturday. fracking for shale gas is expected

to begin later today for the first time since 2011, after a final legal attempt to prevent work starting at the site in lancashire failed on friday, the site has been the scene of repeated protests from environmentalists. fracking involves pumping liquid at high pressure, deep underground, to fracture rock and release natural gas. the protesters on top of that than since early this morning, and this is the day, of course, that they have been dreading for a couple of yea rs, have been dreading for a couple of years, the day when fracking is due to begin on this site. at the moment, a larger police presence than there is protesters, and the police have closed off the main road here. there hasn‘t been fracking in lancashire since 2011, when it was to earth tremors in the blackpool area. since then, it has been a

hotly contested issue, with the fracking company is hoping to start work on this site. protesters tried to stop them. lastly, they were in the high court trying to get an injunction, claiming that the county council did not have a robust enough emergency plan. that was thrown out last week. the company planned to start tracking here at the weekend, but that was put off because of the weather. the weather is much better today. the road is now sealed off and fracking is due to start on that site later this morning. the company believe there are massive reserves of shale gas under this ground. they wa nt to of shale gas under this ground. they want to carry out this test fracking dizzy and that is correct and whether they could carry out fracking on a commercial scale here. if they did want to do that, they would need to seek further licences. they say that everything is said, but that will not convince protesters, who say that the cost of the environment is too great. the headlines on bbc news... kensington palace say the duchess of

sussexis kensington palace say the duchess of sussex is expecting a baby in the spring of next year. jeremy hunt insists a deal can still be struck over brexit, though he admits there are outstanding issues. and fracking for shale gas is due to resume in the uk for the first time since the process was linked to small earthquakes near blackpool seven small earthquakes near blackpool seve n yea rs small earthquakes near blackpool seven years ago. in sport, scotland manager alex mcleish said he is determined to turn things around after they lost 3-1 at turn things around after they lost 3—1 at hampden park to portugal in a friendly. 60 feet out of eight for alex mcleish. gareth southgate says his players are lacking psychological freshness because of the early start of the premier league so soon after the world cup. danny cipriani has put his hand up for another international recall. jones names his squad for the autumn series later this week. i will be

back with a full update in the next 15 minutes. well, let‘s return now to the news that the duke and duchess of sussex are expecting their first child. royal correspondent for the sunday times roya nikkhah is in sydney and can speak to us now. hello, tell us what has been said there. good morning, or good evening from here. well, we had a bit of a surprise announcement just a from here. well, we had a bit of a surprise announcementjust a few hours ago. we were told that ha rya nto hours ago. we were told that harya nto meghan were hours ago. we were told that haryanto meghan were expecting the first child. there was a huge amount of speculation in the last few weeks. —— harry and meghan they felt co mforta ble weeks. —— harry and meghan they felt comfortable in announcing it, and it

is wonderful news. it looks like it will be a high profile tour, even more so now. we are just seeing them on camera as they arrived earlier. have they said anything at all themselves? no, because they haven't actually done an engagement yet. they only arrived this morning. we arrive early early this morning. so, they start their tour in earnest tomorrow morning, and i‘m sure that there will be hundreds if not thousands of people and well—wishers wanting to say congratulations. i‘m sure we will hear from the couple on it tomorrow. their itinerary hasn't been changed, as i understand it, but they are due to go to fiji and tonga, and there is advice for any pregnant travellers not to go there. they are still going to go, though? that‘s right. as things stand, we‘re being told that they had taken

medical advice on that very issue. 0n medical advice on that very issue. on that advice, they have decided to do all engagement in the programme as it stands, unchanged. there is a relatively low risk of zica in fiji. i think the duchess will probably wait and see how she feels closer to the time. she may feel incredibly tired a few days into this tour. fiji and tonga i‘m told are at the end of next week. as it stands, the clear message is that nothing has changed and she is doing fiji and tonga as well as australia and new zealand. is it understood that she is literally just 12 zealand. is it understood that she is literallyjust 12 weeks pregnant? she is at least 12 weeks pregnant. we did clarify that the kensington palace. given that she has already informed members of the royal family, her own mother, iwould

imagine she‘s probably a little bit more than 12 weeks, but at least 12 weeks is what we‘ve been told. more than 12 weeks, but at least 12 weeks is what we've been told. and you say she has obviously told her mum and everyone else in the royal family, told all the senior royals at the wedding of eugenie and jack on friday. is it understood that her mum is going to move to this country to look after the baby? no, i don't think that‘s the case. i have seen that reported, but no. her mum came over just that reported, but no. her mum came overjust a that reported, but no. her mum came over just a few weeks that reported, but no. her mum came overjust a few weeks ago for megan‘s first solo engagement. she possibly would have known that meghan was pregnant then and would have wa nted meghan was pregnant then and would have wanted to come and see her then as well. reports that she will be a glorified nanny are very wide of the mark. i think she will stay in california. and this baby will become seventh in line to the throne. that's right, absolutely.

seventh in line to the throne, whether it is a girl or a boy. very exciting news for them both. thank you very much forjoining us and updating us. the uk is taking a tentative step today towards a radical "green" future in which emissions of greenhouse gases fall to zero. the government is seeking guidance from its advisors, the climate change committee, about how and when this leap can be made. if it happens, it would mark a dramatic change of an economy built on the burning of fossil fuels. here‘s our environment analyst, roger harrabin. a big shift away from coal—fired power generation has put the uk among the best of nations at tackling climate change so far. but current levels of wind and solar power aren‘t enough to supply all our energy needs and last week‘s un climate report calls for zero emissions from coal, gas and oil in future. it was a really good science—led piece of research and one of the fascinating things, you probably noticed as well,

is we didn‘t have a kind of backlash against the science which is something we‘ve had historically. we know what the goal is. we know what some of the levers are. as they said, stopping burning coal globally would be a huge advantage. investing, potentially, in greenhouse gas removal technology. for me, the constant question when i‘m thinking about this is what could be the cost and who is going to bear that? both in our own economy but in the global economy. 0ne cheap solution is to plant trees to soak up the c02 we produce but the uk is missing targets for new woodlands. sales of electric cars are lagging, too. and ministers made that worse by cutting subsidies only last week. what‘s more, the government is expanding heathrow. it‘s promoting fracking. it‘s freezing fuel duty. it‘s scrapping solar power subsidies and it‘s cancelling zero carbon homes. it will be a mighty challenge

to get emissions to zero. roger harrabin, bbc news. let‘s speak to laurie laybourn—langton, who is director of the uk health alliance on climate change. welcome. is this achievable? absolutely. it‘s not much a question of whether it is achievable, it‘s that we have to do it. we‘d been told unequivocally last week that we need to reduce emissions across the world by about half as we had to 2030, and then fully as we head to the mid part of the century. this is britain stepping up to think about doing its part to ensure that happens. what needs to be done? will it require big subsidies to bag a dramatic change? 0bviously, it require big subsidies to bag a dramatic change? obviously, we are still a fossil fuel based economy from our relief. we have been moving away from that very effectively over the last few decades. the uk has been one of the leaders in the world at reducing emissions, mainly from energy. we need to reduce those

emissions in key areas of the economy, like transport, food and a few other areas. and measures on that front are already well under way? how much does need to be done? in many respects, yes, particularly at city level, when it comes to transport. there are big reductions in how we are moving away from the use of diesel and petrol vehicles, towards shared transport, which lowers emissions. there have been big increases in cycling will cling —— cycling and walking. big increases in cycling will cling -- cycling and walking. how expensive will this be? you can look at the upfront cost of making this transition. fine, it will cost money. but you can look at the overall benefit to society and the economy. the cost of reducing climate change will be enormous, then we have to look at the benefits of making this transition anyway. for example, as we increase physical

activity, more cycling and walking instead of using dirty vehicles, we will improve our health in the process. many people are arguing this will have a big benefit as a society. and those things will cost nothing to implement. 0ther society. and those things will cost nothing to implement. other things, obviously, there will be cost savings long term, but they still require money upfront. does the government have the money to do that? i think it can. government have the money to do that? ithink it can. ithink government have the money to do that? i think it can. i think when it looks at the overall benefits to what will happen in society from these transitions, that it will make a lot of sense for the government to spend more of that money. as it goes through this process as announced today, consulting on how to get to full decarbonisation in the future, it will realise that a lot of the upfront investments now will actually return money over the decades ahead, so it is very much a good investment for britain. what would be your top priority? two main

ones: increases in physical activity, and a healthier diet. making sure we can look at how to eat better, which will give us health benefits, but also to make sure that food comes from sustainable sources to ensure we are reducing carbon emissions from that source. reducing carbon emissions from that source. thank you forjoining us. less than a week after climate scientists issued a final call to halt rising temperatures president donald trump has said he accepts that the global climate is changing, but he doesn‘t know if it is man—made. he went on to say that scientists‘ views couldn‘t be relied upon because they had a political agenda. the president was speaking to 60 minutes on cbs news. well, i think something is happening, something is changing, and it will change back again. i don‘t think it‘s a hoax. there probably is a difference, but i don‘t know that it is man—made. i will say this: i don‘t want to give trillions and trillions of dollars,

i don‘t want to lose millions and millions ofjobs. i don‘t want to be put at a disadvantage. in the same interview with cbs president trump was also why at a campaign rally he mocked the testimony of christine blasey ford, who accused supreme courtjustice brett kavanaugh of sexual assault. why did you have to make fun of her? ididn't why did you have to make fun of her? i didn't really make fun. they were laughing. the person we were talking about them really know the time, the place. she was before the senate and was asked what was the worst moment, and she said when the two boys laughed at me, my expense. and then i watched you and thousands of people were laughing at her. i watched you and thousands of people were laughing at herlj i watched you and thousands of people were laughing at her. i will tell you, the way... nowjustice kavanagh was tell you, the way... nowjustice kava nagh was treated tell you, the way... nowjustice kavanagh was treated has become a big factor in the midterms. have you seen big factor in the midterms. have you seen what's gone on with the polls?

but did you have to?|j seen what's gone on with the polls? but did you have to? i think she was treated with great respect. there we re treated with great respect. there were those who think she shouldn't have been. the airline do you think you treated with great respect? i do. breaking news about bullying in the house of commons, a report into bullying of staff at the house of commons hasjust bullying of staff at the house of commons has just been bullying of staff at the house of commons hasjust been published, and it has said that the house of commons has a culture of deference, subservience, acquiescence and silence in which bullying and harassment has been able to thrive. the report has been published by dame laura cox, who has been looking into allegations of bullying and harassment of house of commons staff. in the report, she has said that abusive conduct of this guide

is pervasive. no workplace is immune, but the culture in which it has been able to take hold in the house of commons, and the ineffective mechanisms for dealing with it, make this a particularly serious case. some of the points that have been raised, that there is a lack of support given to those who have been bullied, harassed or sexually harassed. the sense of pride that members of pride feel in working for the house of commons, a culture that has actively sought to cover up such abusive conduct, a palpable lack of protection for individuals reporting abuse, a lack of accountability for the abuse, and the belief that a new complaints process will not begin to solve the problems. the nature and extent of the allegations made against other members of house staff, as well as against some members of parliament, are disturbing. and the effects have

been exacerbated by the inadequate procedures in place to tackle them. so there is very serious criticism of what has been going on in the house of commons in terms of the treatment of some members of staff — harassment and bullying, and a way that allegations, when they have been great, been dealt with. the report has just been published, carried out by dame laura cox. we will bring you more on that. now, a look at the weather. there is still some rain around, but not as heavy as at the weekend. it is quieter this week, weather—wise. we have some sunshine. this is cornwall. equally, sunshine in scotla nd cornwall. equally, sunshine in scotland and northern ireland, there will be sunshine in the far north—west of england and wales. there are outbreaks of rain further

south, petering out. it will be confined to parts of linkage around yorkshire later. temperature wise, 14-17dc. the yorkshire later. temperature wise, i4—i7dc. the highest temperatures in the south—east. tonight, quite a bit of cloud, mist and fog developing, meaning temperatures will stay in double figures. clear spells in scotla nd double figures. clear spells in scotland and northern ireland will make it a bit chillier. 0n scotland and northern ireland will make it a bit chillier. on tuesday, more cloud and rain moving its way through northern ireland and scotland. england and wales, brighter skies, especially in the south—east, where temperatures will get up to 22 celsius. goodbye. this is bbc news. our latest headlines... kenginston palace announce the duchess of sussex is expecting a baby in the spring of next year. she and the duke are in sydney for a sixteen day tour of australia and new zealand. two days before a summit of european leaders, the foreign secretaryjeremy hunt acknlowedges brexit talks have

entered a "difficult period", but insists it is still possible to reach an agreement. fracking for shale gas begins in lancashire today for the first time since tests were linked to minor earthquakes 7 years ago. a final legal attempt to stop the process failed on friday. president trump says he accepts the global climate is changing, but it could be man—made. in a television interview, he said scientists‘ have a political agenda and their views can‘t be relied upon. sport now, here‘s 0lly. good morning. scotland manager alex mcleish says he will stand up and be brave and has the determination to turn things around. they have now lost six in eight games under him. after defeat in isreal in the nations league last week, mcleish put out a much changed side against portugal for theirfriendly at a half—empty hampden park. the european champions were resting players but were far too strong, the scots losing 3—1. they face albania and israel next

month and mcleish knows where they have to improve. it was basic errors that we made and thatis it was basic errors that we made and that is the disappointing aspect of it. you expect the top teams to cut through you with majestic skill and leave you trailing but we were perpetrators of our own mistakes. the england manager gareth southgate says his players are lacking a psychological freshness because they‘ve had so little rest after the world cup. they are in seville for tonight‘s nations league match against spain after last week‘s draw against croatia. southgate‘s team made it through to the final weekend in russia because they were involved in the third place play—off and the premier league started less than four weeks later.

i don't really understand why our league started so early but they did and so it's really difficult situation for the clubs because some of them could not have fielded a team. if you look at tottenham, they had so many players in the semifinal of the world cup they had to put their players straight into matches on the back of very little preseason. the figures do back southgate up. looking at recent championships that england have been involved in, this summer is by far the shortest between a major final and the start of the premier league, 26 days. that‘s over a week shorter than the last 2 major championships and with some breaks being up to 5 or six weeks. southgate joked that perhaps the shedulers hadn‘t banked on his team doing so well although he did concede that that the fixture calendar is complex. aaron ramsey will miss tomorrow‘s nations league game against the republic of ireland in dublin. he‘s been allowed to withdraw from the squad because his wife is expecting twins.

manager ryan giggs has called up swansea‘s daniel james from the under—21 squad. giggs is already without gareth bale, who missed thursday‘s defeat by spain and returned to his club real madrid for treatment on a groin problem . any politician who talks about brexit without anxiety clearly doesn't have any wisdom so that i'm afraid is a conundrum this morning but i will do my best to add some notes of hope and who knows perhaps some words of wisdom in my remarks today. let me say at the outset what

the real pleasure it is to be able to do that in such a magnificent and in many ways appropriate setting. this room was designed by the scottish architect robert adam who also designed but house in edinburgh which is now the official residence of the first minister. robert adam drew heavily on the lessons of traditions that he learned during his travels across europe and this room was purpose—built as a venue for discussion and debate so in some senses it really does evoke the values of the european enlightenment in which scotland and this institution played such a proud part. these values continue to be reflected in the rsa's mission and exemplified in the work that you do. it is striking how many connections there are between the rsa's recent

priorities are those of the scottish government on issues that range from mental health and schools to universal basic income to inclusive growth and support for their work. so the rsa is in many ways and ideal host a discussion about wrecks it, an issue that will have profound implications for our economy and the shape of our society and our place in the world for many decades and many generations to come. in the interests of complete transparency, i should say i come at the brexit challenge from a very specific perspective, as does the government that i lead. we oppose brexit and deeply regretted. even now our strong preference would be to remain in the. scotland after all voted by 62% to 38% in favour of that outcome. but since the vote took

place we have sought to recognise the result of the referendum across the result of the referendum across the whole of the uk even if we don't always understand it. for the last two years we have put forward constructive suggestions on how brexit might be lamented in a wave that finds common ground rather than ina way that finds common ground rather than in a way that further deepens divisions. in fact when the scottish government policy paper was published in december 2016 it was at that time the first detailed set of proposals to be produced by any government in the uk. it proceeded the cheque is white paper by 19 months. it is fair to say that our proposals have not had the impact on the uk government we would have wanted them to have. the uk throughout these negotiations has shown very little inclination to pay serious leads to scotland or wales,

london or the different regions of england. 0ne london or the different regions of england. one of the lessons from our experience of the last two years which i suspect has not been lost on the scottish people is the stark contrast between the eu's treatment of independent nations and the uk's shipment of devolved nations. the european union has aborted ireland and sioned nothing but solidarity as it confronts the challenges of brexit. i contrast the uk has dismissed and ignored scotland's concerns. looking at the uk government and the eu it's fair to say the only one has looked like genuine partnership and over the past genuine partnership and over the pa st two genuine partnership and over the past two years that has not in the uk. however the scottish government is determined to continue to put forward constructive proposals and to exhaust all opportunities for compromise that would allow scotland's interests to be

protected. after all, the decisive moments of this phase of the negotiation and now upon us. speculation of course is rife as to what will emerge from brussels in the next few days. it's clear from developments yesterday or the lack of developments yesterday that have issues still required to be resolved. perhaps they will prove to be incapable of resolution but we must all hope that that is not the case. i believe we can see enough about the potential shape of any possible deal to draw some conclusions at this stage and set out an alternative way forward. that is why the scottish government is publishing a further document today setting out again the case for compromise and common sense. i make no apology for the fact that on many issues it reaffirms our existing

position. the scottish government's analysis over the past two years has largely been vindicated by events. firstly we still believe the continued membership of the eu would be the best outcome for both scotland and the rest of the uk. secondly, failing continued eu membership, we think the uk as a whole should remain in both the customs union and the single market. if the uk government is determined to push through a more distant relationship with europe we have argued the two years reflecting the strong remain vote in scotland that they should be the possibility of a differentiated approach which allowed scotland to remain in the european single market and on that point let me be clear in relation to northern ireland, that we fully support the good friday agreement and the maintenance of an invisible border. the snp will do nothing to stand in the way of northern ireland achieving a special relationship to the eu if that is what is required.

but if that is the outcome, the case for scotland having a similar arrangement to avoid us being placed ata arrangement to avoid us being placed at a severe arrangement to avoid us being placed at a severe economic arrangement to avoid us being placed at a severe economic disadvantage becomes even stronger. and finally, given that none of these compromise options are guaranteed we believe that when there is glazed —— greater clarity about the terms of brexit scotland must have the option to choose a different course as an independent memberof choose a different course as an independent member of the eu. all of these points are important but today because of the critical stage we are reaching in the negotiations i want to focus in particular on the second of them. i will set out why if the uk is determined to leave the eu it should in my view remain in the customs union and single market. that in my view is the least damaging alternative option for the uk as damaging alternative option for the ukasa damaging alternative option for the uk as a whole as well. to make that

point i will first of all highlight the fact the current option being pursued by the uk government, the chequers proposal, is impractical, and desirable and and a liberal. whatever it is the house of commons comes to vote on this year it will not be the chequers proposal. if they withdraw the agreement can be reached it will in all likelihood be accompanied by a very vague probably highly fudged political declaration on the future relationship between the uk and the eu. it is my strong view that such a deal should be good, not in favour of no deal, but asa good, not in favour of no deal, but as a way of getting a better deal back on the table. i will then set out what i think is the real choice that the uk government should be talking about, the trade—off between a free—trade agreement similar to the one the eu has with canada for continued membership of the single market and customs union. and

finally and i am well aware this is the most fickle part of all, i will set out my thinking on how this option might yet be achievable and why it might be the only option capable of commanding a house of commons majority and why the moment for getting to this decision could be emerging. i'll begin with the uk government's current position. as most people know the uk and the eu are currently negotiating on two issues. the first is the withdrawal agreement. there are a number of issues that still require resolution including governance arrangements and geographic indicators. however as everybody knows the most vexed issue that needs to be resolved is how to maintain an open border on the ireland of ireland. there will

be no transition period and at this stage i hope the withdrawal agreement if it can be concluded includes provision to extend the transition period beyond the end of 2020. the last two years have shown us that more time will inevitably be needed to agree the future relationship and being able to extend the transition period will be absolutely vital to avoid another cliff edge scenario. the second issue under negotiation is the political declaration that will accompany the withdrawal agreement. that will set up a framework that will determine the long—term relationship between the eu and the uk and the long—term relationship is what i want to focus on today. at the moment the uk government says it should be based on the chequers proposal but there are no grounds whatsoever for believing that will

happen. i think it is worth being crystal clear about this. when the eu rejected the chequers proposal is in salzburg last month the prime minister '5 statement tried to give the impression that some sort of ambush had taken place. but anybody who was surprised by the substance of what was said at salzburg cant have been paying much attention to what the eu had been saying up until then. that lack of attention in itself provide a clue as to why the negotiations have been going so badly. we see a similar phenomenon at play today with the uk government expressing surprise at positions that have been articulated and held by the european union now for quite some time. the uk government this morning expressing surprise that it is being held to a northern ireland backstop that it signed up to in

december of last year. one of the casualties of this whole sorry saga may actually prove to be the uk's international reputation as a trusted and reliable partner and negotiator. that would indeed be tragic. salzburg, even if it might have come as a shock to some, was useful in one way. the uk government has been trying to say the only possible choices the uk has at the chequers proposal or no deal at all. salzburg showed that is simply not correct. it's incorrect because the uis correct. it's incorrect because the u is never likely to accept chequers. —— unlikely. even more

fundamentally by keeping free movement of goods but not the services or people chequers undermines the essential unity of the single market and that has always been an acceptable to the eu. in addition, chequers would be deeply damaging to the uk and the scottish economy. it takes services out of the single market and it's worth dwelling on that point per second. services constitute four fifths of the uk's economy and two fifths of the uk's economy and two fifths of the exports going to the eu. the uk has a trade deficit with the eu includes but it has a trade surplus in services. all of that leans it makes absolutely no sense at all for us to leave the single market in services, it's a market that brings huge benefits and also has enormous potential for growth in

the future. chequers is unworkable because even if it was acceptable to the eu that appears to be no political majority for it at home. and yet the prime minister maintains that chequers is the only serious and credible option on the table. it is not a serious and credible option and the reason it's the only option is because the uk government has refused to come up with any others. let's be clear about this. a head in the sand approach will not make the chequers ostrich fly. so when it comes to a vote in the commons later this year it will not be chequers that mps are voting on. as of today it remains to be seen if a withdrawal agreement can be reached. alarmingly it seems doubtful that any deal can be struck that will

satisfy both the eu 27 and those in the brexit wing of her own party. if no withdrawal agreement is reached the need to change course and that becomes more necessary. however, if a withdrawal agreement can be struck i would expect political declaration and future relationship due to follow thereafter to lack precise detail leaving both sides to interpret it in the way that suits them with no knowing what it actually means. that then raises the grim prospect of the uk leaving the eu next march with no idea whatsoever of what the future relationship will be. that scenario often referred to as a blindfold brexit is in my view completely

unacceptable. it would replace a new —— and no deal breaks it with no detail brexit. it would keep the public and businesses in the dark and leave the long—term position with the irish border and resolved. it would require the house of commons to vote or accept a deal despite there being no way of knowing what that deal would lead to an reality. and by delaying key decisions until after the uk has left the eu the government will produce —— reduce its influence and state —— produce —— reduce its influence and state — — before produce —— reduce its influence and state —— before conducting the most important negotiations in its post—war history. in no deal scenario would not be avoided it would sibley beebe deferred. in my estimation the responsible governments should contemplate such a force of action but this government is contemplating it and its tactics are extremely clear. they will present a completely false

choice, the idea the only alternative to a back —— bad deal of the blindfold nature is no deal at all. it's actually quite replicating when you stop to consider that just for a second the uk government has spent the last two years asserting that no deal is better than a bad deal but they will almost certainly now try to railroad mps into accepting a bad deal on the grounds that no deal would be a catastrophe. they are threatening us with fire to try and make us choose the frying pan. but mps do not have the fall for that false choice and i would argue that no self—respect in parliament would fall for that false choice. 0ther parliament would fall for that false choice. other options are available. the single market and customs union option i have argued for is one such option. a so—called people's vote

which i have said snp mps would support even though it wouldn't necessarily protect scotland from the same outcome as in 2016 is another such option. these alternative options of course may require more time. but that surely must be preferable to pressing ahead ina must be preferable to pressing ahead in a reckless and damaging manner. that is the key point i want to make. voting against a bad order blindfold brexit deal is not a vote for no deal. it would be a vote for a better deal. voting against a bad blindfold brexit when the opportunity arises is the only chance the house of commons will have to reset these negotiations and to think again before it is too late. in doing so it would finally prompt an honest and open discussion about the real long—term choice of

the uk faces. the hard fact is that leaving the eu ultimately involves a choice between a canada freeze trade agreement or membership of the single market and customs union and that reality has the bite sooner or later. the head of the cbi spoke about a canada style agreement a few weeks ago and she pointed out it would be the first trade deal in history that increased barriers to trade rather than reduced them. it would lead tojob trade rather than reduced them. it would lead to job losses, trade rather than reduced them. it would lead tojob losses, it trade rather than reduced them. it would lead to job losses, it would not solve the irish border issue and by co nt ra st not solve the irish border issue and by contrast membership of the single market and customs union would end the current impasse in negotiations and guarantee open border both on ireland and across the irish sea and

it would be by far the better option for exporters of goods and services. yes it would enable continued free movement for workers which again in the adjusts of complete transparency is in my view both good and necessary as it gives opportunities to individuals in scotland and the uk to work overseas and allows businesses and public services to recruit from across the continent, but it would also still unable the uk to apply existing restrictions on rights of movement for people who are not choosing to work or study. for all of these reasons it is the least damaging form of brexit for the colony. for scotland and i know for many others across these islands it also speaks more strongly to our european identity, to our desire to be constructive partnerships to neighbours. as someone who voted remain, isee

neighbours. as someone who voted remain, i see single market and customs union membership as being second best to membership of the eu as many people voted to leave it would surely be preferable to you membership. the uk would have left the european union. the uk would no longer have to be part of the common agricultural and fisheries policies and although diverging from eurozone revelations would certainly have consequences this approach would leave westminster with a final say on whether single market rules applied in the uk. in saying all of this i am acutely aware that so far the uk government has been consistent in its rejection of membership of the single market and customs union but that's fit to related reasons, neither of which stand up to much scrutiny. the first is that it has established red lines in these negotiations such as ending

free movement of people and being able to sign independent trade deals that these red lines contradict some of its other stated editions. in particular the further away from europe we are the father —— the harder it will be keep the irish border open. the red lines themselves are completely self imposed. they are not essential consequences of the referendum. the ability to set sign trade deals was hardly an issue in the referendum and that i think is an important point. the second reason the uk government gives is democratic legitimacy. the prime minister said the single market membership would make a mockery of the referendum. but in 2016 the winning side was not obliged to put forward a clear proposal. it put forward no proposal. it put forward no proposal. so the referendum outcome

was not a mandate for a hard brexit. it told us nothing about what sort of brexit people might want. if it hadn't it would have taken the uk government more than two years to come up with the chequered proposal. in addition to that 48% of voters voted to remain in the eu and so did two out of the four nations of the uk. in that context and much above the single market and customs union is surely the obvious democratic compromise. it is in my opinion a better reflection of the referendum outcome than anything the uk government has so far proposed. what is happening at the moment is quite extraordinary. the uk government is ploughing on with a strategy that it knows will reduce household incomes across jobs knows will reduce household incomes acrossjobs and knows will reduce household incomes across jobs and it knows will reduce household incomes acrossjobs and it has knows will reduce household incomes across jobs and it has appointed minister for food supplies for goodness' sake for the first time

since the second world war. it's own departmental notices are sending notices to stop our medicines. it is having to do all of this only because it has chosen an extreme interpretation of the referendum result. whatever most people voted for, it surely wasn't where we are right now. that stands in my view as the one action that makes a mockery not of the referendum result but of basic common sense. it's not justified on democratic grounds and it should not be countenanced on economic grounds. but in many ways diagnosing these issues is relatively straightforward. the harder part is answering the fundamental question, where do we go from here? fundamental question, where do we go from here ? after

fundamental question, where do we go from here? after all, the prime ministerand from here? after all, the prime minister and the government's rhetoric over the past two years has put it in a tight position, any move now to accept single market and customs union membership is likely to be seen as a climb—down rather thana to be seen as a climb—down rather than a compromise. i understand that but fundamentally that is a problem of the government's own making. it must not stand in the way of the wider public interest. in the weeks ahead it would simply be the government that has to make important decisions, a heavy responsibility will also rest with parliament and with individual mps. for mps to support a bad order blindfold brexit and a vague statement about our future relationship would in my view be a real dereliction of duty. so what happens then if the project that and instead force an honest discussion

about a canada style deal or continued customs membership? it seems to me impossible to envisage a westminster majority for a canada style deal. you can it is a case that the only option with any chance of commanding a parliamentary majority is single market and customs union membership. i‘m not saying at all that the such a solution would be easy, but it actually might well be the only option which is not completely impossible at this stage. it should be acceptable to the european union. it avoid the worst economic damage that brexit will do. it resolves the

irish border issue, and it does come closest to reconciling the different views of leave and remain voters. while it is an outcome that might still look some distance away, it is not unachievable. what it requires is common sense and a willingness to compromise. it‘s worth adding at this point that a willingness to compromise when it comes to the uk government cannot simply be an attempt to find the centre of gravity between the most vocal elements of the tory party, or even between the tory party and the dup. it must instead be a genuine attempt to find some common ground across what is currently a divided parliament and a divided uk. now, i‘m prepared to play my part in that. after all, iam first i‘m prepared to play my part in that. after all, i am first minister ofa that. after all, i am first minister of a country that voted by 62% to 38% to remain in the eu. however, as

we have made clearfor 38% to remain in the eu. however, as we have made clear for two years now, the scottish government, albeit with a heavy heart, would support an outcome that secures continued membership of the customs union. we have long demonstrated our willingness to compromise, and i think it‘s time the uk government did likewise. as the crucial vote looms closer, it is also time for individual members of the house of commons to consider what compromises they see as justified and which are not if they are to serve their constituents and the wider public interest. if they do that, i do believe that a common—sense outcome could yet be found. there is one final point i want to make. i mentioned earlier on that this room evokes scotland‘s historic connections with europe. it highlights the fact that scotland is and always has been a european nation. indeed, our european identity has strengthened in recent

yea rs. identity has strengthened in recent years. next month, it will be the 20th anniversary of the passage of the scotland act, which paved the way for devolution and the establishment of the scottish parliament. when that act was being debated at westminster, donald dewar, scotland‘s first first minister predicted that devolution would add a new dimension to scotland‘s role in europe, and his words have been proven to be absolutely right. in the past 20 yea rs, absolutely right. in the past 20 years, scotland, with the support of all political parties at holyrood, has expanded its presence in brussels. we have collaborated with partners on european projects from your renewable energy to healthy eating —— from renewable energy. scottish society has been enriched by the presence of more than 230,000 eu citizens from outside the uk. we have seen it first hand the benefits

we gained from working with allies from —— allies from across the continent. we are determined to work to enhance rather than diminish our ties with the eu. in the past two yea rs ties with the eu. in the past two years alone, the scottish government has established new offices in berlin, dublin and paris, here in london as well. our enterprise agency has doubled its representation in europe. so even if the uk government does offer a hard brexit, i‘m determined that scotland will do everything we can to ensure that our policies remain consistent with european priorities and values. the basic ideal behind the eu, for all its imperfections, appeals to us. we like the idea of independent nations co—operating closely for the common good. as we watch the brexit fiasco unfold, the case for scotland becoming one of those independent nations becomes ever stronger. 0f course, whatever happens, we will always, first and foremost, seek to

work closely and constructively with other nations on these islands. it is in all of our interests that we find a better approach to brexit, one which avoids the worst economic harms of a hard brexit and maintains the key benefits of free trade and the key benefits of free trade and the other ties that unite countries across europe. nicola sturgeon, speaking in london about what she would like to see of the brexit. she pointed out several times that scotla nd pointed out several times that scotland voted 62% to remain, budgie said that the only option that could bring together remain and leave voters would be for the uk to stay in the customs union and the single market. she said that if mps vote against ad deal, it is the only way to reset the negotiations. voting against a bad deal, she said, would not be a vote for no deal but a vote to try a different approach. she spoke about potentially extending all the deadlines to allow a

different approach to proceed. it follows on of course from what happened in brussels over the weekend. the brexit secretary, dominic raabe, in brussels, went with a new plan, and the negotiations ended pretty abruptly, after about an hour. today, there is talk not just after about an hour. today, there is talk notjust of one backstop but of two. we will get the very latest in just a moment from norman smith, who is at westminster, but right now, let‘s go to brussels and speak to adam fleming. ishould let‘s go to brussels and speak to adam fleming. i should also tell you that theresa may will be making a statement in the commons this afternoon. it is pretty unusual because she would normally make a statement in the commons after an eu summit. the summit this week is happening on wednesday, but she‘s going to the commons this afternoon to update mps on what is happening with the talks. that is an unusual step, and we will of course have full coverage. let‘s go to brussels and adam fleming right now to get

the latest from there. adam, itjust seems to get ever harder as we get closer to the deadlines. yeah, and you talk about the concept of backstop you talk about the concept of ba cksto p to you talk about the concept of backstop to the backstop. we have learned that the reason the uk couldn‘t make progress yesterday was because the northern irish backstop, in the latest version of the agreement, still raises the prospect of northern ireland ultimately remaining in the eu customs union, which the uk is still implacably opposed to, because it would be interpreted as breaking up constitutionally one part of the uk from another. even though it is now referred to as the backstop for the backstop, it is actuallyjust the original backstop that the eu put there at the start, and all that has happened is that there has been a lot of discussion about alternatives, tweaking the text, clarifying what they mean and different miser of doing it, but we are right back to the beginning, the

eu proposing an insurance policy that might never be used, yes, but one that the uk could never accept, which is why dominic raabe left here yesterday empty—handed, and the ongoing timetable for brexit this week has been ripped up. adam, thank you. let‘s go to norman smith in westminster. theresa may will be speaking in the commons later — what do you expect? i think we will get quite a defiant speech from the prime minister to reassure her mps that she's not going to cave in to the latest eu demands for this so—called backstop to the backstop, which downing street have been pretty clear is unacceptable because it isa pretty clear is unacceptable because it is a reheating of the original eu position which would in effect involve border down the irish sea, which brexiteers would amount —— which brexiteers would amount —— which brexiteers would amount —— which brexiteers say would amount to the annexation of northern ireland.

theresa may is expected to say that no prime minister could agree to that. were she to give any sense that. were she to give any sense that she could go along with that, i think you would almost certainly see immense problems for her on her own backbenchers, in the dup, and in the cabinet as well. so, she really has no option, and i think it will be a fairly tough message. that doesn't solve the problem of how, then, you keep the negotiations moving along. this wednesday's summit now seems a no—hoper in terms of any breakthrough. there is not going to be any further negotiations between the two sides between now and when mrs may addresses eu leaders, so the prospect of some sort of way through that without negotiations continuing seems to mean to be pretty remote. we have to be looking at november being perhaps the next point where they might be able to get agreement,

but again and again, time is getting shorter and shorter, which will fuel fears that unless some sort of breakthrough to this northern ireland issue is found swiftly, then we do move closer to what everyone seems to want to avoid, which is a no deal outcome. thank you very much, norman. we will of course have full coverage of theresa may in the commons when she speaks this afternoon. kensington palace has announced that the duchess of sussex is pregnant. prince harry and meghan are expecting their baby in the spring of next year. the news was announced as the couple started a tour of australia. kensington palace said the couple appreciated all of the support they have received from people around the world since their wedding in may, and "are delighted to be able to share this happy news with the public". the baby will be seventh in line to the throne. robert hardman is a royal biographer and joins me now. another baby on the way in the royal

family, another great grandchild for the queen. it was all announced that the queen. it was all announced that the wedding on friday. it was announced to the family on friday, then the rest of the world was told today. this tour of australia was already big news, and hasjust got even bigger. it is obviously very happy news was after a weekend of great royal happiness, and towards the end of the year of great royal happiness. i imagine the queen is looking back on this year and thinking, i have a lot to say in my christmas broadcast. so true. seventh in line to the throne, whatever sex, and title? what is the protocol? it is complicated. because prince harry is not in the direct line of succession, his children will be lord and lady, like the children of any other duke, if you can have anything such as an orderly duke. in many years to come, when there is a change of royal rain, they will be promoted to prince and

princess, but for now, they will be lord and lady. everyone below prince harry is about to move one step further down the line of succession. that‘s the way it goes. further down the line of succession. that's the way it goes. it is our family that is becoming increasingly more than, lots of new blood marrying in. how hands on the older royals when it comes to having new babies are? as magellan agrees are born parents. abby is such a natural with children. when he goes to a school, it degenerates into happy mayhem. i think there will be very modern parents. they‘ve already got a set of cousins with prince william‘s children. a set of cousins with prince william's children. you're seeing what monarchy always does — continuity. there were some reports that meghan‘s mum might become and

be hands—on, but they have been dismissed already. it is pretty early days to start thinking about nannying arrangements. it has been said that the duchess‘s mother will have a hands—on role. said that the duchess‘s mother will have a hands-on role. the same as any other grandmother. at kensington palace, the sound of tiny feet pattering around is already there, so it is well set up. thank you. we will bring you full coverage of theresa may in the commons later. she will be updating mps on the latest in the brexit negotiations, an unusual step because it is two days before the eu summit on weapons they got that you would normally speak to the commons after that summer, but obviously lots going on with brexit today. we will have full coverage. more on our main story is coming up, but right now, we say goodbye to viewers on bbc two. a report just published

into bullying and harassment of staff working in the house of commons has said there is a culture, cascading from the top down, of deference, subservience, acquiescene and silence, in which bullying, harassment and sexual harassment have been able to thrive and have long been tolerated and concealed." the report follows an investigation by dame laura cox following a bbc newsnight report on a series of allegations including a claim that commons speaker john bercow bullied his former private secretary, something he strongly denies. we can speak to our correspondent johnathan blake, who is in our westminster newsroom for us. there is some pretty strong criticism in this report. bring us up—to—date with the main points. criticism in this report. bring us up—to—date with the main pointsm is heavily critical. it talks about a problem of abuse and bullying which has been tolerated and concealed by parliamentary authorities, and it says that a seismic shift in the culture at the

house of commons is needed to address it. a new complaints procedure won‘t come close to addressing the problems that exist, and this is one of the most devastating quotes by dame laura cox, qc, who has been working on this review for several months, that the loyalty of staff has been tested to breaking point by a culture cascading from the top—down of deference, subservience, acquiescence and silence in which bullying and harassment have been able to thrive. i‘m joined by gary graham, in charge of becoming prospect union, representing a lot of workers in the house of commons. what do you make of this report?m will be welcomed by our members. key recommendations of the report: there needs to be an independent investigatory process, and all historic cases must be considered and investigated for the future. there have been a couple of high—profile cases of the last year or so which i brought this problem

to light on the scale it appears to be happening, according to this report. is that the surprise to you and your members? not at all. in a re ce nt and your members? not at all. in a recent survey of members, 80% were suffering from stress, and one in five of those said the key cause was bullying and harassment within the workplace. the feedback from members, if they haven't been directly affected by this issue, they know someone who has. the report says that a new complaints and grievance procedure won‘t come close to addressing the problem. do you agree with that? what would you like to see happen? c "i" —— you agree with that? what would you like to see happen? c "i" -- these behaviours that would be u na cce pta ble behaviours that would be unacceptable in any modern workplace, and it is the job of parliament to show a lead with regard to these types of issues. the report says it is difficult to envisage how the required changes can happen under the current senior house administration — do you think

that senior people should consider their position? i think the key demand at this stage is that we get political leadership on this from both the prime minister and the leader of all the other parties in westminster. gary graham, from the prospect union, thank you very much. the report does call into question whether the current cant house authorities are the right people to press the reset button, as the report puts it, and dame laura cox says that senior officials should consider very carefully whether they are the right people to do that. thank you very much. the headlines on bbc news: kensington palace has announced that the duchess of sussex is expecting a baby in the spring of next year. the foreign secretary, jeremy hunt, insists a deal can still be struck over brexit, though he admits there are "outstanding issues". a ‘seismic shift‘ is needed to solve problems which have been ‘tolerated and concealed‘ by parliamentary authorities, according to a report into bullying and harassment of house of commons staff. sport now.

gareth southgate says his players are lacking a psychological freshness because they‘ve had so little rest after the world cup. they are in seville for a match against spain, and after last week‘s draw against croatia, the team made it through to the final weekend in russia because they were involved in the third—place play—off and the premier league started less than four weeks later. i don't really understand why our league started so early. but they did, and so the really difficult situation for all the clubs, because some of them couldn‘t have fielded a team, if you look at tottenham, so many players in the semifinals of the world cup, they had to put their players straight into matches on the back of very little pre—season.

aaron ramsey will miss tomorrow‘s nations league game against the republic of ireland. he has been allowed to withdraw because his wife is expecting twins. ryan giggs has called up swansea‘s danieljames from the under 21 squad. eddiejones from the under 21 squad. eddie jones names is from the under 21 squad. eddiejones names is england squad for the rugby union autumn internationals later this week, and after dropping him from the last training camp, he watched danny cipriani kicked i4 training camp, he watched danny cipriani kicked 14 points in a 19-14, cipriani kicked 14 points in a 19—14, and he had a try in their —— a hand in their only try of the match. he has a few injuries to worry about as well, eddiejones. saracens‘ bruising win over glasgow saw both

the polar brothers —— vunipola brothers injured. the weather was dreadful at walton heath. pepperell will break into the world‘s top 35 for the first time. that is all the sport for now. 0llie foster will be back with you in the next hour. fracking for shale gas is expected to begin later today for the first time since 2011 after a final legal attempt to prevent work starting at the site in lancashire failed on friday. the site has been the scene of repeated protests from environmentalists. fracking involves pumping liquid at high pressure deep underground to fracture rock and release natural gas. the protesters on top of that than since early this morning,

——van since early this morning, and this is the day, of course, that they have been dreading for a couple of years, the day when fracking is due to begin on this site. at the moment, a larger police presence than there is protesters, and the police have closed off the main road here. there hasn‘t been fracking in lancashire since 2011, when it was to earth tremors in the blackpool area. since then, it has been a hotly contested issue, with the fracking company is hoping to start work on this site. protesters tried to stop them. lastly, they were in the high court trying to get an the injunction, claiming that the county council did not have a robust enough emergency plan. that was thrown out last week. the company planned to start tracking here at the weekend, but that was put off because of the weather. the weather is much better today. the road is now sealed off and fracking is due to start on that site later this morning. the company believe there are massive reserves of shale gas under this ground. they want to carry out

this test fracking dizzy and that is correct and whether they could carry out fracking on a commercial scale here. if they did want to do that, they would need to seek further licences. they say that everything is safe, but that will not convince protesters, who say that the cost to the environment is too great. there are reports that saudi arabia‘s king salman has ordered the country‘s public prosecutor to open an inquiry into the disappearance of journalist kamal khashoggi. the uk, france and germany have issued a rare joint statement demanding answers and saying they‘re treating the incident with the utmost seriousness. ? the uk is taking a tentative step today towards a radical "green" future in which emissions of greenhouse gases fall to zero. the government is seeking guidance from its advisors, the climate change committee, about how and when this leap can be made. if it happens it would mark a dramatic change of an economy built on the burning of fossil fuels.

here‘s our environment analyst, roger harrabin. a big shift away from coal—fired power generation has put the uk among the best of nations at tackling climate change so far. but current levels of wind and solar power aren‘t enough to supply all our energy needs and last week‘s un climate report calls for zero emissions from coal, gas and oil in future. it was a really good science—led piece of research and one of the fascinating things, you probably noticed as well, is we didn‘t have a kind of backlash against the science which is something we‘ve had historically. we know what the goal is. we know what some of the levers are. as they said, stopping burning coal globally would be a huge advantage. investing, potentially, in greenhouse gas removal technology. for me, the constant question when i‘m thinking about this is what could be the cost and who is going to bear that? both in our own economy but in the global economy. 0ne cheap solution is to plant trees

to soak up the c02 we produce but the uk is missing targets for new woodlands. sales of electric cars are lagging, too. and ministers made that worse by cutting subsidies only last week. what‘s more, the government is expanding heathrow. it‘s promoting fracking. it‘s freezing fuel duty. it‘s scrapping solar power subsidies and it‘s cancelling zero carbon homes. it will be a mighty challenge to get emissions to zero. roger harrabin, bbc news. the bbc has?today? learned that the bloodhound project, britain‘s attempt to create the worlds first 1000mph car, has gone into administration. founded ten years ago, the project is just a few months away from making it‘s first run at the record in south africa. but it needs £25 million to complete the attempt. duncan kennedy has the story. windies two—goal, five knots. tried,

tested... bloodhound is already a technological tour de force, but the project has run out of money in its aim to achieve this: the first land vehicle to reach 1000 miles an hour. but whilst the ambition has soared so too cover costs. i think we could ta ke so too cover costs. i think we could take enormous pride in this. today, richard noble, the charismatic team leader, says they have had no choice but to put bloodhound into administration. does administration mean the end of bloodhound was minghella element no, it doesn‘t. it's minghella element no, it doesn‘t. it‘s simply a process we have got to go through. we have done the difficult bit —— the

go through. we have done the difficult bit -- the no, it doesn't. we have done the desert track in south africa. it has taken nine yea rs south africa. it has taken nine years to do that. we have got the entire team together, and the driver, andy green. it isjust entire team together, and the driver, andy green. it is just one element missing, and we will get that. parked car, parked rocket, bloodhound needs £25 million to get to south africa for its record attempt. the administrators say that any new investor must act now. attempt. the administrators say that any new investor must act nowm attempt. the administrators say that any new investor must act now. it is now that once—in—a—lifetime opportunity for the right person to come forward and provide it with the investment. that is the key thing, the investment it needs, to give it certainty and get it over that line. it would be great for britain. this is not a drawing board fantasy. £30 million has already been spent designing, building and testing bloodhound. 0f designing, building and testing bloodhound. of course, british drivers have been at the forefront of world land speed records for decades. there was malcolm campbell

in the 20s and 30s, richard noble himself in the 1980s, and andy green in the 1990s, the current record world holder —— world record holder at 763 mph. throughout all of this, what has remained elusive is the world‘s first 1000 mph car. bloodhound... the team are hoping an investor will see the potential this beast represents. bloodhound is real. it‘s just waiting to be unleashed. duncan kennedy, bbc news. more on the news that the duchess of sussexis more on the news that the duchess of sussex is pregnant and due to give birth next spring. theresa may has added her voice to those congratualting the duke and duchess of sussex. it's it‘s wonderful news and i‘m very happy for them. she will be speaking

in the commons later. we have full coverage of what she does say on the prospects of a deal on brexit. time for a look at the weather. let‘s join susan. mixed fortunes across the uk at the moment. clear with sunshine in scotla nd moment. clear with sunshine in scotland and northern ireland. further south, there is cloud, with rain due in the next few hours. the far south—east cooper kupp nicely this afternoon, temperatures pushing up this afternoon, temperatures pushing up towards perhaps 20 celsius if we get some brightness. the cloud will push for the north overnight into northern england and wales, turning things misty and murky. fog further south with the clear skies. the north keeping those clear skies. we will see cloud piling in very quickly tomorrow morning. rain for northern ireland and western

scotland, with strengthening winds and a risk of gales for the western isles. further south, in and a risk of gales for the western isles. furthersouth, in the sunshine, pleasantly warm, up to 21 or 22 celsius. this is bbc newsroom live. the headlines: the duchess of sussex is expecting a baby in the spring of next year. a statement from kensington palace said the couple were delighted. theresa may has sent her "warmest congratulations". two days before a summit of european leaders, the foreign secretaryjeremy hunt acknlowedges brexit talks have entered a "difficult period", but insists it is still possible to reach an agreement protesters have gathered around a field in lancashire where fracking for shale gas is to begin today, for the first time since the process was linked to two small earthquakes seven years ago. president trump says he accepts the global climate is changing, but it could be man—made. in a television interview, he said scientists‘ have a political agenda and their views can‘t be relied upon. a report finds the house

of commons has a culture of "subservience and silence" in which bullying and harassment have been able to thrive and a "seismic shift" is needed to solve the problem. and scientists at the university of cambridge are developing a ground—breaking device that will map a patient‘s brain and act like a satelite navigation system for surgeons. child sexual exploitation, a growing and changing challenge for police forces. we‘ve been given exclusive access to a new scheme being used in hampshire, where officers issue paper warning notices to people who display concerning sexual behaviour, urging them to change how they act and get help. i‘ve issued three now. one was accepted, and the second time i issued it to a female, a lady in her late 20s, and she was horrified, absolutely horrified. you cannot have 15, 16—year—old boys in your house, for example, because we might get intelligence around that and people might question what you‘re doing. and did she realise that what she was doing could lead her into hot water with the police? i think so.

i think, once she realised why we were there and what the community were worried about in the first place, to tell us about it, then yes. so this is the note is that sergeant waghorn and other officers here will give to someone who has shown concerning sexual behaviour. it explains the different types of abuse and has advice about where they can go for help. for sexual conduct, it says sex with anyone under the age of 16 is illegal, don‘t take advantage of someone because of their age or vulnerability and, for sexual control, it is a criminal offence to try to control someone under 18 using violence, intimidation, persuasion or aggression so that you or someone else can engage in sexual activity with them. hampshire police has handed out 54 of these notices in the last two years. of these, nine people have gone on to be charged with an offence. is this going soft on what is a very serious crime? no, it‘s about making the best of our opportunity to manage their behaviour going forwards.

clearly, if further victims or further intelligence came to light that required robust police action, then that would instigate that action at that point. and bearing in mind that, at that stage, all investigative lines of enquiry have been exhausted and no formal action can be taken. but whether the police should be giving people warning notices at all when they haven‘t actually committed a crime is something that this defence lawyer is worried about. the risk is that, in receiving one of these notices and having it on your record, the employer of the future is not going to look behind it, behind the policy decisions that led to the police issuing this. they are just going to see that you‘ve received a warning notice for child sexual exploitation and have serious concerns about your suitability. is it fair for this level of police involvement with someone who hasn‘t actually committed a crime? i think the public would expect us to use all of the information at our disposal, whether that be within police systems,

within partnership systems, within their local communities to consider the risks that individuals present. we are reassured by the fact that, through that supportive police engagement, that management of the risk they present, that actually we are not seeing those people coming back across our threshold. more now on the brexit negotiations which hit problems again yesterday over the irish border issue. the uk and the eu both want to avoid a "hard border" between northern ireland and ireland after brexit but at the moment they cannot agree on how to do that. it all comes down to the issue of border checks — 0ur correspondent chris morris from the bbc‘s reality check is here to talk us through what actually gets checked at the eu‘s external borders.

presumably there are always customs checks? yes. 0ne yes. one of the things being talked about is customs unions and one of the things you do have is customs checks. even if you have a free trade agreement you may not have no ta riffs trade agreement you may not have no tariffs or taxes to pay but you still have a customs infrastructure. soa still have a customs infrastructure. so a free—trade agreement on its own doesn‘t get rid of customs checks. there are also checks for vat payments to make sure the right amount of money has been paid. and things like customs and vat increasingly you can do more of it online and new technologies are making things easier but it still hasn‘t removed the need for checks entirely. that is part of the discussion about whether there should be this irish backstop and arrangement of the whole of the uk. what about the checks on regulations to do with the rules on the single market? this is more complex in

terms of what the irish backstop i‘d say. you have read literary standards. if you have a consignment of chemicals coming into the single market the only way you can find out whether it is what it says on the tin is to check them so they would have to be some kind of checks on those regulations. we think the compromise being discussed, one of the things they would be is a light touch checks on some products going from great return to northern ireland. but not they say border. more tricky checks on food and animals because this is the strictest area of the eu‘s external border. all food and animals coming into the single market have to be checked and 100% of documents have to be checked and a large number of physical checks have to take place as well. that is something again which would have to happen in theory

the food and animals moving between great britain and northern ireland. and it keeps going back to the issue around that border. yes. nobody wa nts a around that border. yes. nobody wants a border in northern ireland, return to any sort of hard border. but if you don‘t have checks their it does raise the question, where do you have them? the eu says there will have to be checks between great but now northern ireland and the pintand —— but now northern ireland and the pint and —— they point out that there are already some checks in some areas. if you tick animals from great ran into northern ireland those consignments are checked. and what could be the irish backstop those checks would increase massively because it would be all animal produce. milk, dairy produce, meat products. some people would see

it as intrusive checks. 0thers meat products. some people would see it as intrusive checks. others say it as intrusive checks. others say it doesn‘t make a border it means that the sanitary reasons we have some practical checking which needs to be done. but the detail of how all that works, that the thing people are hung up on at the moment. there is no sign of a breakthrough? not yet. you never know, we live in hope. well meanwhile, less than a week after climate scientists issued a final call to halt rising temperatures, president donald trump has said he accepts that the global climate is changing, but he doesn‘t know if it is man—made. he went on to say that scientists‘ views couldn‘t be relied upon because they had a political agenda. the president was speaking to 60 minutes on cbs news. i think something is happening, something is changing and it will change back again. i don't think

it's a hoax. there is probably a difference bridal know if it's man—made. i don't want to give trillions of dollars and lose millions and millions ofjobs, i don't want to be put at a disadvantage. in the same interview with cbs, president trump also said why at a campaign rally he mocked the testimony of christine blasey ford, who accused supreme courtjustice brett kavanaugh of sexual assault. why did you have to make fun of her? i didn't. the person we're talking about did not know the year, the time, the place. she went before the senate and was asked what was the worst moment and she said when the two boys laughed at me. then i watched you mimic her and thousands of people were laughing at it. they can do... the way he was illustrated

has become a big fat in the mid—terms. has become a big fat in the mid-terms. but did you have two... i think she was treated with great respect. do you think you treated her with great respect. i think so. but you seem to be saying she lied. i'm not going to get into it because we won. one of the biggest challenges of brain surgery is working out how much of a tumour can be removed from a patient without damaging their speech, movement or other brain functions. now, scientists at the university of cambridge are developing a ground—breaking device that will map a patient‘s brain and act like a sat nav for surgeons. showing them what each part of the brain does. here‘s our science correspondent, richard westcott. a few months ago, totally out of the blue, ben rush had a seizure in bed. i'm going to dim the lights for this one now. 0k. try your very best to keep your eyes open. stay awake. they found a large tumour,

clearly visible on this scan. incredibly, it may have been growing for a decade without him knowing, and he‘s only 29. a few months later, surgeon thomas santarius is removing it while ben is still awake. 0k, take a break a little bit... can i have a two and a half? we were even allowed to talk to him. hi, richard. i know these are very strange circumstances. i‘ve got it right, i‘m still working. you‘ve been doing amazingly well, and you still have your sense of humour. yeah, yeah, try to. you‘ve got to laugh, eh!? using an electric current, thomas can switch sections of the brain off. count for me again. one, two, three, four. the fact ben stops counting means it‘s a part affecting speech, so he won‘t remove it. if in doubt, leave it, because there's no repair. once you take something out that you shouldn't take in the brain, there's very little room to correct it. but it‘s not the awake part that

makes this operation special. we'll start now. a1, b2, c3. yaara erez isn‘t a doctor, she‘s a neuroscientist. f6... this test is hard enough when you‘re not in the middle of surgery. you try doing it. h8, i9... by forcing ben‘s brain to multitask, scientists are creating a much more detailed map of its functions for a new device that will eventually help surgeons decide what to take out and what to leave behind. first, we need to calibrate the brain. and here‘s a prototype of the new device. it‘s a model brain today, but eventually thomas will use it during operations. like a sat nav, it can tell him what each part does in that patient because everyone‘s brain is slightly different.

you see, that's interesting. and if i go here... in 5—10 years, it could help neurosurgeons tailor their surgery to each patient. so the future basically is sitting a patient down and saying, "what functions would you like to preserve most," and then hopefully offering them that? yes, so they can have some choice on what risks to take, or what they mostly want to preserve following their surgery. a few weeks on, and ben‘s doing really well. both he and wife lucy know the tumour will eventually come back but it‘s not stopping their plans. you know, we want to have a family one day, and you can't let something like this, you know, restrict you from those things. i think you only get one life, so you have to make the most of what you have, don‘t you? and if you sit around and worry about things like this you‘re only taking away from the joy you could potentially be having. so we‘re just carrying on, and it‘s good.

this new device will eventually transform the lives of young people like ben who‘ve been told they have an incurable tumour, but still have a lot of life left to live. richard westcott, bbc news, cambridge. you can see more on this story on inside out east, tonight at 7.30pm on bbc one, or catch up on the iplayer. in a moment we‘ll have all the business news, but first the headlines on bbc news: kensington palace has announced that the duchess of sussex is expecting a baby in the spring of next year. the foreign secretary, jeremy hunt, insists a deal can still be struck over brexit, though he admits there are "outstanding issues". a ‘seismic shift‘ is needed to solve problems which have been ‘tolerated and concealed‘ by parliamentary authorities according to a report into bullying and harassment of house of commons staff. british troops are currently taking part in the biggest training

exercise since the end of the conflicts in iraq and afghanistan. 5,500 members of the uk armed forces across land, sea and air are involved in saif sareea 3 in oman, with 65,000 0mani troops. it‘s a key tactical alliance between the two nations. lee madan has been living alongside soldiers in the main battle group in the desert seeing them in action. the tactics of war in the extreme heat of the desert. soldiers form the backbone of this battle group similar eating out a group up on and eliminate the enemy. these armoured vehicles are edging ever closer to their target. eventually they strike. what you saw there was a company group attacked so a company of tax. they are hitting a position

and after we came in we cleared the rest of the enemy using a dismount. aged 26 lieu tenant nyla mally pearson is a platoon commander with the one mercian regiment. we are sending out information to hit this position so in real life there will bea position so in real life there will be a lot of art to the tree dropped and then we arrived. after neutralising the enemy these vehicles are resupplying before moving onto the next objective. lieutenant colonel neil kelly is in command here. he is overseeing 18 command here. he is overseeing i8 challenger two tanks, more than 100 armoured vehicles and 849 soldiers in the battle group. there are 11 different units and the team at has been fantastic. from the medics to the mechanics, all working together making a united cohesive fighting force. for the young members of that

fighting force it‘s a chance to experience something unique both on and off the battlefield. experience something unique both on and off the battlefieldlj experience something unique both on and off the battlefield. i quite like the heat. it's better than the cold. the sunsets as well. it's good to bea cold. the sunsets as well. it's good to be a new environment. it has been different from my mates who have gone through college. in total there will be five and half thousand members of the british armed forces here across land, sea and air. 0perating alongside 65,000 troops from the own money military. a key tactical alliance at the time in the world is facing an uncertain future. i figure it's important to keep our men and women in idea of the size of what they might be involved in. to ta ke what they might be involved in. to take them away from the traditional training areas and to really test ourselves in the most and environment. it has got it all in

terms of heat. 40 degrees heat by day, 20 degrees by night. in terms of creepy crawlies the full spec. snakes and spiders. after coping with the insect sand games, the solo will take part in a live demonstration into each time. approximately three in four workers in the uk experience changes in their monthly pay, according to research by the resolution foundation. the not—for—profit research and policy organisation looked at the bank statements of seven million anonymous lloyds customers and discovered that the lowest paid were most likely to experience periodic drops in income. more details from joe miller. zero—hours contracts and regular

work helped fuel the rise of payday lenders and led to a crackdown on high interest loans to those who struggle to make ends meet. at a new report which looked at bank records found that millions of us may at some point have to rely on emergency cash. those earning around £10,000 will most likely see a drop in their regularly take on page even two thirds of higher earners saw their wages change from month to month evenif wages change from month to month even if it wasn‘t always the worst. monthly pay change can happen for good reasons. someone receiving a bonus for a pay rise. but also lots of people have monthly pay falls because they don‘t have the same amount of hours in one month as the one before. that is particularly the case for the lowest paid who we find on average have downwards page changes of around £180 which is equivalent to the the new washing

machine. the government says the introduction of universal credit will help with the regular wages as opposed to the old benefit system which would cut of support when a person worked while than 16 hours. but the organisation behind this research says universal credit needs to be more flexible with its monthly assessments. the resolution foundation says it is employers who must step in. england is lagging behind europe when it comes to children‘s health, a new report claims. young people have poorer health outcomes than many comparable wealthy countries, the royal college of paediatrics and child health has warned. it is calling on policymakers to use the long—term nhs plan to improve health for children. the main messages it‘s a wake—up call. with adequate resources and

commitment there is no reason why we can‘t reverse these trends. but if we carry on as we are things look dire. the african penguin population is rapidly declining. they registered a 70 per cent fall between 2001 and 2013 and the numbers are still going down. conservationsists say their habitat is being hit by rising tides caused by climate change. now campaigners are looking at new ways to protect the birds. eliza philippidis reports on efforts to save the endangered species. boulders beach, home to one of the 28 african penguin habitats. these birds can only be found in south africa and namibia. but their survival is under threat and is one of the reasons is there is not an official in the c. the african

penguin have to swim far distances to find food but in the past that wasn‘t the case. we suspect it could be from commercial trawling. in just three years the number of breeding pairs has dropped by a fifth. here are boulders beach the rangers are encouraging the penguins to use artificial nest boxes hoping to increase their chances of breeding successfully. this colony is the only place in the world where people can swim freely with these endangered wild birds. as a result they get millions of visitors every. it's really amazing to see them here. and get as close as i have. i really think it's important we do everything we can to preserve these wonderful animals. stabilising the

population and increasing penguin numbers is a priority here. the aim, that children can see the african penguin in the wild. a royal barge — built on the orders of napoleon bonaparte — is being moved from paris to its former home in northwest france. it was originally moved during the second world war — to protect it from the bombings. the craft was designed so napoleon could inspect his imperial fleet — but he only used it once before his abdication. tim allman has more. there is moving house and then there is moving house. this saw epicjob they have had to lock hole in the wall. clearly a position operation. every inch committed from. it's an exceptional event. absolutely unique. the movement of a piece of

this scale is something exceptional. by this scale is something exceptional. by the technical complexity of the tra nsfer by the technical complexity of the transfer and because of the difficulty in conserving it. and this is what they were moving, napoleon‘s imperial barge. it wasn‘t quite as fancy as this when it was first built. his successor napoleon iii adding the crown and other royal flourishes. most of them had to be rules before the craft could be transported. it was built in 1810 for napoleon and it was built in 21 days. it was only used once by napoleon. the boat was transferred to breast until 1943 when to keep it safe it was decided to transfer to paris to avoid being bombed. spectators looked on as the barge emerged into the daylight. the journey had begun. soon it will be restored and put on display to the public. napoleon ‘s royal barge,

back home with it belongs. now it‘s time for a look at the weather. some big differences in the weather today between north and south of the uk. here is a picture from fife earlier on in the day. a wide expanse of blue sky and sunshine. but on the cromer pier, water on the deck and create sky. we‘ve had a weather front sitting to the south across england and wales. a little rain currently but through the evening it may peter wright. it will turn misty and murky as the hours go by. so missed and clear —— fog developing. skies staying clear of scotla nd developing. skies staying clear of scotland and northern ireland and it will be a chilly night. further

south temperatures in double figures but it will be quite cloudy start to tuesday with issues of poor visibility. it should improve quickly through the morning and by the afternoon some decent sunshine friesen areas. it weather front edging into northern ireland and western scotland through the afternoon. still warm in the south—east by the cooler feel for the north. there is that cold weather front pushing south eastwards overnight tuesday and then the tale of upfront will produce more in the way of persistent rain across parts of southern and central england now wednesday. generally a bit more cloud around and the risk of wet weather. further north, plenty of sunshine. the fresher feel. even into the south—east highs of 18. wednesday into thursday, it

is all about high—pressure filling in the week from the azores and it will be a lot of settled weather. quite a chilly start on thursday but thursday should bring a lot of sunshine to the uk. more cloud lingering to the south where we stay close to the tail end of a weather front. they fresher feel the as the week goes on. a royal baby is announced. prince harry and his wife meghan are expecting their first child. kensington palace said the duke and duchess of sussex were delighted to be able to share this happy news with the public. the baby is due next spring. the couple are in syd ney next spring. the couple are in sydney ahead of a tour of australia and use the. we will have the latest. also this lunchtime: brexit backlash at the start of a critical week. the government says the gauche asians with the eu have hit a real problem with the issue of the irish border. —— brexit negotiations with

the eu. i think we can get there. whether we do this week or not, who knows? protesters told to get serious as fracking is set to get under way, seven years after it was