president trump says the united states will pull out of a nuclear weapons treaty it signed with russia more than 30 years ago — because moscow has repeatedly violated the terms. and prince harry gets a royal hug from one of the invictus games athletes as he goes solo in sydney — after kensington palace announced meghan won't be attending engagements today. now it's time to look back at the week in parliament, with david cornock. hello there and welcome to the week in parliament. a week when allegations of bullying and harassment at westminster piled pressure on the speaker. the report is clear that there needs to be a complete change in the leadership at the most senior

level, including you, mr speaker. warnings that universal credit is having a devastating effect. it is not going as well as we are told in the house of commons, where some women have taken to the red light district for the first time. also, have mps given up on prime minister's questions? there were lots of spaces of green leather. i saw one mp reading a novel. it isjust not a big draw any more. and who is coming to parliament? so king george v will be here addressing both houses of parliament. they will probably also bump into winston churchill. all of that to come and more, but first a culture cascading from the top down of deference, subservience, acquiescence and silence in which bullying, harassment and sexual harassment have been able to thrive and have long been tolerated and concealed. the report into the bullying and harassment of staff at westminster by the former

high courtjudge laura cox made uncomfortable reading for mps. i am so sorry to hear of the experiences highlighted by dame laura's report, of members of the house of commons staff, and i speak to them directly when i say you deserve so much better. john bercow, who has denied allegations that he bullied staff, let it be known that he plans to stand down as speaker next summer. he said an outside body should be set up to investigate bullying claims. i am so sorry to hear of the experiences highlighted by the report of members of the house of commons staff, and i speak to them directly when i say you deserve so much better. the report is clear that there needs to be a complete change in leadership at the most senior level. including you, mr speaker, as chief officer. taunting, mocking, mimicking,

and deliberately belittling in front of other members, making offensive personal comments about appearance, belittling someone's junior status, making lengthy and humiliating tirades of criticism, of abuse in front of colleagues. how can we encourage mr speaker to stop this behaviour? quite simply the report should shame and appall all of us who work on the parliamentary state. it is quite a devastating litany of this place with details of bullying, patriarchal culture and almost out—of—control gender—based power of relationship, and it is all about this place. the media will no doubt be aware i've spoken very publicly about being bullied as a teenager, two nervous breakdowns, one episode of hospitalization through bullying, so i say this without any partisan point, but i find it abhorrent and there has been members opposite who have used this for their own agenda using bullying

to bully the speaker. john bercow, who has denied allegations he bullied staff, let it be known that he plans to stand down as speaker next summer. he said an outside body should be set up to investigate bullying claims. i firmly believe that the only possible way to resolve this matter is the establishment of a body, which is both entirely independent of and external to parliament, to hear and adjudicate upon all allegations of bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct. including deciding how far to investigate past misconduct. whether the allegations involve mps, or staff, the same entirely independent body should be in complete control of the process from start to finish. john bercow. a day later at pmqs mps appeared

shocked to hear the human cost of the culture laura cox identified. my constituent came to see me earlier this year about being sexually harassed at work by a co—worker. despite many months of meetings with her hr and line management, she has been treated like the problem rather than the victim. could the prime minister advise me what i can do to help my constituent return to work and feel safe, when her employer is this house? theresa may said she was sure everyone was very concerned by the report. i hope that there will be a very serious, a very full response and a proper response to dame laura cox's report. this should worry all of us, and what i want to see is a situation where the honourable lady's constituent is able to ensure that she can come to work in this house, be treated with dignity and respect and not be subject to bullying, harassment or abuse.

and the house of commons commission, which oversees the house and is chaired by the speaker, is due to meet on monday to discuss its response. theresa may may have failed to make a breakthrough in the brexit negotiations, but not for want of advice from westminster. before leaving for the brussels summit she answered questions from mps and most of those were about, you can guess, as opposition mps suggested the prime minister should keep britain close to the eu after brexit. the car industry is clear that it needs a new customs union in order to secure investment of british manufacturing. vauxhall recently said they would continue to invest, but there are limits. those limits are customs barriers. jobs are at risk. why won't the prime minister back a customs union supported not only by labour and trade unions, but by businesses and i suspect a majority in this house to protect those jobs? can i say to the right honourable gentleman, what the automotive

industry and indeed other industries such as aerospace have said is that they want to see frictionless trade across the borders, frictionless trade across our borders is exactly what lies at the heart of the free trade deal that is proposed in the government's plan put forward after the chequers meeting injuly. that is what we are working to deliver for the people in this country. we want to deliver a brexit that delivers on the vote of the british people and that ensures we protect jobs and security. and what would labour deliver? they think free movement could still continue, that will not deliver on the vote of the british people. they now want a second referendum to go back to the british people and say we are terribly sorry, we think you got it wrong. there'll be no second referendum. the people voted and this government will deliver on it. mr speaker, the prime minister and her government are clearly too weak and too divided to protect people's jobs or our economy, or ensure there is no hard border

in northern ireland. so, the prime minister has a choice. she can continue to put the tory pa rty‘s interests first, or she can listen to unions, businesses and put the interests of the people of britain first. which is it to be? does the prime minister not understand that staying in the single market and the customs union is the only deal that will get through this house? can i say to the right honourable gentleman, as i have explained in this chamber on a number of occasions and will continue to do, the proposal we have put forward is one that delivers on the referendum vote, but also ensures that we protectjobs and livelihoods across the united kingdom. so, fairlyfamiliar brexit arguments there, but there was something unusual about that prime minister's questions. did you notice empty spaces on the green leather benches? it used to be standing room only

for mps, so why is pmqs no longer box office? the times sketch writer patrick kidd was in the press gallery. i have been in this job three years and when i started we had people sitting on the steps, crammed into the gangways at the end of the house. there's 650 mps and i think you could fit about 420 on the seats and normally it is packed. it is not for some time and it felt even less busy. there were lots of spaces of green leather. i saw one mp reading a novel during pmqs. it is not a big draw any more. one of the reasons it is not attractive. the two party leadersjeremy corbyn and theresa may are not going to say anything new or interesting orfun. there will not be much of a boxing match so people think why should i bother coming along? are people nostalgic for the days of william hague, tony blair and david cameron? yes, certainly. they always come in saying they want an end to the punch and judy politics but that is what gets

the spirit soaring. in an ideal world the prime minister will get up and will be speaking to a wall of noise. but it is a bit hospital rest home. there is no urgency about it. to attack the old saying, the weak are a long time in politics it seems, they have now seenjeremy corbyn and theresa may for in her case two years, in his case three years and they are sick of it. it is like a long—running play that has not been put out of its misery. isn't part of the mps' job at westminster to cheer for their own leader, even if it is just to curry favour for their own party whips? that probably shows what a state party leaders are in that their whips cannot persuade the cheerleaders to come out and bear it. what we saw wednesday with theresa may is we had a few of the sycophants that did their yodelling, but there were a number of bored faces and especially those

who should be quite senior. borisjohnson was looking at his phone throughout, and steve baker, the former brexit minister, was at the back, not engaged at all. if mps don't go to the house of commons chamber at noon on a wednesday, what are they up to? they are doing their constituency duties, busy with other things, but they're not attracted to come down to pmqs. it is no longer what matters may be coming on the media, select committees are doing a lot of really good work. if you go to something like the foreign affairs committee, under tom tugendhat, there are some really good inquiries going on there. frank field's work and pensions committee and business committee, that is where the action seems to be. it reminds me of the tory party conference this year where in the main hall it was half full and for some speakers there was a tenth full and you went to the fringes where people could speak more freely, less scripted and they were packed. perhaps that is the problem. they feel it is too stage—managed. theresa may only speaks in cliches and jeremy corbyn is very dull. they're not seeing anything fun, whereas if you go to a committee

room you are seeing a bit more independent thought, something off—script and that is grabbing them. by the end, evenjohn bercow seem to have had enough. one of your colleagues on the bbc worked out this was the fifth shortest pmqs we had since the last election. normally, john bercow goes on and this was finished ten minutes overtime, which forjohn bercow, is rather good. there wasn't any tennis for him to go and watch. i think he was fed up and he couldn't be bothered to pontificate and it makes you wonder, if pmqs does not matter, then why should people take an interest in politics, because if the party leaders are not fighting for their vision of the country, then something has gone wrong. patrick kidd. it was a busy week for ministers at the department for work and pensions amid warnings about the government's flagship welfare reform. universal credit merges six working age benefits into one payment. it is designed to be simpler and make work pay, but the work and pensions secretary has admitted that some families will be worse off under

the new system and the chancellor is under pressure to find money to ease the problems in his budget later this month. one mp made a shocking claim about the impact of the new benefit. it is not going as well as we are told in the house of commons. some women have taken to the red light district for the first time. might she come to birkenhead and meet those women's organizations and the police who are worried about women security being pushed into this position. perhaps he could tell these ladies that now we have record job vacancies, 830,000 job vacancies, and perhaps there are otherjobs on offer. has she requested any other funds from the chancellor ahead of the budget? of course i don't let people know what we do in private meetings. old fashioned as thast might be, i don't, but what he

is that i am championing uc to make sure it works the best it possibly can, take from that as he will. it is not the only problem facing the department. a dwp minister had to explain to mps how 180,000 sick and disabled people were underpaid thousands of pounds in benefits. some of them have since died. labour said those who missed out could be owed £5,000 each. the dwp now estimates that it will pay up to £1 billion as a result of this shambolic error. she said people had been pushed into debt, rent arrears and destitution. will she apologise to the almost 200,000 disabled people and theirfamilies who have been denied this vital social security support? the minister said mps had been regularly updated and she'd already apologised.

this was a dreadful administrative error in the department and it should not have happened. sarah newton. now, mps on the foreign affairs committee are going on their travels, but instead of visiting the world's trouble spots, they're looking closer to home. as part of their enquiry into what the government calls "global britain", their tour has taken in birmingham and st andrews, and now, the next stop, i asked the committee chair why. let's be honest, nobody understands global britain because it is just a slogan, so we're trying to put meat on the bone and we are trying to find out what people expect of global britain and what better place to go than southampton and talk to people who are fundamentally involved in the international world, in the world beyond our borders, and hear what they want the government to be delivering, what they want and expect from the united kingdom over the next decade or two, because actually global britain could mean many different things. it could mean an extension of services, it could mean investing in certain regions,

partnering bilaterally with certain countries and we would really like to hear what people expect. tom tugendhat. the parents of young people who have been brutally murdered on the streets of britain's towns and cities have been giving evidence to mps. the home affairs committee has been looking into serious violence. yvonne lawson's 17—year—old son godwin was walking in a north london street one evening with a group of friends. they came across a gang, one of whom had a knife. a fight broke out between the two groups. when they saw godwin's group, four boys got out of the car, started chasing his group. one of them had a knife. he ran past godwin and went to the brothers. he started to stab the brothers randomly. one i think received four stab wounds, the other i think

one received about six. godwin was able to run away from the scene, but for some reason, he decided to come back and stop the fight, and as he was trying to stop the fight, the boy that had a knife told godwin, "this is nothing to do with you," and as he was saying that, trying to push godwin out of the way, the knife just went to godwin's heart, and within two minutes, godwin collapsed and died on the street. darren laville spoke about the effect on his family when they were told of the sudden death of his 18—year—old son. my son, kenichi phillips, he was shot dead on 17 march 2016. this was a day where he had quite a positive day, where he went out and he went for an interview for an apprenticeship.

we later found out that he got the job as a personal trainer, and he was at a point where he was really at a high point in his life, he was looking forward to the birth of my grandson, which he never got to see. thisjust rocked and broke us, because my oldest son was present there, he was there at the time. itjust broke us. just broke us. a minister has revealed his mother was taken off to a mental institution while she was going through the menopause. nigel adams said the event had haunted him for 35 years. he shared the memory during a debate to mark world menopause day. when my mother was going through the menopause, it was referred to as "the change", and she was very, very poorly. i remember — i remember being in the living room, my dad was at work,

i was in my living room when the doctor was called. my mother was 50 years old. she was having a really bad experience, and she was taken off to a mental institution. she was carted out of the house and she ended up in what can only be described as a victorian asylum. i'm really glad that things have moved on, in that regard, this is some time ago, but, you know, it is absolutely crucial that we get to children early enough and make sure they understand the causes of a condition that affects every single woman. one mp revealed some attitudes still need to change. a we have still got a long way to go. last night, when i was in the lobby, i was voting and i had this badge on and i was approached by a very senior colleague

who shall remain nameless. the comment was. . . "why are you having a hot flush, dear?" 0k? so that was said to me, to my face. doesn't that illustrate how we — my goodness, we need to raise awareness, and this is not a woman's issue. this is a society issue! it is for everybody, because every man works with a woman, related to a woman, lives with a woman. you cannot just denigrate and belittle those experiences, which are — can be incredibly difficult for women to push through. rachel mclean. could the private company that recruit soldiers for the army be given its marching orders? in a bruising session with mps on the defence committee, the defence secretary gavin williamson admitted army recruitment was quite atrocious. he came under friendly fire

from a former defence minister. secretary of state, the army is gradually disappearing before your eyes, and it's doing so, sir, on your watch, and you, forgive me, have got to do something about it. so, this is why we've taken the action that we have, and we will not be nervous in taking further action. we've got to get the tight and the flight down, that is what we are driving at. we've had to get the it sorted out. that's what we believe that we've done. we've had to have a change of approach. this is what has been outlined by richard, and we have no nervousness about making further changes, if that includes changing the contract, if that is required, yes, we will. and you are absolutely right, we have got to get those numbers up, and that is what we believe we can do as a result of these changes. has anyone been held accountable for the wholesale

malfunctioning of this contract in the first instance? i believe that i will have to check, sir, i believe that a number of people in capita lost theirjobs as a result. those who signed the contract are no longer in the military. fancy a spot of time travel? next friday night, parliament is whisking visitors back 100 years, recreating a day at westminster shortly after the armistice in november 1918. the museums at night event features self guided tours of key locations with actors playing notable characters. so, king george v will be here addressing both houses of parliament. they will probably also bump into winston churchill, who having served on the western front, is back in government as minister of munitions. they will meet to nancy astor, who

although not running for mp herself, is supporting her husband, who is a candidate for the plymouth constituency. and lastly and most importantly, they'll meet a soldier who would've just returned after four long years of war, and he'll be in central lobby, lobbying his mp. and if you fancy going along, tickets need to be booked in advance via the parliament.uk website. now, what's been happening in the wider world of politics this week? simon vaughan has our countdown. at five, high times for some in canada, after cannabis is legalised, but medics warn of the possible impact on public health. at four, brexit backing cabinet ministers stage a pizza summit, but defence minister tobias ellwood has an alternative. at three, congratulations to the dad of man city star vincent kompany. pierre's been elected the first

black mayor in belgium. at two, mrs t on the 50? 15,000 plus sign a petition calling for the former pm to be the face of the new £50 note. and at one, divided by a common language. what work has been done to make sure... could you please repeat the question? what work could be done... please, could you do it very slowly? i think the answer might be helped if you can reply in writing. parliamentary history was made this week on the committee corridor. mps on the education committee are holding an enquiry being held into an artificial intelligence and tuesday's star witness made headlines. pepper, could you please

introduce yourself? good morning, chair. thank you for inviting me to give evidence today. my name is pepper and i am a resident robot at middlesex university. pepper explained thast the university was taking part in a three—year research programme called ca resses. it's developing the first culturally aware robot aimed at assisting and caring for the elderly. assistive intelligent robots for the elderly could relieve pressure on hospitals and care homes, as well as improve the care delivery at home and promote the independent living for the elderly people. the mps were clearly impressed with the answers. thank you for coming today, pepper. thank you very much for an interesting discussion and for the opportunity to give evidence to the committee today. applause one mp said afterwards that pepper's answers were better than many they get from ministers.

and that glimpse of the future ends the week in parliament. thank you for watching. don't forget tojoin christina cooper on monday evening at 11 o'clock on bbc parliament for the highlights of the day in parliament. goodbye for now. you have got to love the british weather. this weekend we have seen temperatures as high as 20 celsius in northern scotland, eight above normalfor in northern scotland, eight above normal for this in northern scotland, eight above normalfor this time of in northern scotland, eight above normal for this time of year and fast forward to next weekend, it is going to be much colder, cold enough for some snow in the mountains of northern scotland and across the border, temperatures down into single figures. and it has been

getting cooler this weekend as well across scotland and northern ireland. temperatures at 20 yesterday, 12, today, so it does feel a lot fresher. that weather but continues to push south across england and wales bringing a strip of cloud and some spots of rain but nothing too huge. still sunshine tour south—east. overnight bad weather front pushes south and then clear skies for though and it is going to be a cold night, temperatures in the towns and cities getting down to around two — four celsius but in the countryside it will be cold enough for some frost just about anywhere, to be honest. tomorrow, it is a cold but glorious start the plenty of sunshine. the only exception is northern scotland where there will be some outbreaks of heavy rain for orkney. most of the mainland, drive of sunshine. ben cooler air arrives across england and wales. so a cooler day with temperatures around 1a celsius. for

much of the week ahead, high pressure to the rest of the uk. weather fronts pushing around the top of it will occasionally bring rain to northern scotland but elsewhere, it remains dry. some of that rain could push further east on tuesday from the west of scotland but for northern ireland, england and wales, for the majority, driver sunshine and temperatures between 1a and 16 celsius. on wednesday less rain around for scotland, just a few showers in the far north. temperatures falling to 16 for many. thursday, westerly winds, the best of any sunshine across eastern parts of any sunshine across eastern parts of the uk. again, the thickest card for northern scotland and we will see a return to some wet weather here. temperatures running a little bit cooler. then the really cold weather arrives during friday and into next weekend. a real cold snap at the end of the week. strong northerly winds bringing snow to the hills of northern scotland and

across the board, temperatures down into single single figures with some sharp, light frosts as well. so much colder by friday and next weekend. but your forecast. —— that's your forecast. this is bbc news, i'm annita mcvey.

the headlines at 3pm. the brexit secretary dominic raab says the uk could agree to extend the brexit transition period by about 3 months— but only if the eu drops its demand for a northern ireland ‘backstop‘ we do not accept this proposition it's that or no deal, and it's notjust us. these are the only outstanding issues. the good news is, actually, on the vast range of other issues, we are close to getting there. the coastguard says that everyone has been accounted for, after an isle of wight car ferry hit at least two yachts while trying to dock at cowes in heavy fog. president trump says the united states will pull out of a nuclear weapons treaty it signed with russia more than 30 years ago — because moscow has repeatedly violated the terms. russia has not, unfortunately, honoured the agreement. so, we're going to terminate the agreement. we're going to pull out.