this programme contains flashing images. tonight at ten, we're in downing street, where the cabinet has approved theresa may's brexit plans after five hours of intense debate. the prime minister emerged to claim that this was the best brexit plan on offer, urging mps on all sides to lend their support. i believe what i owe to this country is to take decisions that are in the national interest. and ifirmly believe with my head and my heart that this is a decision which is in the best interests of our entire united kingdom. as ministers left downing street, opposing voices were being heard among conservative mps, and among the government's parliamentary partners. i will vote against it and i expect many others will. this does not meet either the result of the referendum or indeed the conservative party's manifesto promises. she has stood up in this very place and said that she will not

break up the united kingdom. there will be no difference between northern ireland and the rest of the united kingdom. if she decides to go against all of that, then there will be consequences, of course there will be consequences. the draft agreement, delivered by the eu this evening, runs to 500 pages. they say it represents "decisive progress". we have been able to find common ground and meet our common objectives. we'll be looking at the detail of the plan, and we'll be asking if theresa may has any realistic hope of getting the house of commons to vote for it. also tonight... libya says it expects to extradite to britain the younger brother of the manchester bomber before the end of the year. a government climb—down over gambling — the crackdown on fixed odds betting terminals will now be brought forward to april. and prince charles celebrates his 70th birthday with an afternoon tea party and dinner with the queen. and coming up on bbc news,

wayne rooney will captain england when he comes on as a substitute in his last appearance for his country against the usa in a friendly at wembley tomorrow. good evening from downing street after one of the most significant cabinet meetings of modern times, when ministers decided to support theresa may's plans for leaving the eu. it took five hours of intense debate for the cabinet to reach that decision. but the outcome is already under fire from both sides of the brexit debate, with some mps complaining that the uk could be tied to eu rules for years to come. the prime minister has warned that this draft withdrawal agreement is the best on offer. it's set to be put to

mps before christmas, but there's no certainty that it will be approved by the house of commons. we start with this report on the cabinet meeting, from our political editor laura kuenssberg. and there's some flash photography coming up. heard deal. her call. her gamble. the cabinet has just had a long, detailed and impassioned debate on the draft withdrawal agreement and the draft withdrawal agreement and the outline political declaration on oui’ the outline political declaration on our future relationship with the european union. these documents were the result of thousands of hours of ha rd the result of thousands of hours of hard negotiation by uk officials and many, hard negotiation by uk officials and any hard negotiation by uk officials and many, many meetings which i and other ministers held with our eu counterparts. i firmly believe that the draft withdrawal agreement was the draft withdrawal agreement was the best that could be negotiated and it was for the cabinet to decide whether to move on in the talks. the

choices before us were difficult, particularly in relation to the northern ireland backstop. but the collective decision of cabinet was that the government should agree the draft withdrawal agreement and the outline political declaration. this isa outline political declaration. this is a decisive step which enables us to move on and finalise the deal in the days ahead. these decisions were not taken the days ahead. these decisions were not ta ken lightly the days ahead. these decisions were not taken lightly but i believe it isa not taken lightly but i believe it is a decision that is firmly in the national interest. when you strip away the detail, the choice before us away the detail, the choice before us is clear. this deal, which delivers on the vote of the referendum, which brings back control of our money, laws and borders, hence free movement, protects jobs, security and borders, hence free movement, protectsjobs, security and our union, or might leave with no deal oi’ union, or might leave with no deal or now brexit at all. i believe what i told to this country is to take decisions that are in the national interest. and i firmly decisions that are in the national interest. and ifirmly believe

decisions that are in the national interest. and i firmly believe with my head and my heart that this is a decision which is in the best interests of our entire united kingdom. heard deal is on. after five hours of talks, a pact has been sealed that could determine her future, the government's future and of course all of hours. but it was not smooth or unanimous. they might have reached a collective decision. are you resigning, mr fox? but i'm told about ten cabinet ministers expressed reservations, fears the agreement keeps us too close to the eu. collective agreement. concerns it will never make it through the commons. there was no formal vote.|j am satisfied that the deal that is currently available doors meet our demands. why the caution? voila! to

tea rs demands. why the caution? voila! to tears via the eu has got too much, tying the uk into closely, maybe for good. we have been able to find common ground and meet our common objectives. there are big problems back home though. the fine print shows if there is not a trade agreement in future, great britain would be a the customs union with eu, northern ireland and effectively in the single market. not something theresa may's dup allies want to accept. it doesn't appear we would be able to support because it breaches the red line in terms of having differences between northern ireland and the rest of the united kingdom in terms of regulation, obviously we would still be in the customs union as well. and we cannot have that. and in far greater number, if brexiteers' suspicions about the deal are proven, if they have read it properly... here it is. they might even pull the plug on the

prime minister altogether. they might even pull the plug on the prime minister altogetherlj they might even pull the plug on the prime minister altogether. i think this is a major problem for the government. it destroys trust. the prime minister made some clear promises in her various speeches but perhaps most importantly in the conservative party manifesto. 0ne perhaps most importantly in the conservative party manifesto. one of those was we were leaving the customs union. we can only leave the customs union. we can only leave the customs union. we can only leave the customs union with the permission of the european union, which is a worse situation than we are currently in. will you move against the prime minister before she has the chance to bring this to parliament?” minister before she has the chance to bring this to parliament? i will have to read carefully what the text says. strong voices on the right will almost inevitably be joined by resista nce will almost inevitably be joined by resistance from the left. will almost inevitably be joined by resistance from the leftlj will almost inevitably be joined by resistance from the left. i don't believe the deal is in the national interest. it doesn't meet the needs of all parts of britain. it does not give us security in our trading relationship with europe in the future through a prominent customs union in which we have a say. —— permanent. most ministers did back theresa may tonight, albeit without

enthusiasm. the cabinet was even rewarded with a glass of wine for their efforts at the end. but it is far, far too early for theresa may to toast success. laura is here. can we shed any more light on what happened in that meeting? the first thing to remember is in the big picture it got signed off, eventually after five long hours. that represents a significant step forward for the prime minister, who has been grappling with this with such doubt, difficulty and argument over the past couple of years. it is in that way big step forward. but in terms of actually what happened in the room, it certainly was not something that was signed up to with huge enthusiasm. i'm told about ten ministers spoke against the deal, expressing strong reservations. there are slightly differing accounts. some people suggested there were a lot of complaints but nobody was sitting there suggesting a better idea. but this big

political move forward has happened, it strikes me, with resigned relief rather than a full throated hurray for what the prime minister has managed to achieve. for number 10 this is a hugely important compromise that allows this bandwagon to keep rolling. but for others in the room the fundamental problem is, and we will hear more about this and the monster come, for brexiteers in the cavernous comment parliament and maybe in the country, this represents a closer tied to the european union than many of them believe they have chosen. laura, we will talk more later in the programme. what will come next? an interesting question. let's talk to our europe editor, katya adler, in brussels. we saw michel barnier gave his statement earlier on. we have seen the document. how would you characterise the kind of explanation that michel barnier gave today? gone was mrfinger that michel barnier gave today? gone

was mr finger wagging michel barnier. we're used to seeing him during the negotiations really sort of telling of the uk and warning the uk of the consequences of brexit. tonight it was a different tone. praise from uk, the great ally, the great friend. praise for uk negotiators alongside eu negotiators. michel barnier said they had achieved what they set out to do, to protect the irish border, the rights of eu citizens in the uk and uk citizens in the eu after brexit. and to protect uk constitutional integrity as well. he said they had managed to achieve all those things. it was almost as if, someone those things. it was almost as if, someone put it to me, they have managed to create a beautiful egg out of the negotiations. could now be smashed? i put it to show barnier tonight what plans the eu has a place of the uk parliament votes down the deal. he didn't want to engage in that. he didn't want to engage in that. he didn't want to engage in that. he didn't want to engage in the questions around this

temporary customs agreement that appears as part of a backstop over the irish border. could that become the irish border. could that become the basis for the future relationship between the eu and the uk after brexit? another question is the role of the european court of human rights this. something brexiteers wanted to be rid of. it is very powerful in this agreement, including the backstop. what do the eu 27 member states make of this? they don't think they will have a wink of sleep between now and the 25th of november, when they should —— they should be a seal the deal summit. they need their lawyers to go through the withdrawal agreement to see if they disagree with anything. they also need to finalise that political declaration of intent of eu— that political declaration of intent of eu- uk that political declaration of intent of eu— uk future relationship. it is just a load of bullet points at the moment. careful choreography than ——

that could be destroyed by big political problems on either side. here, all eyes are on the uk. 0ne eu civil servant pointed at the agreement that tonight and said, all of this could end up in the bin. thank you very much indeed. katya adler in brussels. the 500 page document was published by the eu this evening. a shorter statement, setting out what the uk and eu's future relations will look like, has also been drawn up. but criticism of the draft agreement has focused on the means of avoiding a hard border between northern ireland and the republic, and on the uk's potential exposure to eu rules, for years to come. let'sjoin chris morris, of the bbc‘s reality check, who's been looking at the detail. the draft withdrawal agreement is a big document. but it's all about how we leave the european union, it's not about our long term future relationship. if everyone approves it — a big if — it means that among

a host of other things, over time, the uk will pay at least £39 billion to the eu to settle all its financial obligations. it sets out basic rights in the future for eu citizens in the uk and brits elsewhere in europe, but many of them are dismayed by what's on offer. and future immigration policy as a whole is yet to be decided. there will also be a transition period after brexit, when all the rules will stay the same. that'll last until the end of 2020. it could be extended, maybe for up to a year or so. and the toughest part of the negotiations — it sets the terms of the so—called backstop — the guarantee that there'll be no hard border in ireland, under any circumstances, in the future. part of this "no hard border" plan would be what amounts to a temporary customs union with the eu, covering the whole of the uk, meaning there'd still be no taxes, or tariffs, on goods moving between the uk and the eu. the document calls this

a single customs territory. but northern ireland would be in a closer relationship, more closely tied to the eu single market, than the rest of the uk. the uk will, in theory, be able to leave this temporary customs arrangement, but it won't be able to make that decision on its own. the draft document says the arrangement will only come to an end if both parties decidejointly. that's something some brexiteers can't accept. now, what the withdrawal agreement — all 585 pages of it, which we've seen for the first time this evening — what it doesn't do is set out details of the long term future relationship with the eu after brexit. that includes security relations, foreign policy, and above all, the terms on which we'll trade with our nearest neighbours. there is a separate outline political declaration — just a few pages long for now — that starts to map out that future. progress has been made, and a longer document could emerge next week.

but formal negotiation on all those issues will only begin after brexit has actually happened. and one key question for everyone — will a temporary customs union form the basis for the permanent relationship, that is still to come? chris, many thanks, chris morris from our bbc reality check team. the question of how to avoid a hard border between northern ireland and the republic has dominated much of the negotiations with brussels. but it also presents challenges for the people of northern ireland, as it raises new questions about their future links with the rest of the uk and the republic, as our ireland correspondent emma vardy explains. bomb blast this island's history is marked by struggles over land and sea. today, brexit is redefining its modern borders. people here have found themselves caught in the middle

of a political storm. we don't want to go back to days of old. whatever happens, happens. i don't think individually we can make a gigantic difference to what the higher powers decide. at northern ireland's larne harbour, every day trucks and trade arrive over the irish sea from britain. checks are needed on live animals, but currently little else, because the whole island, north and south, is under the same eu rules. but after the uk leaves the eu, there could be new checks on some products coming from britain to northern ireland. and northern ireland alone could remain tied to some eu rules. the democratic unionist party believes this would undermine the very integrity of the uk. i know that for the unionist community in northern ireland at the moment, this is quite a difficult time. today, ireland's prime minister tried to allay the dup's fears. i know many of them may be feeling vulnerable, and i want to say

to them that the good friday agreement will be protected. through a dual british and irish identity. northern ireland has achieved peace through a dual british and irish identity. some people believe shared membership of the eu has helped to keep that relationship in harmony, but now brexit is changing things. we're scared about going backwards. it's a big deal for us. obviously northern ireland always presents that sort of problem, that difficulty of understanding what's happening, and identity. ijust feel with brexit, either we're in or we're out. and if we're out, let's get on with it. brexit isn't just about trade on these shores. it's also about the delicate balance of peace on this island. but now this special brexit status is raising questions on the other side of the water, their own set of arrangements in the agreement too. emma vardy, bbc news. in scotland, the first minister,

nicola sturgeon, has underlined her dissatisfaction, pointing out that if northern ireland is to get economic advantages, well then, scotland, which also voted to remain, should be given the same opportunity. the current proposals, in her view, represent a bad dealfor scotland. 0ur scotland editor, sarah smith, is in edinburgh. sarah, what is your sense of how the first minister is likely to construct first minister is likely to co nstru ct a first minister is likely to construct a bigger response now to this proposal? well, she has said tonight, as you say, that this is a bad dealfor scotland, tonight, as you say, that this is a bad deal for scotland, and tonight, as you say, that this is a bad dealfor scotland, and she has a lwa ys bad dealfor scotland, and she has always argued that scotland should be allowed to stay in the single market and a customs union even if the rest of the uk leaves, and of course now she the rest of the uk leaves, and of course now she can say the rest of the uk leaves, and of course now she can say if northern ireland can have a closer relationship with the eu, why can an exception not be made for scotland? u nless exception not be made for scotland? unless it is, there are 35 snp mps will surely vote against this

agreement, they will only vote in favour of something that keeps scotla nd favour of something that keeps scotland in the single market and the customs union, she has made that clear from the beginning. the customs union, she has made that clearfrom the beginning. but the customs union, she has made that clear from the beginning. but the snp and others have significant concerns in scotland tonight about what the agreement means for the fishing industry, and this could be another problem for the prime minister. the scottish secretary, david mundell, thought to be wavering earlier today, has said tonight he is content of this agreement does mean we will be leaving the common fisheries policy at the end of the transition in 2020, but fishing industry leaders wa nt to 2020, but fishing industry leaders want to know what happens then. they are worried that in order for british fishermen to get a deal that allows them to sell their fish tariff free into european markets, they will have to give european fishing boats substantial access to uk waters, and of course that is the very thing they want to get away from. they think that european boats have too much access to uk waters at the moment. and a number of scottish tory appeasing coastal constituencies are very sensitive to

these industry concerns, and this could be one more headache for the prime minister as she tries to get this agreement through. sarah, again, thanks very much, sarah smith with the latest thoughts in edinburgh. the prime minister's task is to sell the terms of the draft agreement not only to mps, but also to business leaders, many of whom have expressed concern about the uncertainty that prevails two and a half years after the referendum took place. but reaction this evening, from both big and small companies, has been rather mixed. our business editor, simonjack, has more details. piecing together a brexit arrangement. today the government presented business with the product of two years of laborious negotiations. but how attractive is the deal on the table? all of rosa ashby‘s fresh flowers are imported from holland and she says she is still uncertain about what will happen to her business. i can't stockpile. they're perishable goods — you can see. i can't even put them in the freezer. i can't do anything. so that's our livelihoods. i've got wedding quotes for next april. how can i give those?

i don't know what the country's going to be like. i don't know whether we're going to have tariffs put on. i don't know anything. so i feel we need a people's vote because the public are now more aware of what is going to happen. meanwhile, big businesses like toyota were optimistic that this outline agreement was a step towards a transition period, which would see the status quo preserved until at least december 2020, and a step away from a sudden brexit in march. we need an implementation period on the same arrangements as now. we need long—term free and frictionless trade and common technical standards. so if those things are the case, and we hope they will be, then i think it will be very well received. so some businesses are saying this is the only deal in town, we need to get behind it. others are saying, it's worse than what we have now, we need to think again, have a second referendum. almost all of them realise it might not make it through parliament

and then we're back to square one. none of the businesses i speak to have stopped contingency planning for a no—deal scenario. that includes the makers of bisto and ambrosia custard, premier foods, who told the bbc they would not be changing their plans to spend £10 million stockpiling raw ingredients in case of delays at the ports. another delivery from holland and, with it, a reminder that other eu businesses are still looking for answers in the days and weeks to come. i would like everything to stay the same. we will have to wait and see what is going to happen in the coming months. and, besides that, it is all the paperwork which we're going to get. are we going to be delayed by the customs when we come over or when we go home? we don't know. 0n the road, back to holland. for business owners across europe, the brexitjourney is far from over. simon jack, bbc news.

more on today's brexit business, including a look ahead to what happens in the months ahead, later in the programme. but for the day's other news, let'sjoin ben. huw, thank you very much indeed. the libyan prime minister has told the bbc he expects the younger brother of the manchester arena bomber will be extradited to britain before the end of the year. hashem abedi has been in custody in libya since soon after the attack in may last year which killed 22 people. he's wanted in britain for murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy to cause explosions. this report from our international correspondent 0rla guerin. a city paying tribute to its dead. manchester in mourning in may 2017 after a suicide attacker turned a concert into a scene of carnage. the authorities in britain and in libya believe the bomber, salman abedi, did not work alone.

this is his younger brother, hashem, who has been held in tripoli since just after the attack. britain requested his extradition a year ago. very nice to see you... and on a visit to italy today, libya's prime minister told us the bereaved won't have to wait too much longer. translation: i think we will finish the legal procedures in libya between now and the end of the year. we are co—operating fully, because we understand the suffering of the families of the victims. as libyans, we also suffer attacks, so the subject is important for us. and just to be clear, prime minister, are you saying that extradition will happen, that it is simply a matter of time, or is there a possibility that the extradition request could be turned down? translation: no. we are following the legal process. according to the general prosecutor, we can extradite him. after we complete the legal

process in libya, it's only a matter of time. for those caught up in the horror of the attack, the wait for answers and forjustice has already been too long. 0ne survivor, now paralysed, has his doubts about libya's promises. we've seen this before with libya, cooperating, and it takes years and, you know, i get that the prime minister has said it will be the end of the year. we are in november now, you know, do i truly believe that he's going to be back on british soil within the next couple of months? you know, let's see it. the chaos of libya won't help. this was the capital, tripoli, in september. there were clashes near the prison where hashem abedi is being held. the prime minister insists the suspect is safe. the pain does not end

for the families of the victims, but there may now be hope that someone will stand in the dock. 0rla guerin, bbc news, palermo, italy. the government has reversed its decision to delay a cut to the maximum stake on gambling machines, known as fixed odds betting terminals. the former sports minister, tracy crouch, had resigned over the delay, which was until the autumn of next year. now the reduction of the maximum stake, from £100 to £2, will happen next april. here's simon gompertz. roulette and other casino games offering a frightening scope to lose money. in just a ten—month period, more than 200,000 sessions led to losses of £1000 — hence the clamp—down. but at the beginning of this month, the sports minister, tracey crouch, resigned, saying the government wasn't moving fast enough and she's gathered support from dozens of fellow tories. they have caused endless harm,

terrible damage to families. the first indication of a climb—down came at prime minister's questions today. i know gambling addiction can devastate lives, so our priority is making sure that this change delivers the results we all want to see. we are listening to the concerns being raised by colleagues. then, this afternoon, the about—turn on the timing of the tougher regime. i hope, through my resignation, i have given a voice to many people who felt they were not being heard about the harms of these machines, and, ultimately, at the end of the day, we now have the right outcome for them. so the maximum stake will be cut from £100 to £2 every 20 seconds, as planned, but starting from april — not 0ctober — next year. the government's reason for waiting was to give bookmakers time to adjust after they warned that thousands of betting shops would close, putting 20,000 jobs under threat. but many bookmakers will tell

you now it doesn't matter when this change comes in — they'll still be affected. the association of british bookmakers said its members will comply with the new timing. labour's comment was that delaying the implementation had been a disastrous political misjudgment. simon gompertz, bbc news. the nhs says that an administrative error meant that 118,000 women in england didn't get letters with information about screening for cervical cancer in the first half of this year. some of the letters contained results from screenings, although most were appointment invitations or reminders. about 100 women with abnormal results are yet to be contacted. a preliminary report on the helicopter crash at leicester city's stadium, which killed five people including the club's owner, shows the aircraft did not respond to the pilot's left pedal command. the air accident investigation branch

said the helicopter started to turn right when the pilot was trying to make it turn left. it crashed soon after taking off from the pitch last month. an nhs hospital trust in shropshire says 215 families have come forward alleging that their babies died or suffered harm because of errors by staff. regulators are already reviewing maternity care over the past two decades at the shrewsbury and telford trust, which was put in special measures last week. prince charles has been celebrating his 70th birthday tonight with a private party at buckingham palace hosted by the queen. she paid tribute to him as a "dedicated and respected heir to the throne, to stand comparison with any in history." 0ur royal correspondent nicholas witchell reports. what's a birthday without a balloon? even when you've reached a grand old age like 70. and attached to the balloon, a present. and who can resist a quick peek? from clarence house,

birthday photographs and a sight of the core royal family of the future. charles and camilla, with his sons and their wives, and charles‘s three grandchildren — george on his grandfather's knee, charlotte sitting beside camilla. after 66 years as heir to the throne, charles is preparing for the next step — laying the queen's wreath at the cenotaph while she watched from a balcony, representing her abroad, and preparing to become head of the commonwealth. and he's recognised the need to state publicly that when he is king, he will discontinue his campaigning. iam not i am not that stupid, i realised it isa i am not that stupid, i realised it is a separate exercise being sovereign.