britain's prime minister has secured the backing of her cabinet colleagues for a draft agreement with the european union on the terms of britain's exit. the european parliament's representative in the brexit talks, guy verhofstadt, broadly welcomed the deal, but said he still hoped britain would one day return to the eu fold. germany's foreign minister maas called it "a great relief". the irish prime minister said it was a satisfactory outcome. in california, the death toll from the wildfires ravaging the state is still rising. at least 50 people are known to have died but many are still missing and it's likely to take weeks to put out all the blazes. some have already made a painful return home. now on bbc news, wednesday in parliament. hello there, and welcome

to the programme. coming up, theresa may faces mps at prime minister's questions ahead of a crucial cabinet meeting on her draft brexit agreement. jeremy corbyn goes on the attack. we respect the result of the referendum. what we don't respect is a shambolic mess made in negotiations. we will deliver brexit and the united kingdom is leaving the european union on 29 march, 2019. also on this programme, the transport secretary assures holiday makers over the impact of brexit. we ran the questions of can i go on holiday next summer, the answer is yes you can. the britains will continue flying after brexit. and as peers and mps which the prince of wales at happy

70th birthday, a fellow septuagenarian has some advice. it should not represent a glass ceiling for progression to a bigger drop. to a biggerjob. but first, it was a day that ended with theresa may stepping onto a darkened downing street to announce the cabinet had accepted the draft agreement drawn up between the eu and the uk on brexit. a statement came after a five—hour long cabinet meeting. there have been fevered speculation about what would or would not be acceptable to her ministers, and whether theresa may's own future was underlined. a clearly relieved or minister insisted that decision was in the best interest of the uk. the choice was, this deal which enables us to take back control and to build a brighter future for our country all going back to square one with more division and more uncertainty and that failure to deliver on the referendum. well, spin back to may when the commons gathered for the weekly round of

prime minister's questions. and the exact details of what was in that agreement was still only known to theresa may and a handful of or senior ministers. but the broad principles have been around long enough for opposition mps and some brexiteer conservatives did announce it. the prime minister had held individual talks with the ministers, which gave the standard opening answer of prime ministers questions more meaning than usual. this morning i had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. when the dim died down a little bit, theresa may made her first comments on the agreement. i am confident this takes a significant, takes a significantly closer on delivering what the british who voted for in the referendum. we will take back control of our borders, our laws, and our money, leave the common fisheries policy and the common agricultural policy while protecting jobs, security, and the integrity of our united kingdom and mr speaker, i will come back to the house to update it on the outcome. jeremy corbyn labelled the agreement

of failure in its own terms which did not deliver brexit for the whole country, and did not deliver a strong economic deal forjobs and industry. so does the prime minister still intend to put up false choice department between her botched deal or no deal? heand the labour party have only one intention, that is to frustrate brexit and the british people. jeremy corbyn said the prime minister had not convinced her own side. he quoted resignation statement ofjoe johnson, who quit as minister last week, describing what was chaos. and mr corbyn moved on to what another minister the brexit secretary, dominic raab had said. the brexit secretary said last week and i quote, i had not previously understood the extent of this, but we are the gary woodland on the dover at calais crossing. when did the prime minister but, where of this absolutely shocking

revelation about britain's trade routes? prime minister! i have to say to the right honourable gentleman, he stand here and read out something that said we don't know about trade policy. we do know about trade policy, that's exactly, exactly why, exactly why we are negotiating the continuity agreements. it's why we will be taking our place as an independent state in the wto. but he wants to talk about different positions that are being taken. what we're doing is delivering a good deal that will deliver on the boat of the british people. we are delivering brexit, what have we seen recently from the labour party? the labour leader, the labour leader said we can't stop brexit. the shadow brexit secretary said we can't stop it. so when he stands up, you should make it clear, is a labour party policy to stop brexit?

jeremy corbyn! mr speaker, we respect the results of the referendum, what we don't respect is the shambolic mess this government has made up association. the mess they have created that they can now get themselves out of. we won't let them destroy this country prosperous economy or the jobs and chances of so many others. could she take him on one side and have a quiet word with him? and tell him that 10,000 lorries arrived at dover everyday handling i7% of this country's entire trade in goods. estimated to be £122 billion last year. this willful ignorance by a person in high office is disturbing to so many people. i will tell him where the willful ignorance lies, it lies on the labour party front bench which think you can build a better

economy by spending 1000 billion pounds more, putting people taxes and destroying jobs. the real threat tojobs and growth in the country sits on the labour party front bench. and i'll tell him what we are delivering in relation to brexit. he says what about brexit, yes i will tell him what we are delivering on brexit. we will not rerun the referendum. we will not reneges on the decision of the british people. we will be the customs union, we will leave the common fisheries policy, we will use the common agricultural policy. and we will take back control of our money, laws, and borders. we will deliver brexit, and the united kingdom is leaving the european union on 29 march, 2019. this prime minister is hamstrung, divided, desperate, and looking defeated. in a total panic, the prime minister has been reduced to playing political games rather than being fair.

mr speaker, this is not a game, the snp will never, ever gamble of scotland's future. there's only one lifeline messed, to protectjobs in scotland, we must stay in the single market and the customs union. the prime minister will not bring scotland out against its will, if it is a deal to protect the economy and not the island. one of scotland's? why not scotland's? the honourable gentleman stands up and says the snp will not amble with scotland's future, the snp gambles with scotland's future every time it stands up and talk about independence. we will come back to the incas and what backbenchers had to say about the draft agreement later in this programme. earlier in the house of lords, the transport secretary chris grayling was due to appear before a lords eu committee.

he arrived and adelaide for the morning session, the committee chair was understandable. we do recognise that this may be a slightly difficult situation for you in the uncertainties that you share waiting for the announcement overnight and the discussions going on today. we recognise you were even more delicate situation that you might normally be, we will try not to seriously embarrass you but if there are things you feel you can't answer, clearly we understand that. he wondered if chris grayling could say anything generally. the journey focusing on what is causing some degree of alarm in the industry out there, the possibility of a no deal as of 29 march, or indeed any time thereafter but on the assumption that that is still a possibility, either because there is no agreement rejected on either side, or because the deal does not run. there are a number of aspects to the concern that has been expressed to us by a various parts in the industry. the transport secretary talks

about contingency plans for possible delays at dover and calais. you would have seen press reports which i'm not going to talk to much about right now, because there are commercial issues involved. what we are also looking at how we make sure that if there is congestion at dover and calais, that there is alternate capacity available on other routes, the sufficient capacity available, you canjust replace dover and calais but so we have some alternative options available for goods of national importance. he was also asked about the pros brexit future of uk driving licenses. we have recognised that there is a potential issue here and the european union yesterday indicated it would not recognise uk driving licenses which is a shame

because we will recognise european driving licenses. but we have been putting in place pounds for some time and what will happen is that if they continue to refuse to recognise uk driving licenses, we will for those who want to drive to a system of international driving permit, of the kind that existed before the eu did before our membership, those have historically and are still used limited extent. those have been issued but as any we have now shifted things so they will be issued through our local post office and your local post office you will get a driving permit and cost a few pounds and you carry on driving. he also had good news for brain travels. he also had good news for plane travels. there has been a lot of talk about will planes stop flying? the commission yesterday as part of it's no deal documentation release documentation basically

saying that no question of that, in a no—deal scenario, want to continue and with —— agree arrangements to continue right between the uk and the european union and vice versa and that's worth putting on record for people, there's lots of questions about can i go on holiday, the answer is you very clearly can, and britains will carry on flying after brexit. that's a great relief to all of us. a relieved lord. you are watching wednesday in parliament. not as good but the prime minister's questions. the first mp to be called after the labour leader jeremy corbyn was the conservative and leading brexiteer peer. jeremy corbyn was the conservative and leading brexiteer — is the prime minister aware that if the media reports about the eu agreement are in any way accurate, you not delivering the brexit people

voted for and today you will lose the support of many conservative mps and millions of voters across the country. well that question but such a noisy reaction in the chamber, the speaker had to step in, telling mps that the prime minister be heard. i want to hear what the prime minister has to say and i hope the house has the courtesy to want to hear her as well. what we have been negotiating is ideal that does deliver on the book of the british people in the list i set out earlier i left out one of the things the british people are very keen to see from this deal which is free movement and we will ensure that we are delivering on that as well as those other elements that i have sent out. what we are doing is a deal that delivers on that vote and doing so protects jobs, protect the integrity of our united kingdom and protect the security of people in this country.

a labour mp return to the resignation comments from joe johnson. the prime minister's likely brexit agreements would leave our country economically weaker, mean that we take eu rules without any say and give years of uncertainty for business. not my words, the words of her latest ministerial resignation. at least the latest as far as we know. but she agree with him and isn't it about time she admitted that there is too little to no support for her reckless man in her cabinet and even less in parliament? it's no secret that labour government has been somewhat lackluster in what they demand from the british government of brexit. so i will speak on behalf of wales. when will the apartments begin the opportunity to see the withdrawal agreement text and see for themselves the devastating effect the been the european to have on each of the devolved nations? we will ensure that information is available to members of this house on the withdrawal agreement and on the future relationships that is agreed with the european union. we will ensure that briefings are available, that documents are available and that the analysis of the government previously committed itself to his available so that when members of this house, to the meaningful vote, on a deal,

they'll be able to have that information and make their vote against the background of that information. can the prime minister confirmed that her deal will leave the united kingdom are will take or not i will make or, in other words of vessel state and isn't the best way to get herself of this mess that she and her colleagues of course by allowing the people about it how people vote. prime minister! i say to the right honourable gentleman, i think i have this batch given him the same and if that is question on a number of occasions. the people, this parliament gave the british people the vote on whether or not to stay in the european union. in 2016. the british people voted, they both did they leave, and it is this government that will deliver on that vote and deliver brexit. there was one other tantalising tidbits of prime minister's

questions. news that the government might be about to clamp down on the controversial issue of high street gambling machines. known as biopsies. the chancellor announced that his budget that the maximum state would be reduced from £100 forjust £2, but not until october next year. cue outrage from those who campaigned hard for the change and the resignation of the sports minister tracy crouch. angry mps put down an amendment for the finance bill to try to bring the reduction in sooner. a former conservative leader pressed theresa may over the plan. it's the reality now that we have put down an amendment, that the government will exceed, and we will get the process started on the 1st of april next year. i recognise the strength of feeling on this issue, i know gambling addiction can devastate lives. 0ur priority is to deliver the results we want to see, we're listening to the concerns being raised, and if my right honourable friend will have a little patience, i can tell him

that the culture secretary will set out details further today. and sure enough, just before 3pm, the culture secretary, who the eagle—eyed spotted just at the end of that theresa may clip, put out a statement, saying the reduction would come in april next year, six months earlier than planned. now a no—deal brexit could mean a step back on security arrangements with british police officers losing access to information and help from overseas forces. that was the honest assessment of the home affairs officer when he spoke to the committee. he said his department was making contingency arrangements for no deal, but stressed that he was keen to avoid that scenario. it would be a step backwards undoubtedly, and we do not want to do it. but that is the perspective that we get huge flows of information,

and they‘ re valuable. mps turned to the european arrest warrant, which requires eu countries to agree extradition request from other eu states. without the eaw, the uk will use an extradition scheme established in 1957. we are talking about child sex offences cases being one of the most common things that arrest warrants are used for, homicide, rape cases, grievous bodily harm cases, and the sorts of cases where a country has in place at the moment a constitutional bar on being able to extradite somebody, are we effectively saying the victims and witnesses in those cases would have to go to germany or poland, whichever countries currently have in the 19—20, or sit through a court case abroad in order to getjustice? we want to avoid that, of course. we're talking about a scenario where our absolute priority is to avoid all this. of course, and we should take that

as read that we all want to avoid a no—deal and that we support the government's attempts to avoid a no—deal. what i am trying to get clarity over is what actually... let's be honest with everybody about what the consequences are of a no—deal situation. i have been extremely honest today in setting out that we will lose information and cooperation, and lose capability. and by we, i mean we and our european partners. the most senior official in the house of commons today has announced he will retire next year after 43 years of working in parliament. then announcement comes just a month after a highly critical report in the bullying and harassment at westminster, recommending a shake—up in the leadership of the commons. but in his resignation letter, he said he had made clear his decision to go had been taken long before the report from dame laura

cox. sir david, who has been clerk of the commons from the last four years, will leave on 1 march. it has been a turbulent four years, covering three governments, to general elections, and to referendums. the murders ofjo cox mp, mpc palmer... his letter reflected on the bullying and harassment accusations, saying what was needed was to... move beyond concerns about process, to reach a place where quite simply, everybody in the community treats everybody else with respect and dignity. yours ever, david. applause.

an exceptional occasion justifies an exceptional response. the speakerjohn bercow. there were attributes in the commons and the lords to an altogether more famous figure, but prince of wales, prince charles, who celebrates his 70th birthday. the prime minister praised his total commitment to public service, and data that was on the part of the story. he is the only public figure to appear on question time and australian top chef. and he has great and wide ranging love of music. indeed he remarked in 1974 that "if i hear rhythmic music, ijust want to get up and dance". something i'm sure many of us empathize with.

jeremy corbyn reflected on the prince's charity work and love of the plant and animal kingdoms. indeed, he may be a knight of the garter and a knight of the order of the bath, but few accolades can compare to when in 2012, a brand—new species native to ecuador was discovered and was given a name, the prince charles steam tree frog. as somebody who crossed the milestone of his 70th birthday some years ago, i suggest that this is very much an opportunity for celebration then regret. and if i can also add from personal experience that it should not represent a glass ceiling for progression to a biggerjob. and there were warm words as well in the house of lords. he has shown his prophetic instincts, not least on his welcome advocacy for the critical need to protect the environment,

and his instincts surrounding plastic pollution. and those efforts have been well ahead of most of us in this chamber. what is clear from everything that has been said today is the great affection with which his royal highness is viewed in this house. we send him our sincere congratulations, and at the same time, our best wishes to the her highness, the duchess of cornwall. i would only add this directly to his royal highness. if you have reservations about turning 70, just you wait until you get to 80. laughter. happy birthday. the question is that the motion for a humble address be agreed to. as many as are of the opinion, say "content". to the contrary, "no". the contents have it. lord fowler.

finally, back to that brexit draft agreement. ministers have been in and out of number ten all day with that big cabinet meeting scheduled for 2pm. but in the commons, there was a growing clamour for theresa may to come back to the chamber after that meeting and make a statement to mps. we hear rumours that statement may be made tomorrow, many honourable members may have already got commitments for tomorrow. i understand that this house needs to mark the 70th birthday of the prince of wales today, but in the remaining six hours, surely we could discuss the most important issue facing this country in a generation? the speaker said he had been told there was likely to be a statement on thursday, but later when the business in the commons in the early, mps pressed again for the prime minister to come back to make a statement. the government of gibraltar has been briefed as to what is in the withdrawal agreement. we hear from the government about the respect that must be shown to the devolved institutions, that they are partners together

with the uk government. but i can tell the house that as i speak at the moment, that the administration at the scottish government have not been informed as to what is in the arrangement between the uk and the eu. and the fact that the cabinet is due to reach an agreement this afternoon and the disrespect that has been shown to this house and the prime minister not taking the opportunity which is afforded to her to update the house, is disrespectful to this place and to the people of the uk in the extreme. the current government is run by a cabinet who actually discuss things, unlike that of previous governments. i think we should wait and if the government has done the courtesy of allowing this house to know, i think we should respect that and have a much better exchange in this house based on information, rather than supposition and rumour. sir robert sims. but in the end, that cabinet meeting went on until nearly 7pm, well past the time that the commons

had finished for the day, meaning mps will have to wait until thursday morning for that update from the banister. that's it from me, at the end of a dramatic day here at westminster. dojoin me on bbc parliament on thursday night at 11pm for a full round up of the day in the commons and lords, and full coverage of the statement by theresa may. but for now from me, alicia mccarthy, goodbye. hello there. wednesday brought us another fine autumnal day with plenty of sunshine in the south and the east. we did have some more cloud, rain, and breezy conditions across north—western parts of the uk. this was the picture as the sun set in oxfordshire. some of us got as high as 16 celsius on wednesday. well above average average for the time of year. through the day on thursday, things will remain mild. mostly cloudy skies. there will be some brighter spells developing later on in the day. through thursday we have got a weather front sitting to the far north—west. it's high pressure across the new continent that will be driving our weather over the next couple of days, keeping it largely settled. a bit of rain affecting western parts of northern ireland and the north—west of scotland. elsewhere a largely dry day. one or two mist and fog patches across parts of england and wales. some low cloud around as well.

there will be some sunshine by the afternoon across the north—east of england into eastern scotland as well. those temperatures will be on the mild side, again reaching 13—15 degrees across the country. some rain for northern ireland, into scotland overnight thursday into friday. further south across england and wales you keep the low cloud. we could see some mist and fog patches developing. it will be frost free across the board with temperatures down to 6—11 degrees for most of us first thing friday. friday, a largely dry day. weather fronts kept out at bay by this big area of high pressure, which is pushing in making its influence felt across the country. as we head through the course of friday and into the weekend many of us that dry theme. there could be quite a lot of low cloud, some mist and fog, particularly for some central, southern, and eastern parts through friday morning. it will brighten through the day. it will stay on the mild side. we have the temperatures reaching the mid teens on friday. a slight change as we head into the weekend. largely dry, settled conditions, but things will feel a little cooler compared to the very mild weather we have had for much of the past week or so. there is the chance of seeing some mist and fog around. i think on saturday, for most places, early—morning mist, fog, and low cloud should clear to leave sunny skies, fairly light winds coming in from the south—east.

temperatures not quite as warm as thursday and friday. up to about 10—12 degrees, it shouldn't feel too bad. a repeat performance on sunday. a south—easterly breeze clears any early morning mist, fog, and cloud. autumnal sunshine by the afternoon. temperatures around 10—11 degrees. goodbye for now. a very warm welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name's mike embley. our top stories: britain's government backs the prime minister's brexit deal, but now the hard part — getting it through parliament. the eu's chief negotiator gives his seal of approval. next up — talks about a trade agreement. the death toll rises from the californian wildfires. we travel with one man back to a home that's been destroyed. and michelle obama talks about the difficulties of raising a family and how couples' therapy helped. britain is one step closer to leaving the european union —