four ministers resign in protest at the draft brexit deal, two of them from the cabinet. dominic raab was the first to saying he couldn't support theresa may's proposed deal. in fairness i think she needs a brexit secretary that will pursue the deal she to put to the country with conviction, i don't feel i can do that in good conscience but i hold her in high esteem and i think she should continue, but i think we need to change course on brexit. theresa may is facing a grilling in parliament, and has warned voting against the deal would put the country back to square one. labour say the deal is not what the country was promised and the government is falling apart. we will have all of the latest from westminster amid mounting speculation of a challenge to the

prime minister's leadership. the other main stories this lunchtime... more than 130 people are still missing after the first wildfires in the history of california. the police officer who was a be there for found guilty of rating a 13—year—old girl. —— who was a paedophile. and england's creditors meet stubborn resistance. 0n the bbc news channel we will have the latest reports, results, interviews and features from the bbc sports centre. good afternoon and welcome to the

bbc news at one. on another dramatic day here at westminster, where theresa may's draft deal is under threat after the resignation of two cabinet ministers. the brexit secretary quit hisjob cabinet ministers. the brexit secretary quit his job saying the prime minister's agreement with the eu had fatal flaws. prime minister's agreement with the eu had fatalflaws. he prime minister's agreement with the eu had fatal flaws. he was followed shortly afterwards by esther mcvey and a number of junior shortly afterwards by esther mcvey and a number ofjunior ministers have also resigned. mrs may has spent the morning in the house of commons as —— answering questions from mps and there's speculation a leadership challenge could be imminent. are you going to resign? she hadn't meant that she has now come esther mcvey became the second cabinet minister to walk out over the brexit

divorce deal, following the man in charge of the brexit talks out of government. dominic raab now the second brexit secretary to quit the job saying he couldn't support what was now on the table. the terms proposed to the cabinet yesterday i think had two major and fatal flaws. the first is the terms being offered by the eu threatened the integrity of the uk and the second is they would lead to an indefinite if not permanent situation where we would have no say of the rules or laws applied and that would be damaging for the economy but devastating for public trust in our democracy. there we re public trust in our democracy. there were more resignations among junior ministers too, some major blow for theresa may and her preferred brexit agreement which she thought her top tea m agreement which she thought her top team had signed off last night. this morning forced defend her strategy with a plea to the house to back her. i know it's been a frustrating process , her. i know it's been a frustrating process, forcing us to confront some difficult issues, but the good

brexit, which is in the national interest, is possible. we have persevered and made a decisive rake through. 0nce persevered and made a decisive rake through. once the final deal is agreed, i will bring it to parliament and i will ask mps to consider the national interest and give it their backing. voting against a deal would take us all back to square one. people around the country will be feeling anxious this morning about the industries they working, the jobs they hold, about the stability of their communities and their country. the government must now withdraw this half baked deal which is cleared does not have the backing of the cabinet, this parliament or the country as a whole. here in westminster the numbers are against the prime minister, with presumed allies and opponents alike queueing up allies and opponents alike queueing up to criticise. i could today stand here and take the prime minister

through the list of promises and pledges she made to this house and to us privately about the future of northern ireland in the future relationship with the eu that i fear it would be a waste of time since she clearly doesn't listen. the prime minister comes before us today trying to sell a deal that is already dead in the water. overrated tory backbenchers, well it is 84 now and going up by the hour, will vote against it. it is therefore mathematically impossible to get this deal through the house of commons. theresa may has withstood cabinet resignations before and for 110w cabinet resignations before and for now she is standing firm in number ten and behind her brexit deal, convinced that when it comes to it parliament will be on her side. but the threat to her leadership and her strategy is real and it could still all come crashing down. let's go to our assistant political

editor norman smith in central lobby. the prime minister is trying to tough it out, how is that going? i would say theresa may's brexit deal is hanging by a thread, not just because of the resignations or because she has lost the second brexit secretary, notjust because dominic raab's departure but because of the pummelling, and pummelling is the right word mrs may has had to endure and is continuing to have to endure and is continuing to have to endure in the chamber right now from mps on all sides, in all parties, both pro—and anti—word—macro over her agreement. —— anti—brexit. both pro—and anti—word—macro over heragreement. —— anti—brexit. it was over an hour before any mp expressed support. you even had labour mps expressing sympathy for

the prime minister, and the last thing you want as a prime minister is pity. mrs may is a tough old bird, she is that bloody difficult woman and she will try to soldier on. as i speak, upstairs in one of the committee rooms are hardline tory brexiteers are meeting now to decide whether they should press for a leadership contest if mrs may is going to continue trying to push through her brexit deal, and you just have the sense that if she is determined to carry on with this deal, she may well be heading into a parliamentary brick wall. norman smith, thank you. in contrast of the turmoil here in westminster, in brussels michel barnier formally handed over the 585 page draft withdrawal agreement to donald tusk. damien dramatic as is there.

the scenes in the uk are exactly what the eu negotiators feared all along that once this deal is handed into the politicians‘ hands, it is out of their control. the eu wants to get this over the line and they begun that process of trying to get the final sign off by the eu 27 countries, the final parts wrapped up, earlier today. 8am this morning, michel barnier and his negotiating team taking the first steps in what is meant to be a meticulously choreographed process, to get the withdrawal agreement over the finishing line. he delivered the text agreed with the uk to be eu‘s 27 remaining member states and donald tusk. 0ver 27 remaining member states and donald tusk. over 600 pages of meticulous detail governing the uk s exit. what we have agreed at

negotiating level is fair and balanced, takes into account the uk s balanced, takes into account the uk s positions, organises the withdrawal in an orderly fashion, and ensures no hard border on the island of ireland, and lays the ground foran island of ireland, and lays the ground for an ambitious new partnership. much of the text has been shaped by what theresa may and the uk have demanded, much too by the uk have demanded, much too by the eu‘s own red lines. the uk have demanded, much too by the eu's own red lineslj the uk have demanded, much too by the eu's own red lines. i don't share the enthusiasm of the prime minister about brexit as such. since the beginning we have had no doubt that brexit is a lose lose situation and negotiations are about damage control. in the coming days the eu and uk hope to finalise the declaration on their final ties, before a summit of leaders would

approve it all. if nothing extraordinary happens, we will hold a european council meeting in order to finalise and formalise the brexit agreement. it will take place on sunday, the 25th of november, at 9:30am. even as they stepped off the podium, theresa may‘s political problems in london were brewing. and the eu‘s member states too are reserving their finaljudgment. france‘s finance minister on tv today, saying he had to check it binds financial regulations and standards. and austria ‘s chancellor said the aim must be to get a treaty agreed, everything else would mean the danger of a brexit with no deal. we have to avoid this, he said. so now russells has a text, but no

clarity. the eu will press ahead seeking to finalise it all put with no certainty. today the french prime minister has said the situation fuels uncertainty. we have to prepare ourselves for the possibility which we don‘t want of a no deal brexit, and remember the 600 pages are there because the eu are seeking to give certainty to millions of citizens on both sides, to businesses, to gibraltar and cyprus, and without that certainty of what would happen after the end of march next year, the certainty vanishes which is why the certainty vanishes which is why the eu is so keen to get this over the eu is so keen to get this over the line. this morning‘s political resignations have led to movement on the financial markets with the pound falling sharply, dropping more than 196 falling sharply, dropping more than 1% against the dollar and the euro. the share price of some banks also fell. this report is on the jitters

110w fell. this report is on the jitters now being felt in the city. at dover they know about the risk of getting too close to the cliff edge. the one at holy passes through get nervous about is not the place but a date, on the 29th of march, 2019. so after the deal announced last night, do businesses think we have drawn back from the cliff edge or are we at greater risk of tumbling over?“ that deal lands, we have at least another to years to worry about what the next deal might be so really it will be straightforward and simple if the deal lands. if it doesn‘t land, there will be some problems. this bradford firm employs 1000 people shipping clothes from asia across europe and it cannot take chances. i have sent out an e-mail this morning to say let‘s start planning seriously for no—deal, and what we can do it this late stage to

help our customers. some things will be outside of our control. for businesses, the risk of a no deal brexit hasn‘t gone away, itjust ta kes a brexit hasn‘t gone away, itjust takes a slightly different shape. for businesses, they may hope for the best but they still have to plan for the worst. exporters are being looked warned that if parliament rejects the deal there will be forms to fill, there could be much more red tape with no deal brexit.“ to fill, there could be much more red tape with no deal brexit. if the deal went through parliament we could be assured we have until the end of 2020 before anything happened but looking at what has happened this morning it seems less likely that will happen and therefore the default is we will leave without a deal on the 29th of march and that panics small businesses because if you don‘t know what‘s happening, thatis you don‘t know what‘s happening, that is worse than almost anything else. in the city the uncertainty caused by cabinet resignations, not confidence in the economy. caused by cabinet resignations, not confidence in the economylj caused by cabinet resignations, not confidence in the economy. i think the pound is falling because people

are worrying about what will happen in the short term. lots of people believe brexit will be good in the long—term, lots of people don‘t, but what people don‘t know is whether companies cease high ring and cease to invest. the uncertainty for businesses has shifted from what the terms of the deal might be too will it go through? if not, the fear is export barriers to europe will become all too real. birmingham, the second biggest city in the uk, voted leave, so are the voters there happy with a draft deal? europe is on everybody‘s minds today in birmingham or parts of it anyway. 0n the first day of the annual christmas market, theresa may‘s divorced deal is being discussed over continental fare. we didn't

vote to say we will stay or leave, but when you leave you will actually pfaff around for the next ten years and then you might leave. pfaff around for the next ten years and then you might leavelj pfaff around for the next ten years and then you might leave. i think she's doing a good job considering she's doing a good job considering she was one of the ones who didn't wa nt she was one of the ones who didn't want to leave and she's doing her best to help everybody.” want to leave and she's doing her best to help everybody. i think the country has lost all trust in her and it's only a matter of probably weeks that she will probably be gone. did you vote to leave? no, to remain. so what do you think will happen next? who knows. i don't know, just so complicated, isn't it? who knows the answer to that question, maybe the next prime minister. i think we need to look at the positive sides of it if there are any and try to understand and get the best we can. it appears as if we are getting a raw deal the minute but keep faith in theresa and you never know. i am optimistic, i would like to see the decision

reversed but i'm not too sure at the moment. birmingham had one of the closest results in the country, choosing to leave by a whisker. shocking forecasters who predicted such a large young conurbation would choose to remain. it helped make the west midlands the most pro—brexit region in the country and now some are unhappy with what they see as a fudge. the bit wishy-washy, we need donald trump at number ten. a lot of people say get on with it, be firm, do it. and that is not what's happening? not at all. people here are taking these latest developments in on an unpredictable day, knowing there‘s likely to be more of those to come. the prime minister is on herfeet in the house of commons behind me, nearly three hours now she‘s been defending the deal that is facing so

much criticism. we‘ll have more from westminster later, but now, back to you, ben. let‘s examine a bit more detailfor you, ben. let‘s examine a bit more detail for you with the key elements of that draft brexit agreement that the prime minister has signed up to and our reality check correspondent chris morris is here with me now. amidst all the political turbulence, the draft withdrawal agreement remains the same, a serious, hefty legal document that sets out the terms on which we leave the european union studies everyone approves it, a bigger if by the day, it means among a host of other things over the 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 of the uk and brits elsewhere in europe, protecting their residents from social security rights but leaving other questions unanswered. there will also be a transition period after brexit, when all the rules will stay the same. that will last until the end of

2020. it could be extended maybe for up 2020. it could be extended maybe for up to 2020. it could be extended maybe for uptoa 2020. it could be extended maybe for up to a year or so. and the toughest pa rt up to a year or so. and the toughest part of the negotiations, it sets the terms of the so—called backstop, the terms of the so—called backstop, the guarantee that there will be no ha rd the guarantee that there will be no hard border in ireland under any circumstances in the future. part of this no hard border plan, if it‘s needed, would be a temporary customs union with the eu covering the whole of the uk. meaning there would still be no taxes or tariffs on goods moving between the uk and eu. the calls this a single customs territory, but northern ireland would be emma closer relationship, more closely tied to the eu‘s single market than the rest of the uk. the government says that will give northern ireland is the best of both words but dominic brown cited northern ireland is one of the reasons he‘s resigned as brexit secretary. 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 document says the arrangement will only come to an end if both parties

decidejointly. only come to an end if both parties decide jointly. that‘s another point many brexiteers simply can‘t accept. what the withdrawal agreement, or 585 pa g es what the withdrawal agreement, or 585 pages of it doesn‘t do, is set out the details of the long—term future relationship with the eu after brexit. 0n security, foreign policy, and above all on the terms on which we will 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, and behind—the—scenes a lot of progress has been made. but formal negotiation on all those issues will only begin after brexit has actually happened and the prime minister has warned that if her deal is voted down no brexit at all could bea is voted down no brexit at all could be a possible outcome. our top story this lunchtime. theresa may loses four of her ministers, two from the cabinet over

her draft brexit deal. she also faces a grilling in parliament. and coming up, a report suggests halving the number of britain‘s sheep and cattle in order to combat climate change. and in the sport on bbc news, eddie jones rings the changes for england. 0nly jones rings the changes for england. only four players keep their places for saturday‘s test against japan at twickenham. more than 130 people are still missing in california after the deadliest wildfires in the history of the state. officials say it could ta ke of the state. officials say it could take several years to rebuild the town of paradise, where 56 people are known to have died. some 10,000 homes there have been destroyed. from paradise, our correspondent dave lee sent this report. when it seems like everything has been turned to ash, the task of finding human remains is as painstaking as it is painful. and then there‘s the delicate science of trying to identify

the lives that were lost. there are now more than 400 expert personnel combing through the town of paradise. several of the dead found on wednesday were within buildings, while others were trapped in cars. 128 abandoned vehicles have now been towed away. we may not know the final death toll for many weeks, as the process of body identification is so difficult. and then there‘s the question of what to do when a town with a population of 27,000 is almost totally destroyed. after official shelters began to overflow, this impromptu area was set up at a walmart in a neighbouring town, staffed entirely by volunteers. this enormous relief effort began with simply one shopping trolley full of clothes. then a food truck arrived, then more and more and more. incredible generosity for the people who‘ve had their lives upended by this fire. but of course it‘s only a temporary measure. everyone in california

is going to do their best. president trump did call me just a few minutes ago and he‘s pledged the full resources of the federal government. that assistance has not yet been felt by people like anna anderson, who is here with her two children. i am still part of paradise and i know that we‘ll rebuild. i know my community, my neighbours. i know that we will. in the interim between that, i hope that we can have federal aid to help us with all of that, so that we can survive until we can get back, and until we can rebuild houses, a town. the more than 13,000 evacuees staying at these shelters have shown incredible resilience and courage. now what they need is the support to move on. dave lee, bbc news, in chico, california. a police officer described as a

committed paedophile has been found guilty of raping a 13—year—old car in the back of his car. the trial of pc ian nord of liverpool crown court heard that he was obsessed with taking the virginity of teenage girls and joined the force with the intention of meeting vulnerable victims. we can speak to our correspondentjudith moritz within salford and has been following the case. a harrowing case? horrific, ben. this police officerjoined the force with the specific aim of finding vulnerable young girls. in the case of the 13—year—old you spoke about there, he was called out to an incident at her home, he turned up in uniform to deal with the police incident but then later went on to contact her through social media and turned up one day in his car, took her out for a drive and then went on to rape her. what happened later was that when the rate was reported ian nord saw an internal police e—mail which revealed that he was about to be

arrested. he deleted more than 700 images from his phone, he went on to bury other devices in a field, but enough evidence was recovered for him to be convicted of nearly 40 offences against six goals in total, aged between 12 and 15 years old —— six girls. in the case of the 13—year—old he accepted having had sex with her but he said she had consented and he denied rape, and as a result she had to go through the ordeal of giving evidence at his trial. it‘s since emerged as well that ian nord had been treated as a suspect in three other sex offence cases, he passed betting procedures and went on to serve as an officer in cheshire. the fourth favour have changed their procedures since as a result, he is due to be sentenced

next month. judith moritz reporting. a report suggests that the number of sheep and cattle in the uk should be reduced by up to a half, to help combat climate change. the government‘s advisory committee on climate change says production of beef and lamb creates the most greenhouse gases, and farmers should be encouraged to plant trees instead. 0ur environment analyst, roger harrabin, has more. cows and sheep are part of the landscape, but we‘ve already been advised to eat less beef and lamb to improve our health. now we hear livestock on the fields should be cut by 20—50% to combat climate change. the problem is methane gas, emitted from the front and the back. it‘s contributing to overheating the planet. for the last ten years since we‘ve had the climate change act in the uk we‘ve been looking really at the energy system, looking for example at how we generate electricity. now is the time for us to start thinking properly about how we use land, and i don‘t think people do appreciate how important it can be to change the use of land in the uk.

pigs produce less methane so the committee expects an increase in pig numbers. chickens produce less methane too, so we may see more of them. and here‘s one way for farming to actually help combat climate change — planting trees. they soak up the warming gas carbon dioxide when they grow. farmers should get grants for this, the committee says. we can get better in the way we manage soils through technical fixes, so this is multidimensional with lots of challenges that farmers are up for. we want consumers to stay on side, and look, what we don‘t want to do is simply downscale british food production. just 14% of the uk is forested. the committee says that should rise to 19%. environmentalists say the proposed changes are too timid. we think the committee on climate change could have gone further in its report today, in terms of recommending more tree—pla nting. the government have got really puny, pathetic targets on tree—planting.

the committee says we should do more than that, and we agree, but actually we could go further and double the tree cover in the uk. the british countryside will be reshaped by climate change, inevitably, but thanks to the current brexit deal the uk will have more funds to subsidise farmers for helping protect the climate. roger harrabin, bbc news. england‘s cricketers have a fight on their hands on day two of the second test in kandy after sri lanka produced a strong batting performance, making 336 in their first innings to lead the match by 46 runs. joe wilson reports. the thing about test cricket, it lasts for days but it can be decided by seconds, moments of excellence. look out. commentator: direct hit. karunaratne was cruising for sri lanka on 63 when this happened. now watch closely. kandy‘s camera revealed he was run out. and the flame haired fielder

with the golden arm — ben stokes. england hoped the day would bring rapid wickets. there‘s another. got him. kusal mendis gone, but whose hand grabbed the catch? yeah, it was stokes again. still, england needed more. instead roshen silva took over for sri lanka. england have loads of spin bowlers in their team, but heads were starting to shake. the captain needed to take action. dickwella out lbw and joe root himself had a wicket. but sri lanka kept going, past 300, past england‘s first—innings total. and roshen silva was now whacking the ball past everyone. well, he made 85. sri lanka were all out, 46 runs ahead. in short, more of the day‘s moments which mattered were sri lanka‘s. joe wilson, bbc news. back to westminster now and after a

morning of resignations at the top of the government, let‘s take you back to my colleague simon mccoy at westminster for the very latest. thank you very much indeed. the pro—brexit european research group of conservative mps has met in the palace of westminster, let‘s go to oui’ palace of westminster, let‘s go to our assistant political editor norman smith in central lobby. things are moving by the hour? they are, this is no longerjust an issue about mrs may‘s brexit deal, it‘s about mrs may‘s brexit deal, it‘s about premiership. she sees her kavanaugh beginning to fracture around her, her brexit deal to which she has lashed appears in danger of crashing down but her ardent brexit critics are meeting now to decide whether they should press for a leadership contest and i can tell you their leader, jacob rees—mogg, has announced that he has submitted

a letter calling for a leadership contest. that will be seen by many asa contest. that will be seen by many as a green light to the brexiteers to press for a contest to topple mrs may. now, idescribed to press for a contest to topple mrs may. now, i described the prime minister rotherham bit of a tough one earlier, apologies for that rather language, but mrs may‘s demise has been predicted many times before and she‘s always managed to battle through. maybe she‘ll manage again, but she is facing an almighty challenge, not just to again, but she is facing an almighty challenge, notjust to her brexit deal, but perhaps even to her survival as prime minister. thank you very much, norman smith with the latest. let‘s go back to then in the studio. it's studio. it‘s time for the latest weather forecast and chris fawkes has got that for us this afternoon.