you're watching bbc newsroom live. it's ham and these are the main stories this morning: theresa may heads to brussels today, under pressure to secure further brexit concessions ahead of a summit this weekend. at westminster, a leading cabinet minister dismisses the idea of a no—deal brexit, saying parliament would stop it. when the deal comes to parliament, it will get through despite what people say but i also feel having spent time on the backbenches that parliament. a no deal. the number of children treated for stab wounds in england more than doubles over the past four years. new moves to end the conflict in yemen as one charity estimates 85,000 children underfive have died from hunger since the war began. survivors of terror attacks say victims are being let down by a crisis in mental health services. we got brilliant care for the

physical wounds but the mental health said, it felt like we were left to our own devices. the number of children in the uk with a gambling problem quadruples in five years. new research reveals male humpback whales undergo a "cultural revolution" every few years when they change their signiture song. their signature song. good morning. welcome to bbc newsroom live. theresa may will meet eu officials later, as the two sides scramble to finalise a brexit deal in time for sunday's summit of european leaders. the eu missed its deadline last night to complete the text of its declaration on future relations with the uk, amid concerns from several member states. the pm is under pressure from her own mps not

to give any further ground. the work and pensions secretary, amber rudd, has dismissed the option of a no—deal brexit, saying there isn't a majority in parliament to support it. let's take a look at the next few days for the prime minister. this afternoon, theresa may is in brussels to meet the european commission president, jean—claude juncker, where she hopes to discuss future trade with the eu. if all goes to plan, there will be a special brexit summit with european leaders on sunday, where the framework for the future relationship between the uk and the eu will be discussed and agreed. but one thing that could derail the uk and the eu's plans are threats to vote against the deal from several of the other 27 eu members states, over uk access to the eu single market, access to uk waters for eu boats and gibraltar. in a moment, we'll find out what's happening in brussels with adam fleming, but first to our assistant political editor, norman

smith, at westminster. good morning. a couple of significant developments this morning, which people here wonder may just make morning, which people here wonder mayjust make the prime minister ‘s task of getting her deal through parliament even harder and perhaps nudge up the prospect of a second referendum. how so? amber rudd this morning appeared to pretty clearly say that there was no chance of a no—deal brexit. why does this matter? it matters at one level because theresa may has always said it is either heard deal or no deal but also because the main threat, the tory whips are using to try and get conservative mps to back the deal, is to say to them, will betide you if you do not because we will walk off the cliff and leave without a deal. this morning amber rudd said something rather different. it is my view that parliament, the house of commons, will stop no—deal, as damian collins already said earlier. there isn't a majority in the house of commons to allow that to take place.

many people are arguing that means it increases the likelihood of a second referendum and to add to that, we have heard from the shadow chancellorjohn mcdonnell this morning who interestingly struck a rather different tone to that of jeremy corbyn, saying that yes, while they would like a general election if the deal is voted down, it is all gone to be very difficult and therefore, they have kept on the table the option of a second referendum. the sense thatjohn mcdonnell may gradually be nudging his party towards advocating a second referendum. he was asked, interestingly, was there going to be brexit? listen to his deeply uncertain answer. brexit is good to happen, right? —— going to happen.

there is an element of nostradamus to this. my own view is this, where we are at the moment, people have made a decision on a referendum, we need a government that will respect that decision and implemented, on the basis of the long—term protection of our economy and jobs and we also have a parliamentary democracy and any process has to command a majority in parliament. and it is very difficult to predict at the moment what the final outcome will be. bring back nostradamus, we could do with him around here. i am joined by conservative mp justin with him around here. i am joined by conservative mpjustin greening, who is campaigning fora conservative mpjustin greening, who is campaigning for a never vote. how do you read the remarks from amber rudd? there is no majority in this house to support a no deal, crashing out of the european union. this place

works on majorities and there is no majority for any route forward. and that means parliament is gridlocked, that means parliament is gridlocked, thatis that means parliament is gridlocked, that is the simple, honest truth of it and if you are in a gridlock, you have to find an alternative route forward. that is what people in this country need to parliament now to do. that is why i have been proposing a second referendum because it is an alternative way to make sure we can get a decision on brexit taken and then we can move forward to all the other issues that affect day—to—day life that people actually want this place focused on. if there is no majority for no deal, does that then make the default likely option another referendum?” think it raises the prospect that mps have to accept that if there is no majority for any course of action, then this place is gridlocked and we have to find a different route out of the gridlock.

clearly, that means we have to go back to the people. i have to say, most people watching what is going on in parliament must think that pantomime season has started early this year. it is now time for this place to take some decisions to allow people to have the final say on what happens on brexit because it is clear that parliament and mps are not going to reach a conclusion and we have to find a way to move this country forward. how do you do that? we are out of time. we are leaving in march of next year. referendum, you would have to pass legislation and have a campaign. there is not time for a second referendum. we have certainly wasted a lot of time over the summer. it was clear to me before summer recess this is exactly where we were going to be. but we can make sure we have the time. parliament can take the action that it needs to create the space that this country needs to have its say and make the choice of what the prime minister has clearly said herself are three routes forward for

britain. either we can have the deal that she has negotiated with the european union, we could choose to go out with no deal, that is an option for britain, or of course we could stay with the current deal. those are the choices but it is clear to me there is no majority for any of them in parliament and therefore people are going to have to make that final choice. what about the possibility that mps decide, we have been talking about this for long enough, let'sjust decide, we have been talking about this for long enough, let's just go with theresa may steel? ijust don't think with theresa may steel? i just don't think that is likely. there is no sign of any majority for the prime minister ‘s deal and what you hear day by day is more mps saying they do not think it is a good deal. it is the worst of all worlds. we have huge numbers of rules set by the french, the germans, the italians, anyone apart from us. we will then have to comply with them. this is not taking back control it is giving away control and that is why so many mps genuinely cannot accept this deal.

there is no majority for it. there is no majority for anything. parliament needs to wake up and be honest with the public and find an alternative route through. and allow people their choice. thank you very much. much more of this, i suspect, in prime minister's questions in about an hour's time. yes, we will be there. let's head to brussels. theresa may going for talks later with jean—claude juncker. what are the expectations and why is she going at this stage? the expectations have changed. yesterday the plan had been there would be a final version of this text of the political declaration, the separate document, which will speu the separate document, which will spell out the shape of the future relationship, sketch up plans for the economy, security, aviation and transport, data protection, you name it. that was supposed to have been finalised yesterday, it was not. now they will have to finish it, three

big outstanding issues, gibraltar, how does the withdrawal agreement and the future relationship apply to gibraltar? what actually is the arrangement forfree gibraltar? what actually is the arrangement for free trade in goods? and what sort of access will eu fishing boats get to the uk's very rich fishing waters? three issues to separate them. the situation was summed up in a diplomatic meeting note last night. germany says, don't rock the boat, the uk needs to pass this deal. thank you very much, adam. there's been a big rise in the number of children receiving treatment for knife attacks. the bbc has analysed data from the nhs in england for the last four years. 0ver that time there's been an 86% increase in the number of under 18s being treated in hospital, following an attack with a knife or sharp object. that compares to a 33% rise in adults being treated over the same period. in total last year, 573 under 18s attended hospital for knife wounds, most of them aged 16 and i7. breakfast‘s tim muffett has been

to meet some of the people trying to tackle the problem. in september, bereaved mum tracey hanson appeared on breakfast with a message for the london mayor. what would you want to say to him? to sit down and share with him our frustrations. will you do that? of course, i'll carry on meeting with bereaved families and experts, including tracey. two months on, tracey‘s about to meet sadiq khan. how are you feeling before your meeting with the mayor? hopeful. is he doing enough at the moment to tackle knife crime? he's saying it's a generation, it's going take up to ten years, i'd actually really have to say why, why does it have to take ten years? tracey‘s son, josh, was stabbed and killed in 2015. josh was murdered in an unprovoked knife attack. for no reason, no fight, no altercation, totally unprovoked. the person who killed josh has never been caught. as well as more support for bereaved families, tracey and josh's sister, brooke, want to talk to children in primary schools about the reality of knife crime. they've set up a charity injosh's memory, but are finding it hard to get access. schools could potentially not want somebody to come

in and talk about knife crime. they might worry it might make children think more about knife crime. all organisations talking about knife crime need to be speaking in schools as young as primary. the average age of those being attacked with a sharp object, such as a knife, seems to be getting lower. we've analysed nhs data from across england. last year, 11% of those admitted to hospital because of such an attack were children, and the rise in the number of child victims far exceeds the rise in the number of adult victims. five steps to stay safe... all saints primary school in bootle in merseyside, and a pilot scheme aimed at nine and ten—year—olds. a tough topic, perhaps, for children this age, but these parents support it. i think it's a really, really good idea, especially with boys, because they see what other boys are doing and they go, "i might do that!" why do you think some kids are attracted to knives or gangs? people have got nothing better to do now, these children,

they all tend to get into groups. i'm saying, "i'm 0k, but you're not." it's that feeling of belonging with a group of older children. is that going to be in a positive way or a negative way? so you just met the mayor, how did it go? really, really well. yeah, very positive. through sharing our story and the devastation it had on us, you can change somebody‘s mindset quite quickly. we met the mayor later at the spotlight youth centre in east london, which offers creative classes for teenagers. some schools are worried about their school being labelled by allowing in groups like the group tracey founded. my message to all schools is, nobody is immune to this challenge. there might be a weapon... such a tough subject at such a young age, but for many, lessons like this are the best way forward. tim muffet, bbc news. more on today's main stories coming up on newsroom live here on the bbc news channel,

but now we say goodbye to viewers on bbc two. the international police organisation, interpol, has elected the south korean, kimjong yang, as its new president. mr kim was chosen by interpol‘s 194 member states beating the frontrunner, the russian police general alexander prokopchuk. he's been accused of abusing the international police body's arrest warrant system to help moscow target political opponents. mr kim will succeed meng hongwei, who vanished on a trip to china in september. an australian woman has become the first member of the "bali nine" drug smuggling ring, to be released from jail in indonesia. 41—year—old renae lawrence, a member of the notorious drug—trafficking gang was freed after spending almost 13 years in prison. the high—profile case began in 2005, when indonesia caught nine australians trying to smuggle heroin out of bali. the two ringleaders were executed in 2015. it is unclear if any of the remaining members will be released. the headlines on bbc news:

theresa may heads to brussels today, under pressure to secure further brexit concessions ahead of a summit this weekend. the number of children treated for stab wounds in england more than doubles over the past four years. new moves to end the conflict in yemen as one charity estimates 85,000 children underfive have died from hunger since the war began. and after five years in charge, martin 0'neill and after five years in charge, martin o'neill is out of a job. he, roy keane and the management team have parted ways by mutual consent. in contrasting fortunes, things are looking much better for scotland boss alex mcleish. and james anderson will be rested

for england's third test against iraq which starts on friday in columbo. you will be replaced by stuart broad. —— sri lanka. the un's envoy to yemen is due to meet houthi rebels in the country's capital sanaa, to try to lay the groundwork for urgent peace talks. the fighting and a partial blockade have left millions of people in need of humanitarian aid. save the children, estimates that 85—thousand children, under the age of five, may have died from acute malnutrition since 2015. caroline rigby reports on the latest in the conflict. a warning this report contains some images you might find distressing. ten—year—old nazir is fighting for her life. four of her siblings never even made it to hospital. like so many others, they were collateral damage in this devastating war. the conflict in yemen has been raging for three and a half years, between a saudi—led military coalition and iranian—backed houthi rebels. as the main entry point for food aid, the rebel—held port of hudaydah

has been a focus of international efforts to broker a truce, but hopes of a deal suffered further setback this week when fighting escalated. the un describes yemen as the world's worst man—made humanitarian disaster, with 1a million people on the brink of famine, more than half of them children. and the charity save the children estimates 85,000 under the age of five may have already died of malnutrition since april 2015. saudi arabia and the united arab emirates have pledged almost £400 million to help tackle the crisis. but as well as being the country's largest aid donors, they are also the biggest military powers in a coalition repeatedly blamed for civilian deaths. there should be an end to this conflict. let's put enough pressure on the houthis to come this time

to attend this dialogue, and let's be serious to reach a political solution that brings peace to yemen. 0n the ground, for now, the war goes on, but the un remains hopeful it can resume peace talks between the two sides within the coming weeks. caroline rigby, bbc news. mark kaye is the senior conflict and humanitarian advocacy advisor for save the children, what is so horrific about this is it is completely man—made. those children have not died as a result of drought, they have not died because crops have failed, they have died because those responsible for this conflict have waged war in a way that has meant it has hit civilians. agencies like save the

children on the ground, we have fed over 140,000 children over the country. as these numbers show, there is a huge gap and children are still falling through those cracks and dying. the real problem we see is it is a vicious cycle. we have children coming into our clinics, we will nurse them back to health, they then leave and suffer the exact same problems because they go back to their communities and their families simply cannot afford to buy the food in the markets because the economy has collapsed or there is no food in the markets because there is huge restrictions on getting commercial food into the country. 0r restrictions on getting commercial food into the country. or they cannot access the markets because roads, bridges have been destroyed by bombs and shelling. it is a vicious cycle. the children go home and get sick again and come back in and get sick again and come back in and unfortunately the third time, they are very —— they are unlikely to survive. survivors of terror attacks will travel to downing street today, to hand over a report that says victims are being let down by a crisis in mental health services.

the survivors against terror says 270 people responded to its survey, with three—quarters claiming the mental health support they recieved was inadequate. lauren moss reports. terror attacks have killed, wounded and left many with permanent injuries. there's always a rush to save those caught up in the horror. afterwards, some of the scars that remain aren't physical. 15—year—old natalie and her mother, valerie, were at manchester arena last year. both have struggled to receive counselling on the nhs. people like me have been put on, like, waiting lists for a counsellor for ages, and they've still not received the support that they need 18 months on. and, like, thatjust shows how, like, people can't get the support they need when they need it. please don't hesitate to call us again if you need us... a survey by the campaign group survivors against terror has praised the charity sector for providing help, but identified what it's called a profound crisis in nhs mental health support.

staff say services are stretched. we've got to balance the needs of victims of terror attacks against victims of sexual assault and car traffic collisions, etc, etc. so there is a limited resource, so it's about how we try and use it most effectively. the government admits more needs to be done to provide support. later, campaigners will hand a copy of the report and an open letter in to downing street. those who've been left with invisible, lasting injuries say they want to prevent others from experiencing the same struggles. lauren moss, bbc news. us president donald trump has been asked to determine whether saudi crown prince mohammed bin salman played a role in the murder ofjamal khashoggi. mr khashoggi was killed on the 2nd of october inside the saudi consulate in istanbul. republican and democratic senators are demanding a second investigation into his death. mr trump earlier defended us ties with saudi arabia,

despite international condemnation over the incident. there's been a dramatic rise in the number of teenagers in the uk who are gambling. the gambling commission say 450,000 children aged 11—16 gamble. out of those, 55,000 are considered to be "problem gamblers". and that number is double as many as last year. well, my colleague victoria derbyshire has been speaking to various people to find out more about this. they included lord chadlington, a conservative peer and former head of action on addiction. and she also heard from liz ritchie, a mother from sheffield whose son jack started gambling when he was 17, and who took his own life last year aged just 24 — tomorrow is the anniversary of his death. liz and her husband charles helped found the organisation gambling with lives, which wants among other things a ban on tv ads for gambling. 0bviously, obviously, it is hard but the more

we go on, the angrier we get about the complacency that we found after jack's death. and the degree to which the government has not really been listening. i think we have seen that in the last week really. it took gay ministers resignation —— it took gay ministers resignation —— it took a ministers resignation to get it through. you are angry at the government because of what happened to your son? yes, absolutely. it was because government deregulation that these machines came on the high street so that jack and his friends we re street so that jack and his friends were able to gamble in their lunch hour when they were at school. they are all normal, ordinary, happy boys, happy young men, who this is the only reason that they have died. and what, as far as you know, led your son to take his own life a year ago? suicide is correlated with a gambling addiction and that has been

known for many years, actually. it isa known for many years, actually. it is a very, very high suicidal rate, thatis is a very, very high suicidal rate, that is actually on william hill ‘s own website. they say that. the gambling companies know it, the government know it, the gambling commission know it, there is almost no treatment for addicts. 0nly commission know it, there is almost no treatment for addicts. only 2% of addicts get treatment. and what happens is there is a progress towards action, based on those suicidal ideas. and these games, the fixed odds pet internals and the same online actually produce the impulsivity that lead someone to luxury take the action —— fixed odds betting terminals. let me bring in our other guests. according to the gambling commission, it is getting worse, double the number of teenagers have been gambling compared to last year. why? mainly because of the out of

advertising on television. and the normalisation of gambling as an activity but i'm most worried that this is the tip of the iceberg. i can see the danger of there being a genuine epidemic in this country, which i think is brought about because of people, young people, going online, playing games, and increasingly the number of people playing games which can use money and do things like that. that's not gambling, is it? it is. if you talk fortnite for example, belgium has now gone out and said the loop boxes on fortnite i genuinely gambling and they must be stopped. liz is right. the country has been too slow. the other countries are a long way ahead of us. the great wall of china is one of the wonders of the world —

but parts of it are now under serious threat of falling into ruin. and a chinese team is now trying to bring a high—tec solution to a problem which has been building up over centuries. stephen mcdonell reports. the great wall of china is a precious connection to the parcels last dash. but nature is gradually reclaiming it. threatening the walls very existence. as you can see behind me, as you hike up the mountain, this structure, which is hundreds of years old, has collapsed, making it virtually impossible. and now they have found a way to reach an study sections of the war which have been previously com pletely the war which have been previously completely cut off. —— wall. crows are providing the data to make urgent restoration possible. —— drones.

using drone technology, we can measure undulations. modern and ancient technologies are combining to preserve the wall. satellite imagery is already being used but it is not as precise as that from drones. donkeys are still the best way to bring equipment and suppliers up way to bring equipment and suppliers up and down the trails. the workers must walk up the mountain every day. this architect says they are not making the wall pretty for tourists, it is literally about saving history. translation: it is such a complex structure. we need to study battlements, structures and even line contact. —— line content.

we have got one of the old towers on the wall and underneath, these massive foundation stones are clearly in a pretty precarious state. with a bit of rain, they can all come crashing down and threatening the tower. this is a support structure built by the team. they are clearly hoping that with solutions like this they can shore up solutions like this they can shore up this entire section of the great wall. whether efforts like this, hopefully, more of the remarkable structure will still be standing for future generations. now it's time for a look at the weather. a few of us woke up to a dusting of snow this morning and we have seen some snow even at low levels. most

recently across pa rt some snow even at low levels. most recently across part of worcestershire. you can see bits of snow on the radar image. we will continue snow across the hills of scotla nd continue snow across the hills of scotland this afternoon. some sunshine breaking through. still quite showery in the south—west of england. and south wales and northern ireland. temperatures five to eight celsius. the wind not quite as strong as it was yesterday. not feeling quite as bitter. tonight, more cloud across eastern areas will keep temperatures above freezing. towards the west with clear skies, we have some frost developing into thursday morning. some sunshine though. initially the cloud increasing through thursday and some showers in the north—east of scotla nd showers in the north—east of scotland and north east england. goodbye for now. hello this is bbc newsroom live

with joanna gosling. the headlines 11:30. theresa may heads to brussels today, under pressure to secure further brexit concessions ahead of a summit this weekend as the new work and pensions secretary admits there's no commons majority for no deal. the new work and pensions secretary admits there's no commons majority for no deal, undermining the goverment‘s approach when the deal comes before parliament it will get through despite what people say. i also feel, having spent the past six or

seven months on the backbenches, that parliament will stop a no deal happening. the number of children treated for stab wounds in england more than doubles over the past four years. new moves to end the conflict in yemen as one charity estimates and new research reveals that male humpback whales undergo a cultural revolution every few years when they change their song. the fai has announced that martin 0'neill, roy keane and the rest of the republic of ireland management team have

left their positions after a disappointing nations league campaign. during his five year tenure, 0'neill ran the best euros campaign in ireland's history and followed that by making it out of a tough group to reach the play—offs for the 2018 fifa world cup. but they haven't won a competitive match this year and their disappointing nations league run ended with a draw against denmark. meanwhile, scotland is a much happier camp... manager alex mcleish hailed what he called ‘the perfect win' as a 3—2 win over israel at hampden moved them one step closer to theirfirst major tournament in two decades. victory leaves them top of their nations league group — and earned them at least a place in the play—offs for euro 2020. joe lynskey reports. a new competition has brought scotland a new opportunity. topping the nations league group stage opens the back route to a majorfinals, and a 20—year wait could now come to an end in the play—offs. to get there, scotland had to beat israel. but this stadium's rarely seen it done easy. when hamdan's visitors opened the scoring, many sensed the same old story, but this team does have characters emerging right now and james forrest is showing

their clinical street. this was the equaliser to break the tension. forrest had already scored twice for scotland against albania on saturday. now the celtic man was crowning a perfect week. his second goal made hamdan believe, but even in the noise, forrest was composed enough for a third. a hat—trick to define the night and restore the roar. there would be one israel goal back and an inevitable nervous finish, but this competition has unlocked a new scottish bravery and a route to the finals could be paved through a forrest. joe lynskey, bbc news. scotland thrashed albania 4—nil at the weekend — but wales couldn't even put one past them last night... bekim baleye scored the only goal of their friendly in elbasan. albania are ranked 60th in the world, to wales's 18th. manager ryan giggs said his players had let themselves down. it's a disappointed changing room,

and it should be. we should have won that game. we can't blame any referee decisions, we just totally controlled the first half and thought it was going to be easy. me, personally, i smelt it towards the end of the first half. we could get a result that would go against us because of complacency and concentration. france's players will wear rainbow laces in their boots for their final test of the autumn series against fiji on saturday, to show support to former wales captain gareth thomas. serge simon, the vice president of the french rugby union tweeted the news saying "all of french rugby is with you" following the homophobic attack on thomas last weekend in cardiff. during his playing career thomas spent three years at toulouse, helping them to a european title. james anderson will be rested for england's third test against sri lanka, which starts on friday in colombo. he's played a relatively minor role in their two wins so far, taking only one wicket, and he steps aside for stuart broad,

who's yet to feature in the series, which england have already won. i understand the reasoning behind it, you know, the series is wrapped up. it's an opportunity. i think with the winter we've got a head, it makes sense for stewart to get some cricket. what's going to be a tough tour of the west indies, it could be a long period without him bowling. so to have him get a game under his belt, it's good for him and the team. that's all the sport for now. there's been a big rise in the number of children receiving treatment for knife attacks. the bbc has analysed data from the nhs in england for the last four years. knife crime, definitely, it affects

younger people. you know, secondary school. he seven, urinate, year nine. how old are children in year nine —— unit eight. they are teenagers. what is driving that? you imagine gang culture, being involved in that, but when i hear those ages, that's very young. they are kids. they aren't necessarily in gangs. it's happening to normal people. again, i don't know, it seems to be a fashion. i'm not sure what it is. it's happening

everywhere, on the streets, a lot of children take knives to school. they are scared. you know. i don't know, i don't know why. they feel like everybody else has got a knife. that's the feeling i get, i've got a knife, so i need a knife to defend myself. as we've been hearing, survivors of terror attacks will travel to downing street this afternoon, to hand over a report that says victims are being let down by a crisis in mental health services. the survivors against terror group says 270 people responded to its survey, with three—quarters claiming the mental health support they recieved was inadequate. ruth murrell survived the manchester arena terror attack — she was injured along with her daughter in the explosion and herfriend was killed. she has signed the letter and spoke to bbc breakfast. i think when we came out of hospital, it felt like we'd left a safety bubble. we felt, we imagine

the same help we got in the hospital would continue. the counselling? no, we'd had people to talk to in the hospital. we were told that we would receive so much support, so we automatically assumed that the mental health side of things would be taken care of. unfortunately, we got brilliant care for the physical wounds, but the mental health side, it felt like we were left to run devices. what sort of lengths did you go to to get that? did you get asked to travel? go private? the waiting list, my gp was fantastic and he wrote a good letter, u nfortu nately, fantastic and he wrote a good letter, unfortunately, in my area, the waiting list was nine to 12 months. when you are at desperation point, when you're near ending your

life, you can't wait that long. you felt like that, did you? yes, i've never felt as down in you felt like that, did you? yes, i've neverfelt as down in my you felt like that, did you? yes, i've never felt as down in my life, it was awful. humpback whales are famed for having unique dialects, but it's been discovered they also change their tune. this is the song from one pod in 2003. whale song scientists studied whales off the east coast of australia over 13 years and found that the signature song of individual groups evolves gradually over time. this was what the same pod were singing two years later. higher pitched whale song the research found evidence that gradual song changes are due to embellishments introduced by individuals that are then learned by the rest of the group. drjenny allen is the lead researcher of the study and is from the university of queensland, australia. we know that the song itself is

reproductive in nature, the males are the only ones who sing it and we hear it on the breeding ground. but we suspect that it either is aimed at females to impress them, or males, to intimidate them, possibly both. we are pretty sure that it functions in one or both of those capacities. i bring you some breaking news on the british student, matthew hedges, he has been found guilty by a court in the united arab emirates of spying for the british government. he isa spying for the british government. he is a specialist in middle eastern studies at durham university, detained in dubai on the 5th of may. he was leaving the country following a research ship. we'vejust he was leaving the country following a research ship. we've just had the news confirmed by the foreign secretary, jeremy hunt, who has issued a statement saying that matthew hedges has been sentenced to

life imprisonment in the uae on charges of spying. the foreign secretary says he is deeply shocked and disappointed by the graduate, having personally raised the case at the highest levels of the government. including during the visit to abu dhabi on the 12th of november. 0n visit to abu dhabi on the 12th of november. on that occasion he spoke to the crown prince, however, today's verdict is not what we expect from a friend and trusted partner of the uk, and runs contrary to earlier assurances. 0ur officials have been in close contact with matthew and his family, we will continue to do everything possible to support him. i have repeatedly made clear that the handling of this case by uae authorities will have repercussions for the relationship between our two countries, which has to be built on trust. i regret the fa ct we to be built on trust. i regret the fact we have reached this position and urge the uae to reconsider. so jeremy hunt, putting out that statement, quite a strong statement,

he did raise it in nature to abu dhabi earlier this month, but bad news just do now that matthew hedges has been sentenced to life in prison. we will bring you the reaction as soon as we can. an elderley woman has been saved from hypothermia by a dog that formed an effective "canine thermal blanket" over her shivering body. the 79—year—old had been out for a walk when she hit her head and fell — leaving her lying on the ground for hours waiting for an ambulance. rescuers say the dog's body warmth prevented the pensioner from developing hypothermia. bowsa and his owner don cox can speak to us from ipswich. thank you very much. welcome to the programme. i think bowsa is with you, isn't it? i can't get him on camera, he won't get on my lap. he did, somehow, drape himself over the

body of a woman when she had collapsed, how? tell us what happened? what happened was i was taking him out for a walk, and the lady was sitting in the middle of the road with her daughter holding her up. she was going into shock. she was freezing cold. a neighbour came out and put down one of those exercise mat things. and we laid her down, and somebody asked what to do now, because she was shivering. so i got my dog to lie down next to her to give her his body heat. he lay there and put his head and front feet over her and kept her warm. and put his head and front feet over herand kept herwarm. he and put his head and front feet over her and kept her warm. he lay there for over an hour with her. he was brilliant, keeping her warm. when the ambulance arrived i walked away. she was lying on the road, 79 years

old, and she was in the middle of the road for over three and a half hours. she had an operation, on monday, she had a broken hip, in the end. and i'm told that she won't be out of hospital until at least the 30th of november. what did rescuers say about the impact that bowsa snuggling next to her had in terms of the outcome? ididn't hang of the outcome? i didn't hang around. 0nce of the outcome? i didn't hang around. once the ambulance turned up i went away. we are hearing that rescuers did say that the body warmth of bowsa prevented her from that the body warmth of bowsa prevented herfrom developing hypothermia, because of the bitter cold. i've done first aid, and i knew that the body warmth of bowsa would keep it warm. when i arrived she was getting worse, and worse, shivering and shaking. i thought she would go into shock and get hypothermia. the

best i could do was get him to lie down with her. i don't know if i can get him, i don't know if your cameraman can put the camera down to show bowsa. we'd love to see him so if you can persuade him to hop up that would be great. maybe the cameraman can move the camera down a bit. he's sitting in front of me. describe him until we can see him ourselves. he's a big bite, 48 kilos, a cross labrador rottweiler husky. his name is bowsa. and the man with the camera is trying to find him. two! say hello. their yea rs. find him. two! say hello. their years. say hello. a big dog. turnaround. say hello. come here.

come on. but my body. isn't he gorgeous? 0bviously he's a bit relu cta nt to gorgeous? 0bviously he's a bit reluctant to be on camera today. he lay there for an hour, did you say? 0ver lay there for an hour, did you say? over an hour. that's a light bodied. there he is. the other little one, shejust there he is. the other little one, she just stood there and watched. did he get special treats for his heroic actions? i went to the butchers and got him some marrow bones. that's what he had. as we walk around, people are saying, look, it's the hero dog. that's what they put in the paper. well done, bowsa. thank you. thank you so much, i'm delighted we got to see bowsa. bowsa, look that way.

goodbye, have a good afternoon. see bowsa. bowsa, look that way. goodbye, have a good afternoonm see bowsa. bowsa, look that way. goodbye, have a good afternoon. in a moment we have the business news. a 31—year—old british man has been found guilty of spying for the british government in the uae. theresa may heads to brussels today, under pressure to secure further brexit concessions ahead of a summit this weekend. the number of children treated for stab wounds in england more than doubles over the past four years. i'm vishala sripanthma in the business news. the government borrowed far more than expected in october. the deficit rose to £8.8bn from £7.2bn last year, marking the biggest 0ctober figure for three years, and well above the £6.1bn forecast. however, the amount borrowed so far this financial year is the lowest for 13 years. the number of children classed

as having a gambling problem has quadrupled to more than 50,000 injust two years. a study by the gambling commission suggests that 450,000 children aged 11 to 16 bet regularly, more than those who have taken drugs, smoked or drunk alcohol. bets with friends, slot machines, and scratchcards, were most popular. accountancy firm grant thornton is under investigation for its role as the auditor of patisserie valerie. the bakery chain that almost collapsed last month after it discovered a £40m black hole in its accounts.the financial reporting council said it was investigating the audits of the financial statements of patisserie holdings — the chain's parent company — for 2015 to 2017. hello good morning, welcome to the business news today. the government borrowed far more than analysts expected in october. the deficit rose to £8.8bn from £7.2bn last year, marking the biggest 0ctober for three years, and well above the £6.1bn forecast. now of course it was only a few

weeks ago that we heard from the chancellor phillip hammond on his spending plans, in the country's annual budget. he said that austerity was coming to an end —— can he keep to that promise. vicky pryce, chief economic adviser at the centre for economics and business research. thank you forjoining us. is this cause for concern? not really. it's interesting that it's a high figure. spending has been higher, it's not so much the taxes that are the problem, it's that the government has a lot of responsibility because of the increased demand for services. be that the nhs or anything to do with social care. that's what's been going on. the interesting thing is that it's still well below where it was a year ago. it's moving in the right direction. there are monthly differences that exist, so it varies seasonally. what

happens is, of course, that we will soon be putting the taxpaying months of december, january, sometimes beyond. there are possibilities that we may be in surplus for a few months. bear in mind, although we are talking about a considerably better fiscal position, are talking about a considerably betterfiscal position, overall, for the year as a whole, perhaps than had been forecast one or two years earlier, if you compare it with where we were, in march 2018, just before the referendum, we are borrowing something like 40 billion more than we would otherwise have done. next year, we were supposed to have a surplus, and we will have a big deficit. and still barring something like 70 billion. how reliable or relevant are these productions, we've got brexit around the corner, that will change forecasts altogether. what philip hammond is hoping that is the is an agreement that goes

through, then the businesses that have been waiting, investing, and they will suddenly start investing. he may be right, but if you look at what the office for budget responsibility has in its own forecast, the only reason why they will be growth next year is because of the giveaway nature of the economy. thank you. we have to leave it there. that's all the businesses. plenty more this afternoon. goodbye. we go back to the breaking news that a court in the uae has sentenced the british student matthew hedges to life in prison. after he was charged with spying last month. the foreign secretary has released a statement. he said, i am deeply shocked we can speak to a friend of matthew whojoins us via we can speak to a friend of matthew who joins us via webcam from north london. thank you forjoining us.

i'm very sorry that you've had to be dealing with this verdict. what's your reaction? we are all shocked. in fact, what this verdict says is that there is no boundary, there is no academic safety for researchers in the uae, and it's quite astonishing, because the uae has tried to build its profile internationally, including by inviting prestigious international universities, who are currently operating there. what does this say for coming in oh, how does it feature into the verdict today? when he was released on bail, digit ta ke when he was released on bail, digit take that as a good sign? yes, of course, it was a good sign. but it was also clear that it was due to the pressure that the uae authorities had received, including

by the international media and the press. so as long as the case was kept secret, so to speak, or confidential, he received treatment that has been described as beyond the international standards. below the international standards. below the international standards. thanks to this pressure he was released on bail, and there was an expectation that, you know, the pressure and the actions of the uk government would lead to a different verdict. we have seen that yesterday pressed trump's reaction to the killing, his first official statement, opened up claims official statement, opened up claims of impunity for this kind of measure. the foreign secretary has released a statement saying he is very disappointed, he has raised this

issue directly with the authorities in abu dhabi, what will the next steps be, by matthew hedges's supporters? this has a lot to do with what kind of reactions we will see from the uk and especially from europe, because matthew is a european citizen as well. so we are expecting more repercussions, and more, stronger positions, because the uk and uae continue to have joint projects and delegations. i spoke to his partner, she was very strong, obviously, it's going to be very difficult for everyone to deal with. have you been able to speak to daniella or any other family members? not yet. we are living somewhere

else, they are shocked as well, they we re else, they are shocked as well, they were expecting another verdict. they have 30 days to appeal the verdict, and there is still a glimmer of hope. that should be said. thank you very much forjoining us. we can talk with our diplomatic correspondent, paul adams, whojoins with our diplomatic correspondent, paul adams, who joins me with our diplomatic correspondent, paul adams, whojoins me in the studio. paul, this seems sudden, and has been a shock to his family and the foreign secretary who raised the issue. it's a shock for everyone. i was confident we would hear some good news today, because all the indications through private channels and things that i understood, that the family had been hearing, that the family had been hearing, that the foreign office had been hearing, that mps had been hearing, was that the uae were frankly a little embarrassed about this case and wa nted embarrassed about this case and wanted it over with. no one was expecting a sentence of life

imprisonment. that is absolutely stunned everyone. the foreign secretary's statement is pretty telling, not what we expect from a friend and trusted partner. there is a sense in which he is saying that i have been personally betrayed and let down. jerry meehan says i spoke to the crown prince and foreign minister about this case, —— jeromy hunter says. he says they will be repercussions for this relationship between the two countries if that does not happen. clearly, the foreign office is very much taken aback. i should say that in terms of glimmers of hope, we've been looking out and trying to make sense of a couple of tweets from a local newspaper, which seemed to give a slightly longer version of what was announced in a five—minute hearing this morning. 0n the one hand, saying that a sentence of life has

been handed down to matthew hedges, but also saying that the court ruling, and i'm quoting a translation from our colleagues, it stipulated that he should leave the country stipulated that he should leave the cou ntry after stipulated that he should leave the country after the sentence is carried out. he was ordered to pay for the expenses of the court case and ordered the confiscation of all items confiscated during his arrest. they say that mr hedges has 20 days to appeal. 0bviously, leaving the country to appeal. 0bviously, leaving the cou ntry after to appeal. 0bviously, leaving the country after a life sentence is not what they mean. does this mean that they are going to deport him? in the wa ke they are going to deport him? in the wake of his sentence. i think that the moment we simply do not know exactly what is going on. it is possible that having been seen to carry out justice, as possible that having been seen to carry outjustice, as they would see it, they may now be wanting to get rid of him. we continue to watch and wait. time for the weather. we will have prime ministers questions and a few

moments. thirsty assignment with the weather. thank you, joanna. some snow this morning. this was worcestershire. that's no coming down to lower levels through this morning. you can see the latest picture, it's moving its way through the midlands. snow on the pennines and the scottish mountains. as we go through the afternoon quite white across scotland, some hill snow. the eastern side of england is dry and bright. still some showers this afternoon, maximum temperatures up to about five to eight celsius. not feeling quite as cold as yesterday, with slightly lighter winds. tonight we've got cloud moving its way into eastern areas, keeping temperatures above freezing. cloud across northern ireland as well, and you can see from the blue here, we got a frost developing, widespread frost into thursday morning. a bright start, cloud starts to increase on

thursday with showers across eastern parts. goodbye. you're watching bbc newsroom live. these are today's main stories: a 31—year—old british man is found guilty by a court in the united arab emirates of spying for the british government. theresa may heads to brussels today, under pressure to secure further brexit concessions ahead of a summit this weekend, as jean—claude juncker cancels his two day trip to spain due tomorrow. at westminster, head of prime minister's questions, a leading cabinet minister dismisses the idea ofa cabinet minister dismisses the idea of a no—deal brexit, saying it will never happen. the number of children treated for stab wounds in england more than doubles over

the past four years. new moves to end the conflict in yemen, as one charity estimates 85,000 children underfive have died from hunger since the war began. the number of children in the uk with a gambling problem quadruples in five years. new research reveals male humpback whales undergo a "cultural revolution" every few years when they change their signature song. good morning. welcome to bbc newsroom live. i'm joanna gosling. let's cross to the house of commons, where prime minister's questions is getting under way. this is what is happening right now.

a packed house. the prime minister is heading to brussels later. let's speak to our assistant political editor, norman smith, who is at the houses of parliament for us now. jeremy corbyn has a veritable bowl of cherries in front of him today to pick from. he could quiz theresa may over the ongoing difficulties with brexit, the sort of dad's army revolt by the brexiteers, all he could choose to focus on the difficulties and problems the government has faced in getting legislation through after the dup appeared to pretty much have gone on strike in a series of recent votes, refusing to support the government. you could hear talk from john mcdonnell overnight saying the government was in office but not in power, maybe jeremy government was in office but not in power, maybejeremy corbyn will go down that line. 0r power, maybejeremy corbyn will go down that line. or he could focus on universal credit after the new work and pensions secretary hailed universal credit this morning as a

force for good. and he could look to pick up on the difficulties of getting universal credit to bed in the attempt to reform it. there are a whole range of thingsjeremy corbyn could go on. again we will be looking to see whether some of theresa may ‘s brexiteers get up to publicly challenge her over her deal. last week we had peter bone warning how she would lose the support of the house of commons and millions of voters and it is interesting to see how the mood is amongst tory mps as we reach the sort of finishing line of the negotiation. theresa may will presumably have a sandwich and a cup of tea and then she is pretty much off to brussels to try and nail down the last bits of this political declaration, which is a document setting out our future long—term political and trading relationship and that is what she hopes will be the real selling point for tory mps

because they say that does deliver on many other things contained in the referendum. here we blast off time. who is with our dear departed colleague jo cox when she died is in the gallery today. we welcome you. questions to the prime minister,. thank you, mr speaker, today is the centenary of the qualification of women act, when women were first allowed to stand for public office. and i am delighted that the first woman to take her seat in the house of commons was a conservative. women... women are coming... women

are coming from... mr speaker... women are coming from all over the uk to the ask her to stand day with mps uk to the ask her to stand day with mp5 from every party extending invitations to their constituents. it will be an inspirational day and we hope it will encourage many more women to consider standing for political office both locally and nationally. mr speaker, it is appropriate we are reminded of the significant contribution made to this house by female mps, including the fine example set by the late jo cox. mr speaker, this morning i had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others and i shall have further such meetings later today. the prime minister will know that what drives me in politics has a lwa ys what drives me in politics has always been a love of country. and a passionate belief in our united kingdom. and so i have to tell the

prime minister that i agree with the people of romford, who are deeply unhappy by the proposed eu deal, which they believe does not represent the brexit they voted for. will she now even at this late stage please think again and instead lead our country in a new direction, com pletely our country in a new direction, completely cutting away the tentacles completely cutting away the te nta cles of completely cutting away the tentacles of the eu over our cherished island nation once and for all? i say to my honourable friend, i think that people across the country who voted to leave the european union voted to bring an end to free movement, our deal delivers an end to free movement. they voted to bring an end to the jurisdiction of the european court ofjustice in the uk. our deal delivers on that. they voted for us to stop sending vast

annual sums of money to the european union every year so we could spend that money on our priorities and we will be able to do that. priorities like the national health service. but the european union remains a close trading partner to the united kingdom. as we leave the eu, we want to ensure we continue to have a good trading relationship with the european union and we will be able to have an independent trade policy that enables us to make decisions to trade around the rest of the world. my honourable friend is indeed a passionate champion of the united kingdom. but he is also a passionate champion of the links at the united kingdom has around many parts of the world, including with the commonwealth, which can be enhanced when we leave the european union. thank you, mr speaker. and i thank you for well being are most welcome guest parliament today. on the 100th

anniversary of the qualification of women's act, ijoined the prime minister in all women to parliament today. we need a parliament that truly does represent the diversity of the whole of this country. now that a number of government ministers have confirmed this morning that leaving the eu with no deal is not an option, does the prime minister agree there are no circumstances under which britain would leave with no deal? no, i have to say to the right honourable gentleman, i have consistently made clear on this point that the point that is being made by a number of my colleagues in relation to the vote that will come before this house on a meaningful vote on a deal from the european union is very simple. if you look at the alternative to having that deal with the european union, it will either be more uncertainty, more division, or it could risk no brexit

at all. mr speaker, the prime minister did not answer the question. is this the final deal or not? the work and pensions secretary says this is a deal, it has been baked. well, it is half baked. 0ther deal, it has been baked. well, it is half baked. other members of the cabinet want amendments to the withdrawal agreement. the leader of the house said last week there is, andi the house said last week there is, and i quote, still the potential to improve on some of the measures. that is what i'm hoping to help with. can the prime minister clarify whether last week ‘s withdrawal agreement is the final text or is there another text that is on its way to us? i have to say to the right honourable gentleman that he won't get any different answers from this than he has had from the previously. the package of a deal that we are negotiating with the european union have two parts. there is the leading

pa rt have two parts. there is the leading part and the future relationship, which is what is currently continuing to be negotiated with the european union. they go together as a package. yes, the withdrawal agreement has been agreed in principle. the whole package will be what is brought before this house, what is brought before this house, what is brought before this house, what is considered at the european union council on sunday and we continue to negotiate on a future relationship to get the good deal that we believe is right for the united kingdom, a good deal that protectsjobs, united kingdom, a good deal that protects jobs, protects united kingdom, a good deal that protectsjobs, protects our united kingdom, a good deal that protects jobs, protects our union and our security. the prime minister is apparently heading off to brussels today but the new brexit secretary is another non—travelling brexit secretary, who is apparently not going with her. i wonder if the post is now an entirely ceremonial one. mr speaker, the prime minister ‘s agreement does not specify how much we would have to pay to extend the transition

period. can she confirm the choice facing the country would either be the backstop or paying whatever the eu asks us to pay to per along that transition period? no, the right honourable gentleman is wrong on that. the choice that would be facing, if it were the case... just remind ourselves what we are talking about here, we are talking not be guaranteed to the people of northern ireland that there will be no hard border between northern ireland and ireland at the choice that we face, first of all thatis choice that we face, first of all that is best insured by getting the future relationship in place by the end of december 2020. in the event that was not the case for a temporary period and an interim arrangement was in place, the choice the right honourable gentleman has set out is not the choice that would be before us. yes, there would be the backstop in the protocol, the extension of the limitation period, but what we have also negotiated is

that alternative arrangements could be in place, the key is that they guarantee no hard border between northern ireland and ireland. the truth is, mr speaker, the prime minister ‘s idea of taking back control of our money is to hand the eua control of our money is to hand the eu a blank cheque and after 2020, no re bate eu a blank cheque and after 2020, no rebate for the uk. mr speaker, the eu ‘s trade deal with canada took seven eu ‘s trade deal with canada took seve n yea rs eu ‘s trade deal with canada took seven years to agree. the deal with singapore, eight years. the business secretary said this week the transition will have to be extended until the end of 2022. 0utside transition will have to be extended until the end of 2022. outside the eu and with no level ridge, does the prime minister think she is fooling anyone is suggesting there will be a free—trade finalised by december 2020? the future relationship that we are negotiating will set out the structure and scope of that deal that we will be ensuring that we can negotiating legal text once we leave the european union but the right

honourable gentleman, i think people will have seen from his question previously to me, has shown the problem that he has with this deal. he hasn't even read it. he does not know what's in it. he says there is a problem with the deal and he would do it differently. he wants to negotiate, renegotiate the withdrawal agreement, but as i say, he has not read it. he wants to oppose any deal, no matter how good it is for the uk, but he will accept any european union deal, no matter how bad it is for the uk. and then he wants to use the limitation period that he would vote against to renegotiate the treaty that delivers the limitation period. and he said another referendum is not an issue for today but it could be an issue for today but it could be an issue for tomorrow. he does not know how he would vote, does not know what the question would be. that is not leadership, is playing party politics. i am working in the national interest. mr speaker, it is

her government that has got us into this shambles and she knows well... she knows full well that the new european parliament... order. nobody in this chamber will be shouted down. we have also often heard it said with high authority from the respective front benches that would be bad behaviour. it is happening now. stop it. because it won't work. jeremy corbyn. the prime minister knows full well that with the new will appear in parliament in place next summer and a new european commission at the same time, the negotiations for future trade agreement will only have less than a year to do if she's to achieve what she claims she can do. in february, the prime minister said that creating a customs and regulatory border down the irish sea is something that, and i called, no uk

prime minister could ever agreed to. —— i quote. can the prime minister in spain by the backstop agreement would create exactly that border? —— explain. it would not create exactly that. between... from february until in the last few weeks, the european union said that the only answer was a northern ireland customs territory only answer in relation to the guaranteed the people of northern ireland. we argued and we resisted and we made clear that we would not acce pt and we made clear that we would not accept the position of the european union and a few weeks ago, they agreed with our position, they conceded to the united kingdom, so that there will not be a customs border down the irish sea. i think this becomes even clearer that the right honourable gentleman does not actually know what is in the withdrawal agreement, what is in the protocol, and what is in the

outlying political declaration. we talk about the sector of the referendum, never mind a second referendum, never mind a second referendum, he hasn't got a first clue. with the shambles this government has got into, it is a goodidea government has got into, it is a good idea that other people are not told —— ruling out all options. there is an entire protocol in the withdrawal agreement setting out regulations that apply only to northern ireland. she clearly did not agree these draft agreements with the dup because their brexit spokesperson said, we are clear, we will not be voting for this humiliation. mr speaker, this deal isa humiliation. mr speaker, this deal is a failure. it fails the prime minister ‘s red lines, fails labour's six tests,... and... and fails to impress the new northern

ireland minister, lee newell northern ireland minister, whojust hours before he was appointed said the deal is dead. instead of giving confidence, the millions of people who voted leave and remain, this half baked deal fails to give any hope that can bring the country together again. isn't it the case that parliament will rightly reject this deal, this bad deal, and if the government can't negotiate an alternative then they should make way for those who can and will. the public... the public gave as an instruction to leave the european union and we should all be acting to deliver that. all he wants to do is play party politics. he's... he's... he's... play party politics. he's... he's...

he's. .. order! mr play party politics. he's... he's... he's... order! mr kinnock, you are a cerebral them of the house. gesticulation and shouting our way beneath your pay grade. calm yourself and i said the leader of the opposition should not be shouted at, the prime minister should not be shouted at. let's hear the reply. the right honourable gentleman is playing party politics, promising a deal he cannot negotiate. he is telling leave voters one thing and remain voters another. whatever the right honourable gentleman might do, i will act in the national interest. i great supporter of yours and along

with the british people i accept what a difficult and tough job you have. there is much in the withdrawal agreement that i agree with, especially on food and farming. but it is not good enough as it stands. the northern ireland backstop threatens the integrity of the united kingdom and weakens our negotiating position and my farming instincts tell me i know that you do not hand over 39 billion before we get the deal. please can i ask you, prime minister, to listen to these concerns and renegotiate the deal before we put it on the floor of this house? i say to my honourable friend that he has mentioned the issue of paying over money to the european union, as i have consistently said, as i indicated i would have hoped in the first answer gave to the leader of the opposition, nothing is agreed until everything is agreed and we remain negotiating on that future framework. in relation to the £39

billion, which i would remind my honourable friend is significantly less than the £100 billion the european union were first talking about as needing to pay, these are about as needing to pay, these are about the legal obligations that mighty kingdom has and i hope that every memberof mighty kingdom has and i hope that every member of this house —— united kingdom, will recognise that this united kingdom is a country that meets the legal obligations that we have. can i also welcome the anniversary of the act that gave women the right to be represented in parliament, of course, it was a nationalist that was first elected to this parliament, but we can only celebrate success when women are properly represented in this parliament. yesterday, the prime minister met with the first minister of scotland, the first minister made it clear there are other alternatives. was the prime minister listening? i have to say to the right honourable gentleman, of course i heard what the first

ministersaid. course i heard what the first minister said. the first mrs alternative is for the united kingdom is to stay in the customs union and single market and that is what we will not do —— the first minister. this is exasperating. at least staying in a customs union and single market has some support in this place. mr speaker... when we look at the report from the un this week... order! the leader of the scottish national party will be heard. i don't think the members will want to hear the question again and again and again. let's be absolutely clear that... order! and again and again. let's be absolutely clearthat... order! if they shout their heads off, they will have to hear it not once, not twice but possibly three times. thank you, mr speaker. in the week when we hear from the un that up to a quarter of the people of united

kingdom are living in poverty, something the dwp —— dup also recognises, doesn't the prime minister recognise the... she has a responsibility to protectjobs minister recognise the... she has a responsibility to protect jobs and communities in this country. once, start to listen, go back to brussels, recognise that we all have an interest in this. let's all work together to make sure we protect the interests of people in scotland and elsewhere in the united kingdom. make sure that you go back and negotiate, let's keep us in the single market and the customs union. the right honourable gentleman says let's work together on this issue but the position that he has and that his party has is one which would frustrate the vote of the british people in relation to leaving the european union. he talks about protecting jobs and that is exactly what the deal we are

proposing does and he talks also about listening. perhaps the snp should listen to the people of scotland who gave a very clear view that scotland should remain in its most important economic market, the internal market of the united kingdom. thank you, mr speaker. 20—year—old tommy callan and 18—year—old georgia jones were sold ecstasy at a music festival and tragically lost their lives afterwards. as the inquest continues, will my right honourable friend said out the work being done to tackle the drug dealers that prey on our young people and join with me in sending the condolences of the whole house to their family and friends? lam sure friends? i am sure that all members from all sides of this house will want to join me in offering our deepest condolences to the families of georgia jones and tommy cowan. drugs

can devastate lives, ruin families, they can damage communities. what ourdrug they can damage communities. what our drug strategy does is set out a balanced approach of bringing together the police, the health community and global partners to tackle the illicit drugs trade and to protect the most vulnerable in our society and tough enforcement is a fundamental part of that. we are taking a smarter approach to restricting the supply, adapting our approach to reflect changes in criminal activity, approach to reflect changes in criminalactivity, using approach to reflect changes in criminal activity, using innovative data and technology and taking co—ordinated partnership action to tackle drugs alongside other criminal activity. the role of the national crime agency is a key element in our dealing with the terrible... terrible aspect of drugs that can cause so much harm to people but of course there is more that we need to do to prevent harm 's and tragic deaths such as those of georgia and tommy. over the past three weeks, i have

surveyed 42 schools in my constituency, more than £3.4 million will be taken from their budgets and six would go 60% of the schools have cut staff. the prime minister ‘s claim that austerity is over is as credible as herb brexit plan. will the prime minister get a grip or step aside? i say to the honourable gentleman, he will know that we are putting extra money into school funding. he will know that obviously we have changed the national funding for miller to make that fairer across the country and he will also, i would hope, welcome the fact that in the north—west, we now see over 895,000 children at good or outstanding schools. that is an increase of over 175,000 children since 2010. the honourable gentleman focuses on the money going into schools, he also needs to look at

the outcomes from schools and the excellent work being done by our teachers and the children who are now in good and outstanding schools who are not in good and outstanding schools under the last labour government. will my right honourable friend join me in welcoming debbie pritchard, a specialist teacher visiting us and watching from the public gallery. does she agree with me it is not just a question of getting more women into parliament but encouraging women from all walks of life, especially disadvantaged and low—income backgrounds and working—class backgrounds as well and does my right honourable friend support initiatives to enable women to access public lives? lam very to access public lives? i am very happy to welcome his constituent, i hope that his constituent, i hope that his constituent will consider standing for parliament. we talk about diversity in parliament in relation to getting more women into parliament. my right honourable friend is also right, we need to

ensure we have a wide variety of backgrounds and a wide variety of experience in this chamber because thatis experience in this chamber because that is how we get better decisions being taken in this chamber. i am pleased the conservative party has been taking action through the work it is doing to support disabled people getting into politics to encourage people with a wide range of backgrounds and with a wide range of backgrounds and with a wide range of experience to stand for parliament and represent constituents in this chamber. the prime minister has just repeated that voting down her deal risks no brexit at all. does she recognise that far from being a brexit at all. does she recognise that farfrom being a risk, recent polls show that actually a vast majority of people would like no brexit at all in order to save jobs, protect the environment and ensure our standing protect the environment and ensure ourstanding in the protect the environment and ensure our standing in the world? will she acknowledge that the will of the people can change, the will of the people can change, the will of the people has changed, and will she therefore think that the way forward isa therefore think that the way forward

is a people's vote or does she think democracy ended on the 23rd ofjune 2016? that claim in relation to democracy is absolutely ridiculous. this parliament gave people the right to choose whether to remain in the european union to leave the european union. people exercise that vote, we saw union. people exercise that vote, we saw numbers of people voting that we had not seen before. it was a great exercise in democracy in this country and i believe that gave this parliament and instruction which made sure we leave the european union, as the people voted. i refer to my register of interests. there are no people more proudly and passionately british than the people of gibraltar. the agreed text of the withdrawal agreement gives significant and important safeguards to them in the text and in the protocol. will my right honourable friend make clear that under no concerns “— friend make clear that under no concerns —— circumcise his will she permit that text to be reopened but

those safeguards at risk —— circumstances. cani circumstances. can i say to my honourable friend that we are absolutely steadfast, as he is, in our support for gibraltar, its people and its economy and we have always been clear that gibraltar is covered by our exit negotiations. we are seeking a deal that works for the whole uk family and that deal must work for gibraltar. i and that deal must work for gibraltar. lam pleased have agreed a protocol on gibraltar that will form part of a wider package of agreements between the uk, spain and the government of gibraltar, setting out the party '5 commitment to cooperation. i had been clear, we will not exclude gibraltar from our negotiations on the future relationship. we want a deal that works for the whole uk family and that includes gibraltar. humberside's chief constable has

written to mps to describe the impact as devastating, if the government doesn't change tact, it would cost a force 9.2 million, it would cost a force 9.2 million, it would mean doing away with 130 police officers, and all 250 pcs owes. is the prime minister worried about this? or is the chief co nsta ble about this? or is the chief constable scaremongering ? just crying wolf? may i say to the honourable gentleman, he says that the pension changes work, i think the phrase he used was smacked out, this isn't the case. this issue has been known of, for i think it's case. this issue has been known of, for i think its two years. it's two yea rs for i think its two years. it's two years this has been under consideration, this hasn't been snuck out. thank you, mr speaker. in all my time asa thank you, mr speaker. in all my time as a mortgage broker, when i had a remortgaging client i never recommended they should stick with the standard variable rate. they

needed more freedom to do what they wa nt to needed more freedom to do what they want to without penalties, it was bog—standard and nobody wanted it. given that my right honourable friend is being encouraged to ditch her deal, will she explain why putting aside the worst—case scenario, in the very best case scenario, in the very best case scenario of wt0 terms, they are bog—standard, average terms, far worse than the preferential access we currently enjoy, which she has negotiated to maintain. cani... negotiated to maintain. can i... can i say to my honourable friend, he is right that we want to negotiate a deal, a trading deal with the european union that is on better terms than wto. there are many people across this house who wa nt to many people across this house who want to see the united kingdom as we will do when we leave the eu, negotiating trade deals with the rest of the world on better than wto terms. that's because we believe it's best for the uk economy, and if we are negotiating on better than

wto terms with the rest of the world, it makes sense to do so with the european union. the prime minister set said school funding is up, and it is, buta pupil numbers are up, costs are up, so since 2010 there's been an 8% real terms to repeal bill cut. how can the prime minister expect anybody to trust him on anything when she can't get her numbers right? cani right? can i say to the honourable lady, as i have said before, overall, per—pupil funding is protected i have said before, overall, per—pupilfunding is protected in real terms by this government. although dell! the core schools budget this year it will be at its highest ever level, we are protecting through the pupil premium this year. 2.4 billion would be given to those who need it most. the

schools budget is rising by nearly 2.6 billion across this year and next. we have also, alongside extra money for schools, introduced a there national funding formula, which ensures we receive a fairer distribution of money across the country. mr speaker, would my right honourable friend a firm to this house today, and to the president of the commission tonight, that as we moved to honour the result of the referendum, it will remain our firmest intention to retain the closest possible relationships with our european friends and allies, in the very best interests of both? cani the very best interests of both? can i say to my right honourable friend but i am happy to give that commitment. it's important to recognise that while we leave the european union we aren't leaving european union we aren't leaving europe and we want to continue to have a good relationship, notjust a

trading relationship, but actually, we wa nt trading relationship, but actually, we want to continue to have a close security and defence partnership that we've had with the european union and other countries across europe as well. this is what makes sense, as my right honourable friend says, not just for the sense, as my right honourable friend says, notjust for the uk but for all the member states as well. mr speaker, since our modern slavery bill passed, the republic of ireland, northern ireland and france have joined ireland, northern ireland and france havejoined norway, sweden and iceland in passing a bylaw. it makes us an even more lucrative market for sex traffickers, because we are now effectively surrounded by states which tackle the demand that drives commercial sexual exploitation. in responding to the independent review of her legislation, five years on, will she commits to look seriously ata will she commits to look seriously at a sex by law? cani at a sex by law? can i say to the gentleman he raises

an important issue, and having introduced the modern slavery act i'm pleased to say that between 2015 and 2017 we've seen a 52% increase in prosecutor defences. there is more to do but we should welcome the changes that have taken place. he specifically asked about a sex by law, sauber to the review of the modern slavery the home office has funds for research to the prevalence of sex work in england and wales. there is a report on prostitution and i'm sure the honourable gentleman was appreciate that we believe evidence is vital before considering changes. the research will be completed next spring. thank you, mr speaker. can be prime minister assure the house today, as she has done on many other occasions, that the uk will be leaving the eu on the 29th of march 2019, come what may?

cani 2019, come what may? can i first of all thank my right honourable friend for the work that she did as secretary of state for work and pensions. and indeed, work she has done as a minister previously. the disability confidence scheme, particularly, has had an impact which she championed. it's had an impact on the lives of working people, people who are disabled. i can give her the assurance that the united kingdom will leave the european union on the 29th of march 2019. last friday, duelling parliament week, i visited saint elizabeth's school in my constituency, to meet with the school's council. the children told me that rising crime levels and falling police officer numbers have made them fearful of using and enjoying their local park, the one near their school. can the

prime minister school council, and they may be listening today, what strategy the government is deploying to ensure that all young people feel and are, safe from crime on our streets, and in our public spaces. she raises an important point. we wa nt she raises an important point. we want our young people to be able to feel secure, walking through the streets, royal if they are in a park, gathering with their friends. what we need to do, looking at the concern that has been expressed about crime, particularly recognise the concern about knife crime and levels of most crime, is tackled this ina levels of most crime, is tackled this in a number of different ways across the board. it's about ensuring we have the right powers for the police, and the right system in the criminaljustice system. it is also about providing education for young people about the risks of carrying knives, it's about providing alternatives to those young people who are tempted join gangs, a lot of the crime we see is

related to gang activity. this is something that has to be addressed across the board, i recognise the importance of that to ensure that young people have, security and confidence that they need. i have read the draft agreement, unlike the leader of the opposition. it's clear to me that the prime minister and her cabinet have laudably tried to reconcile the demand for continuity of market access to date with freedom to diverged tomorrow. isn't the truth of the backstop, as drafted, that if, and ours, we were to exercise regulatory freedom be that food or data protection, we would allow the eu to harden the border between great britain and northern ireland. can she reassured me that this draft doesn't contain a trap that if we did to diverged, we undermine union? what i say to my honourable friend, first of all, there are a number of ways, as i set out earlier, if it is

the case that it is necessary to have an interim arrangement to guarantee this relationship with norm island, there are a number of ways this can be achieved. the backstop as identified, the extension of the implementation period, or arrangements to the alternative. work is being done on those. i also say that the backstop is intended to be a temporary arrangement, and for that limited period of time, if hejust arrangement, and for that limited period of time, if he just cast his mind back to a practical thought about what could happen if we were ina about what could happen if we were in a situation where the backstop had to be in place for months, for example, i think it would be right for this united kingdom to give this commitment that we would not be looking to diverged during that period of regulations, that we would ensure that we kept that free access, for the goods from northern ireland to come into great britain, as we have committed in the withdrawal agreement. in the text thatis withdrawal agreement. in the text that is set out, and we committed previously. that would be a decision

for us here, but what is important is that we have means of ensuring that the backstop remains temporary. the best means of doing that is what we are doing at the moment, negotiating a future relationship to ensure the backstop if it is ever use, remains temporary and is never used thank you, mr speaker. the youth to the united nations recentlyjoined with other radical organisations like the national audit office in condemning the failure to address the tragedy which is poverty. which of the fundamental failures in implementing universal credit does this prime minister most regret? her failure to find it funny, or the decision to triple the time that those who need a safety net have to wait to receive payments to which they are fully entitled? the honourable lady will know that we made changes to universal credit to ensure that people are able to

access 100% of their payments at the earliest possible stage, if that's what's necessary. she raises the issue of poverty. your ra few figures, there are! million issue of poverty. your ra few figures, there are 1 million fewer people in absolute poverty today, an absolute load. the hundred thousand fewer children are in absolute poverty, a record low. and there are 637,000 fewer children living in workless households. that's a record low, the action of this government and the impact of universal credit. thank you, mr speaker. durham university ph.d. thank you, mr speaker. durham university ph. d. student thank you, mr speaker. durham university ph.d. student matthew hedges was arrested when he was leaving the uae having completed his research into the impact of the arabs bring on the uae‘s foreign policy. he has been sentenced to life imprisonment for spying for the uk. a number of us will know the irony of a former mi6 officer who

works in the outer office of the de factor ruler of the uae, has organised many of the excellent visits from this house to the uae. but this is wholly inconsistent, with the behaviour of a nation with whom we have a neutral defence accord. will the prime minister please give this her urgent attention, if he is not released i don't see why we should be committed to their defence. i say to my honourable friend, we are, of course, as he is, deeply disappointed and concerned with the verdict. i realise how difficult and distressing this is for matthew and his family. we are raising it with the authorities at the highest level, my right honourable friend the foreign secretary is seeking accord with the foreign minister, during his visit to the uae on december 12. he visited the issue with the crown prince and the foreign minister —— november the 12th. i can assure my honourable friend that the foreign office will remain in close contact with

matthew, his family, and his lawyer, and do all we can to support them as they consider their next steps. we will continue to press this matter with the iraqis. the prime minister is having a rough old time of it at the moment, i'm sure she recognises... i'm sure she recognises that there are issues other than brexit that we need to be dealing with. on that basis, can i ask the prime minister, on behalf of my constituent, whether we are going to get the promised domestic violence bill on the started book before the end of the parliamentary session? prime minister. cani prime minister. can i send my deepest condolences to clear, and to the honourable lady's constituents, and i'd like to pay tribute to the proms rustic work she does as an ambassador for women's aid. we are committed to transforming the response to

domestic violence, the consultation that took place in the spring received over 3200 responses, that shows the degree of concern people have about this issue. the wreck mission of the need to look carefully at the legislation on this. —— the recognition of the need. together with the draft domestic abuse bill, it will be published later this session. all the evidence shows that diversity delivers better decision—making, yet over the last 100 years in this place 4503 men have been elected, and just 491 women. i'm proud that two of those conservative women became prime minister... but can be right honourable friend share with me what she feels the parliament as well as the political parties could be doing to encourage more women who are with us here today, as part of the ask her to stand campaign to go forward and stand for election, joining us

on these green benches? i thank her for championing on these green benches? i thank herfor championing this cause. this is so important. she's absolutely right that greater diversity in this place means we get better decisions. it's the same for parliament as it is for a business orany parliament as it is for a business or any organisation. can i also say that i think we should send a very, very clear that i think we should send a very, very clear message that i think we should send a very, very clear message from everybody across this house, about the significance of the work that an individual member of parliament does, the change they can make for the community. being a member of parliament is one of the bestjobs in the world, it gives an opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of people, it's an opportunity to be a real voice for those whose voice would not be heard. it is a real opportunity to take decisions that will lead our country forward and provide a better future for our children and grandchildren. i encourage all the women here today, thinking are standing, to stand for parliament, get elected and make a difference. in the decemberjoint

report between the european union and the united kingdom, it was agreed that northern ireland would have the final say on whether or not it's diverged from the uk single market and was subjected to single market and was subjected to single market european rules with no say, why has the prime minister deleted all reference to that in the withdrawal agreement? all reference to that in the withdrawalagreement? did all reference to that in the withdrawal agreement? did she pushed the delete button? i say to the right gent—macro, he's right about the december joint report, the issue of what the processes would be in the united kingdom to at this regulatory... regulations, would be a matterfor the uk to determine both our parliamentary rules, our parliamentary rules, our parliamentary decisions on match, andindeed parliamentary decisions on match, and indeed the stormont rock that was expressed in the december report. as the right honourable gentleman will also know, the lark that was in the joint report

referred to a decision being taken by the northern ireland executive and assembly, which sadly we do not have in place today. thank you, mr speaker. on monday this week i heard something i never wa nt to this week i heard something i never want to hearagain, this week i heard something i never want to hear again, a young woman in her 30s resurging funeral plans. she knows she has cystic fibrosis and there is no cure. it was an event organised by my honourable friend for a cystic fibrosis sufferer. this isa for a cystic fibrosis sufferer. this is a conversation that we have been atan is a conversation that we have been at an impasse for almost three years now to access a drug for patients who need it. pharmaceuticals are entitled to make profits, it is expensive and lengthy, but when it comes to a health care select committee asking for transparency on finances to break the impasse we have to do something differently. looking at the huge global profits for this company i ask the prime minister she would personally work with the set just minister she would personally work with the setjust read four has to

break the impasse and get drugs to those patients who are desperate to relieve cystic fibrosis symptoms. i say to my honourable friend that she has raised what i know has been an important question raised in this house before. i recognise the concern about the length of time this issue is being worked on. the department for health and social ca re department for health and social care is working with mice and the nhs, they have made the single biggest drug offered being the nhs history to the farmer company, and the company now need to work with the company now need to work with the institute for clinical excellence to get disapproved. i assure her that her concern is thoroughly made clear to the department of health and social care in the work they are doing. we are trying to ensure that the result is one which is of benefit to those patients sir vincent cable. article 171 of the withdrawal agreement, says that in the event of deadlock, in the

arbitration panel on a dispute on the aspect of the treaty, the chair has the decisive vote, and would be chosen by lot. i know the government is close to the gambling industry, but doesn't it rather reckless to leave crucial decisions of national importance to the toss of a kind? that because of a kind? we have arbitration arrangements which mirror arbitration arrangements which exist in other international treaties. he will also be aware that it does say in the withdrawal agreement that in identifying individuals who would be capable of sitting on that panel, the names i think five individuals, would be identified as those suitable to be chairman of the panel. thank you. order, yes. that's coming to an end. brexit, as

you would imagine the main focus of the questioning. the foreign secretary asked theresa may whether there are no circumstances under which britain would leave with no deal, she had previously indicated that if her deal didn't get support, the option was that they would be no brexit, or leaving with no deal. she didn't say that again, she said that the alternative to her deal is a more division, or potentially risking no brexit. he asked her again if it is the final deal or not, and she said that this is the withdrawal part of the agreement, the political statements still need to be finalised. she is off to brussels this afternoon to do that. she said, until everything is agreed, nothing is agreed. she put him under pressure by repeatedly pointing out that he hasn't actually

read the agreement that he is criticising. we'll have more reaction to the latest news on brexit. she also referred to the situation of matthew hedges who has been sentenced to life in prison in the uae for spying. the 31—year—old has a lwa ys uae for spying. the 31—year—old has always maintained his innocence. he was researching internal security policies when he was detained by the authorities in may. the issue was raised in the house of commons and theresa may responded saying the foreign office remains in close contact with matthew's wife, family, and will continue to represent him at the highest level. we've had a statement from his wife, daniela, she has said... we are nowjoined by our political correspondent to buy, he was out on bail, this was a five—minute hearing, there was shock at the outcome that he had been sentenced to life. that's right. the hearing was at

10am, and the family says it lasted just five minutes, and his lawyer wasn't present. those details coming from a spokesperson for the family. let's remember some of the details about this case. matthew hedges is an academic, he was here for a trip in spring attempting to leave the country via the airport on may the 5th, when he was detained. we didn't hear anything about the case until october when it poured out into the press. the family and fellow academics started raising concerns about matthew's treatment, saying he was held in solitary confinement, and that he was not having access to his lawyers. they reiterated that today. the family said that during his first six weeks he was interrogated without a lawyer or consular access, held in solitary confinement. he was made to sign a document in arabic, a language he can't speak or read, which they find out was a confession. he was fed a

cocktail of medication by prison guards, including valium and ritalin. these are details and allegations made by the family's spokesperson. that case was decided just this morning, and the family says that they are unsure where he is going, or what will happen now. thank you, very much, paul. we hear now from a friend of matthew, i spoke to her earlier. we are all shocked,in spoke to her earlier. we are all shocked, in fact, what this verdict saysis shocked, in fact, what this verdict says is that there is no boundary, there is no academic safety. no safety for academic research in the uae, and it's astonishing, because they have tried to build itself, its profile internationally, including inviting campuses of prestigious international universities who are

currently operating in the uae. what does this say for... how does this feature into the verdict today? when he was released on bail, did you take that as a good sign? yes, of course. it was a good sign. but it was clear that it was due to the pressure that the uae authorities received, including by the international media and the press. as long as the case was kept secret, so to speak, or confidential, he received treatment that has been described as beyond the international standards. below the international standards. below the international standards, by several associations. thanks to this pressure he was released on bail, and there was expectation that, you know, the pressure added to the actions of the uk government would have led to a different verdict. we have led to a different verdict. we

have seen yesterday president champ's reaction, the first official statement by the white house, has actually opened up, perhaps, a case for impunity for this kind of measure. the foreign secretary has issued a statement saying he is very disappointed, he has raised this issue directly with the authorities in abu dhabi, what will the next steps speed by matthew's supporters? well, this has a lot to do with what kind of reactions we will see from the uk and from europe, because matthew is a european union citizen as well. so we are expecting more repercussions, and more positions, because the uk and the uae are

continuing to havejoint because the uk and the uae are continuing to have joint projects and delegations in these past weeks. i spoke to his partner, she was very strong, obviously, it's going to be difficult for everyone to deal with, have you been able to speak to her? no, not yet. we are leaving them some space, because they were shocked as well. they weren't expecting this verdict. of course, they have 30 days to appeal the verdict, and there is still a glimmer of hope. that should be said. we will have more reaction to the sentencing of matthew hedges at 1pm. right now let's catch up with the weather with ben. good afternoon. some of us have seen a little bit of the white stuff over the last day or so. i wouldn't expect much more, slowly things are

starting to turn less cold over the next few days. if we look at the radar you can see some rain spreading eastwards, but some white colours mixing into show where we've had sleet and snow. mostly over hills, a little bit down to low levels as well. we had a squeeze over the last day or two between high pressure in the north and low pressure in the south, but brought a brisk wind. strong winds today, particularly across north—east scotla nd particularly across north—east scotland with gusts up to 40 or 50 mph. northern scotland and northern ireland have cloud and patchy rain with snow over the highest hills. further south the weather calms down. that process continues into tonight, winds ease with clear skies overhead for many, and that will allow it to get cold. if you live in the countryside it might get down to _4’ the countryside it might get down to 44, —54 the countryside it might get down to —4, —54 minus six degrees. a bit less cold in eastern areas by the end of the night, that's because

here we are bringing in some extra cloud, we start thursday with cloud and patchy rain in aberdeen, 7 degrees and freezing in glasgow. here they will be some sunshine. bright but chilly for many of the western areas, but further east more cloud, there will be the odd spot of rain around. we take the cloud and damp weather and push it further westwards through the day. scotland into the midlands as well, for northern ireland, south wales, southern england, we hold onto the sunshine with lighter winds and temperatures just a little bit higher. it's a similar story on friday with the addition of some hefty showers across the far south—west. patchy rain in northern and eastern areas, brighter glimpses if you are lucky and temperatures between seven and 12 degrees. as we head into the weekend, a bit of a squeeze between low pressure and high pressure, the ice bars show where the area is coming from. again

coming from the east. nothing desperately warm, especially by night. cloud, rain, especially in the south—west. a british research student is sentenced to life in prison accused of spying in the united arab emirates, charges he denies. matthew hedges has been held in solitary confinement for six months since his arrest as he tried leave the country after a research trip. we are all shocked because in fact what this verdict says is that there is no boundaries, there is no safety for academic research in the uae. the foreign secretary has

warned of repercussions over the sentence. also this lunchtime.... as theresa may heads to brussels for more talks she warns critics that a no—deal brexit could result if they block the plan. the shocking rise in teenage gambling — a study says it's a problem for 50,000 children in the uk.