controversial saudi prince mohamed bin salman has arrived at the 620 summitjust as the us senate votes to take forward plans to end american military support for the saudi—led war in yemen. senators strongly criticised the absence of the cia director at a senate hearing on relations with saudi arabia. the bank of england is warning of the possibility of an immediate economic crash if the uk leaves the european union without a deal. the governor says a shock to growth is possible, more damaging than the financial crisis of 2008, shrinking the economy by 8%. thousands of evacuated their homes in the australian state of queensland as warning levels have been raised to catastrophic for the first time —— have. two people died in sydney when the heaviest rainfall in sydney when the heaviest rainfall in sydney fell. now on bbc news, wednesday in parliament. hello and welcome to this

edition of the programme. coming up: as the government releases figures on the impact of brexit, labour says it's clear there's no backing for theresa may's deal. isn't it time for her to accept that reality and make way for an alternative plan that could work for the whole country? what does labour have to offer? six bullet points! my weekend shopping list is longer than that. the government drops plans to ban high—powered military grade rifles, and an mp hits out at the scandal of sex for rent. 0ver over 100,000 women have been 0ver100,000 women have been offered sex for rent in the last year alone. but first, analysis by the government has predicted that the uk will be worse off under any form of brexit compared with staying in the eu.

the forecast says that in 15 years‘ time, national income — gdp - could be 3.9% lower under the deal theresa may has struck with brussels, while the figure would be over 9% in the uk left with no deal. at prime minister's questions, labour leaderjeremy corbyn challenged theresa may over the numbers and comments by her chancellor, philip hammond. the prime minister said, "this is the best possible deal, it's the only possible deal." well, i mean to say, it's not hard to be the best deal if it's the only deal, by definition... therefore, mr speaker, by definition, it's also the worst deal. laughter mr speaker, the government economic service forecast published today mr speaker, the government economic service forecasts published today are actually meaningless, because there's no actual deal to model — just a 26—page wishlist. the chancellor, however,

said that her deal will make people worse off. does the prime minister agree? he doesn't appear to be here this morning to be consulted. what the analysis shows, it does show that this deal that we have negotiated is the best deal for ourjobs and our economy, mr speaker, after eight years of making our economy weaker through austerity... ..their botched brexit threatens more of the same. he turned to the document on the future relationship between the uk and the eu. at 26 pages, it's much shorter than the 500—page plus divorce agreement. the prime minister insists that her government will be able

to negotiate every aspect of the uk's future trade relationship with europe within the space of two years. we've had 2.5 years since the referendum. so far, 20 of her own ministers have resigned. this is the most shambolic government in living memory. and she is now asking parliament to vote on the basis of a 26—page wishlist without even seeing the full legal advice. it's now clear that parliament will not back this plan. so isn't it time for her to accept that reality and make way for an alternative plan that could work for the whole country? let me say to the right honourable gentleman, i will take no lectures from the right honourable gentleman, who has seen 100 resignations from his front bench. but i will also say this, today we saw what really lies

behind labour's approach. last night, the shadow chancellor told an audience in london that he wanted to seize upon a second referendum and vote remain. so now we have it — they want to cause chaos, frustrate brexit, overturn the will of the british people, and that would be a betrayal of the many by the few. does the prime minister agree that her deal will leave people poorer than the status quo? prime minister! the analysis shows... no. the analysis does not show that we will be poorer than the status quo today. what it shows... no, it doesn't. it doesn't. what the analysis shows is that this is a strong economy which will continue to grow,

and that the model which actually delivers best on delivering for the vote of the british people and for ourjobs and our economy is the model government has put forward, is the deal that the government is proposing. in the next ten days, there will hopefully be informed debate on the government's proposals of brexit and various alternatives routes, including an election, the people's vote, no doubt others. but there's absolutely no reason by the public should be alarmed by continuing discussion of a chaotic no deal, because it's entirely within the power of this house and the government to stop it. so, will she reassure the public that under no circumstances this will happen? theresa may again pressed the case for the deal she'd negotiated. she argued backing it would provide certainty. and failure to back that deal, i believe, would lead to chaos and uncertainty for people for the future, and the clear message i get around the country is that people don't want that chaos and don't want that uncertainty. well, chancellor philip hammond

was not in the chamber for prime ministers questions, and he did not appear for the next item of business, and urgent question from labour on the government's brexit analysis. his absence irritated several mps, including rachel reeves who complained to the speaker. have you been made aware of why the chancellor isn't able to respond to this urgent question? this is an incredibly important issue about the future of our country. the chancellor has found plenty of time to visit the television and radio studios when he should be in this chamber right now. john bercow replied that it was up to the government, who responded to an urgent question, and it turned out that the chosen minister was mel stride. today, the government published the analysis of the economic and fiscal effects of leaving the european union, honouring the commitment made to this house. it is important to recognise that the analysis is not an economic

forecast for the uk economy. it only considers potential economic impact, specific to european union exit. four scenarios have been considered. the analysis shows that the outcomes for the proposed future uk, eu relationship would deliver significantly higher economic output, around seven percentage points higher, than the no deal scenario. the analysis shows that a no deal scenario would result in lower economic activity in all sector groups of the economy compared to the white paper scenario. we're now in the ludicrous position of seeing an analysis produced today on the economic implication of brexit, which is in fact largely an assessment of the chequers proposals abandoned months ago. what the analysis produced by the treasury today shows us is this — if a no deal scenario with no net eu migration comes

to pass, something the government has recklessly if incredibly been threatening, we could see a gdp almost 11% lower than compared to today's arrangements. it is not possible to leave a free—trade area with loads of important, wealthy customers and introduce tariff barriers, custom delays, regulatory divergences and delays at borders without making this country poorer than it otherwise would be. and it's difficult to see how anybody who follows economic policy can argue the contrary whilst keeping a straight face. trade deals that we might strike will only increase gdp by a potential 0.2%. shameful. public—sector net borrowing will be higher. in what alternate reality is this a good deal? the treasury, the 0br and the bank of england between them produce numerous forecasts every year. what was the last time any of them got one right? i suspect, mr speaker, in the history of highly detailed, complicated economic forecasts,

with a myriad of variables, there's probably not one in the entire history of the planet that's been entirely right in every respect, but that is not an argument that the right honourable gentleman deploy — not to go out and do an honest and sensible appraisal of what the likely outcomes are going to mean both fiscally and in terms of gdp as we go forward. in 13 days, we, in this house, will vote on the future of our country, and yet this government are rushed into triggering article 50, went recklessly into a general election, and without any timetabled plan about how we would get from there to the 29th of march, which is now the date. so will the minister tell us if there's going to be any information properly available to this house in the next 13 days to enable us to make a decision without being blindsided? the minister said that was the purpose of the information that

had just been published. during prime minister's questions, jeremy corbyn pressed theresa may to publish the full legal advice the government had received from the attorney general on the brexit agreement. downing street says it will be releasing a full reasoned position statement, but not the advice in full. the shadow brexit secretary complained to the speaker. i'm now seeking your advice on what further steps i can take to ensure the government comply with the motion approved by this house, and provide this advice in full and in time to inform the meaningful vote. the speaker said he didn't the speaker said he didn't want to prejudge the issue, but suggested sir keir could write to him. it will be for me to decide, and i will not linger, whether there is an arguable case that a comtempt has been committed, and therefore whether an appropriate motion should be put urgently before the house. john bercow. you're watching wednesday

in parliament with me, alicia mccarthy. don't forget, you can find all our programmes via the bbc iplayer, just search for parliament. a government plan to ban high—powered military grade rifles has been formally dropped. ministers had intended to outlaw the 50—calibre weapons, which have the power to immobilize a medium—sized vehicle from a mile away. but after pressure from its own mps, the government moved to water down parts of the offensive weapons bill, which is also designed to tackle knife crime and acid attacks. the u—turn was welcomed by some conservatives. these guns are very expensive, costing around £20,000 each. there are therefore very few in number, with only some 150 in private hands. they're extremely bulky, heavy at 30lb, and slow

to load, with large hand—loaded ammunition. in fact, one could hardly find a less likely firearm that might be used in a crime. they're simply too big. but other tories were still concerned. could i ask him just to consider this scenario, which happened in my local shooting club? someone was able to book the shooting lanes, asking for them all to be booked down, was clearly quite troubled, then held the shooting range official up, took the guns, and murdered two women a mile away from my constituency border. when he talks about the illegal versus the legal, and talks about the risks being minimal, could i ask him to consider that when it goes wrong, even in those minimal risk circumstances, it could have devastating impacts, and that's why i find myself hesitant about what's being changed. my honourable friend makes a very fair point. firearms are potentially very dangerous things to use, and i can only say to him, as i said before, that the number

of legally—owned weapons causing crimes is very limited, but that's not to say we don't have a gun problem in this country. we certainly do and we need to address it. 0pposition parties criticised the government for rejecting his advice. this should've been a comprehensive and honest response to the horrifying surge in violence we are seeing in every community in our country. instead, it is a relatively meagre collection of proposals, that rather than being strengthened as they have made their way through this house, have actually been watered down as the government has rolled over in response to its backbenchers. it is our deep regret that the bill before us today is far less effective than that which was presented at second reading, and the government's complete paralysis in the middle of brexit negotiations within their own party, the government have refused to listen to the voices of the most senior counterterror and security experts in the country, and instead have once again allowed ideology to win the day. we echo much of what the shadow minister has said today.

at committee we have persuasive evidence from the nca, the nation police chiefs council, the experts in counterterrorism police about the power these weapons have. evidence was that these rifles are dangerous because of their range, and because we were told that there was very little, perhaps nothing the police have that could go up against these weapons in the way of body armour or even protected vehicles. a minister explained the government's change of heart. the home secretary has listened very carefully to these concerns as well as representations or advice from law enforcement colleagues, and in light of these circumstances, it is now the home secretary's view that we should give further detailed consideration to this and other issues relating to firearms, that have arisen during the course of the bill. it is therefore our intention to launch a full public consultation on a range of issues that have arisen over the last few months during this bill, regarding firearm safety. accordingly, we have decided to remove these clauses at this stage in the bill.

and the government's amendment to scrap it's own proposed ban was approved by mps to 309 votes, to 274. now a victim of child sexual exploitation has called for a law change amid claims a man who raped her has been invited to play a role in he son's life. hussain, who was jjailed for 35 years in 2016 was told by rotherham counsel he could seek visits from the child he fathered, according to a report in the times newspaper. sammy woohouse, who's waived her right to anonymity, told the bbc she was devastated when she was told. the ministry ofjustice said urgent efforts would be taken to address the failings in this case, and a minister was challenged over the case at question time in the house of lords. i would like to comment on today's item on the front page of the times where a child abuser in prison was able to to stake his claim to parental rights to the child

of the victim to her astonishment. is rotherham council part of the problem, or do the guidelines need to be changed? i think that that report is extremely distressing to both the individuals concerned and to all of us, and i know the relevant government departments here and the local authority will work urgently to understand the facts of this case, and any changes to the law or procedure that are needed, but i thank the noble lord for raising it, because i think it's something on which we would all agree. a labour mp has launched a scathing attack on craigslistm accusing it of acting like a pimp. peter carr was holding a debate on sex for rent, where youngsters usually women are offered free accommodations in return for sex. he told mps that it was a bigger problem that had first thought

it was getting worse. the majority of the ads say they target women, but i have also seen them targeting young men. ads described in detail the age, the look, the demeanour expected of the tenant, as well as the amount and type of sex that is expected. people moving to towns and cities like brighton, from which i represent are uniquely vulnerable to sex exploitation having two universities, and housing crisis, and ubiquitous access to online platforms like craigslist, it means some young people are swiftly down a path towards exploitation. he cited a survey. 0ver100,000 women have been offered sex for rent in the last year alone. around a quarter of a million women have been offered sex for rent in the last five years. he said there were a hundred sites for rent ads online, and he said he turned his eye to craigslist which advertised

on their website. what i don't understand is why they are allowed to act like pimps, but they are not treated like the pimps they are. when police come across pimps in the streets, they act. they have the power to act, and they know what to do with that power. but with craigslist, we have a situation where they're acting like pimps, but they are in an online platform we seem spellbound into inaction. just because the pimps are sandal wearing cappuccino drinking californians, doesn't mean we need to let them get away with it. being allowed to trade and profit in our country is a privilege, and i don't see why when that privilege is so blatantly abused, and profit is being made from sexual exploitation that we said stand idly by simply because tackling it is difficult. he said he was looking

to the government to enhance the law, and take action against craigslist for what he called its intransigence. well the minister said he would be engaging with the senior leadership and craigslist. i will personally engage with craigslist and discuss this directly with the home secretary about what pressure we can apply from the governments with the leadership of their organisation to engage with this issue, and raise it up to this point they have absolutely failed to do and which i would suggest carries quite significant reputational damage. he said that in general, the government's approach was the challenge and that gradually lift the big stick of regulation. now the environment secretary has said he would worry about the impact of the bridge and's food exports and imports if the uk left the european union without a deal. —— brittain's exports and imports. mps on the environment committee remains concerned at the potential impact of no deal given the opposition across the province

due to teresa may‘s plan. due to theresa may's plan. regarding brexit plans, was giving around. i worked into the night. the only thing that is an issue is if we believe that a deal, then there will be things that we can do to mitigate the impacts, and there are things to do, but the thing that worries me most is what the impact would be on in particular food exporters. mr gove appeared after the committee warning in the event

of no deal. if we are to prioritise the food imports in the eu without checks, how long it may imports be allowed to pass through without checks? i think potentially for a period of months. months? how many months? we are advising what our approach would be for dealing with the import of goods. we have reassurance from the european union through for example that we meet the requirements currently that we request are imposed on imports, and we will update our assumptions and use it as a cross government level to the shared. level to be shared. are you sure that it will be reciprocated ? that is the 64,000 euros question that i am relatively confident the many ports will collaborate very

constructively with uk in order to ensure the free flow of goods but the particular challenge is on the narrow straits and dover county. there is no guarantee at the moment? there is no guarantee, and i will say two things. the eu published its own agreement saying in the event of no deal they would move quickly to thirf country status to the uk product origins passing through callais which according to eu rules as they stand at the moment require to go through a border inspection post was that there is no border expression post there now, that is a decision for the french if they want to implement an inspection. that lack of chemicals

needed to purify water, was this just the story in the press, or was it true? i think it was a case of chinese whispers. it is the case that the water industry is reliant on the eu. they come through dover come up and it is the case that we have talked to the water companies and i will be talking to the regulator, so it's one of those issues if we leave without a deal that we need to take appropriate steps to mitigate. we are taking those steps, so it should be the case that our water will be,

in fact it will be the case, that our water will be safe. michael gove. finally, regular viewers will remember there was a tribute to lord fowler to his former mp who has died at the age of 96. in the charismatic peer and famously flicked a v sign when he made a comment about getting older. theresa mayjeremy corbyn paid tribute to her. from her time through to her time in government and public service, she led an extraordinary life and she will be missed. we thank her for her service to this country throughout her life, also remember her as a great code breaker, and a very demonstrative member in the house of lords. they were warm words for political

activist harry leslei smith who died at the age of 95. it is later years, he campaigned against austerity, and had more than 250,000 followers on twitter. harry also served in the war. he was a great campaigner for the rights of refugees and for welfare states and he was passionate about the principle of health care for all as a human right. we think harry for his life and his work. in the meantime, you can follow me on twitter, but from now for me goodbye. the atlantic is set to prove

relentless. 0n the atlantic is set to prove relentless. on wednesday, the cloud that marks out that area. this is what is waiting for thursday. if anything deeper low. plenty of heavy rain around. hopefully the system will move through quickly. strong winds are likely to cause disruption. bbc local radio great place to get the detail where you. many areas in double figures but a covering of cloud, heavy rain and the winds strong across the board. the gusts will be critical in terms of causing problems if we look at the morning rush—hour. you can see it widely see gus 55 miles per hour

and ina it widely see gus 55 miles per hour and in a few spots even higher. —— gusts. the rain pushing north pretty quickly through the morning. much of england and wales seeing improved conditions by lunchtime. some showers following in from the west through the afternoon. temperatures, 13-14 through the afternoon. temperatures, 13— 14 degrees, at definitely on the mild side. as we move through thursday evening, breezy enough to keep us on the mild side but a change in the friday with low pressure pouring from the north—westerly direction. it basically means it will feel a little cooler on friday but overall, at quite a day. still breezy, still

some showers by the many areas, it could turn out to be a dry day with some sunshine. the weekend proving a bit of a headache. bp set to roll in on saturday and sunday. the two days could prove decent if they roll through overnight but the details area bit through overnight but the details are a bit elusive at the moment. welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is mike embley. our top stories: as prince mohamed bin salman arrives at the g20 summit, the us senate votes to take forward plans to end american military support for the saudi—led war in yemen. the bank of england warns that the uk could face a deep recession and a collapse in the pound if there's a no—deal brexit. fleeing the land of fire and flood. thousands evacuate their homes in the australian state of queensland as warning levels are raised to catastrophic for the first time. and the gadgets of the past finding new life in the african nation of togo,

but the transformation comes with a risk. senators in the us have strongly criticised the absence