cheer up because we everybody should cheer up because we are about to hear from the father of the house. whether that should cheer people up i have no idea! i sincerely congratulate my right honourable friend on his masterly exposition of the facts and the law which put paid to quite a lot of the paranoia and conspiracy theories that had been running around all too often in our european debates. and secondly, does he accept that it was central to the good friday agreement, the belfast agreement, that both sides committed themselves timelessly to an open border? that is all wrapped up if we ever move to the northern ireland protocol. it would be quite shameful if either the european union or the republic of ireland, or the the european union or the republic of ireland, orthe united kingdom was given the right unilaterally to terminate that at a time of its political choosing. it is perfectly

sensible. would he also agreed that both the united kingdom and european union will have reasons to hesitate before going into protocol? they may prefer to extend the transition agreement, and neither of the parties will have any political motive for staying in indefinitely in that protocol. in his exposition he was getting rid of all these areas about the ec] still being involved, has obviously got to be in the rights of british citizens when we leave, enable the house to get back to the real political debate that we have got to have in the next few days. the political debate we have got to have in the next few days.” the political debate we have got to have in the next few days. i am most grateful for his question. the truth of the matter is that this northern ireland protocol would represent a solemn commitment to the people of northern ireland is that this government will honour and respect

the belfast agreement. i make no bones about it, i would have preferred to have seen a unilateral light of termination. i would've preferred have seen a clause that would have allowed us to exit if negotiations have broken down. i am prepared to lend his support to this agreement because i do not believe, do not believe... lam most i am most grateful for those cheers. ido i am most grateful for those cheers. i do not believe we are likely to be entrapped in a —— in it prominently. ican give entrapped in a —— in it prominently. i can give reasons for that but the right honourable gentleman has foreshadowed so i doing the with the right honourable gentleman, this

represents a sensible compromise, it has an attractive elements, u nsatisfa ctory has an attractive elements, unsatisfactory elements for us, but the question for the house is to weigh it up against the potential alternatives and assess whether that amounts to a calculated risk this government and this house should ta ke government and this house should take in the circumstances, weighed up take in the circumstances, weighed up against the realities of the alternatives. mr speaker, the motion passed by this house on the 13th of november ordered the production of any legal advice in fool, including that provided by the attorney general and the two particular focus on the northern ireland back scott, not the commentary but the legal advice in full. the house did not provide, the government essentially conceded these were exceptional circumstances

and normal convention will not apply. the attorney general and i are both signior lawyers in our own jurisdiction so i'm sure he will not wa nt jurisdiction so i'm sure he will not want to insult my intelligence or that of the house by pretending this, and paper reflects in any way the nuanced advice he will have given to the cabinet focused on particular questions such as those we saw leaked over at the weekend. for example, he has just we saw leaked over at the weekend. for example, he hasjust said he does not, it is not his belief that we will be trapped in the backstop permanently but this house, who have to take the final decision, is not interested in his belief, it is interested in his belief, it is interested in his legal opinion. can he come from for me i am right in saying there is nothing, as a matter of law, which will not prevent the backstop from becoming the permanent uk-eu backstop from becoming the permanent uk — eu relationship in the event neither side can agree a future

economic relationship. that is the matter of law, and also, will he acknowledge this, he is a democrat, the government are democrats, they have gone on incessantly about the will of the people for the past two years and professed to believe in parliamentary sovereignty. we, sitting in this house, i'll representatives of the people, we voted to see his advice, not as commentary, his advice in full. will he give an undertaking he will produce advice, we sort of nuggets that were leaked over the weekend, but in full before the rise of the house today and before the debates tomorrow or is he prepared to run the risk of being found in contempt of parliament, merely to protect the conservative and unionist party against further internal strife? i have the greatest of respect to the honourable member. she has put her case rationally and reasonably.

let me deal with, if i can, one by one. first, she asks me is that anything to prevent it becoming permanent in the event of no agreement? as a matter of law, no. the fact that the matter is it would endure indefinitely, pending a future agreement is being arranged. however, that does not exhaust all the matters of law. as a matter of european union law, it would in no circumstances be highly vulnerable to legal challenge. it is widely accepted, including by the eu commission and task force 50 article 50 is not a sound legalfoundation for permanent arrangements. if negotiations irretrievably broken down it would de facto become permanent and it would therefore fall to be seriously challengeable in the court ofjustice of the

european union for being invalid. that legal certainty by itself is sufficient to promote the european union to do a deal with us. legal uncertainty of that type is profoundly detrimental to thousands, indeed, millions of traders throughout the single market. that is one factor that convinces me that this risk is a risk worth taking. mr speaker, this risk is a risk worth taking. mrspeaker, cani this risk is a risk worth taking. mr speaker, can i start by welcoming without reservation my right honourable lung — — without reservation my right honourable lung —— and learned friend, he knows i have for many years believe it is a post he should have failed. can i say in welcoming his statement can i simply say i reference on page six. —— a post he should have field. to what is defined as good faith and he references the international court ofjustice and

references the international court of justice and if references the international court ofjustice and if i quickly quote this he talks about how long this should be at its sales, the failure of parties to reach an agreement 16 years after the conclusion of negotiations does not in itself establish either party has breached its obligations to negotiate good faith. he will know his right honourable friend on the front bench have used good faith as their defence for being locked into this whole problem of the backstop and how we will thus get out. as he therefore agree and will he answer in this sense, is it a good faith that required for best endeavours as a matter of law or not? the duty of good faith and the duty to use best endeavours is a legally enforcea ble to use best endeavours is a legally enforceable duty but there is no doubt it is difficult to prove, as i hear from

doubt it is difficult to prove, as i hearfrom a doubt it is difficult to prove, as i hear from a sedentary position. that's not to say it has not been proven and the case reports of the international court ofjustice, as well as drug mules throughout the world, have recorded decisions —— cases throughout the world have recorded breaches of good faith duties. they would need to be clear and convincing evidence the breakdown was due to bad faith. but if the european union refused to engage with us or strung out negotiations any thoroughly unreasonable way or failed to observe reasonable time limits, all of those matters woods the hallmarks of those matters woods the hallmarks ofa of those matters woods the hallmarks of a possible breach of good faith. it isa of a possible breach of good faith. it is a meaningful legal obligation and may i remind the house this, we are dealing here with the united kingdom on one hand and the european union on the other. their reputations in international forums,

their reputations as a question of international law are at stake. if you put your name to the solomon legal obligation to negotiate something in good faith by a certain time limit then it is a very serious obligation for you to acquit yourself. it cannot be played fast and loose with. i have the utmost and loose with. i have the utmost and the respect for the honourable gentleman in terms of his approach to these issues are and our discussions but can i say it is deeply unsatisfactory, as he said, the whole business was deeply unsatisfactory, which makes me wonder why he's recommending it. it seems to me a situation where we rely on our learned friends to take cases in international court trials rather than sovereign parliament

deciding when to get out of his arrangements. can the attorney general confirm that this is an indefinite arrangements and it can be permanent, despite what some of his cabinet colleagues are saying, in law it can be permanent and with the confirm, i do not have time to go into all of this because as other members have said we need to see the actual legal advice as requested by this house, but must happen, can he confirm under article 15 of the northern ireland protocol the northern ireland protocol the northern ireland protocol the northern ireland customs arrangements mean that there will be northern ireland will form part of the eu customs territory and not of the eu customs territory and not of the uk's customs territory and woods he confirm under article four of the protocol that is a new right under international law, one not in the 1998 agreement for the eu to oversee certain aspects of the

implementation of the belfast agreement? i will follow those points further up with him in discussions but overall context is a deeply unattractive, and satisfactory presentation and he needs to therefore, rather than recommend this agreement, recommend it be rejected. nigel dodds of the dup. you are watching the bbc news at five. the attorney general geoffrey cox taking questions after making a statement to the house outlining a summary, i reiterate, is somebody, not full disclosure of his legal adviser to prime minister concerning her brexit deal. let's get the latest on all of this with our correspondent at westminster. the attorney general saying he does not particularly like the fact the northern ireland backstop is in this deal, he would prefer there was a unilateral term of except, but he believes, given

all the risks, weighing things up, this was the best of a bad lot. that's exactly right, clive. stressing the fact this withdrawal deal is a compromise. he said the report ‘s those high emotion and calls for was and forbearance. —— divorce brings high emotion. it was pretty political feeds are enhanced by geoffrey cox's booming baritone, but he was asked whether or not the irish protocol that could take them if there is no agreement reached that would guarantee a softer border in ireland would be temporary and whether the uk could pull out unilaterally and this is what geoffrey cox said. let me make no bones about the northern ireland protocol, it will subsist, we are indefinitely committed to it, if it

came into force. there is no point in my trying of the government trying to disguise that fact, the truth, however, is what is the political imperative of either entering it or not entering it and thatis entering it or not entering it and that is ejaculated equation of risk that is ejaculated equation of risk that each member of this house —— that each member of this house —— thatis that each member of this house —— that is a calculated equation of risk that each member will have to weigh up. labour and other opposition parties are urging the government to publish in full the legal advice underpinning this withdrawal agreement. this document that has been produced is in the attorney general's own words, a legal commentary and produced with his oversight and approval. it is not the final legal advice to cabinet. i should also say, frankly, the longer and more

details explain that was produced alongside the withdrawal agreement than this document. isn't the reality of this situation the government does not want mps to see the full legal advice for fear of the full legal advice for fear of the political consequences? the argument continues now, itching to get back in is the tory mp bernard jenkin. what you heard so far, has the legal summary that the attorney general providing giving you reassuring is about the backstop? yes and no. yes, he has givena far backstop? yes and no. yes, he has given a far more candid account of the legal situation we will be faced with if we are in the withdrawal agreement and backstop. i really do commend him for that. agreement and backstop. i really do commend him forthat. no agreement and backstop. i really do commend him for that. no because what he has confirmed is we could be stuck in the backstop indefinitely. he has been very straightforward

about that and says it's not a legal question, it is political. what a terrible position for the uk to be m, terrible position for the uk to be in, that we cannot get out of the arrangements the prime minister is recommending bikers are voting in parliament to leave those arrangements. we would have to go to international court and plead our case and we might lose. that seems to be an unacceptable position for the uk to be in. we have a unilateral right to leave the eu to article 50 but we do not have, and he was very explicit, we don't have a unilateral right to leave the northern ireland backstop. kenneth clarke asked the attorney general and put the pot to him surely the whole point of a backstop visit cannot be contaminated unilaterally, there has to be an agreement between both parties as to when the right moment to move beyond it, it is about peace on the island of ireland.

nobody wants a hard border in northern ireland and the prime minister was unable to explain on monday about who would put up the infrastructure. the british government will not, the irish government will not, the irish government will not, well the eu force the irish government to do it? ido force the irish government to do it? i do not think so. this whole issue about the potential for a hard border has been concocted in order to put the uk into a weak negotiating position. we have explained to the commission and the british government why it is quite possible to have a customs frontier between northern ireland and the republic of ireland by doing checks away from the border like they do for vat, like they do for duty, that would be how to resolve this. yet the dj —— would be how to resolve this. yet the dj -- uk would be how to resolve this. yet the dj —— uk and the eu to accept these technological solutions are not in position now. that is wrong because the and procedures that have been recommended by customs experts have

not invented anything new, they happen through the mont blanc tunnel, between switzerland and france, across other frontiers where they have just in time supply chains. this is what the prime minister felt obliged in the political back relation to include reference to these techniques and procedures to have invisible frontiers. geoffrey cox said divorce can be ugly but he thinks this allows separation to occur peacefully and orderly fashion. you and other brexiteers refuse to compromise at all which is why there is a risk of the deal being voted down and a disorder that exit. when you say refuse to compromise, we never wanted this implementation period as it is framed, we accept that. we never thought it was necessary for us

that. we never thought it was necessary for us to pay £39 billion, we decided to accept that. we decided to compromise on many things but tojoin an decided to compromise on many things but to join an agreement which we cannot leave unilaterally, we cannot choose when to leave, that is giving up choose when to leave, that is giving up power, not taking back control and we cannot have that. thanks you. heading back into the chamber because the attorney general in what is a rather dramatic afternoon. —— to quiz the attorney general. dr catherine haddon is a consitutional expert and senior fellow at the institute for government. she is here with me now. to begin with we will discuss the attorney general's advice and the suggestion he is under no obligation, as labour and others would have wanted, for him to release the full advice he gave to the prime minister relating to her

brexit deal. is that an obligation that holds water? the obligation not to release, constitutionally, it is part of the advice the government gets on the range of issues on all sorts of different issues so parliament are trying to set a new president, we sought with the iraq war the battle over what the attorney general's advice had been in the run—up to that so those previous ground in this apartment, they are trying to assert their right to get information about brexit. but it is not an absolute privilege and on november the 13th a private motion was put forward which required the government as a result of parliament voting for this to give full details concerning the brexit deal and that would require the prime minister giving the full details of the advice she was given on this deal. some argue in not

doing this she is in contempt of parliament. which is why it is such an important battle between the two of them. in the week it is similar to what happened with david davis when there was an attempt to get the impact assessments out that the government had supposedly been preparing on different options but parliament tried to set down they needed these and when it turned out they did not seem and when it turned out they did not seem to be worth as much as parliament had been thinking. you have a very assertive parliaments because it is a minority government so because it is a minority government so they have the votes to try and force the government to bring this information out. does it feel to you as if that is what this is about, a political gambit being played by the labour party of the snp and so on because they see a weak government and see an opportunity to bash theresa may over the head, as it were? they are trying to get the

information out because they have a feeling about what's in it. issues about what the backstop means and the legal agreement. there is an important reason why parliament focusing on this, they have not seen the act that will put this deal into practice, the withdrawal act which will follow the meaningful vote will be how we are legally going about this parliament is yet to see that so this parliament is yet to see that so it is trying to get as much detail as possible. to be clear, there are exceptional circumstances in which an attorney general can release the full advice, as long as the prime minister agrees, release the full details. there is nothing preventing them releasing its except that they have chosen not to and are sticking to this line thus far. we will see whether this continues and parliament manages to force them to release the whole thing. one wonders what more of an

exceptional circumstance you could have banned the uk changing its relationship with its biggest trading partner —— van in the uk changing its relationship. those who say it should not be released would argue the other way and that it is such a crucial piece of information that the government needs to have all of the facts as honest as possible, no matter the circumstances. the same reason governments have been reluctant to release what of the crucial policy advice on any number of issues. the totemic issue for parliament is it is such a crucial vote is an important aspect of it, what does the agreement actually mean? thank you forjoining us. we will bring you more from that

debate in the commons in the next half an hour. sir david attenborough has described climate change as humanity's greatest threat in thousands of years. the naturalist and broadcaster said it could lead to the collapse of civilisations and the extinction of "much of the natural world". he was speaking at the opening ceremony of the united nations—sponsored climate talks in poland. the meeting is seen as the most critical on climate change since the 2015 paris agreement and is being attended by around a0 heads of state and government. our environment correspondent matt mcgrath is at the summit in katowice in the south of the country and sent this report. all across the world, the disastrous impact of a changing climate can be clearly seen, say scientists. from fires, to floods, to droughts and deadly storms, the fingerprints of humanity's use of fossil fuels continues to emerge. against this worrying background, the celebrated broadcaster sir david attenborough came to tell un negotiators the harsh truth about the threat posed by climate change to humans and animals alike. right now, we are facing a man—made disaster of global scale.

our greatest threat in thousands of years. climate change. if we don't take action, the collapse of our civilisations and the extinction of much of the natural world is on the horizon. leaders of the world, you must lead. the continuation of our civilisations and the natural world upon which we depend is in your hands. sir david is not the only one raising his voice. in demonstrations around the world, young people have made it clear that this meeting must deliver significant action on cutting emissions. some of the negotiators here agree that the issue is one of life and death.

the most important, critical, one of the key messages coming out of the ipcc is that the world needs to act. we literally have 12 years, and we need massive investment on financial flows. if we don't have that financial flows, we are doomed. but one of the big hurdles to progress on rising emissions is the dependence of many nations on coal. many delegates believe that to avoid deadly climate change, coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel, has no role in the future. but the polish government disagrees vehemently. they say it is a key part of the economy in this part of poland and it is literally under ourfeet here at this conference. the pressure on the negotiators here has perhaps never been greater. but scientists believe that, equally, the threat to our fragile planet has never been more intense. after addressing the united nations in poland, sir david attenborough told our science editor david shukman what it was like. well, of course, daunting.

and a great privilege, really, and, i suppose, a responsibility. i mean, you're supposed to be representing people who are badly hit by what's happening to the climate right now, who are at the forefront. i mean, contributing in that little montage we had are people whose houses have been wrecked, whose homes are gone. know, and i have a responsibility simply by the fact that all these voices are gathered together in this extraordinary 21st—century way of presenting the views of people who hither to have not been represented. and all over the world there are people who are suffering as a consequence, whose voices haven't been heard. at least, they believe they've not been heard. and this is one we in which you can perhaps allow that to happen.

because up until now progress in negotiations has been incredibly slow, is there anything you might have said that could change that, do you think? i don't know. my feeling is... there was a sense of urgency this morning, i thought, in the assembly. i'm not an experienced, i've been to one before, that's all, which was the paris agreement. but there was a real sense of impending disaster and needing to take action right now and the fact that the world bank announced here that they were doubling the amount of money currently available for this particular problem was a real statement. i mean, i thought it was something that should make us gulp and say, yes, well, people are taking notice of what's happening. not before time, but they are. there is a branch of the environmental movement that thinks everything is going way too slowly, extinction rebellion. they closed bridges in london.

are you sympathetic or are you critical of what effectively amounts to civil disobedience? people need to make their feelings heard. and what we're doing in this particular programme was having a mechanism whereby they can accurately express their feelings on the internet. and register what they feel. and certainly, why not? because the first thing they've got to be aware of, and they are aware of, is what we are doing to the world, and they need to be able to say something about it. and politicians need to take notice. david attenborough speaking at the climate change conference in poland which takes us neatly onto the weather. chris is here with a rather alarming picture behind you. it isa

alarming picture behind you. it is a triple rainbow, clive. these things are very rare, according to someone on things are very rare, according to someone on the internet these had not been photographed before 2011 so they are very rare. looking at the overnight weather, continue feeding in showers across the north and west, elsewhere the cloud clears and temperatures falling with the weights breast and sharp frost developing. some icy stretches, and perhaps some icy patches into the north of wales, scotland and north west england as well. cold start on tuesday, and tuesday will be the coolest day of the week. plenty of sunshine after a frosty start, becoming cloudy through the day to england and wales and cooler than today, highs of five celsius but more mile in the far south—west. this is bbc news.

the headlines: attorney general geoffrey cox defends the government's decision as mp5 across the house call for the full details to be released. time is against us — the warning from naturalist sir david attenborough — as critical un climate talks begin in poland. a man who admitted killing 28—year—old midwife samantha eastwood is sentenced to a minimum of 17 years in prison. time for all the sports news. and in sport a fiery day in the premier league yesterday

has led to a busy day at the fa today. they've charged arsenal and tottenham with failing to control their players during the north london derby. arsenal won the match 4—2. jurgen klopp has also been charged with misconduct for this celbration on the pitch following their liverpool's injury time winner against everton in the merseysdie derby and southampton have sacked mark hughes the fa have asked for information on alleged homophobic abuse by travelling fans at the johnson stadium on friday. and southampton have sacked mark hughes after eight months in charge. the club lie one point off the bottom of the table in the relegation zone. they have only won one of their last

14 they have only won one of their last 11! games last season. kelvin davis will take charge for the trip to totte n ha m will take charge for the trip to tottenham on wednesday. saints say that the search for a new manager to ta ke that the search for a new manager to take the club forward is already under way and it is this man here who was strongly believed to be the frontrunner to take over. the austrian had a really successful speu austrian had a really successful speuin austrian had a really successful spell in charge of a leipzig team before leaving them in the summer. england will face netherlands in the semifinal of the nation ‘s league nextjune. semifinal of the nation ‘s league next june. poland, who semifinal of the nation ‘s league nextjune. poland, who are hosting the mini tournament, will face switzerland. they are the four teams who finished top of their groups. england came out on top against croatia and spain with gareth southgate has been won over. he said the quality has been exceptional and it is another exciting game to look forward to. uefa have confirmed that england will stage the 2021women's

european championship. they were the only nation that had bid to host the tournament and 16 teams will take part, with group matches played at eight venues across the country. wembley will be used for the final. the fa chief executive martin glenn says it will allow them to amplify what he describes as a significant commitment to growing the game, and here is one of the england team's ta ke here is one of the england team's take on it. when we heard the news that we had gone in for the bid, i think it was a massive statement from the fa, saying we want to take football in this country to the next level for women and i think itjust showed their intentions with putting the bid in and really backing it and going behind it and really following through with the plan and when we got hold that they were bidding for it, we thought it was great but we will see, and now i think everyone is really excited and obviously can't wait to get in front of the home fans. it has shown with the netherlands, having the home fans

behind them, and hopefully it can also work for us. ronnie o'sullivan is true to the final of the uk snooker championship. he is the defending champion. sullivan is never too far away from controversy and has made more headlines for suggesting that he wants to start a breakaway champions league style snooker port because of the number of events and the amount of travelling on the current schedule. exudes the people but was only because they get on for 910 days and they look forward for the next one but if you look at someone like mark selby, then obviously they are going deep into tournaments so it really doesn't suit them and at some point they will crash and burn and it is notjust one trip they will crash and burn and it is not just one trip to china, they will crash and burn and it is notjust one trip to china, it is five or six different trips and that can be one week you are in china and then in coventry and then you are backin then in coventry and then you are back in china and eventually that does catch up on you and you end up with people like agents who are burnt out. i'll be back with more on those stories later.

let's return to our top story and the attorney general, geoffrey cox, has confirmed to mp5 that neither the uk nor eu would be able to unilaterally end the northern irish backstop arrangement, if it came into force. mr cox has been setting out a summary of the legal advice he gave the government on the brexit deal. he told the commons that the government is committed to the backstop arrangement, but does not believe that it will be trapped permanently in a eu customs union. let me make no bones about the northern ireland protocol. it will subsist. we are in definitely committed to it if it came into force. there is no point in my trying or the government trying to disguise that fact. the truth, however, is what is the political imperative of either entering it or not entering it, and that is a of risk and each member of this house

is going to have to weigh that up. our political correspondent ben wright is in westminster. assu ra nces assurances there but you think people who haven't already made up their minds about the northern ireland backstop may be convinced by what he had to say? i think this is a little bit of a red harring, this whole argument because edinburgh brexiteers who hate the backstop, they hated because they can read it in all of its glory and nitty—gritty detail in the withdrawal agreement has its fans and also they are learning very much more from the attorney general now although he is confirming what they have always said which is that there is no unilateral escape mechanism from it and that is one of the things they hate about it. the political argument rumbling alongside this how candid the government is being and whether or not they should publish the full legal advice rather than relying on this summery statement from the attorney general. with me now is owen smith, the labour mp. now, some scenes in there i thought. a very charge atmosphere, wasn't it?

yes, the attorney general was clearly enjoying himself as he hasn't ever before, but to really important things. one, i think it is a serious breach of the protocols of the house of commons that the man who is responsible for keeping the government honest, making sure they observe the law, is effectively flouting the law and the will of the house of commons to publish the full legal advice and he is refusing to do that. that is because you party commons resolution last month saying that you wanted to see the full legal advice. yes, the speaker confirmed that that was a matter of opinion from the house and it was how is telling the government and binding the government to bridges that advice, and they have refused to do that. but it would be unprecedented. the legal advice wasn't published and there is no example you can draw on of one full legal advice given in confidence by the top government lawyer has been made public. i don't think that is right and several members have cited four or five examples. in living memory? in the depths of time, however as the attorney general

himself said, these are exceptional circumstances and in exceptional circumstances and in exceptional circumstances such as these are, i think the right thing to do would be to publish the advice. we went wrong then and he should have got it right ina then and he should have got it right in a published its bike in terms of the mechanics of the way that the backstop will work and you are dead set on opposing the deal that has been reached, but do you think the backs of his unavoidable as part of a withdrawal treaty that the government would have two side with the eu and doesn't make sense that this needs to in the end be negotiated politically as to what party chooses to leave or not? the important thing is the substance that the attorney general confirmed today that the brexiteers fears are absolutely well—placed. this backstop will apply in definitely u nless backstop will apply in definitely unless a trade agreement is agreed between the european union and the uk, the way in which the last two yea rs has uk, the way in which the last two years has gone doesn't give anyone any cause to be confident that that will be achieved, but it is right that any government will have to include a backstop of some sort in order to secure an open border

between north and south islands and in order to make sure that they honour the good friday agreement. what is not being adequately considered by the government are the risks to the politics of the good friday agreement if we ever fall into the backstop because we have seen into the backstop because we have seen the way in which the unionist community, the dup in this place, the unionists more broadly in northern ireland, see the backstop as anathema. what would that do to the politics, the finely balanced politics of northern ireland? that is the money to be properly considered. one click related issue if this deal is voted down in the commons on the 11th of december, it isa commons on the 11th of december, it is a one's guess what happens then. you want another referendum, don't you? do you think that the labour leadership at that point will swing behind? i hope so. i have campaigned for another referendum for the last two and a half years and that is because i believe that politically and economically, brexit is bad for our country and the only way in which we can legitimately stop it is through the people changing their mind and getting a second referendum. jeremy corbyn seems to be coming round to my way of thinking on that. john mcdonnell

certainly has. i hope the labour party will swing full swing behind it. owen smith, thank you very much indeed. geoffrey cox still on his feet, booming away and house of commons chamber, for now. back to you. yes, he has got a powerful voice. thanks for that. a man has beenjailed for at least 16 years for murdering the midwife, samantha eastwood. michael stirling, who had been in a relationship with her, had already admitted killing the 28—year—old from stoke—on—trent. her body was found in a shallow grave near caverswall in staffordshire, eight days after she went missing. jo black reports why are we jumping out of an aeroplane today? to raise money for two charities, one is called for louis and the other one is for children's hospice where we live called donna louise. samantha eastwood, living her life to the full. she was a much—loved daughter, sister and friend to many. the 28—year—old was a midwife, a career she had set her sights on since she was 12. but after a night shift at the royal stoke university hospital, she vanished.

her colleagues never saw her again. she was murdered — suffocated during an argument by this man, michael stirling, a man she was in a relationship with. he was married, a family man, and also the brother—in—law of herformerfiance. it was here at this isolated spot were samantha eastwood's body was discovered. she was buried in a shallow grave, wrapped in a duvet with tape around her eyes and face. cctv captured the landscape gardener driving around in his van. he was panicking, looking for somewhere to dispose of her body. as searches for samantha began, stirling helped with those efforts and even offered comfort to her distraught family. he also secretly used her mobile phone to send messages to them, suggesting she needed some time alone. to go to those levels of deceit to the family, it's just unthinkable really, and i liken his actions to that of ian huntley, who was the ever—helpful person in the initial enquiries of the police and family. and i can't begin to say how enraged

gemma, samantha's sister, is in terms of the effect of that hug, that it has had on gemma, it's huge. because it's one thing killing somebody but then to go and sympathise with the family and lay false alibis out to falsely suggest she's still alive is just horrendous. once arrested, stirling gave little away, but when he got to court he pleaded guilty to murder. we all wanted to find her alive and we didn't. to have somebody who delivers so much life into this world, through being a midwife, to have her life taken so tragically is awful and i'd like us to finish on remembering her and not michael stirling. that was amazing, thank you. stirling said he was deeply sorry, not for himself but for all the others who are victims of his crime. those words will mean very little to samantha eastwood's family,

who are now facing their first christmas without her. jo black, bbc news. the number of working people in poverty has reached the highest on record. that's according to a new report by thejoseph rowntree foundation — a think—tank which tackles poverty in the uk. four million workers in this country now live in poverty. that figure has risen by more than 500,000 in the past five years — and now equates to 12% of the total working population. but the government says there are one million less families living in absolute poverty since 2010. our home affairs correspondent, danny savage, reports from buxton in derbyshire. i open the curtains in the morning and hope for the best. sue prince constantly worries about money. every day, i check my bank. i need to know what's coming and going out of my account. she has three part—timejobs, but it still leaves her with precious little to live on after paying her overheads. my rent is £495 a month, plus there's other household bills as well. i'm still only left with about £80 a month. that goes to buy my food and top

up my gas and electrical. buxton's a bit out in the sticks, it and does get cold. on a tuesday, the day ends with a visit to an informal food bank... how important is getting this food to you each week? very. it is to me, anyway. ..where sue collects a few days' worth of supplies. i was embarrassed at first, quite embarrassed. but now... i don't know, it's become a way of life for me. and i know i need it. i wouldn't do it if i didn't need it. for £1.50 a visit... food which is donated, damaged or nearly out of date is handed out. they can't afford to buy it, so need this. they then return to their homes on this estate in rural derbyshire, just a handful of the 4 million people in the uk who it's claimed are in work, but living below the poverty line. keeping the rent going, keeping a roof over your head, is often a really high priority.

we also then find that they're trying to pay the water bill, the electricity, the heating and council tax, so a lot of people will be rotating between those different bills and each week working out, "which one don't i pay?" the government, though, says far fewer people are living in poverty and household incomes have never been higher. sue is getting a little more money now that she's moved on to universal credit, but is still reliant on food hand—outs and doesn't see that changing. danny savage, bbc news, buxton. figures compiled by the bbc suggest that 20,000 jobs have been lost in the retail sector this year. a similar number of people are also threatened with redundancy. rising costs, sluggish sales, and online competition are just some of the factors blamed for the demise of names such as maplin, toys r us and poundworld. our business correspondent, theo leggett, has more. john brailsford has worked in retail all his life.

he's been made redundant five times. watch that rug. most recently earlier this year by carpet right, which has closed a swathe of its stores. he's since found anotherjob and he says others should be encouraged by his example. if you are made redundant, don't panic, just take a step back. find the company you want to work for, there's plenty ofjobs out there. if you have to take a lower position, take one. if i can do it, anybody can do it. john is one of thousands of retail workers who've been affected by a chill wind blowing down the high street. household names like toys ‘r' us and bhs have disappeared. while other chains such as debenhams and house of fraser say they will close stores. the retail sector is a major employer in this country. it still accounts for 2.8 millionjobs. but the industry is changing. last month, 18% of all transactions are carried out online. ten years ago, it was just 5%. the growing popularity of online shopping is undoubtedly one

reason why traditional stores are struggling. bbc research suggests 20,000 retail jobs have gone so far this year and another 20,000 could be at risk. we have been calling for some time now for a strategy from the politicians and employers and communities to look at in more detail what we can do to firstly secure the high street, look at the change and habits taking place in retail in general. but also get this message across that retail is a real job, it's a properjob. many of those who lose theirjobs leave the retail sector altogether. but recruiters say most of them will have skills that can be used just as effectively elsewhere. there's so much opportunity for people to change careers, do lots of different things and really take those transferable skills with them into other sectors and to you know, have other careers. but equally, for people that love retail, there's still some fantastic opportunities still in retail.

the government insists it is acting to support the high street, setting aside money to improve town centres and offering discounts on business rates for small retailers. but analysts say changes within the industry mean furtherjob cuts are inevitable and many more people will have little choice but to look for work in other parts of the economy. theo leggett, bbc news. you can see more of this bit later. a senior mp has called on the government to ban a new extreme right—wing organisation — after an undercover bbc wales investigation revealed its online recruitment tactics, which urges followers to spread hate in communities. police believe the group, the system resistance network, operates largely underground, grooming and recruiting young people for what it calls a "white revolution." wyre davies reports. the small mid—wales village which, unbeknown to locals, was harbouring a hardened neo—nazi. a far right extremist who also

happened to be a serving soldier in the british army. by the time police caught up with mikko vehvilainen, discovering a cache of weapons and extreme right—wing material, he was making plans to turn his new home here in llansilin into a haven for white supremacists. police uncovered secret online conversations between vehvilainen and other extreme far right supporters. in one he offered to let them use his home for meetings and said welsh villages like this one, with relatively cheap properties for sale, were ripe for turning into national socialist communities. vehvilainen was one of ten people convicted this year of continued membership of national action, a neo—nazi organisation considered so extreme it was proscribed two years ago. its two most prominent leaders were south wales—based ben raymond and alex davies. we've discovered both

continue to promote extreme right wing ideology. you're listening to radio aryan. davies has used this web radio station to promote an extreme organisation called system resistance network, or srn, which police believe was inspired by national action. it urges followers to take direct action, including spreading racist graffiti. so we went undercover to infiltrate this relatively new but extreme hate group. just wear black clothes, cover your face with a mask, don't look into any cameras. just stick up 20—odd posters. he's asked me to go out and commit acts of vandalism which incite racial hatred. srn is stepping up its racist activities. one senior mp says the group is so dangerous it should now be banned and platforms that promote it investigated. we need to have a much quicker process for looking at

the proscription of organisations. it is also about, i think, penalties for technology and internet companies that continue to host this content. ben raymond used radio aryan to urge support for convicted racists, those the station called pows. ben raymond refused requests for an interview and we were unable to put our concerns to alex davies. but the bbc now understands the government will soon announce new measures to combat online extremism. you can watch exposed: the hidden world of neo—nazi recruiters on bbc one wales at 8:30pm and it will be available on the iplayer across the uk later this evening. the amount of money councils spent on care for the elderly in england, scotland and wales has fallen in the last eight years, according to figures analysed by the bbc.

by far the biggest drop was in england, where the amount councils say they spent was cut by nearly a quarter. the government says the figures don't take into account the money the nhs in england puts into the care system. alison holt reports. would you like a cup of tea? no? what about a glass of bitter lemon? this is a day when 89—year—old dottie harman simply doesn't want to get out of bed. she has alzheimer's and needs constant care. it means her daughter sam has seen first—hand the pressure on the care system that today's analysis of spending reveals. mum was dancing in my garden to a song called happy. sam's videos and pictures show the contrast to how life used to be for dottie. but when the illness took hold and they needed help, it was hard to get. her mum spent nearly three months on a hospital ward before they found a bed in a local authority funded home. there's lots of expensive places for people to go,

but if you don't have £5,000 a month... well, between 4000 and £5,000 a month. then you have to wait for a local authority bed. it's crucial that as families we find somewhere that is spot—on. because it's really tough? yeah. the bbc‘s analysis shows reported council spending on care for each person aged 65 and over has fallen over the last eight years. in england last year, £747 was spent for each older person. 24% less than in 2010. in wales, more than £1200 is spent per head — 8% down. the most recent figures in scotland showed just over £1900 is spent per person, 7% down over seven years. here at age uk portsmouth, they said the fall in funding in england has meant the loss

of many early help services. i think in the long run it's costing us more, because people are reaching that crisis point which could possibly have been prevented. and then they perhaps need more support or help. the government says it has put more than £3.6 billion extra into the care system this year, but councils warn that doesn't solve the longer term problem. we need to find a sustainable way forward for social care. we're very grateful we've had additional funding this year, but it's on a short—term basis for this year and next year and it doesn't really address the overall sustainability of social care in the long term. plans for the future funding of care will, according to the government, be published soon. alison holt, bbc news, portsmouth. the former us first lady michelle obama was given a raptuous welcome as she revisited a london girls' school that she first went to in 2009. she told shoolgirls at the elizabeth

garrett anderson school in islington that she had been "moved, touched and inspired" by her meetings with london schoolgirls. michelle obama. cheering being first lady, it wasn't the easiestjob in the world, but i got strength from your hope in what i could do for you. so i will always be emotionally connected to these institutions and to these girls around the world, so thank you all for that. thanks for giving me that. michelle obama speaking in islington in north london. greeted by reagan,

but you have a rainbow behind you thatis but you have a rainbow behind you that is just gorgeous. notjust one, not just to, but three. that is just gorgeous. notjust one, notjust to, but three. it is a triple rainbow, very rare. i have never seen one triple rainbow, very rare. i have never seen one before. there is some information on the internet that says these hadn't been photographed before 2011. look at this. this is one, that is the other one, and then that the third one. i know that they are very rare. gordon spotted that one in gloucestershire. as far as this week's weather goes, it is going to be cloudy. brain returning from wednesday onwards and it will becoming critically windy towards the end of the week. the satellite picture tells the story for today pretty nicely with the cloud tending to ease away. outbreaks of rain easing away as well. still some showers showing up across northern and western areas that will continue as we go on through the night. inland, we are seeing the cloud already beginning to break up. the clearing skies, it is going to be a cold night with a fairly widespread frost and that is going to cause some problems. where we see those showers feeding in anna stembridge

is diving below freezing, there is the risk of icy patches, particularly for western scotland. some of these could even have some snow over the high ground in scotland. some of the other showers for northern ireland and running into the west of england could also bring some icy patches to watch out forfour bring some icy patches to watch out for four tuesday morning. tuesday, although starting off with a cold, should actually have some decent sunshine first thing. however, it will cloud over as the day goes by across much of england and wales and also northern ireland. scotland keeping the best of the sunshine but there will be some showers across northern and western areas. the cold est northern and western areas. the coldest day of this week. 5—7dc for most of us. perhaps nine for most of us. most of us. perhaps nine for most of us. perhaps 94 rwandan, something milder towards the south—west and we'll is not bricks of rain arriving later in the day. wet weather on wednesday. some of the dream turning to snow up over the higher parts of

the southern uplands of scotland. ultimately, south—westerly winds bringing milderairso ultimately, south—westerly winds bringing milder air so temperatures climbing. 10—12dc typically. much colder than that across the far north of scotland where we should keep some clear weather. towards the end of the week, low pressure is firmly in charge, but take a look at this one living in across the north of the uk. tightly packed house buyers and we are talking about the risk of severe gales. that brings with it the risk of some disruption, perhaps to power and perhaps to transport as well. keeping a close eye on that stormy weather towards the end of the week. a warning from sir david attenborough to world leaders — climate change is the greatest threat to humanity in thousands of years. as one of the world's foremost naturalists, he is invited to talk to the un about what lies ahead if we don't take action, the collapse of our civilisations, and the extinction of much of the natural world, is on the horizon. but with carbon dioxide emissions rising once more,

is there the political will globally to tackle it? also tonight... the government's top lawyer tells mps the prime minister's brexit deal contains a calculated risk but it's a sensible compromise. i was embarrassed at first, quite embarrassed, but now, i don't know, it's come as a way of life for me. how one in eight working people are now living in poverty, the highest number in 20 years.