have asked for i could not have asked for better lives. we are truly happy and truly at peace. as i looked over the waters of walker cup's point on that golden september afternoon, i was reminded ofa golden september afternoon, i was reminded of a line simple and fruit that speaks to the real nature of george bush and his love of his wonderful family —— simple and true ulster and their precious surroundings. there are wooden ships, there are sailing ships, there are ships that sail the sea. but the best ships are friendships and may they always be. you are watching coverage of the state funeral of the former us president, george bush. that was the former canadian prime minister brian baloney who will be succeeded now as

a speaker but before we hear from the former president george w bush, the former president george w bush, the son of president george bush senior, we will hear from the former senator for wyoming, allen simpson, who will make his way, a very old friend of the bush family. and following his words we will hear from the former president himself. he was very direct about it, it wasn't even funny. now i first met my dearfriend george bush in 1962. when my father was a member of the united states senate, just elected, and it came... being vacated by one senator, prescott bush. george's father. we met again when my parents left washington and sold their home,

toa left washington and sold their home, to a brand spanking new congressman from texas. so george and barbara, ma'am and park, did their sale on a handshake. sound familiar? then i came to the senate, 1978, and soon after that, ronald reagan cornered me and asked me to support him for president. i said me and asked me to support him for president. isaid i me and asked me to support him for president. i said i would, me and asked me to support him for president. isaid i would, not knowing that my friend george would enter the fray. hearing that, i called, and i said, george, iwant to tell you, i love to help, but i am already committed to ronald reagan. george's response? well, alan, i'm sorry about that. i probably should have let you know sooner. probably should have let you know sooner. and actually, a guy doesn't get many calls from a friend who says they can't support him. sound

familiar? of course it does. because in... during all the highs and lows, there was the simple credo, what would we do without family and friends? and when he became vice president, ourfriendship, aaron for enjoyable friendship was refreshed, and the four of us had many, many pleasa nt and the four of us had many, many pleasant times together. and my life in washington was rather tumultuous. i went from the ace issue list, to the —— to the a socialist, to the z, andi the —— to the a socialist, to the z, and i never came back to the a. george called me one morning, always early in the morning, country music playing in the background, and he

said, isee playing in the background, and he said, i see the media shooting you pretty full of holes. he actually said it more pungently than that, and he said why don't we go... we will have a weekend together. at that time, his popularity rating was 93%. mine was .93%. and so off we went, all gathered as we headed towards marine one, and george said, 110w towards marine one, and george said, now waived your pals over there in the media! and they didn't wave back. so next morning, he looks up from the papers, and says, here's the one i've been looking for. a picture of barbara and alan and george with his arm hand on my back, and later, we are having a sauna,

and later, we are having a sauna, and! and later, we are having a sauna, and i said, george, i and later, we are having a sauna, and i said, george, lam not... you are propping up your old wounded powell. while you are at the top of your game, you reach out to me, while i am tangled in controversy, and taking my lumps. and he said, yes! there were staff members who told me not to do this, but this is about friendship. and loyalty. sound familiar? well, we had an awful lot offun, familiar? well, we had an awful lot of fun, too. always a delight to be in the president's box at the kennedy centre, off play, theatre with the... i hope you know the

difference between a vase and a vase. 35 bucks. george said he thought it was etruscan. this blue glazed is from that period. a clay that can only be found during that era. and i said, no, george, i have the perception it was possibly older, perhaps georgian, because of that particular herbal paste before firing. people gathered round, mumbling about these expert observers, and barbara and dan finally came by —— and am finally came by and said, get out of here, both of you, get back in that box!

well, we did. it was impressive for a while, and then of course one night, the four of us went to see michael crawford, singing the songs of andrew lloyd webber. all full of us were of andrew lloyd webber. all full of us were singing as we went back to the white house. —— all four of us we re the white house. —— all four of us were singing. "don't cry for me argentina! in a fuse lit —— if you did it, he was getting hammered by the press for some extraordinarily petty trivia. and suddenly he calls out, "don't cry for me argentina." the press then richie was losing his marbles. these honoured guests right here before ours, who —— ben wrote he was losing his marbles. he was a class act.

birth to death. he held the strong sinews in mind and body, gained from that extraordinary mother. we compare our mothers as velvet hammers. of course, and certainly most awesome fathers. the history books will and are treating him most fairly. if while in covering some encouraging traits, his great competitive nature, his raw courage. . . but it required the critical ingredient called revenue.

translated into the word taxes. translated into the word taxes. translated into the words, "we'd my lips. " and the group went to george, and they said we can get this package done, and he said we must have some avenue. he said what i have said on that subjects show puts heat on me. they all said yes, but we can get it done, and it will be bipartisan, and george said," ok go for it, but it will be a real punch in the gut. " then it was brought back to the senate, and we won a very strong brought back to the senate, and we won a very strong bipartisan vote. and his own party turned on him. surely one of the main factors in his return to private life. but he

often said, when the relieved half choices come, it is the country not me. it is not about democrats or republicans, it is for our country that i fought for. and he was a man of such great humility, those who travelled the high rate of humility in washington, dc are not bothered by heavy traffic. laughter anti—a very serious flaw, —— laughter anti-a very serious flaw, -- and he had a very serious flaw, he loved a good joke, the richer the back cup —— be better, but he could never, ever —— be better, but he could never, ever remember a punch line. and i mean never. ever remember a punch line. and i mean never. so the punch line for george hw bush is best. you would have wa nted

george hw bush is best. you would have wanted him on your side. he never have wanted him on your side. he never lost his sense of humour. humour isa never lost his sense of humour. humour is a universal solvent against the abrasive elements of life. that's what humour is. he never life. that's what humour is. he never hated anyone. he knew what his mother and my mother always knew: hatred corrodes the container it is carried in. the most decent and honourable person i ever met was my friend, george bush, one of nature's noblemen. his epitaph perhapsjust the single letter l the loyalty. it calls through his blood, to his country calls through his blood, to his cou ntry loyalty to calls through his blood, to his country loyalty to his family, loyalty to his friends, loyalty to the institutions of government, and always, always a friend to his friends. none of us were ready for

this day. we mourn his loss from our own lives, and what he was to each of us. that is so personal, so intimate, so down inside, it would have been so much easier to celebrate his life with him here, but he is gone, it is irrevocably gone, and now we have lost our grip upon him, but we will always retain his memory in our hearts. god has come to take him back, we all knew that he would return to his god one day, and now we give him up. we commend him to your loving hands, thank you for him. god rest his soul. deeply personal, and indeed, at times a spellbinding tribute

there from the former senator for wyoming alan simpson, is beating at the state funeral fully former president of the united states, george hw bush, whose son there, president bush himself, the 43rd president will pay his own tribute injusta president will pay his own tribute injust a moment. that is president will pay his own tribute in just a moment. that is after this anthem, the full level of devotion. #in # in the long and honoured history of america...

#by of america... # by chance # by chance #or # by chance # or desperate circumstances... # the last full measure of devotion # the last full measure of devotion # that's what they gave to the cause

# that's what they gave to the cause # the last full measure of devotion # the last full measure of devotion # and though they cannot hear... # and though they cannot hear... # and though they cannot hear... # and keep alive their story # and keep alive their story # pay tribute to their lives # pay tribute to their lives # and give all the gloria! # and give all the gloria! # the last full measure of devotion # the last full measure of devotion # beyond the call of duty # beyond the call of duty # the last full measure of devotion # the last full measure of devotion # and they give their lives to serve the greater need #...

# the last full measure of devotion # the last full measure of devotion # come the call of duty # come the call of duty # the last full measure of devotion # the last full measure of devotion #he # the last full measure of devotion # he gave himself to serve the greater needs #.

the soloist there with that form of the anthem at this national state funeral. here we have the 43rd resident of the united states tapping the casket of the 41st president, paying tribute to his late father, president george hw bush. distinguished guests, including our president and first lady ‘s. government officials, foreign dignitaries and friends. we thank you all for being here. i once heard

it said of man that the idea is to die young, as late as possible. laughter at age 85, a favourite pastime of george hw bush was firing up his boat, the fidelity, and opening up the engine to fly, joyfully fly across the atlantic with the secret service boats straining to keep up. at age 90, george hw bush parachuted out of an aircraft and landed on the grounds in name. the church where his mum was married, and where he worshipped often. mother like to say he chose the location just in case the chute didn't open. laughter in his 905

laughter in his 90s he took great delight when his closest friend, james baker, smuggled a bottle of grey goose vodka into his hospital room. a p pa re ntly goose vodka into his hospital room. apparently it went well with the stea k apparently it went well with the steak that baker had delivered. at age he taught us how to grow with dignity, human kindness, and when the good lord finally called,... one reason he knew how to die young is because he nearly did it twice. once he was alone in the pacific on a life raft, praying that his rescuers would find him before the enemy did. god answered those

prayers. it turned out he had other plans for george hw bush. the dad's part, i think those brushes with death they tend cherished the gift of life, and he strive to live everyday to the fillers. he was or is busy, but never too busy. he taught us to love the outdoors, he loved watching dogs, he loved landing the elusive striper, and once confined to a wheelchair, he seemed happiest sitting in his favourite perch, contemplating the majesty of the atlantic. the horizons he saw were bright and hopeful. he was a genuinely optimistic man. and that optimism guided his children, and made each

of us believe that anything was possible. he continually broadened his horizons with daring decisions. he was a patriot. after high school, he put college on hold, and became a navy fighter pilot as world war ii broke out. he never talked about his service, entail a time as a public figure forced his hand. we learned of the death of his crewmates who he thought about throughout his entire life. and we learned of the rescued. and then another audacious decision, he moved his young family from the comforts of the east coast to texas. they adjusted to their arid surroundings quickly. he was a

tolera nt surroundings quickly. he was a tolerant man and was kind and neighbourly to the women with whom he mum and i shared a bathroom within our small duplex. after he learned the profession, —— after he learned the profession, —— after he learned that profession— ladies of the night. he was an empathetic man. he valued character of a pedigree, and he was no cynic. he looked the goodin and he was no cynic. he looked the good in each person, and he usually found it. dad taught us that public service is noble and necessary. that one concerned with integrity and holding true to the important values like faith and family. he strongly believed that it was important to give back to the community and country in which one left. he recognised that serving others, in which the giver‘s soul. to us, his was the brightest of 1000 points of light. in victory, he shared credit.

when he lost his shoulder —— he shouldered the blame. he taught us never shouldered the blame. he taught us never to be defined by failure. he showed us how setbacks can strengthen. none of his disappointments could compare with one of life's greatest tragedies, the loss of a young child. —— none of life... we only learned later that dad, a man of quiet faith, prayed for his lost daughter daily. he was sustained by the love of the almighty and a real and enduring love of her mum. dad always believed that one day he would hug his precious robin again. he loved to laugh. especially at himself. he

could tease and needle, but never out of malice. he plays great value ona out of malice. he plays great value on a good joke. so i chose vincent to speak. laughter his grading system for the quality ofa his grading system for the quality of a joke was classic george bush. the rise seven —— ref sevens and eights were considered huge winners. george bush knew how to be a true and loyalfriend. george bush knew how to be a true and loyal friend. he george bush knew how to be a true and loyalfriend. he nurtured and honoured his many friendships with a generous and giving soul. there exists thousands of handwritten notes encouraging or simplifying or thanking his friends and acquaintances. he had an enormous capacity to give of himself. many a

person would tell you that dad became a mentor and a father figure in their lives. he listened and consoled. he was their friend. in their lives. he listened and consoled. he was theirfriend. i think if dawn rhodes, jim nance, arnold schwarzenegger, and perhaps most unlikeable, the man who defeated him, bill clinton. i refer to the guide in this group as brothers from other mothers. he taught us that a day was not meant to be wasted. he played golf at a leisurely pace. i was wondered why he insisted on speed golf. he is a good golfer. my conclusion is he played fast so he could move onto the next event, to enjoy the rest of the next event, to enjoy the rest of the day, to expand his enormous energy. to live it all. he was born with just two settings. full

throttle, then sleep. he taught us what it means to be a wonderful father, father and great grandfather. —— grandfather and great—grandfather. he encouraged and comforted, but never steered. we tested his patients, i know i did, but he always responded with the great gift of unconditional love. last friday, when i was told he had minutes to live, i called him. the quy minutes to live, i called him. the guy answered the phone and said, i think you can hear you, but he hadn't said anything for most of the day. i said, hadn't said anything for most of the day. isaid, dad, ilove hadn't said anything for most of the day. i said, dad, i love you, hadn't said anything for most of the day. isaid, dad, i love you, and you have been a wonderful father, and the last things he ever said on earth were, "i love you too. " he

was not totally perfect. his short game was lousy. he was not exactly fred astaire on the dance floor. he could not stomach vegetables. especially broccoli. and by the way, he passed these genetic defects and asked. and finally everyday, of the more than 70 years of marriage he taught us all what it means to be a great husband. he married his sweetheart, he adored her, he laughed and cried with her, he was totally dedicated to her. in his old age, he enjoyed watching police show reruns, volume age, he enjoyed watching police show reruns, volume on age, he enjoyed watching police show reruns, volume on high x mac laughter all the while holding her mum's hand. after mum died, dad was strong, but

all he really wanted to do was hold mum's hand again. he taught me and other special lesson, should meet how to be a president that leads with integrity and acts with love in his heart for the citizens of our country. when the history books are written, they will say that george hw bush was a great president of the united states. a diplomat of an matched skill, a commander—in—chief of the middle accomplishment, and a gentleman who executed the duties of his office with dignity and honour. in his inaugural address, the a0 first president of the united states at this : we must hope to give them at this : we must hope to give them a sense of what it means to be a loyal friend, a sense of what it means to be a loyalfriend, a a sense of what it means to be a loyal friend, a loving a sense of what it means to be a loyalfriend, a loving parent, a citizen who leaves his neighbourhood and town better than he found it. to

who work with us to say one we are no longer there? that we are more driven to succeed than anyone around us, or that we stopped to ask if a sick child had gotten better, and stayed a moment to trade a word of friendship. dad, we will remember you for that and much more. we will miss you. your decency, sincerity and kind soul will stay with us that ever. and kind soul will stay with us that ever. through our tears, let us know the blessings, of knowing and loving you, a great and noble man. the best father a son or daughter could have. and in our grief, ijust smile knowing that dad is hugging mum and holding mum's hand again. applause supportive reception for the former

us president george w bush, a tribute from the son to his late father, this is the state funeral in washington, dc in the national cathedral for the a1st president of the us, george hw bush, george bush being congratulated, comforted by his wife and his brotherjeb and other members of the family. this state funeral continues with more musical tributes and following the funeral itself the family will make its way in the company of the body tojoint base its way in the company of the body to joint base andrews for the flight to joint base andrews for the flight to texas later this evening because the former president will be laid to rest in the state of texas. the bush family having such a strong connection. george bush, the son, paying tribute to his father's skills as a politician, as a leader, in his time notjust in the white

house but a long and distinguished career in public life, notjust as president but in other parts of public life too. the congregation is now enjoying another musical tribute, this is the armed forces chorus with the us marine orchestra. # o god, our help in ages past, # our hope for years to come, # our shelter from the stormy blast, # and our eternal home. the armed forces chorus with the

latest of the musical tributes. the holy gospel of our lord jesus christ according to matthew. jesus said, you are the light of the world, a city on a hill cannot be hidden. neither do people light a bmp hidden. neither do people light a lamp and put it under a pole. instead, they put it on its stand that it gives light to everyone in the house. in the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven. the gospel of the lord. praise be the lord jesus christ. bow your heads in prayer,

please. almighty god, of all comfort, console us of all light, strengthen us of all love, inspire us strengthen us of all love, inspire us to love you and love those you send our way. amen please be seated. it isa send our way. amen please be seated. it is a tremendous honour to follow the speakers, and especially someone who i admire so much, our a3rd president, sir, your father always welcomed my visits and never made me feel rushed and always said, thank you for coming, never made me feel i was going on too long. your mother... laughter usually said, "good sermon, too long." i got your e—mail. you're a lot like your mother!

laughter ladies and gentlemen, children of god, when death comes, as it does to us god, when death comes, as it does to us all, life is changed, not ended. and the way we live our lives, the decisions we make, the service we render, matter. they matter to our fellow human beings, to this world that god has given us, and they matter to god. and few people have understood this as well, or lived their lives as accordingly, as president george herbert walker bush. and here what i said, lived it, not earned it, or strived to achieve it. it was as natural to him as breathing is to each of us. president bush was a good man, a decent man, a godly man, full of

grace and love and equality of absolute necessity to enter the kingdom of god, humility. grounded ina desire kingdom of god, humility. grounded in a desire to serve his god and all god sent his way. how do i know this? because, for nearly a dozen yea rs, this? because, for nearly a dozen years, my wife laura and our children and i, we have laughed with him, we have fished with him. president bush, we had the pleasure, the secret service was behind us, i saw many of them reaching for what i thought were protective armour but then i realised is as they followed then i realised is as they followed the president they were actually crossing themselves. laughter we have been blessed to share meals and tiers and moments of silence and prayer is in times of great strength and in times of great weakness.

never, not once, did i witness anything but care and concern for those around him. thejob of a pastor, priest, rabbi, imam is to call on somebody they serve to look to god, to do the right thing, to serve others and to love, and president bush made myjob so easy. doctor russell levenson who was the rector of saint martin's episcopal church in houston, texas, texas being the home state of the bush family, and speaking at the state funeralfor president family, and speaking at the state funeral for president george hw bush, the a1st president of the united states. we havejust bush, the a1st president of the united states. we have just heard the main address by his son, the

a3rd president, president george w bush, who right at the end was ove rco m e bush, who right at the end was overcome with emotion when he paid tribute for his father for his qualities as a father and also is done at his qualities, as he saw them, as a national leader and an international statesman. with that in mind, let's talk to my colleague nick bryant, north american correspondent, who is at the cathedral listening to this. we have heard a range of tributes from former political allies but also from the son, one of the sons, i should say. what did you make of the tone and content of these tributes? simon, i'm struck by the courage and service of george herbert walker bush. this young man who went to walk and he didn't have to go to war, his father who was a senator could have got him out of it, but he wa nted could have got him out of it, but he wanted to serve his nation and did so in the pacific as a young naval pilot and so many of the speakers referenced that heroic phase of his life when as a young man he was shot down by the japanese, completed all

those combat missions and came back to america and decided to have a life of public service. people reflecting on the heroism of that moment and the dignity and courage that he brought to his life in politics. that sense of patriotic bipartisanship that is sometimes missing today in politics, that sense that the national interest should override the partisan interest. i was struck by how many people focused on that and also struck by how many people focused on his sense of humour. it was a very irreverent sense of humour. george w bush was a very modest man, he knew that he mangled the english language often and wasn't a good public speaker, he knew all of those things, but from across the board there was this deep respect for one of the great gentlemen of american politics and one of the great statesmen of our time. the cold war, it was by no means inevitable that it was by no means inevitable that it would come to a peaceful conclusion, but george herbert

walker bush was one of the key reasons why it did. studio: nick bryant, thank you. nick bryant with his thoughts on the state funeral and what we have heard among the tributes for the a1st president of the united states george hw bush. the service is continuing and after the service the family will be accompanying the coffin, the casket, over accompanying the coffin, the casket, over to the official andrews joint air force base for that flight to texas a little later on. the time is 5:a0pm on bbc news. we would like to look at some of the day's other stories. there has been controversy over stories. there has been controversy over the government's detailed legal advice on brexit, newly published documents show the prime minister was warned that an arrangement designed to prevent a hard border between northern ireland and the republic, called the backstop, could last indefinitely and that the uk could not lawfully exit from it without the agreement of the eu. the

government has been forced to publish all of this legal advice in full after a vote by mps yesterday. the international trade secretary liam fox has said in response to these votes that there is a danger that parliament could, and i quote, "steal brexit from the british people." this report from our political correspondent ben wright. theresa may headed off to prime minister's questions this morning and a parliament that has proved its readiness to defeat the government. the eyes mac to the right 311, the noes the eyes mac to the right 311, the noes to the left. defeated three timesjust noes to the left. defeated three times just yesterday. —— the ayes. the government forced to publish its legal advice and backing a move to put parliament into the driving seat if theresa may's deal is voted down next week. this morning one brexiteer cabinet minister was fuming. i think that there is, as i

have written recently, a real danger that the house of commons, which has a natural remain majority, may attempt to steal brexit from the british people. and he wasn't alone. the most important thing to do is to vote for the prime minister's deal, that's the best way to secure brexit and the future of the country. the prime minister, government and parliament will deliver on brexit, thatis parliament will deliver on brexit, that is ourjob and we should all know that that is ourjob and i remain optimistic and confident about that. it is a message ministers hope will convince tory brexiteers to vote for the deal on offer, or risk derailing the whole thing. but there deep opposition to the compromise is clear. if the government lose the meaningful vote, andi government lose the meaningful vote, and i will vote against it, we should go back to brussels and make the best final offer and also be very clear we would walk away and contemplate no deal. this morning the government published the full legal advice mps had demanded, which says britain could be left indefinitely in a customs union with the european union as part of the

deal to prevent the return of a hard border between northern ireland and the republic. we have seen the detail of the legal advice. we have seen detail of the legal advice. we have seen the facts that the government tried to hide. mr speaker, this government is giving northern ireland permanent membership of the single market and the customs union. the legal advice is clear. it states, "despite statements of the protocol that is not intended to be permanent, in international law the protocol would endure indefinitely." he will see... he will see that the advice that he is holding in his left hand has no difference from the statement that was given. indeed, indeed... i might take the personal challenge from the right honourable gentleman. i myself have said on the floor of this house that there is indeed no unilateral right to pull out of the backstop. labour said the newly published legal advice spelt

out the backstop arrangements more starkly. while the government has been busy saying that it is temporary, or intended to be temporary, or intended to be temporary, what this document shows is that on legal analysis it is enduring until there is another agreement to take its place. theresa may will spend the next few days imploring tory mps to back her next week she faces an uphill battle. the deal disappoints most of her fractured party and the opposition lined up against it. what happens thenis lined up against it. what happens then is anybody‘s guess, from another referendum to living with a no deal. all mps are talking about a possible plan b. the house of commons has a guaranteed safe shaping next steps with amendment to the government's plan but there is yet no consensus and with the brexit date written into law time is running out. ben wright, bbc news, westminster. our chief political correspondent vicki young is at westminster. we had those votes yesterday. it was

exciting and dramatic but they were of course very significant. where do we stand today after the publication of this full advice? what is interesting here is a lot of the complaints about the withdrawal agreement are still there, of course they are. and what this publication of legal advice does is put it there in black and white and it feels much starker. but the situation hasn't changed in the sense that the people unhappy about the idea of the uk can be stuck in this customs union forever, the du p very unhappy at the idea of northern ireland being treated differently from the rest of the uk, though sticking points are still there. they are just a bit more obvious. the anger is still there. those people who said they would vote against the deal already, it means there is very little chance of them shifting over and changing their minds. there have been a couple of mps who are seriously worried about the prospect of no brexit at all now. the argument from michael gove and liam fox all the way through is that brexit must happen at the end of march and we

must not do anything to risk it. a couple of tory mps who are focusing their minds on what the alternatives might be to the deal now, one of them being no brexit, it could bring over a them being no brexit, it could bring over a few more of her own side but at the moment it doesn't feel like it's going to be enough. in all of this, clearly a lot of work is going on behind—the—scenes. there are lots of possible permutations even at this late stage. what kind of light can you shed on that? it is clear that people like oliver letwin, the senior conservative backbencher, has been working, as we know, on a plan b, this idea of norway plus, as it is called, the uk staying in an even closer relationship than the one theresa may is suggesting, staying in the single market and the customs union as well. that is going on. on a cross—party basis. he feels, along with others, that might be the only way through this. before that, of course, the vote on tuesday although i hear at least one senior conservative backbencher telling theresa may to her face that she

will lose it and lose it badly and the best option is to pull the vote on tuesday. he said to her it would be madness to proceed with this. there are others who feel that too, she pulls the vote, goes back to the eu and tries to get some sort of change on the backstop. as we know, we hear from brussels, change on the backstop. as we know, we hearfrom brussels, there is no way they are going to move in any significant way that would alleviate the fears of those brexiteers. in your experience, is there any sense at all that theresa may would even contemplate moving the vote? in normal circumstances, it would be the kind of thing a government would do. if they know, we have seen that before, even on much smaller votes than this, if they think they will lose it they generally wouldn't push it to the vote, they accept an amendment or a change. in those terms you could see why you want to avoid it. the thinking being from some avoid it. the thinking being from some of these backbenchers on the tory side is that that is a way of avoiding a confidence vote in the government and in theresa may's leadership herself, at least

avoiding it for next week. you can't go on forever kicking this problem away. she will have to confront it at some point. i suppose if she thinks the eu will not budge there is really no point in delaying this much further. but there is no doubt they aren't scrambling around to try and find the votes. vicki young, thank you. vicki young with the latest at westminster. the british academic held in solitary confinement for months in the united arab emirates on spying charges says he felt as if he was being mentally tortured. matthew hedges was jailed for life but returned to the uk last month after being pardoned. in his first broadcast interview he said he was pressured into confessingafter aggressive questioning gave him panic attacks. matthew hedges and his wife spoke to john humphrys. matthew hedges had been arrested a few days after he arrived in dubai where he had gone to do research for a phd. he was accused of spying and was held in solitary confinement and then sentenced to life in prison. he

was pardoned and allowed to come home. this morning he did his first broadcast interview with me on today. with him, his wife daniela tejada, who had fought throughout for his release. matthew told me how he had been treated by his captors. there was no light. i wasn't allowed to do anything to try and distract myself. you couldn't listen to a radio or anything of that sort? not until i had started the court case and my mental health had deteriorated quite substantially. then i was allowed some form of distraction. were you shackled at all? yes, i was. whenever! had to go to the bathroom, or to come on occasion, use the shower, i would be escorted by four guards and i would wear ankle cuffs. whenever i was transported between different premises i was blindfolded and

handcuffed. and you had to stand up for quite a long time. yes. one of the days when i had tried to come again, tell the interrogators their reaction was to make me stand for the day wearing ankle cuffs. all day? yes. did you feel that you are being tortured? psychologically, correct, it felt like it, yes. you we re correct, it felt like it, yes. you were not able to consult lawyers, or talk to daniela? i wasn't able to talk to daniela? i wasn't able to talk to daniela? i wasn't able to talk to the embassy officials until i'd signed the confession statements, in the sixth or seventh week was when i first saw the embassy. the emirati is had got what they wanted. do you know exactly what you confessed to? you don't speak arabic. no, i don't, all! know is i confessed to an m16 agent. they said you were a captain. yes! i have little to no clue about this but they suggested... they asked me

what rank i was and they postulated, are you a firstly tenant, second lieutenant, captain, major? i panicked and said i'm a captain. —— first lieutenant. it took the british foreign office six weeks to confirm where he was being held. the couple told me that must not be allowed to happen again. couple told me that must not be allowed to happen againm couple told me that must not be allowed to happen again. it is potentially something that could have been avoided, had it been dealt with differently a long time ago. but it wasn't because of rules and protocols. and relationships with a purported ally. but it should not happen again. you mean it mustn't happen? it mustn't happen. and people have that responsibility to demand the government to change things. and, matt, if you were to talk to the foreign secretary, what would you say to him?|j talk to the foreign secretary, what would you say to him? i would thank them for their efforts but i would

also strongly advise them to hear dani's experience and look at ways and means they could improve their ability to undertake their work abroad. and your future now? immediately, try and relax. then in the new year we are going to maybe start trying to find ways and means to clear my name. you are not going to clear my name. you are not going to give up on that? no, i don't think it would be the right thing to do, especially as you've seen what dani has been doing and how strong she is. that gives me the courage to move she is. that gives me the courage to move forward and to keep not only fighting for my own case but to try and raise similar issues for other people in those situations, of which there are many. thank you both very much indeed. matthew hedges and his wife talking tojohn matthew hedges and his wife talking to john humphrys earlier today. the civil aviation authority is taking legal action

against rya nairover its refusal to compensate thousands of customers for delays and cancellations earlier this year. the disruption was due to strikes by ryanair pilots and cabin crew but the airline says the strike action amounts to ‘extraordinary circumstances' and as a result it does not have to pay. our transport correspondent tom burridge reports. ryanair staff on strike over the summer. this was frankfurt. and this was dublin. outside ryanair‘s headquarters. disputes in several countries over working conditions and pay lead to numerous strikes and severe disruption for thousands of passengers. tom spencer says he will neverfly ryanair again. he was best man, had organised an expensive stag—do to watch motor—racing in frankfurt, but the day before, their ten tickets from manchester on ryanair were suddenly cancelled. they made it by rearranging their plans at great cost, but the airline has refused to pay him any compensation. it was one of the most stressful days of my life because the effort

we had gone to to get the thing organised in the first place, the money we'd spent getting everything organised in germany that we couldn't sacrifice. so i felt between a rock and a hard place and i think with the money lost, i just feel let down and i really do feel like ryanairjust do treat their customers with complete contempt. if your flight is delayed more than three hours or cancelled, then under european law, you are entitled per passenger on a short flight to 250 euros in compensation, but if there are what is called "extraordinary circumstances" at play, like bad weather, then the airline doesn't have to pay out. this dispute is about whether strike action falls into that category. if an airline refuses to pay, you can appeal to an independent arbitration group called aviation adr, which ryanair had signed up to. aviation adr found in the favour of passengers for thousands hit by summer strikes,

but ryanair is still refusing to pay compensation. that's why the civil aviation authority says it's taking the airline to court. the airline compensation process is a disaster, really. i can't think of something that we hear more often about than passengers who can't seem to get their compensation across a whole range of airlines, and that's why we believe that airlines should introduce automatic compensation. in a statement, ryanair said that courts in other european countries have already ruled that strikes do qualify as extraordinary circumstances, but if there is a court case in britain, it could have implications when any of us fly in the future. the state funeral of george hw pushes still taking place at the national cathedral in washington, dc. we heard a tribute earlier from

his sun, one of his sons, the former president george w bush. the service is still continuing. the family will then accompany the body to texas, to then accompany the body to texas, to the state of texas later this evening, because that is where the president has decided that he wishes to be laid to rest so the bush family will accompany the coffin on that flight later this evening after the service. more coverage for you later this evening on bbc news. they will be more for you on bbc news at six which is coming up with fiona in a few minutes. i will be back at tenby. time for a look at the weather, with chris fawkes. the weather has been turning milder throughout the day but with the mild airwe throughout the day but with the mild air we have had a lot of this low cloud, mist and hill fog patches and outbreaks of rain around as well. on the satellite picture you can see the satellite picture you can see the vast majority of us have had a cloudy day and with those cloudy skies came milder air, temperatures

reached 1a degrees at london city airport. contrasted with temperatures in the far north of scotla nd temperatures in the far north of scotland where we saw sunshine, minus three celsius this afternoon and five in aberdeenshire. there is the proof of the sunny skies in the far north of scotland where they have had the best sun today. through the rest of the night the band of cloud will continue to push away. the next one waiting in the wings bringing rain towards the end of the night across western areas, so we are going to see a lot of cloud over night. further rain pushing eastwards a cross night. further rain pushing eastwards across east anglia, south—east england, clearing, staying damp and drizzly around the western hills before the next band of rain comes in from the west bringing heavier falls of rain towards the end of the night. temperatures will rise through the night across scotland and northern england but across most of england and wales and northern ireland temperatures won't change much to what you have outside at the moment and it will be a cloudy start on thursday. the wet weather to start off in the west pushing eastwards through time will stop it will probably stay pretty wet across

parts of western england, wales and southern counties of england with outbreaks of rain and drizzle on and off through the afternoon. the mildest area, 1a degrees in london and belfast but notice a big surge in temperatures for scotland, 10 degrees in stornoway and aberdeen, much milder here. to end the week we are looking at this area of low pressure moving across the far north of the uk bringing a swathe of strong winds across western scotland, gusts potentially reaching up scotland, gusts potentially reaching up to 60—70 mph. just south of the swathe of strong winds it will be a blustery day for northern ireland, northern england and wales. a mixture of sunny spells and scattered showers. it is notjust the strong winds causing problems. because, we will have lots of heavy rain targeting the north of scotland, areas that have seen a lot of weather over recent weeks so we could see localised surface water flooding. whether from the strong winds, heavy rain, a risk of disruption in scotland as we head through friday and blustery conditions will last into the start of the weekend. rain or showers

still around on saturday. sunday is the better of the weekend days, becoming dry and bright with some limited sunny spells. that's your latest weather. is accused of misleading mps over brexit. have you lost control of brexit, prime minister? theresa may heads for the commons after the full legal advice on her brexit deal is published. is it time that the prime minister took responsibility — a responsibility for curtailing the facts on her brexit deal from members of this house and the public? —— concealing the facts. the legal position that was set out on monday in the 3a—page document, together with the statement made and the answers to questions given by the attorney general on monday very clearly set out the legal position. as mps continue now to debate the brexit deal, we'll be looking at all the options for what could happen next. also tonight... the benefits for patients now, as british scientists complete the world's largest gene sequencing project in healthcare.

the academicjailed for spying tells the bbc he was psychologically