you're watching bbc newsroom live with me, annita mcveigh, in westminster. it's ham, and these are the main stories this morning. theresa may pleads with european leaders, as she fights to rescue her brexit deal. her whistle—stop tour includes the netherlands and germany — a day after she cancelled the vote on her withdrawal deal. but she's facing an uphill battle, as the eu insists it's not possible to renegotiate. the deal we have achieved is the best deal possible, it's the only deal possible. applause and so we cannot... there is no reason whatsoever for renegotiation. here in westminster, mps will hold an emergency debate today on that decision to delay the brexit vote. our other top stories this morning — official figures show wages rising at their highest level for nearly a decade, as the number of people in work hit a record high. the father of murdered backpacker grace millane has visited

the place where her body was found on the outskirts of auckland. france's president macron promises to increase the minimum wage and offers tax concessions in response to weeks of violent protests. thinning ice in antarctica — nasa says it's worse than we thought, prompting fears of sea levels rising significantly around the world. hello and a very good morning to you from westminster the day after, of course, the prime minister and

announced that the vote, the meaningful vote on her withdrawal deal was not going ahead, despite all those days leading up to it when she and her immediate colleagues had said it was going to happen. the prime minister today has begun a whistle—stop tour of the eu in a bid to rescue the brexit deal. she'll meet the german chancellor, angela merkel, and has held a breakfast meeting with the dutch prime minister, mark rutte, as she seeks new reassurances from the eu about the northern ireland backstop, the single biggest issue threatening the deal. but the president of the european commission, jean—claude juncker, has said there is "no room whatsoever for renegotiation". at four o'clock the prime minister is meeting the president of the european council, donald tusk. before that, back here in westminster, there'll be a three—hour emergency debate in the commons. our political correspondent jonathan blake looks back at events

and just a warning his report contains flashing images. reporter: can you really improve your deal, prime minister? theresa may arrived back in downing street last night after a day of drama in the house of commons. she confirmed the vote on her brexit deal would be delayed and that she would go back to brussels to ask the eu for changes. the prime minister told mps she had no doubt her agreement was the right one, but acknowledged widespread concerns about a plan to avoid physical checks at the northern ireland border if a trade deal can't be done. it is clear that, while there is broad support for many of the key aspects of the deal... jeering ..on one issue — on one issue, the northern ireland backstop, there remains widespread and deep concern. the labour leader, jeremy corbyn, accused the government of being in disarray and later in the evening called for an emergency debate. it cannot be right that the government can unilaterally alter the arrangements once this house has agreed on a timetable, without the house being given the opportunity to express its will. the public, mr speaker,

will look at the behaviour of this government, and how it treats their democratically elected representatives, with despair. the speaker agreed, and mps will have three hours to air their views. then, something you don't see very often at all. one labour mp lifted the mace, the symbol of pa rliament‘s authority, in protest at the government's decision. the eu has suggested it is ready to talk, but the prime minister needs more than words to win over some of her own mps back home, who want changes to the deal itself. jonathan blake, bbc news, westminster. with me is our assistant political editor, norman smith. norman, first of all, what do you think theresa may's strategy is

today, the day after announcing that the meaningful vote would not go ahead, in visiting these european leaders? well, i think, ahead, in visiting these european leaders? well, ithink, bluntly, it is all about putting the squeeze on mps, which might sound a little bit odd, because she has booted the boat into the long grass, but what she has done is sandy vote probably into the new year, because there is no sign downing street are in any rush to get it done quickly, no—one is talking about a vote before christmas. the expectation is that this will drift into middle or late january, and that means the amount of time between mps voting and when we are meant to leave the eu is maybe only about eight weeks. in other words, no time for mps to pull together a plan b, whether that be norway, canada or whatever you want. so mps will be faced, it seems to me, with a brutal choice, the one that mrs may wants to press them to -it that mrs may wants to press them to —itis that mrs may wants to press them to — it is an ideal or, if you are going to have no deal or no brexit,

and her thinking, i going to have no deal or no brexit, and herthinking, i imagine, is that and herthinking, i imagine, is that afair number of and herthinking, i imagine, is that a fair number of mps will crack anything, 0k, a fair number of mps will crack anything, ok, i really don't want no deal, and a lot of brexiteer will think, i really don't want to lose out on brexit, i will have to go along with her deal. in a way, she is trying to exert maximum, maximum pressure on mps by delaying. now, interestingly, we are going to get a statement following an urgent question which has been put down by yvette cooper to the attorney general, geoffrey cox, asking him, when is the last moment that mrs may can actually put down this vote, because there is some legal argy—bargy about whether it can go right up to the buffers of the day before we leave. that is critical in terms of how much pressure she can put on mps. meanwhile, cabinet ministers this morning have been, again, rallying around. remember,

yesterday they were left floundering, because they didn't seem to know what was going on. today we heard from, amongst others, amber rudd, striking a supportive note for the prime minister in the delayed for the vote. is the prime ministerjust running down the clock? the prime minister has got my full support, as she has the cabinet, to try and improve the withdrawal agreement so that we can get this agreement through parliament. it's really important we deliver on what the people have asked us to do. we have one deal, it's on the table, i really hope we can get it through parliament. she's not going to get any improvements, is she? don't be a pessimist — let wait and see. she's put everything she's got into this, and i think she deserves our full support to try to do that. thank you. will we get a vote before christmas? i don't know, i do like it will depend what progress she makes, but i certainly hope so, we'll see. thank you very much. so while theresa may goes about her business, what are the odds that she will still be in herjob come the zist will still be in herjob come the 21st of january, or whenever that vote might take place? that is the other unknown, whether her decision

just reignites the letter writing skills, shall we say, of tory mps and we suddenly see a whole pile of letters demanding a leadership contest. it is absolutely true, brexiteers think there is no point persisting with mrs may, she will never cut another deal, they need a different leader, so steve baker, one of the key figures on that side of the argument this morning saying very clearly that now is the time to get your pans out and start writing those letters, we need to get rid of mrs may. this vote being deferred is a sign the deal was too bad. it would have failed by a significant margin. i want colleagues to wake up to the reality that theresa may can only lead us to failure, and therefore with great sadness people need to put their letters in to serve graham brady and we need to change prime minister. now, what will the key is whether the sort of move to oust mrs may goes beyond the hard—core of

brexiteers, and so the role are people like iain duncan smith and others, who have so far held back from demanding a leadership contest, is going to be critical. interesting, this morning he seemed to be raising, i thought, a bit of a question about whether mrs may really had it to force the eu to give ground on the backstop. i have said, as faras i'm concerned, i want to give her the opportunity, if she is going to delay this, to go and do this. i need to see from her that she seriously means business and is prepared to cut a broadband walk from the table. until she shows that, then she will leave people more in the view that this is a cosmetic exercise, and it simply can't be that. so lots of moving parts, we will find out today when is the final deadline, that is crucial in terms of how much pressure mrs may can actually put on her mps, and the

other key thing we are going to be watching is whether we see new tory figures coming out, saying that mrs may has to go, because that is the other dynamic here, whether her decision to delay really doesn't spark a renewed push to topple her as leader. norman, thank you very much, things to watch for from norman smith. that urgent question from yvette cooper to the attorney general is at 12:30pm, asking when is the last possible point that the prime minister can put the meaningful vote to mps, that is going to push back the start of that emergency debate to about one o'clock. let me also tell you a little bit more about what we have coming upfor little bit more about what we have coming up for you this morning. coming up at 11:30, we will be joined by the independent brexit analyst georgina wright and professor anand menon from the think—tank the uk in a changing europe, who will be answering your brexit questions. so please send them in via text or e—mail. with me now isjill rutter,

programme director at the institute for government. jill, good to have you with us, answering more questions, as you have been doing over the last few months, and indeed over the last two and a half years, i think, since the referendum. on that issue of when is the last possible time that the prime minister can bring this vote, this meaningful vote on her brexit steel to parliament, what is your understanding of that? we share a bed of the confusion, which is why yvette cooper has tabled this urgent question, looking at the relevant section of the withdrawal act, it says that if there is no principled agreement with the eu, than the

prime minister has to make a statement to parliament by the 21st of january, but she statement to parliament by the 21st ofjanuary, but she has an agreement, she might tear it up, but assuming she has still got that agreement then, it is not at all clear that the deadline still applies, i think that is what mps are looking for clarity about, does the deadline still apply? is there a difference deadline? yesterday the house of commons was tweeting that the real deadline was the day before exit, and a lot of mps are saying she could just play this really, really, really long, and then we wouldn't have an occasion to discuss, you know, through the amendment last week we gained the right to amend whatever emotion the government puts down, but it's the government puts down, but it's the government does not bring forward a motion, we lose that opportunity and have to resort to using opposition days, and are hardly any of those left. whatever way you at it, this is farfrom left. whatever way you at it, this is far from the orderly brexit that the prime minister was talking about a couple of years ago. no, this is looking very, very chaotic. at the moment, it is domestic political

chaos, it is not at all clear what parliament will approve, is there anything parliament will approve, what are the alternatives? the other bit we are going to see is a sort of step up in the planning for no—deal, so the prime minister, in a statement yesterday, said she was going off to brussels to see whether she could issue —— she could get more assurances about the temporary nature of the backstop, but she said the cabinet would step up its no—deal planning, so maybe our christmas present will be a lot more of those scary to medication from government, what we have to do to get ready for that. as much as we have heard some politicians say, well, look, if needs be, it is a no—deal brexit, we have probably heard from more politicians saying there is no consensus around no—deal, so if theresa may cannot come back with something that a majority of mps will back, and if there isn't a consensus for no deal

either, what could happen? the problem is that eu law in triggering article 50, and in uk law, the d efa u lts article 50, and in uk law, the defaults are for exiting in march, so it is not good enough for parliament to just reject the prime minister's deal and say, we also don't want no—deal. they have to substitute with something else, and if it involves agreement with the eu, they have to get something that can be agreed by the eu. a vote on extending article 50? if they voted to extend, they would need eu agreement, remember, an extension requires unanimity, and the eu has made clear it might extend in some circumstances, but just for the made clear it might extend in some circumstances, butjust for the uk to go on having internal divisions, probably not too keen on extending for that. the thing we learned yesterday, quite interestingly in the european court ofjustice judgment, was the uk could unilaterally revoked article 50, but it would have to be revoking to stay, not revoking to buy more time.

and the prime minister has said that she would not extend article 50, but then she said she would go ahead with the meaningful vote yesterday, and she changed her mind on that. she has been changing our minds quite a lot recently, so that may become the only possibility, and it might bea become the only possibility, and it might be a very short extension. much easierfor the eu to might be a very short extension. much easier for the eu to agree to a short extension, more complicated to have a long extension which might require the uk to run elections to the european parliament orfind some way of keeping meps in brussels and strasbourg. jill, very good to hear about the possibilities, thank you very much, jill rutter. let's speak to adam fleming who is in brussels. add, talk to us first of all about the brexit meeting that the prime minister has had with mark rutte. any lines emerging from that? no, we know absolutely nothing about it, downing street have said that there will be many press opportunities today, so we will have to wait and see if our colleagues in the

netherlands managed to squeeze anything out of mark rutte's office and his advisers. similarly when she goes to berlin, where she is arriving any minute now — i do not think we will see a podium moment with her and angela merkel. and when she arrives in brussels, the best we may get is some handshakes with donald tusk, the president of the european council, and jean—claude juncker, president of the european commission, when she arrives. certainly a busy day, and a lot of people have been busy in brussels. there was a meeting of the general affairs council, european affairs ministers from all 28 member states, where they are preparing for the summit of eu leaders that will happen on thursday and friday. brexit is on the agenda for that summit, but not on the agenda for the meeting today, but that did not stop us asking people as they arrived, and this is what we heard from lord callanan, i asked arrived, and this is what we heard from lord callanan, iasked him arrived, and this is what we heard from lord callanan, i asked him what theresa may was hoping to achieve this week. well, she wants additional legal reassurances that the uk cannot be permanently trapped in the irish backstop — that's been

the issue all along, and that's the issue that's at the heart of the concerns expressed by many members of parliament. could those be political declarations or add—on documents to the minutes, or does it have to be the withdrawal agreement or in the political agreement? i think it is very important that these are additional legally binding reassurances. that is crucial, that he is is additional to the withdrawal agreement, the uk not seeking to work reopened that agreement, but i suspect the uk is pursuing the track of getting documents that sit alongside the withdrawal agreement and the political declaration, because if you listen to the next clip from the president of the european commission, jean—claude juncker, speaking earlier in the european parliament in strasbourg, he says there is no way the eu will allow the brexit treaty, the legal text to be reopened.

i will see mrs may this evening, and i have to say here in the parliament, as i did say before in this parliament, the deal we have achieved is the best deal possible, it is the only deal possible, and so we cannot... applause there is no room whatsoever for renegotiation. but, of course, there is room, if used intelligently, there is room enough to give further clarifications and further interpretations without opening the withdrawal agreement. this will not happen, everyone has to note that the withdrawal agreement will not be reopened. the big problem, of course, is the backstop for ireland. we have a common determination to do everything to be not in a situation one day to use that backstop, but we have to prepare it, it is necessary,

it is necessary for the entire coherence of what we have agreed with them, and it is necessary for ireland. ireland will never be left alone. and, adam, are you hearing anything about possible meetings with taoiseach leo varadkar and theresa may? or is what she's going to hear in brussels really what she would hear from in brussels really what she would hearfrom varadkar as in brussels really what she would hear from varadkar as well? yeah, no news about whether there will be a prime ministerial trip to dublin. he would have thought, with issue number one being the irish backstop, that might be one of the places she would want to stop, but so far no news, and when the irish europe minister came to the meeting in brussels earlier, she did not want to speak to the media, so obviously she is leading it to the taoiseach to comment on what is going on. we heard yesterday from the irish deputy prime minister, simon coveney, very much the same message as from jean—claude juncker, which is that the text is closed, but the

uk wants reassurance and the eu will investigate what reassurance can be given. there is a meeting happening in about a0 minutes here in brussels, another one, believe it or not! this will be eu 27 member states‘ ambassadors, that has been scheduled for before the vote was cancelled, and i think they will talk about the mechanics of ratifying the withdrawal agreement and the political declaration on the eu side, because they want to start the process of getting it finalised on the eu side so it can be transferred to the european parliament for their approval, because they are involved in the process too. but i bet, any margins of that meeting, some of those ambassadors will be talking about what can their prime ministers do on thursday when they meet theresa may, what kind of reassurance they can provide, what documents and language they can work and to deliver that intelligent interpretation of jean—claude juncker was talking about. meetings at the margins of meetings, let‘s see what emerges, thank you very much, adam fleming in

brussels. with me now is stephen gethins, the snp‘s europe spokesperson. thank you for talking to us delay. i think i would be right in assuming there isn‘t anything theresa may can come back from these meetings with in terms of reassurances that is going to change the snp‘s mind on this process. the prime minister was clear yesterday during a statement that all she is looking for is tinkering around the edges, seeking to appease her her hardline brexiteers, and the dup as well. what she should have been doing is trying to reach some centre ground, some compromise, that is something that the snp set out two years ago, and now this last—minute mess, the government has lost it, it is chaotic, a shambles, and actually this is a deep impact on each and every one of us in our day—to—day lives. in terms of moving to next steps, the snp and other parties, you are rather waiting on labour, because it is down to the official

opposition to move for a vote of no confidence in the government, and it doesn‘t look like labour will do that this side of christmas. the speaker made clear, and you are right to say that, annita, we need the official opposition to join the real opposition in the snp to join a motion of no confidence, and today we have been joined motion of no confidence, and today we have beenjoined by the liberal democrats, the greens and plaid cymru, and other colleagues, in calling for them to put down that motion of no confidence, because the government has lost it, that is clear, and it is time for the rest of us to step up to the plate. there is another division in the labour party over brexit to make that difficult from your perspective, isn‘t there? difficult from your perspective, isn't there? yeah, there is, and the snp is the biggest and most unified party on this issue. we want to see that second referendum, we offered a compromise, but we think the best deal is to remain in the european union. there is a lot of division on labour would also in the conservatives. we think we can find

a way through this mess, and that could be through having a second referendum on the final deal. do you think, because of that division that might muddy the waters around a push for a second vote or a no—confidence motion in the government, that what we will end up with is, coming up to the 29th of march, some time between now and then, another deal being presented to mps with, perhaps, conservative mps fearful that if they do not back whatever option the prime minister is offering, then it could be no—deal will no brexit? prime minister is offering, then it could be no-dealwill no brexit? as has been made clear, the independent vendor states, the irish, dutch and others, have been really clear that there is no big new deal coming over there is no big new deal coming over the horizon, like the cavalry, to rescue the prime minister. after two yea rs of not rescue the prime minister. after two years of not speaking to others in the uk and only speaking to her hardliners, theresa may has boxed herself in. sorry to interrupt you, but might she gets just enough to

reassure. . . but might she gets just enough to reassure... you talk about hardliners, but might she gets just enough to convince those mps who don‘t call themselves hardliners, who would not consider themselves hardliners, who just want to get some certainty for their constituents? listening to everybody, that is grasping at straws. we all want certainty for our constituencies, i want certainty for the research and development jobs, the food and drinkjobs that will be damaged by theresa may‘s deal, and that is why a minority government is not that uncommon in european legislatures, and it is incumbent on us to find a way through this. we are reaching out to other political parties to try and find a responsible way through this mess. your party leader at westminster will be attending very shortly a news conference, calling for another referendum. what can you tell us about that? the snp leader at westminster, ian blackford, will be joining at westminster, ian blackford, will bejoining lib dems and others who wa nt to

bejoining lib dems and others who want to see a second referendum is the only feasible way out of this mess. remain has to be an option in that as well. we need a way out of this mess. it is already costing jobs, and we have a government planning for medical and food shortages, and that is a political failure. spell out for our viewers what is the route to that second vote in terms of parliamentary process , vote in terms of parliamentary process, as you see it? all the misinformation about the eu, parliament, that place in their funds, has retained sovereignty since wejoined the funds, has retained sovereignty since we joined the ec back in the 19705 since we joined the ec back in the 1970s and is still sovereign. so parliament can find a way through this, and if parliament sets out a referendum and we choose to remain, we know from the european court and institutions that parliament can press the stop button on article 50 at any point. just as i am talking to you, iam at any point. just as i am talking to you, i am hearing that theresa may‘s spokesman is saying she would bring her deal back to the commons before the 21st of january. now, we know there is an urgent question

from yvette cooper at 12:30pm, and whether this supersedes it i‘m not sure, asking the attorney general to speu sure, asking the attorney general to spell out what is the absolute deadline for theresa may to do that. there is speculation that it could go right up to the deadline, but theresa may‘s spokesman saying in the last few moments, i‘m hearing, that the prime minister will bring this deal back to mps on the 21st of january. the big question is, can she change enough minds come on the zist she change enough minds come on the 21st of january, that is a long way off, we are spending hundreds of millions on no—deal scenarios, like lorry parks in kent, shipping to bring in medicine. what a political failure that in peacetime we are talking about food shortages, medicine shortages, or because the prime minister cannot engage, cannot get the hardliners on side. the tory party have lost the plot, it is time for them to step to one side. thank you very much for your time. just to recap on the news from the last few moments, a spokesman for the prime minister saying that the prime

minister saying that the prime minister has said she will bring her deal back to the house of commons for a vote before the 21st of january. it does sound, doesn‘t it, from that that the vote could be tricked into the new year, rather than this side of christmas? but we don‘t have any more detail or any specific dates beyond before the zist specific dates beyond before the 21st of january. this morning the bbc asked cabinet minister michael gove what theresa may will do next. good morning, the eu says there is no room for renegotiation. surely this deal is dead, there is nowhere for theresa may to go. it is michael weedon of the brexit that 17.a million people voted for, i‘m sure the prime minister will do that. but this will not wash with mp5, will it? in a few minutes, we will be taking you to that live news conference which i mentioned, being

held by the people‘s vote campaign on that decision to postpone the meaningful vote. we will have the snp leader at westminster, ian blackford, as we mentioned, the lib dem leader, vince cable, caroline lucas of the greens, liz saville roberts from plaid cymru, margaret beckett for labour, anna soubry for the conservatives, so a cross—party news co nfe re nce the conservatives, so a cross—party news conference backing the people‘s vote campaign. much more from here injusta vote campaign. much more from here injust a few vote campaign. much more from here in just a few moments, for now designed to look at the weather forecast with simon king. a patchy frost this morning in central and eastern parts of england, where you can see we had some clearer skies. further west, towards northern parts, quite a bit of cloud at there, and there could bea of cloud at there, and there could be a few spots of drizzle over the hills of wales and western scotland, the south west of england as well, lots of cloud and western areas, the best of any sunshine in

north—eastern scotland and north east england, seven celsius here, further west a little bit less cold, 11 degrees in belfast. tonight we will see rain moving in, breaking up as it pushes its way further eastwards, so patchy rain into wednesday morning, temperatures getting up to 7—9d, closer to freezing across eastern areas. but during wednesday, a lot of cloud again, some patchy rain towards the west, highs of about 8—11 degrees. bye— bye. hello this is bbc news with annita mcveigh at westminster. the headlines: theresa may pleads with european leaders, as she fights to rescue her brexit deal. her whistle—stop tour includes the netherlands and germany — a day after she cancelled the vote on her withdrawal deal. but she‘s facing an uphill battle — as the eu insists it‘s not possible to renegotiate. the deal we have achieved is the best deal possible. it‘s the only deal possible and so we cannot...

applause ..there is no room whatsoever for renegotiation. here in westminster, mps will hold an emergency debate today on that decision to delay the brexit vote. let‘s move away from all things brexit. sport now, here‘s oliie foster. although i think there might be european things in there? good morning. former european track cycling champion, jess varnish has arrived at her employment tribunal in manchester. she is claiming damages for wrongful dismissal and sex discrimination after being omitted from british cyclings elite squad

in 2016 she was left out of the world championships in london after failing to qualify for the rio olympics. her criticism of coaching led to the resignation of the technical director shane sutton, who was found to have used sexist language. in what could be a landmark case, potentially affecting how athletes are funded, varnish is seeking to prove that she was an employee of british cycling rather than self—employed. it‘s the final round of group matches in the champions league this week. it‘s likely to be a tough night for liverpool, they have to beat napoli at anfield and tottenham will also probably need to get three points at the nou camp against barcelona. joe lynskey reports. in football, the mood and momentum can change very quickly. liverpool went top of the premier league on saturday, tonight they could be out of the champions league. three defeats away from home mean they now have to beat napoli, but european nights at anfield bring out a different force. we have to create a special atmosphere with the way

we play, and we have to use that atmosphere as well. i‘m really looking forward to it. it‘s a big opportunity for us. well, napoli won the first meeting between these teams 1—0, and that result could have a bearing on who progresses to the knockout stage, because even if liverpool win tonight it only takes them level with napoli on nine points, and in that case the superior team is decided by their head—to—head record across the two group games. a 1—0 scoreline tonight would be enough to take liverpool through, but if napoli score an away goal, jurgen klopp‘s side will have to win by two clear goals. it‘s a bit less complicated for spurs, who know they‘ll definitely be through if they beat barcelona. but that‘s easier said than done in the nou camp. when barcelona lost here last month it was their first home defeat in two years. but spurs come here with more to play for. the spanish champions are already through, and that could mean their superstars start on the bench. of course, different

names may have different quality to add to the team. but i think they‘re going to be strong, they are going to try to win. there is little room for sentiment in this competition. defeat could leave these sides with thirsty nights in the europa league. for spurs and liverpool, this last group match is already knockout football. joe lynskey, bbc news. it was 2—2 beween everton and watford last night in the premier league, marco silva, the everton boss, was sacked by watford last season and and the two clubs are still in dispute over his move to goodison. travelling watford fans waved inflatable snakes to express their opinion about silva‘s move. everton went ahead through richarlison before watford fought back through a seamus coleman own goal and an abdoulaye

doucoure header. everton then had a penalty saved but salvaged a point with lucas digne‘s superb free—kick in the 96th minute the second half we didn‘t control. we have to be strong in these moments when we play against teams doing what they did. we have to keep playing our way, faster if you can and we didn‘t do that in the second half. that‘s all the sport for now. i‘ll have more for you in the next hour. so many questions, not least from the politicians themselves. i‘m joined now by georgina wright, an independent brexit analyst and professor anand menon, from the think—tank the uk in a changing europe, who is also a professor

of european politics and foreign affairs at kings college london. the first question is from noel mcallister who asked what they would get cross—party support that would respect the result to leave the eu. the house of commons is very divided on what the uk wants out of this. there are options on the table, one is the deal that the uk government has reached with the eu and the other option, the norway model which would be closely around to the eu, closely integrated to the single market. but it is unclear and until the uk is united it will be difficult to see what we can get out of the eu. there is no unanimity around any possible or plausible option? the second part, no one knows what respecting the referendum result means. some voted to stop

free movement, control immigration. everyone defined respecting the referendum result in a different way. a lot of mps are saying respecting the referendum outcome but saying contradictory things while doing so. it is one big question that covers so many nuances and issues? absolutely. whether the eu reciprocates it and agrees with it, it is a complex negotiation. so in answer to the question there doesn‘t seem to be a deal that will get cross—party support? doesn‘t seem to be a deal that will get cross-party support? lots of things parliament opposes, hard to find something that is parliamentary agreement. another interesting question... what we have is a piece

of legislation in place called the fixed term and at which lays out the procedure you go through to remove the government. the problem there is, even those tories who look liable to vote against the deal might vote with the government on a vote of no—confidence. if the vote of no—confidence passes, there are 14 of no—confidence passes, there are ia days the government could cobble together a majority or the opposition could do the same thing. the dynamics will all be in parliament, but it is hard to find a to change. and your thoughts on that from tony osborne? i agree with anand, there are legal processes and the queen cannot just anand, there are legal processes and the queen cannotjust intervene. it wouldn‘t help these negotiations. the queen cannotjust intervene. it wouldn't help these negotiations.“ there was a general election what would that mean for the deadline of the 29th of march? the next question... if the ecj say we can

revoke article 50, why can‘t we unilaterally get out of the backstop? the ecj is saying it is consistent with the treaty that we can unilaterally revoked. revoking the backstop would not be consistent with the withdrawal agreement. one would be legal and the other would be illegal. exactly, this was an independent decision on article 50, it doesn‘t apply across the board. this question... if we come out of the eu with no deal, what happens to the eu with no deal, what happens to the irish border? it would be the return of ha rd the irish border? it would be the return of hard border and how about work in practice, could you have border infrastructure further away from the border? they are big questions. he would have, by necessity, a return of the border because the eu would be out of the

eu and this one trading system we have been part of would be split with northern ireland. so many people said they couldn‘t countenance the idea of no deal and many mps arguing there is no consensus for no deal? if you listen to what the irish prime minister is saying, he is saying we will not have infrastructure on the border. the irish don't want the border, they will try and avoid it. the brexiteer say, if you don't need the border, what is this fuss about the backstop all about? everyone is playing a double game over this border issue. it is a game of who will blink first, effectively? the eu has made clear they don‘t want the backstop, it isjust eu has made clear they don‘t want the backstop, it is just an insurance policy because there are no other solutions on the table at this point. they cannot start

exploring options until there is a withdrawal agreement in place. we are going to go to the people‘s vote news co nfe re nce are going to go to the people‘s vote news conference and margaret beckett for labour has just begun speaking. the proposal for leaving the european union with more uncertainty, there was one moment of clarity, the ruling from the european court of justice clarity, the ruling from the european court ofjustice that the united kingdom can still decide unilaterally, to revoke article 50 and stay in the eu on the same terms we now enjoy. ourfate remains in our own hands. in recent days, three of the most important activists have varying degrees of intent and have opened the pathway to what appears the only way forward. theresa may, announcing her proposed deal on the

steps of downing street said, the alternatives were either to leave with no deal, or no brexit at all. yesterday in the commons, she told mps they need to face the fact there will be a choice between a deal or no deal and no brexit. we don‘t doubt the prime minister has set her face against both, but given her repeated suggestions that both are possible, possible outcomes to this crisis will be the height of irresponsibility to repairfor crisis will be the height of irresponsibility to repair for one and not the other. donald tusk, yesterday reiterated there was no prospect of renegotiating the deal but has stated that if it is rejected the only option remaining would be no deal or no brexit at all. i want to reassure you that the eu is prepared for every scenario. we recognise donald tusk is heavily

invested in this deal but today we seek clarification from him about he will help the uk‘s democratic system to prepare for a public vote in which staying in the eu is on the ballot paper. and a third pivotal figure in this evolving crisis is jeremy corbyn. in an interview on sunday com he confirmed the shadow cabinet will decide, perhaps today when to table a motion of no—confidence in the government. our policy, agreed by a conference in september is to examine all options remaining on the table, including campaigning fora remaining on the table, including campaigning for a public vote with an option to remain, should be not be able to secure a general election. in his interview on sunday, he was asked if staying in the eu would be on the ballot paper? and replied, there to be an option

there of what‘s on offer. we still don‘t know what would be on offer. at the moment we have this deal, which doesn‘t look like it‘s going through parliament. today we are making a similar challenge to all three of these participants, to the government, calling on ministers now to begin preparations for a people‘s vote, including drafting legislation for the public to be given a final say, which the prime minister admits isa say, which the prime minister admits is a realistic outcome to this crisis. to the european union, calling on it to begin discussions on thursday to extend article 50 so that our democratic process has time and the space needed to explore that option, outlined by mr tusk of the uk deciding to stay. and tojeremy, as ke uk deciding to stay. and tojeremy, aske in the days ahead, think very ha rd aske in the days ahead, think very hard about adding your signature to

those of the leaders today to table a motion of no confidence, so if we cannot get the general election we want, we can campaign for the people‘s vote that labour‘s members and voters so desperately desire. vince cable, the lib dem leader, the lib dems have always backed this idea of a people‘s vote, a second referendum, making his way to the podium and margaret beckett speaking just before him, calling on ministers to prepare for a people‘s vote, calling on the eu to extend article 50 to give the uk‘s democratic process is time to unfold in that scenario. and really a message to the prime minister, two other mps to indeed, jeremy corbyn,

calling for this second referendum on whether the people are still happy with the deal that is on offer from theresa may. we know she is hoping to come back with some reassurances, whether that alters the substance of the deal, we don‘t know. although it seems unlikely. eu leaders have repeatedly said there is no room for any renegotiation, so we wait for more from bat. the prime minister due in berlin to meet angela merkel any time now. before we went to the news conference we work in the middle of answering questions with georgina wright, an independent brexit analyst and anand. we had almost got to the end of those questions. just one more for you to answer from timothy in derby. the pm said the backstop is

only one option, the transition period could be extended. why can‘t the transition period be extended indefinitely until the trade deal is done? that was a big concern on all sides, that this transition period would be extended indefinitely and the uk would be locked into a system where it was part in the market, pa rt where it was part in the market, part in the customs union arrangement and constrain its ability to do different things as an independent, sovereign state. what we see with the agreement on the table now, the expansion could happen once but it would be about july 2020, the uk government will have to notified the eu how long it would want the extension four. jacob rees mogg said it is a vassal state, the transition means you are bound

by ewels regulations and we cannot sign trade deals, bound by eu rules but we don't have a seat at the table of the european union. thank you both answering those questions. thank you to all of you who sent those questions in. time for all the business news. we will see how the business world is reacting to all things brexit. i‘m ben thompson in the business news. record numbers of people are in work and average earnings are at their highest level for a decade, according to the latest official figures. employment rose by 79,000 in the three months to october to more than 32 million, that‘s the highest since records began in 1971. flooring retailer carpetright says half—year losses have widened to £11.7 million — that‘s up sharply from the 0.6 million loss

in the same period last year. sales were down 12.7% over the six—month period but the company said there was a "marked improvement". the company has been closing stores to cut losses. barclays bank has launched an app that allows customers to ‘turn off‘ spending on certain types of goods and services. it‘s designed to help people who have problems with gambling or drinking. it‘s the first high street bank to allow its customers to use a so—called ‘spending blocker‘ to help vulnerable customers, particularly problem gamblers, or those in serious debt. good morning, let‘s get more on those unemployment figures. the uk‘s employment rate has continued to rise. over the last three months employment hit record levels, thanks to an increase in full—time workers according to the ons. unemployment also rose though, up by 20,000 to 1.38 million, blamed on a big rise in the number of men out of work,

although the total is still lower than a year ago. and real earnings are now growing faster than at any time since around the end of 2016. let‘s get more on this from yael selfin, chief uk economist, kpmg nice to see you. maybe if you can explain that little bit. employment went up but also unemployment went up, can you explain it? we have the employment rates at record high as well as inactivity rates. so the proportion of people out of work is ata proportion of people out of work is at a record high. that indicated the labour market is red hot. unemployment is slightly, in terms of rate is higher than we saw in the summer but it is still below what we have seen earlier and below what the bank of england considers to be a

neutral rate of unemployment.“ bank of england considers to be a neutral rate of unemployment. if we look at the headlines, we are told there is so much uncertainty, businesses are putting off hiring and not making any investment or expansion decisions until we know what is happening with brexit, but these figures suggest business is sort of getting on with things? businesses are hiring but what they are not doing is investing and business investment is very weak. potentially they are using labour as a substitute at this stage. but overall, the labour market is very, very tight. what is stopping them using the labour to make up the shortfall, hiring more staff to do things machines could do, is that wages are still going up and the latest figures, real earnings growing faster than at any time since the end of 2016, so it should mean we should have more money in our pocket if we have a job?

earnings are high and rising because inflation is falling as well. the money we have to spend is higher than earlier. households should have a little bit more room for spending over the christmas period. however, with the falling pound we could see inflation surging a little bit ahead and that would squeeze household‘s real purchasing power and would cause more concern for the bank of england when it comes to raising interest rates and overall inflation. one thing we know, these numbers are interlinked, you cannot look at one without the other. yesterday we had growth figures telling how the economy fared in the third quarter. if it fares in similar in the fourth quarter we are on track for our worst economic growth since the financial crisis. we might have more money in our pocket but we will hang onto it a little bit longer? the slowdown we

expected in 2018 as a whole will be down to a very poor first—quarter and that was due to the bad weather. the qa we have seen so far, 0k figures, but from the pm figures, concerns about services, we have seen significant fall in services which represents a chunk of the uk economy. we are expecting qa to be 0k, which would lead to around 1.3 growth in 2018. if everything goes according to plan and he would ask what plan that is, we could see a slightly higher growth next year, 1.6, which is the latest forecast. but a lot will depend on what happens next with the na brexit negotiations. ok, yael, good to talk to you. and some other stories in the news today wpp‘s new chief

executive mark read has set out his new strategy to boost revenue. the advertising giant says that the plan will cost £300 million pounds. it will include losing three, 500 jobs but also hiring 1,000 people in the technology and creative industries. delays to the crossrail project have left london businesses frustrated, according to jasmine whitbread, chief executive of the london first trade group. she says businesses who were expecting to use the new service this week will now have to pay for the over—run. a plan for a scottish—based stock exchange, focusing on social and environmental companies, has secured a partnership agreement with a major european stock market operator. bourse scot ltd is being planned by entrepreneur tomas carruthers, who has been involved in trading platforms before. it would be the first scottish stock exchange since the closure of the trading floor in glasgow in 1973.

let me show you what this happening on the markets. the ftse 100 let me show you what this happening on the markets. the ftse100 having a strong session. remember it does well when the pound is weak because it makes overseas earnings look better. but this is what is happening on the currency markets, sterling falling sharply against the euro and the dollar because the vote has been cancelled and the indecision in the markets. just to remind you, a statement from the prime minister‘s spokesman saying significantly the prime minister has said she will come back to mps before the 21st of january with her dealfor an to mps before the 21st of january with her deal for an meaningful vote, the vote that was meant to happen yesterday that she said would

be happening yesterday, but in the end it didn‘t. meanwhile there is an urgent question at 12.30 from that cooper to ask the attorney general what is the latest possible time before the deadline of the 29th of march, the bread sick day that the prime minister could come back to mps? the prime minister‘s spokesman seems to have answered the question, by the 21st of january but it is conceivable the deadline could stretch. stay with us for much more i never think that is happening brexit related. now let‘s look at the weather with simon king. we did have a frost this morning. many will see quite a bit of cloud. more so towards western areas. we have the cloud across northern

ireland into western fringes of england and wales. the clearest skies always towards eastern and central areas and that is where we will have some sunny spells and temperatures here about 5/ 7 degrees. further west, temperatures here about 5/ 7 degrees. furtherwest, more cloud with a few spots of rain over the hills, the hills of wales and north—west england. tonight, we will keep a lot of the cloud and this ray will gradually moving. it will break up will gradually moving. it will break up as it pushes further east with patchy rain across western areas. clearer skies towards the east, temperatures could be close to freezing but perhaps just staying above freezing here. six to 9 degrees further west. the weather front bringing the rain on wednesday morning, but as it moves eastwards it is bumping into this area of high pressure so it is weakening all the while. patchy rain across western scotland, northern ireland, wales

and the south—west. sunny spells towards eastern areas and perhaps we will see brighter skies developing across north—west england, east wales and central and southern england late in the day. the temperature difference, six to 7 degrees in the east but nine to 11 degrees in the east but nine to 11 degrees further west. on thursday we pick upa degrees further west. on thursday we pick up a brisk, south—easterly wind. cold earth from russia and siberia moving across the uk. a noticeably colder feeling day, siberia moving across the uk. a noticeably colderfeeling day, both on thursday and friday. temperatures will be about six celsius but there will be about six celsius but there will be a wind chill and it might not feel much above freezing in many areas. staying mostly dry on thursday and friday. going into the weekend, eventually we will have this weather system coming in from the west and it is bumping into the colder air. there is the risk of some snow falling across northern pa rt some snow falling across northern part of england and scotland for a

time during saturday. much of it will be over higher ground but there could be quite a bit and some disruption. stay tuned to the forecast, goodbye. you‘re watching bbc newsroom live with me, annita mcveigh, in westminster. these are the main stories at midday. theresa may pleads with european leaders, as she fights to rescue her brexit deal. she‘s met the dutch prime minister this morning and faces angela merkel next, a day after she cancelled the vote on her withdrawal deal. but she‘s facing an uphill battle, as the eu insists it‘s not possible to renegotiate. the deal we have achieved is the best deal possible, it‘s the only deal possible, and so we cannot... applause there is no reason whatsoever

for renegotiation. here in westminster, mps will hold an emergency debate within the hour on that decision to delay the brexit vote. our other top stories — official figures show record numbers of people are in work and wages are at their highest level for a decade. france‘s president macron promises to increase the minimum wage and offers tax concessions, in response to weeks of violent protests. thinning ice in antarctica — nasa says it‘s worse than we thought, prompting fears of sea levels rising significantly around the world. hello, a very good afternoon to you

from westminster, you can probably hear some of the noise behind me as demonstrators on both sides, you know, those with leave means leave banners cheek by jowl with know, those with leave means leave banners cheek byjowl with those holding the european flag. they are here most days now at westminster, as the brexit drama continues. theresa may has begun a whistle—stop tour of the eu in a bid to rescue her brexit deal. she‘s meeting the german chancellor, angela merkel, and has held a breakfast meeting with the dutch prime minister, mark rutte, as she seeks new reassurances from the eu about the northern ireland backstop — the single biggest issue threatening the deal. but the president of the european commission, jean—claude juncker, has said there is "no room whatsoever for renegotiation". later this afternoon,

the prime minister is meeting the president of the european council, donald tusk. before that, back here in westminster, there‘ll be a three—hour emergency debate in the commons. it‘s been called for by the labour leader, jeremy corbyn. i mentioned the european commission president‘s comments. let‘s hear exactly what he‘s got to say. i will see mrs may this evening, and i have to say here in the parliament, as i did say before in this parliament, the deal we have achieved is the best deal possible, it is the only deal possible, and so we cannot... applause. there is no room whatsoever for renegotiation. but, of course, there is room,

if used intelligently, there is room enough to give further clarifications and further interpretations without opening the withdrawal agreement. this will not happen — everyone has to note that the withdrawal agreement will not be reopened. the big problem, of course, is the backstop for ireland. we have a common determination to do everything to be not in a situation one day to use that backstop, but we have to prepare it, it is necessary, it is necessary for the entire coherence of what we have agreed with them, and it is necessary for ireland. ireland will never be left alone. well, i think the prime minister is

due to arrive for her meeting with angela merkel, the german chancellor, in berlin, and indeed there is the motorcade carrying the prime minister to that meeting, these live pictures from berlin coming to usjust these live pictures from berlin coming to us just now. obviously, angela merkel‘s opinion is one of the key opinions and key decision makers that theresa may needs to get on board in terms of those reassu ra nces on board in terms of those reassurances that she is seeking from this round of meetings. but the prime minister has been very clear with a language, she hasn‘t talked about anything more than reassurances. whether any reassurances, if they are forthcoming, can change any minds or influence any decisions when her vote, the vote on her deal eventually comes before parliament, thatis

eventually comes before parliament, that is highly debatable, listening to the voices we have been talking to the voices we have been talking to today. and as we watch these live pictures of theresa may‘s arrival for that meeting with angela merkel, let‘s talk to damien mcguinness, who is in berlin as well. damien, how minded do you think angela merkel will be to offer reassurances to theresa may? she'll undoubtedly offer reassurances, but to be honest, not anything else, because the german government has been clear throughout the whole process, ever since the referendum, but particularly recently, quite forthright in saying that berlin supports the position taken by brussels, on the one hand berlin has consistently always said that this isa consistently always said that this is a negotiation between brussels and london, and that is something you note in the german press as well, it is seen very much as a european matter between the eu and london, almost as if germany doesn‘t have anything to do with it. and even today, this morning, government ministers in germany have said,

well, this compromise deal between the eu and theresa may will not be renegotiated, so that has been quite clear. there is a lot of sympathy for theresa may, a certain amount of admiration that she has gone on so long, and there is certainly an awareness of the dangers of britain leaving the eu without a deal, because german businesses are aware that the german economy would indeed ta ke that the german economy would indeed take ahead. but that almost been reported as an eventuality that can‘t be avoided if britain leaves without a deal. and it is being seen here as something that is in the hands of the british, because there is complete unanimity, really, with the german press, the german government and german voters you speak to as well, saying, well, this isa speak to as well, saying, well, this is a british domestic matter with the eu, and if the two sides can‘t come to an agreement, germany will support the eu, and that is quite clear. some people are quite puzzled why mrs may is, in fact, visiting

angela merkel today, because on previous visits it has always been the same line, and it is not go to change today either. so it is doubtful, really, apart from reassurances, which angela merkel will give, whether anything more concrete can come out of this. ok, damien, thank you very much for that, more details of that meeting if we hear any of them. we didn‘t hear much about the meeting with mark rutte earlier today so far, but as those details emerge, of course, if they emerge, we will bring them to you. i was talking a few moments ago about the noises from demonstrators here outside parliament virtually everyday these days, with all the drama going on in brexit, but we‘re just hearing some reports on the reuters news agency that an individual has been tasered by police or indeed held inside the grounds of parliament in the last short while. our political editor, laura kuenssberg, is tweeting

intruder at parliament being held by police, she says not clear what happened, all seems calm now. so whatever has gone on, the incident has been dealt with fairly quickly, it seems. some details emerging about a man being held, arguing with police, laura kuenssberg says that he was on the ground when she first saw him but was then on his feet in ha ndcuffs saw him but was then on his feet in handcuffs talking to officers. some reporters well suggesting that someone was tasered, we don‘t have absolute clarity on that. but whatever was going on has been dealt with and contained. let‘s speak to adam fleming, who is in brussels. adam, theresa may heading there later, we just saw her being greeted by angela merkel in berlin. what sort of reception can she expect there, what can she expect in terms of reassu ra nces

there, what can she expect in terms of reassurances from jean—claude juncker and donald tusk? well, the eu and demand the states are provided to provide reassurance and interpret aspects of the withdrawal agreement, but they are not prepared to reopen the document itself, so probably the territory we are in is a note from the european council, or some legal advice from one of the eu institutions, or some letters being exchanged that would clarify the situation as regards the northern irish backstop and how it would operate in the future. i thought it was notable that in theresa may‘s house of commons statement yesterday, all the details she gave was about what would happen on the domestic side — which would be the role of the british parliament — so i wonder if a lot of what theresa may is doing today is saying to these leaders, right, this is what i think i should offer the british parliament, can we get that written down so it is guaranteed to mps that this is the role they will have in the process? i suppose we will probably get some more details today, because the gears are

starting to turn in brussels in preparation for the meeting of eu leaders on thursday and friday, which will now have big brexit elements. as part of the preparation for that summit, european affairs ministers from across europe have been a brussels for the general affairs council, so we had an opportunity to ask them for their reactions to both theresa may dropping the parliamentary vote yesterday and also to see what they might be prepared to offer, this is what michael roth, the german europe minister, had to say on the red carpet this morning. are you sick of us?! it's so sad, is a really sad situation, notjust for the people of the united kingdom, but also for us in the eu 27, because we are very but also for us in the eu 27, because we are very much interested in reliable relations to the united kingdom, and i hope we can continue our very

kingdom, and i hope we can continue our very good cooperation and friendship. and will chancellor merkel do anything to help today? or is ita merkel do anything to help today? or is it a waste of time? it is always good to talk to each other. so two things there, first of all, not incredibly enthusiastic about anything big coming out of that meeting that is about to happen in berlin between theresa may and angela merkel, but secondly doesn‘t the body language speak volumes there? when i said, are you sick of us, he shrugged his shoulders, it took ages to find the words he felt, and that reflect a real sense of brexit fatigue that you pick up from people in brussels when you ask them about what is happening. yes, the body language does indeed speak volumes, thank you very much, adam fleming. let‘s just show you shone the max shots from a camera looking a short distance from where we are, obviously, at the area around parliament, quite a melee of people coming and going there. you can see a police car parked halfway on the

pavement, but we understand it is somewhere around this area that the individual we were talking about a few moments ago has been held by police, following some sort of words being exchanged. our political editor, laura kuenssberg, saying that she saw a man arguing with police, he was on the ground when she first saw him, and then he was on his feet in handcuffs, talking to officers. there was some suggestion also, some reports coming in that someone had been tasered, we can‘t absolutely clarify that, and that someone was within the grounds of parliament. but whether they were inside the walls, inside the perimeter orjust outside, it is a little unclear at the moment. but just that view from that camera overlooking parliament for you.

rouble try to get more details for you, whether it is one of the demonstrators, who have been out in force, whether it is one of those demonstrators, we simply do not know the moment. we will have more on today‘s main stories coming up for you on newsroom live, including more on brexit, but right now goodbye to viewers on bbc two. and let‘s continue our brexit coverage with assistant political editor norman smith. we have not heard much about theresa may‘s meeting with mark rutte, she has just arrived for the meeting with angela merkel — what do you think the strategy is with all of this? well, i think she knows she is not going to get any fundamental rewrite of the deal, that has been made pretty clear. i think she is sceptical about the risks involved

in reopening it and whether it would just be a sort of open invitation for the eu to pile in and make a whole load of the manse, so the best she can expect in terms of the deal, blu ntly, she can expect in terms of the deal, bluntly, is a bit of warm words around the margins to try and ease the concerns of tory brexiteers. the greatest weapon, though, is time, and the fact that the clock is now ticking down to brexit day, and we have learned this morning that number ten says she will come back with their meaningful vote before january the 21st. now, that is not going to assuage critics, because thatis going to assuage critics, because that is still six weeks away, so there is the potential for that is still six weeks away, so there is the potentialfor mrs that is still six weeks away, so there is the potential for mrs may to drag this out for another six weeks before mps actually get a say. that means, when they vote, they are getting towards the buffers of exit day. there really is no spare time to come out with some sort of plan b. so mps will be forced to decide whether to go with mrs may‘s deal or

to risk no deal or potentially no brexit, and bluntly her hope is that a number of mps on both sides of the divide will crack and she will have softer brexiteers saying, look, i don‘t want to put brexit address, i will go with this deal, and former remainers saying i cannot possibly risk no deal, we will go with mrs may‘s deal. so time is a key weapon to get this deal through. and we have, though, the other view that we have, though, the other view that we have always had from some within the conservative party, from some within labour, the snp, the greens, the lib dems and others, that there is an alternative to the options that theresa may is setting out. they are now, it seems to me, trying to concentrate their efforts in trying to manage a no confidence vote, all the opposition parties now, with the exception of labour, saying, yes, let‘s do it. jeremy corbyn is

holding back from tabling a no confidence motion, because he fears that if he does it now, mrs may will win, and they will have blown their opportunity. for tactical reasons, he is holding back. the other opposition parties take the view that now is the moment, that if he does not act now, he will indeed find himself in the position of having to vote for no deal mrs may‘s deal, so there are committed to go for it now. jeremy corbyn is holding back. a second reason for that is that if they blow it now, then they are almost forced by default to start moving towards a second referendum. that would be the only we have steve baker saying this

morning to tory mps, let‘s start writing those letters again, let‘s have a go to get rid of mrs may. their view is, she cannot negotiate a better deal. if you stick with mrs may you would just get her deal with a little bit of language around the margins. if you want a different course we are going to need a new leader. they are trying to get these a8 letters. they tried a few weeks ago and failed. this time they are having a renewed push. the question is, how do you manage this with exit date looming? talking to some of the brexiteers, you could have a very fast leadership contest over christmas, which is done and dusted within two or three weeks. come back injanuary, within two or three weeks. come back in january, new leader, new strategy, new brexit deal. they have to get the a8 letters, but that is the immediate threat to mrs may. just a final thought, the 29th of

march as the date on which the uk leaves the eu, do you think that could slip? it is possible, yes. anything is possible given where we currently are. if we get to mrs may‘s meaningful vote on the 20th of january and if there are not sufficient concessions and if it goes down, a lot of people are going to balk at the idea that we will automatically go to no deal. you will see mps trying hilary benn‘s amendment to engineer a majority to avoid no deal at all costs. if they do that they will have to extend article 50 to buy more time will stop but nothing is off the table. as they used to say, anything can happen in the next half an hour. it is like that with brexit, anything can happen. norman smith, thank you very much. norman was talking about

hilary benn. i spoke to him and he is chair of the brexit committee and i asked him if labour are waiting to move a vote of no—confidence against the prime minister was good decision? it is a sensible decision. but the prime minister is touring round europe to see if she can bring something back on the deal. the moment to consider such a motion of no—confidence is after this deal is voted on. she might back with a piece of paper, exchange of letters saying we don‘t want to use the backstop, we will try and sort it out but i‘m not sure that will be sufficient to rescue her deal when the vote is finally brought before the vote is finally brought before the commons. we are in a crisis as a country and the prime minister faced humiliation yesterday and the nation may face humiliation if this deal does not go forward. the sooner we

get onto the alternatives, the better for the future of the country andi better for the future of the country and i don‘t think she can wait until the new year to finally ask parliament to vote on her deal. she may get reassurances, she may get a different form of words as a result of these meetings today but will it change the minds of her critics? in her party, probably not. any words of reassurance will be compared with the legal text in article 20 of the northern ireland, ireland backstop and that will remain because the eu has been clear, we will not change the words of the withdrawal agreement. those critics will say, it is all well and good, but you haven‘t changed what we object to. labour are saying, colleagues of your saying they want to see whether she comes back with some tweaks to the deal, but is that what labour really wa nts ? it the deal, but is that what labour really wants? it is not what labour once as a party in terms of unanimity, is it? my problem is not

really with the withdrawal agreement, we have got to protect citizens‘ rights, we have got to have a transition period and because the prime minister has said we are leaving the customs union and the single market she has been skewered by her party which has led to the problems she faced. it is about a lack of clarity about the future. she is asking the country to take a step into the unknown and the breadsticks electorate committee in our unanimous report, we said with one voice, it doesn‘t provide us with certainty for the future. that is the problem with the prime minister‘s deal. the government has steadfastly refused to be honest with the nation about the choices we face. hilary benn talking to me earlier. let‘s get more on the situation around the gates of parliament we have been telling you about with

reports that a man was teys at after a disturbance. i can talk to christopher hope, our chief political correspondent of the daily telegraph. christopher, i understand you saw some of this unfolding, what did you see? the press gallery is next to big ben over at parliament square. i heard a scream and looked out of the window. about half a dozen police officers were running towards a man who was behind the famous christmas tree you see outside the house of parliament. it appears the man was tasered. they have closed carriage gates and the exit is now to the house of lords entrance. but it was reminiscent of what happened last year when i am afraid to say we saw the horror of the murder of pc keith palmer. it

appears to be contained bell. armed police are patrolling by the christmas tree. i understand from colleagues, the man has been put into a colleagues, the man has been put intoa van colleagues, the man has been put into a van and may have been taken away. it shows how on edge people are in the palace of westminster. sofa clarity‘s say, this was someone who was inside the perimeter of parliament‘s grounds? who was inside the perimeter of parliament's grounds? he appears to have got through the gates cars come through and i think he was tasered inside the state. we have some new images coming in of an individual on the ground with several police officers around him. police officers standing nearby but this individual clearly contained by the officers

holding him on the ground. it is quite a melee in that area. christopher, you have the normal comings and goings, lots of tourists and demonstrators here because of brexit as well? yes, it does feel free bridle at the moment, westminster and this is a reminder this place can feel under siege at times. many mps feel under siege and this is an eruption on a strange day that they could do without. ok, christopher, thank you very much from the daily telegraph telling us what he saw. and laura kuennsburg joins me on the line, also saw some of this unfolding? i am talking to you from old palace yard which is just inside the gates at the front of westminster, said only 20 metres or so from big ben. about 20 minutes ago i was due to be coming into

parliament to talk to mps about what is unfolding here politically... i saw a man on the ground who was somehow brought to the ground by police. he was held by the police and there was a dozen or so police holding him and he was continue to argue and shout at them. he looked to be holding what was a passport and a few other bits and pieces that we re and a few other bits and pieces that were taken for evidence by the police. he has been put into a police. he has been put into a police van and taken away. but huge sensitivity around this, notjust because of normal security concerns because of normal security concerns because this is precisely the spot where there was that terror attack where there was that terror attack where pc keith palmer lost his life when somebody made it into the parliamentary estate last year. laura, did you get any sense of what this man was shouting about? was it to do with the brexit demonstrations? i couldn't hear what

he was arguing or shouting about. he didn‘t have any paraphernalia with him that would have suggested one particular cause. he looked to be in his late 20s and early 30s and caused a lot of commotion. but to be com pletely caused a lot of commotion. but to be completely clear, not obvious what he was trying to achieve, if he was trying to mount some kind of protest or if he had more sinister motives, we do not know that at this stage. laura, thank you for describing what you saw. laura kuennsburg, our political editor talking about seeing an individual, a man being dealt with by police after getting inside the perimeter of parliament through gates which traffic normally comes through. you can see from these images that individual being held on the ground by police

officers. if we hear more about what unfolded, we will let you know. but now let‘s return to brexit related business and we can talk to a professor of politics at the university of liverpool. what do you make of what has been an extraordinary 2a hours or so. in a period where we have had so many extraordinary days the backstop has a lwa ys extraordinary days the backstop has always been the main problem. the eu are not bluffing when they say the treaty will not be amended. but there may be some scope for compromise and this is still a long shot, but it is a possibility, that some sort of addendum, some appendix or new protocol could be added to the existing treaties which would

reassure some of the doubters, in particular the dup but brexiteers more broadly about the nature of the irish backstop. at the moment the backstop will kick in if there is no deal by december the 31st 2020. there probably won‘t be a comprehensive trade deal with the european union by the end of december 2020. what would an extra appendix do? perhaps there could be some bolstered mechanism in which the cases of the uk, if they wanted to leave the backstop or the cases of the eu if they wanted to retain the backstop will go to some independent arbitration. that is the only thing i can think of. domestic tinkering as the dup put it, is not going to work. parliament could boast by 650 votes to zero to end the backstop but under the current legislation, that simply isn‘t going

to pass muster. the backstop needs to pass muster. the backstop needs to be addressed, the question is how far will the eu be flexible? not much, i would far will the eu be flexible? not much, iwould reckon. if far will the eu be flexible? not much, i would reckon. if there was some kind of appendix or addendum, would it have to be legally binding and all the suggestions from europe are, they won‘t be making any serious concessions for the prime minister, would it have to be legally binding to convince the sternest critics of her deal? yes, any appendix, if it materialises, would have to be legally binding. not much point in having a set of words. we have already got words in the political declaration that has been signed off. for the brexiteers, not just within the been signed off. for the brexiteers, notjust within the dup, they want to see the legalese, as it were, what is written in a particular treaty. whether theresa may can extra ct treaty. whether theresa may can extract that, given the weakness of her negotiating position is open to

question. we were promised a meaningful vote and in one sense, evenif meaningful vote and in one sense, even if the vote had taken place would have been meaningless because the deal was signed, sealed and delivered. the question is, you can try and exit with no deal with no commons majority for that, it only leaves two viable alternatives. one would be a second referendum and the other would be no way plus which is so close to eu minus four many brexiteers. let's move away from the critics of the deal and think about the more middle of the road, if i can use that expression, mps who wa nt to can use that expression, mps who want to avoid no deal, who want to avoid no brexit, do you think they might be squeezed into a situation whereby theresa may‘s deal is the only deal open to them, perhaps with extra reassu ra nce only deal open to them, perhaps with extra reassurance is? theresa may will try in the new year to bring a

modified version of the deal and that depends what happens in the next 2a hours in brussels. there could be an amendment tabled in the commons to delay departure beyond the 29th of march. that would command a majority in the house of commons. that buys time in the short term while we try to sort ourselves out. that is a distinct possibility. are the options as stark as you say because clearly the people behind the >> terry: campaign are trying to get the message out there that there are other ways, the roots to follow?“ we go down the people‘s vote, second referendum option there would have to be an extension to the date of departure anyway. he would need an absolute minimum and this is the absolute minimum and this is the absolute minimum and this is the absolute minimum of 1a weeks to organise such a referendum. it isn‘t doable lennie waite. —— doable

anyway. that is the only reason the eu would accept a proposed extension to departure. it is probably favourite in terms of the way forward because it parliament cannot decide, the people will have too. let‘s not pretend this would be anything other than usually divisive and there are potential complication is in terms of the wording. last time we had a binary referendum. this time the binary option might not be on the ballot paper, it might be multiple options with the complications of difficulties it would bring. the idea that is a pa na cea , would bring. the idea that is a panacea, the idea of a second vote, i think is for the birds. would it be democratic or anti—democratic to have the second referendum, given that mps cannot agree on a deal after two and a half years of negotiations? it is an option of desperation by virtue of the fact

that parliament doesn‘t appear to have a majority for anything other than to have not exit without a deal. the difficulty is, how you would frame the second referendum and there are those 17.a million people who voted for brexit who will be enraged. do we go to a best of three model if a vote is narrowly to remain this time? the country is entitled to think again on this and a lot of information about the nature of our brexit and the difficulties of that brexit have come to light since 2060. so you can make an intellectual and political case for a second referendum but it will inflame division rather than heal the country if we do go down that route. i still think it is the likeliest route now, but don‘t pretend it is going to be easy. the people‘s vote tend to overlook the difficulties. what if the result is very close again? professor, thank

you very much. let‘s just take stock of where we are so far after a dramatic day at westminster yesterday. we have heard from a spokesman for the prime minister who says she will bring her deal back to parliament for a vote by the 21st of january. it could slip again, the prime minister has said certain things will happen before, they haven‘t happened. but it does look as though that is being pushed towards the new year. let‘s look inside the commons where we are expecting an urgent question from ever cooper. it relates to the idea of what is the latest point the prime minister could bring her deal back for a vote, for an meaningful vote in the house of, is. she is putting that urgent question to the

attorney general with some suggestions earlier today this could go right up to the wire, the wire being the 29th of march, the day the uk is due to depart from the european union. meanwhile, the prime minister is talking to a number of european leaders, the dutch prime minister earlier, angela merkel of germany, currently. later on will talk to leading eu officials, jean—claude juncker and donald tusk, seeking those reassurances she was talking about yesterday, reassu ra nces talking about yesterday, reassurances around the backstop, designed to prevent a hard border between the republic of ireland and northern ireland in the event of no trade deal being reached after brexit, whether those reassurances will make a bit of difference to any of the mps as they prepared to vote yesterday. whether it will make a jot of difference to them in a future votes, it sounds unlikely

based on what we have heard today. but the prime minister is convinced she can still change some minds. earlier i spoke to the former leader of the conservative party, iain duncan smith and i asked him what his expectations are of the prime minister today in brussels.” his expectations are of the prime minister today in brussels. i think what the prime minister has to do is convey the reality their deal, their deal will no longer be on the table if they don‘t give her what she is after. what she is after and what she should be after i believe is to say to them this backstop that exists right now this northern ireland backstop is intolerable. it puts in northern ireland second outside the uk and also it means we have a problem, because we cannot leave it. back would be an absolute constitutional first and germany wouldn‘t act septic, france wouldn‘t access to it for themselves, so why

should we? what will cost them is if this deal doesn‘t go ahead because they won‘t have their 39 billion and they won‘t have their 39 billion and they will have a huge black hole and at the same time they will end up with the process where we won‘t have those arrangements which suit them and their businesses. why would the 27 after two and a half years of negotiation do anything that place of the republic of ireland at a disadvantage, if that is what this would mean? the republic of ireland will not be at a disadvantage. what we have done is written protocol and trade chapterfor we have done is written protocol and trade chapter for the eu. we have done is written protocol and trade chapterfor the eu. we went and saw them over this and we have seen the government. the open border policy, which was started by ender kenny, the previous leader in ireland. it is this present leader who insisted on this ludicrous backstop and the eu went along with

it. it will come down to having their commitment to open borders and all the processes that exist at the moment unable bad to happen. in rotterdam, the biggest port in europe, they spot checked only 1.5% of non—eu goods coming in and they don‘t even do that at the border. there is no requirement to have this ludicrous backstop pressed upon the uk. the european union knows it and so does mr baraka. but he‘s playing again for irish politics and that needs to stop and the uk needs to say to them, you are putting at risk your own settlement, your own money we we re your own settlement, your own money we were supposed to be giving you, it will not be coming across if you don‘t agree something. it is not massive, it just means don‘t agree something. it is not massive, itjust means they need to agree that they will go along with this and they will have an open borders policy. just while we wait for that urgent question from yvette cooper, let me bring you this update from the metropolitan police. the

incident a carriage gates, just inside the perimeter of parliament where a man was arrested earlier. the met saying he was arrested by carriage gates inside the palace of westminster on suspicion of trespassing on a protected site. that was at around 11.55 just trespassing on a protected site. that was at around 11.55just before midday. the police confirming a taser was used and the met says enquiries into the circumstances continue. we have heard from our colleague laura kuenssberg and other journalists about hearing a scream and shouting and then seeing officers surround a man, there was a lot of shouting, but officers quickly contained the individual, held him on the ground. it has caused some disruption to normal business, but you can see in that

last shot, one of the officers holding a taser. armed police officers and also police officers with batons at the ready. containing this man very quickly. memories of the attack on pc keith palmer, of course, the fatal attack on pc keith pama very much in everyone‘s minds. as this incident unfolded today, although it sounds as though it was dealt with very quickly. we do not know what the circumstances of this incident where. just to repeat the line from the metropolitan police saying that enquiries into the circumstances continue. there are a lot of people around parliament on a daily basis, demonstrators, torres, we just daily basis, demonstrators, torres, wejust don‘t daily basis, demonstrators, torres, we just don‘t know why this man was inside the grounds. he managed to get into carriage gates where cars

are normally come and go through. security is a priority around the palace of westminster following last year‘s attack. but clearly there are perhaps weak spots that can be exploited as today‘s incident seems to demonstrate. so those are the latest comments from the metropolitan police on that incident just before noon at carriage gates, inside the palace of westminster. we can go inside the house of commons now for the urgent question from about cooper. i recognised this question, which is the subject of much discussion and speculation yesterday. i hope to be able to put honourable members and

concerns at ease. in keeping with the clear intention of the eu withdrawal act 2018, the government will ensure the question of whether to a cce pt will ensure the question of whether to accept an agreement is brought back to this house before the 21st of january. if parliament accepts that deal we will introduce the eu withdrawal bill to implement the withdrawal bill to implement the withdrawal agreement in domestic legislation. if parliament were to reject the deal the government will be required to make a statement on its proposed next apps and table a motion on neutral terms on that statement. following last week, the motion would be amendable. it is our intention the house will consider this matter before the 21st of january and have an opportunity to decide on the deal. in the unlikely and undesirable circumstances that as of the 21st of january there is no deal before the house the government will bring a statement to

the house and arrange for a debate as specified by the law. i‘m confident we will have a deal to support and put to rest the concerns of honourable members of the government will commit to meet the spirit as well as the letter of the withdrawal act and respect the will of this house. i thank him for his reassurances but they are not enough. the reason i ask this question to the attorney general is because we need to know the government's legal interpretation of section 13 of the act and to be really assured the government will abide by the spirit of the act as well. now the government has pulled the vote we don't know whether it will come whether a vote will come on the deal. an official spokesman said this morning it will be here by the 215t of january said this morning it will be here by the 215t ofjanuary and the minister said it will be here by the 215t of january but the environment

secretary sitting on the front bench confirmed the vote was 100% going to happen. yesterday at 11 o'clock, and numberten happen. yesterday at 11 o'clock, and number ten spokesperson said the vote is going ahead. by 3:30pm, the prime minister had pulled it. these warm words are not enough when so much is at stake. who knows, and this goes for the cabinet and the benches opposite, non—others know if the prime minister will pull the vote again or even if she will table a vote on a deal. so if we get to the 215t of january a vote on a deal. so if we get to the 215t ofjanuary and there is no deal, the agreement of parliament was the government should make a statement and parliament should be able to vote on it and it should be amendable. ministers said if the unlikely event there is no deal, but what happened. we need urgent assurance from the attorney general the government will not find a loophole in this by saying there is a deal, even though we haven't voted

on it and thereby avoiding the requirements of section 13, subsection seven to 11 which would require the vote by the 215t of january. so by never quite getting round to offering a vote on this deal until it is too late, but also not having a vote on no deal, keeping us in limbo. no vote on the deal and no vote on the deal. if the government were to do this it would bea government were to do this it would be a constitutional outrage. appending the spirit of the withdrawal agreement act but it would be letting the country at the drift or forcing the country into no deal without a parliamentary vote. we need written assurances from the attorney general on the government's interpretation of the act and we need that assurance that even if there has been no vote on this deal, evenif there has been no vote on this deal, even if they are still claiming the deal applies even if there has been no vote on the deal by the 215t of january, then the government will

still abide by section 13, subsection seven to 11 and ensure there is a statement and an amendable vote on its plans, including whether or not this means no deal and that will happen under any circumstances by the 215t of january. i make no apology of my purpose in doing this, i already think the 215t ofjanuary is too late with departments already thinking they have ditto everything for preparing no deal. i want to stop this country by no deal with the damaging consequences forjobs, prosperity and our national security without parliament having a say and without parliament having a say and without parliament having a say and without parliament being able to stop it happening. even if other members don't agree with me, i hope they will agree that this parliament cannot be ignored and that is why we need the attorney general's written advice. i have great respect for the

right honourable lady and i understand she came to this house expecting to have a row about the government‘s interpretation of this andi government‘s interpretation of this and i understand the question she has asked, but i have responded to this question because my department is responsible for the legislation and we have given her a clear interpretation of the legislation and that we will have a motion before this house by the 21st of january. that is in all those different scenarios i talked to in my statement. the answer is clear, i respect the decisions made in this house and the government should come back to the house with a motion in the event no deal had been agreed or in the event this house rejected a deal. that was clear from my statement. what we are therefore saying is there will be that motion by the 21st of january. i agree with her, i expect it to be sooner and i

expect this house to have the opportunity to debate withdrawal agreement that this house will be able to support. let‘s work together to achieve that, but not allow some of the conspiracy theories and the scare stories to run away, when i have just clarify the government‘s position. nicky morgan. i have great sympathy for the points made by both the minister, who is acting with integrity, also the point made by the honourable lady. it is unquestionable this parliament must have a say, and meaningful vote on the deal or no deal that comes about. can the minister give categorical reassurance will be no trickery by the government to stop having a say? minister. i am happy

to give back categorical reassurance. as my statement reflected, we will be putting before parliament, a motion, even in the circumstances where no deal was before the house. i believe and expect there will be a deal before this house which i will be urging parliament to support.|j this house which i will be urging parliament to support. i am grateful to my right honourable friend, applying for this urgent question. grateful to the minister‘s response but the reality is, the attorney general should be here to speak about the legal implications on this agreement. yesterday the prime minister used the phrase, in this house of an accidental no deal, the fa ct house of an accidental no deal, the fact she used the phrase is a dereliction of leadership, mr speaker. section 13 of the european withdrawal act is crucial in this house being able to prevent a chaotic no deal outcome which would

do enormous damage to our security, economy and society. can the minister answer these questions, the prime minister‘s official spokesperson has reiterated, the government will bring back the meaningful vote by the 21st of january. isn‘t it completely contrary to the national interest for the prime minister to run down another six weeks on the clock with all she is seeking is reassurances and clarification on a document that parliament already understands? if we are lying on the government‘s word or it‘s clear intention that the government will keep the 21st of january deadline, rather than the clear force of the law, doesn‘t the minister understands, that constitutes no reassurance at all? yesterday the prime minister was unable to properly answer questions about the legal force of the 21st of january deadline and the leader of

the house couldn‘t properly answer questions about the legal status and force of the amendment of the right honourable gentleman. the reassurance that was given by the minister means nothing without the legal backing of the attorney general, who isn‘t here. isn‘t the truth, mr speaker, this decision to pull the vote was made in a panic haste, without thinking through the economic and constitutional implications for our country? the honourable gentleman made my point clearly his said the spokesman said the same thing as i said from the dispatch box that there will be a meaningful vote before the house before the 21st of january. he also talked about acting in contrary to the national interest and that is labour‘s approach blindly denying

the sensible steps by the prime minister while offering no alternatives. mr dominic grieve. i am grateful to my honourable friend for his statement. the first point, section 13 procedure presupposes the government has an initial deal with the european union. and of course we have such an initialled deal which is why we started debate on it last week for the purpose of deciding whether the house should or should not approve it. in those circumstances, can he provide an assurance to the house that if the initial deal is continuing in its form, the house can complete its negotiation, not a day before the 2ist negotiation, not a day before the 21st of january but expeditiously that was clearly provided for under the act? secondly, may i take it

from what he said the government now accept the amendment that was tabled to the procedure under section 13, to the procedure under section 13, to allow for an amendable motion there after is now accepted by the government as it should prevail in future? minister. yes, i commend my right honourable friend for the points he has raised. i agree with himi points he has raised. i agree with him i have given a commitment with regards to his amendment and that does mean the motion would be amendable. with regards to the government, the house being able to com plete government, the house being able to complete its considerations expeditiously, we do all have that in mind, the prime minister has been seeking out assurances, listening to concerns raised in the house and then come back swiftly to this house so we can complete those considerations. mr speaker, this is a government which has been found in

co nte m pt of a government which has been found in contempt of parliament and which continues to demonstrate its co nte m pt continues to demonstrate its contempt for parliamentary democracy ona contempt for parliamentary democracy on a daily basis. it is clear the government prefers to communicate with mps through the lobby briefings than on the floor of this house. it is also clear that the government is trying to evade its legal responsibilities by failing to have the attorney general here... studio: we saw the brexit minister answering an urgent question from yvette cooper when a vote would come before parliament on theresa may‘s deal. she said i want to stop this country by careering into no deal by accident or deliberate intention of the government. she called for reassurances. robin walker said there would be a motion before parliament before the 21st of january but they expect it to be sooner. now, let‘s get the weather. the weather has been a tale of two

halves in the day, mouthing cloudy for many western areas. this is gloucester earlier, hazy sunshine coming through. the nine weather at the moment because most of the weather bearing fronts are to the west and this one is making inroads this evening across northern ireland and the rain gets squeezed out all the time as it gets into western scotla nd the time as it gets into western scotland and western fringes of england and wales. for most it is relatively mild overnight because of the cloud and the breeze but we keep holes in the east where we see patchy frost. on wednesday we will see the burst of sunshine. we are trying to drag in this high pressure to the east whilst keeping the weather fronts at bay towards the west. another quiet weather data, little rain but perhaps something to start with but nuisance value, a lot of cloud across southern and western

areas. in the east, it will turn brighter, east anglia, these midlands and parts of yorkshire. further west, it is milder but cloudy with rain. perhaps the highlands of scotland in shelter from the southerly wind will see brea ks from the southerly wind will see breaks from the cloud as well. through the evening and overnight the drier air, less cloudy air seeps further west which means we may wake up further west which means we may wake up to further west which means we may wake uptoa further west which means we may wake up to a cold morning on thursday with a touch of frost, certainly in the countryside. by the end of play, you can see we have the weather fronts starting to come in. the mild air keeps being squeezed out by high pressure and cold are dominating. it might be later in the week and the weekend before we finally see the change. thursday looks like another cold day. colder with a more widespread, light frost. more sunshine i think, but colderfurther

west. for most, the effect of the wind will make it feel like the cold est wind will make it feel like the coldest day of the week on thursday. temperatures barely reaching above freezing when you add on the effect of the win. high—pressure dazzling krish its grip on friday into saturday we should see the destruction with rain and hill snow. more on the website. theresa may heads to europe — hoping for changes to rescue her brexit deal. the prime minister‘s been meeting the dutch and german leaders today, but the eu insists there‘ll be no renegotiation. the deal we have achieved is the best deal possible. it's the only deal possible, and so, we cannot... there is no room whatsoever for renegotiation. we‘ll have the latest from brussels, berlin and westminster. also this lunchtime: police arrest an intruder who jumped

over railings to get into the grounds of parliament wages rise at their fastest rate for almost a decade. six migrants are rescued from a dinghy in the channel. the bank that likes to say no — barclays helps customers