this is bbc news. the headlines. theresa may heads back to brussels to seek new assurances on the irish border, but eu leaders say there is no room for renegotiation, only clarification i'm ben brown in brussels — i'll be bringing you all the latest analysis on the concessions the prime minister has been looking for since she survived last night's vote of no confidence we'll have all the latest from ben in the programme — the other main stories at eight... a russian woman accused in the us of acting as an agent for the kremlin to infiltrate political groups has pleaded guilty in a deal with prosecutors a former cheshire police officer has been jailed for 25 years for the rape and sexual assault of a 13—year—old girl local authorities are set to recieve an increase in funding in the next financial year, and the ability to raise council tax by up to three percent some hospitals in england are working at capacity, and are turning patients away,

as they're overcrowded with no spare beds. almost 2a hours after surviving a mutiny by more than a third of her mps, theresa may is tonight in brussels to seek help in getting her brexit deal through parliament. on her way to the summit of eu leaders, mrs may said she didn't expect an "immediate breakthrough" but said she hoped work could begin as soon as possible on resolving the issues over the controversial northern ireland backstop. and tonight eu leaders are in brussels and working on their proposals to reassure mps about the backstop. ben brown is there. yes — theresa may has has come here looking for concessions that will help sell her brexit deal

back home — but eu leaders have made it clear they won't renegotiate the deal itself. eu leaders here at the summit have made it clear that they are not going to renegotiate the deal itself is that the 585 withdrawal agreement is that the 585 withdrawal agreement is not going to be opened up, it is not up for renegotiation, but perhaps they can offer assurances that might help. the bbc has seen conclusions of the summit, those conclusions of the summit, those conclusions to suggest that they will try to offer some new assurances. whether they will be legally binding, or whether there will be enough to persuade her opponents in the house of commons, all that remains to be seen. our political editor, laura kuennesberg, has been following the day's events. once more with feeling. feelings of anxiety in her party about her leadership, feelings of concern here and at home about

whether her brexit compromise can survive. i just said that we are ready to help. we are ready to help. theresa may needs more than friendly offers of help to make worries over the irish border conundrum disappear. i know the concerns there are in the house of commons about this issue of the backstop and that they do not want it to be permanent. what i will be talking to european leaders about here today is about what i think we need to get this deal over the line. can you confirm to the public what you said to mps last night, which is that you will not take the conservatives into the next general election? yes. i have said in my heart i would love to be able to lead the conservative party into the next general election, but i think it is right that the party feels it would prefer to go into that election with a new leader. does that mean you would leave immediately after brexit? do you have a date in mind? no, no.

people try to talk about dates. what i'm clear about is the next general election is in 2022 and i think it is right that another party leader takes us into that general election. thank you. that is an admission no prime minister ever wants to make. only last night she had to promise she would walk away. quite when might be shaped by if she can shift things here tonight. the uk wants to get a legal promise on the so—called backstop — that it could not last for ever. that is the heart of the dispute that led to more than 100 of her mps trying to force her out at home. patience is thin on the ground at westminster. listen to this from the man who was brexit secretaryjust a few weeks ago. my biggest fear now is if she continues in place we have a greater risk of a jeremy corbyn government, so very much in sorrow, not in anger, i am afraid i did not vote for her last night. what happens next? good question. mps now will not have a chance to vote on any deal — tweaked or not — before christmas.

we do not have a plan, we have not had a vote and we do not have a plan b if the vote goes against the prime minister's deal which it almost certainly will. so, it is now time to stop kicking the can down the road for all of us. salvation for theresa may would be to clinch meaningful concessions while she is here. desperate for more legal guarantees from other eu leaders over the most controversial part of her brexit compromise, the so—called backstop — the guarantee against a return of a hard border on the island of ireland. remember this deal is meant to have been done already. the prime minister might well tonight be making an argument she has already lost. she said her team was respectfully waiting outside while they practised their fixed smiles. but european leaders might leave her waiting a long time for a solution to her trickiest problem of all.

i have no crystal ball but what is going to happen today is certainly what we are happy to do is to work with prime minister may and the uk government to offer assurances, offer clarifications, offer explanations that might assuage some of the concerns of some of the mps who are currently against it. but the withdrawal agreement itself cannot be renegotiated. it is good news — the prime minister won the vote, says angela merkel. translation: we want to hear what she has to say. we don't want to change the agreement. my impression is that on the british side people did not yet understand that this is a good deal. a good deal? the prime minister needs to convince unwilling leaders to give the backstop more close attention if she has a chance to persuade her party that is the case. i'm joined by the eu analyst geoff meade

at the summit right now,. thank you so at the summit right now,. thank you so much for being with us. i heard one mp saying that she would need a christmas miracle, do you think that she is going to get one from the eu leaders? i do not think so. the irish prime minister put it best, it has to go some way to offer clarifications and assurances and explanations. it does not sound to me like that's anything close to what might help theresa may pushed through a deal. but that is all that is on offer as far as i understand. as you said earlier, this massive withdrawal treatment is locked down, no one is reopening it and any further assurances to theresa may will come into a political declaration, it will not be legally binding. it will be signed by the other 27 l. a lot of people say it

is not good enough, there will be theresa may hopes is sufficient, but a christmas miracle, it post christmas miracle maybe, because there could be a bit of leeway because when she came in, she knew no immediate breakthrough was expected tonight. i do not think you will be a miracle at all and others are hoping that she'll be back here and what more can we do? and i think they're hoping that a little miracle that they can provide, which would be some clarification on certain details, will be enough. there is no one in this building that really believes it will be enough when she ta kes believes it will be enough when she takes back whatever the final wording is the one she got a polite reception from the others, but at the same time, they wa nt to others, but at the same time, they want to help her, they want to help

her get a deal through parliament. but not at the cost of hurting the republic of ireland which after all, if the country that is staying within the eu. this and the feeling here, even to the negotiations that this issue should have been raised well and ahead of time. britain is attached to a continuing member state of the european union in the shape of ireland and the irish border, which is fundamental, was a lwa ys border, which is fundamental, was always there and there's a sense of frustration, not with theresa may so much, butjust frustration, not with theresa may so much, but just with frustration, not with theresa may so much, butjust with britain in general. the government, the brexiteers that this is been kept back and many people remember certain politicians think, there is no problem, no hard border, well clearly, other people believe you do need some kind of checks and balances, which is why we're in the mess we are in today. but as i say, good research, a bit of backslapping

and friendliness, and a lot of sympathy and empathy. but, even before theresa may got here, we knew the leaders said, thus far, no further. he can do all we can, but thatis further. he can do all we can, but that is not much. and if they do what they can, it's not going to be legally binding or is it? they might come up with words in a protocol, or an annex to the main political declaration stockdale as i understand, that will not happen. effectively, whatever theresa may ta kes effectively, whatever theresa may takes back will have the authentic signatures of 27 european leaders. and at the she may have to face up to, if you make a promise, we will keep it. a very small issue, legally binding are assigned document by 27 l. binding are assigned document by 27 l, is that really an awful lot of

difference to the brexiteers? so far, it has been. but theresa may has high expectations and i think people are trying to let her down gently while doing as much as they can, not least because it's a two way st, but there's a lot of genuine interest in the outcome for britain, the frustration, they do not want to see britain falling into some political black hole because of this. so the intent is genuine, but as others have said, it is very limited. an thank you very much. theresa may, even though she is coming in, she did not think they would be an immediate breakthrough. we have heard that there might be an emergency summit in january, we have heard that there might be an emergency summit injanuary, just ahead of the boat on her deal to give her some more assurances but thatis give her some more assurances but that is the latest from brussels,

back to you. theresa may has survived the vote of no confidence — but she still has to get her brexit deal through parliament in january. our deputy political editorjohn pienaar looks at what may lie ahead for the prime minister in the weeks to come. it is getting hard to keep up. yesterday's drama was exhausting enough. how did cabinet brexiteer michael gove see the future? did mrs may have one? can the pm really carry on, mr gove? of course. former remainer amber rudd thought so too. i certainly hope so. she's got the support of the party behind her. and i wish her every success today in making sure that she delivers on the questions some of my colleagues have had. but the big questions are piling up. firstly about mrs may's brexit deal. the day after the crisis before, ask who you like because they are all keen to tell us there is a growing feeling the prime minister's brexit plan could well be doomed. what unites me and the hard brexiteers in the house of commons is that this plan is as good as dead. it would take a christmas miracle

for her to come back with something that wouldfly through the commons. the prime minister needs to tear up her plan and come back with a new one that will appeal on a cross—party basis. if mrs may's plan fails, there is the radical option — and no—deal brexit. the idea splits the cabinet. two of these ministers have quit over brexit and some brexiteers would back leaving with no deal. today another minister insisted it cannot and will not happen. no deal is simply not an option. the mod planning we are doing civil contingency wise shows that bilateral arrangements are not in place. economically and from a security perspective it is simply not possible to do this. what about politically — parliament? parliament as well has now proved because of the amendments that have gone through that we cannot actually move into this without parliament's approval itself. the voice across parliament is clear. no deal is not an option. could a cross—party brexit emerge to rid the political divide? unifying the country seems impossible — feelings run so deep.

one senior figure says bringing mps in opposing parties together could become the only option unless mrs may's deal wins through. if most people think that is unlikely then there will have to be some kind of arrangement which different people in different parties can support, which can command a majority in the house of commons because in the end that is what is going to be vital for a deal. they have marched and protested and today they sailed their message up to parliament. campaigners for a fresh referendum believe they may be within hailing distance of providing the answer to the brexit deadlock. i think where we are now is a step closer to having a people's vote which is what i want but also a step closer to no deal. so, essentially, what we are doing at the moment is taking the country on a high wire act that could pull off spectacularly well or we could fall to the floor. any mention of a fresh referendum promotes brexiteer cries of betrayal. parliament's running out of options and times. any way through the deadlock

would be explosively controversial but one has to come through in the end. perhaps the only outcome that could be safely ruled out is political peace and stability. and we'll find out how this story, and many others, are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10:40 and 11:30 this evening in the papers. our guests joining me tonight are lord digbyjones, the former trade minister, and stephen bush, who's the political editor at the new statesman. the headlines on bbc news. theresa may heads back to brussels to seek new assurances on the irish border, but eu leaders say there is no room for renegotiation, only clarification a russian woman accused in the us of acting as an agent for the kremlin to infiltrate political groups has pleaded guilty in a deal with prosecutors a former cheshire police officer has been jailed for 25 years for the rape and sexual assault of a 13—year—old girl sport now, and for a full round up,

from the bbc sport centre rangers are out of the europa league after losing their crucial final group game 1—0 to rapid vienna, who go through to the last 32 instead. rangers needed to win in austria to reach the knockout stages, and came close in the first half they dominated through connor goldson's header. and then with the scottish side chasing the game... six minutes from time vienna got the winner, dejan ljubicic slotting home to send rangers out of europe. meanwhile chelsea, already qualified as group winners, drew 2—all against mol vidi in their final group game. maurizio sarri made ten changes for the match in budapest. but took the lead early on through willian's free kick... but they then conceded twice,

and went behind through loic nego's stunning volley. chelsea had won five out of five in the europa league. and at least got a point tonight with olivier giroud's fine free kick, great goals in hungary. 8 o'clock kick offs arsenal already through as group winners celtic need a point at home against salzburg to guarantee progress. celtic are playing without striker leigh griffiths after it was announced yesterday he would be taking time away from football to deal with mental health issues. griffiths has issued a statement saying he's doing everything he can to return to football a "better and stronger person". on the club's website he thanks fans and well—wishers for their "kind and powerful messages of support". he says he is doing all he can to be back playing as soon as possible.

mauricio pochettino has welcomed being linked with real madrid and manchester united — saying it's better than being tipped for the sack. reports have surfaced again this week suggesting he's a target for the top job at both the bernabeu and old trafford. but pochettino insists he's not bored by the speculation. i preferred that the newspaper talks about things like you are telling me that, instead of talking about, the people we are in a delicate situation, or a difficult situation. and one situation i choose this one. of course. martin glenn has resigned as fa chief executive and will step down at the end of the season. ending four years at the governing body. glenn said it had been a "huge honour and a privilege" to lead the fa, who have credited him with creating the "culture around st george's park,

and the england teams which has led to an unprecedented period of success." but his time in charge has been marked with controversy as well as achievement. there has been a great success on many levels, he was also influential at reorganising the fixture schedule to bring about a winter break which will come into force next week. he oversaw a record investment into women's football, increasing the diversity in terms of women's representation and representation. some good things there, but negative as well. we had huge controversy over his short rain in charge of the national team, mark sampson being fired in charge of the women's team and the windley, he supported, it didn't go through so it the next

back. also stepping down is steve hansen the all blacks coach. he's just announced he'll leave the job after next year's world cup by that point it'll be 15 years with new zealand, who he originallyjoined as assistant coach under graham henry. they won the 2011 world cup together... after which hansen took over, and they became the first team to retain the trophy four years later. hansen sez he's announced it now so they can ‘concentrate on the job in hand of winning the world cup‘. that's all the sport for now. you can find more on all those stories on the bbc sport website. the united nations secretary general, antonio guterres, has made a dramatic appeal to delegates from almost 200 countries to step up their efforts to fight global warming and its impact. he said failure to do so would be ‘suicidal‘. as the un meeting in poland comes to a close, one group of nations including the maldives has warned they face extinction

without immediate action to reduce emissions and limit the rise in global temperatures. our science editor, david shukman reports. almost a decade ago, and extraordinary publicity stunt. the government of the maldives in diving gear, highlighting the danger of the level of sea rising. the man who chaired this underwater meeting is here now. the governments are not listening, institutions are not listening and no one seems to be listening to what science is saying. what does that mean for your country? we will disappear. negotiators here in poland are frantically trying to head off the worst effects of global warming, the progress in the talks is incredibly slow. a few governments are dragging theirfeet. this is the heart of the process and we have been allowed in for a couple of minutes and what is striking is the sheer scale of the event, nearly 200 governments represented here and

with their own agendas. so getting them all to agree on what to do about climate change is is a massive challenge. outside the conference, a reminder of why this is hard, burning fuels like coal releases gas that warm the planet. but many countries including poland, rely on coal. i've seen the many jobs that depend on it. paulo uses coal to heat his home, he is from a mining family. he knows the industry matters here, but also the coal is polluting. you go outside and want to take a deep breath and the air is biting your throat. yes. and my daughter has a form of asthma because here, the air is not good for her.

50 years ago, this image of ourfragile planet raised awareness of potential threats of potential threats to the environment, and now we're seeing where that might lead. let's explore this further with the climate change lawyer farhana yamin, who is at the conference in poland. of small island states. she joins us from the conference in poland. how optimistic do you feel? what do you notice that is different? there is an airof you notice that is different? there is an air of resolve to fight, but many of the small island states that are going to be at risk with very huge consequences are stating that very clearly. today we had several declarations from the minister's of those country that they will not

leave with no outcome. what is holding back for the progress? we received the proposals from the presidencies half ago and it has been quiet so far, but essentially there is a group of countries who are blocking progress here. for example, the united states, saudi arabia, kuwait and russia object to what would recognise the special report on one point fight that would say the consequences of not shifting to the temperature limit will be awful, so it is far more dangerous and the second half of the conclusions were that we could still stay on this thing if we wrapped up ambition early. this is a state of emergency, many commentators are

saying, so what do many governments need to sell that to the public and make us all realise that we all need to a cce pt make us all realise that we all need to accept some changes? yes, there are many here in the conference and demonstrations in london and the us banner saying, let's be truthful, we are ina banner saying, let's be truthful, we are in a state of planetary emergency and i think there is recognition of that that sets off a different of dynamic, you start squabbling politically, you put in place institutions in progress that allow cross party unity, procedures that allowed departments to co—ordinate their responses. a lot of things i could have been better if you are in a situation where business as usual in terms of government is not the case and that is an important shift in here that is an important shift in here that is starting to take hold. climate

change lawyer, thank you forjoining us. in washington, a 30—year—old russian woman has plead guilty to charges of conspiracy in connection with attempts to influence us politics. maria butina, a gun rights advocate, was charged with working to infiltrate us political organisations such as the national rifle association on behalf of russia around the 2016 general election. she has agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. our washington correspondent anthony zurcher has been following the story. tell us more. alumni she was a graduate student at an american university in washington, dc and she was also doing the same kind of things that other politicos do in washington, meeting with conservative officials, she was doing this while communicating with

russian officials which is a crime in the united states of your representing a foreign government and not disclosing it that you're a lobbyist essentially on behalf of a foreign government. questionable what sort of information which she will reveal when she is cooperating with prosecutors. gifted view this and the larger context of the ongoing investigation into russian meddling in the 2016 us presidential election, this may be one isolated portion of that, but the special counsels office has alleged that the russian government help direct hacking democratic officials and organising a social media campaign against political figures and even pay for and organised rallies on the run—up to the 2016 election. pay for and organised rallies on the run-up to the 2016 election. thank you very much. breaking news, the

shooter has, is dead. we have no further information about how he died, but this is how they appealed for help in finding these suspected christmas market gun attack in which three people died and a fourth person was fatally wounded and 12 others suffered injuries as well. you will recall that hundreds of security personnel have been searching for him, who was 29, on both sides of the border in france and germany. he was known to police, he had a string of criminal convictions and was set to become radicalised while imprisoned. the

police have warned the public not to approach them, saying that he was extremely dangerous. so these are the pictures, you can see, just this incredible presence of police and emergency vehicles that are out on the streets, that the suspected gunman has died, we are told. we'll bring you more on that at nine o'clock. good evening, it has been a cold day, when the day, but a sunny day for many. and as we keep those clear skies overnight, temperatures will only drop. quite a widespread frost, a couple of exceptions, western area still plagued by the slow—moving weatherfront, bringing cloud and showery rain, but eastern parts of the uk last an extra class in the north sea at times. the odd shower and given any elevation of high ground, those showers could to a start to turn wintry. clear skies in the zone of cold, —5 is possible in some areas of countryside.

or you that cold front, will of another beautiful day. on that cold front, will of another beautiful day. omorrow with lots of sunshine, still a few showers flirting with eastern coast, still some extra cloud and some patchy rain in the west. these two temperatures don't look particularly impressive, but will be quite as worthy as was today, so it might feeljust a little bit better, but into saturday. if you have travel plans, staging the forecast, snow could cause some problems. hello, this is bbc news, the headlines. theresa may heads back to brussels to seek new assurances on the irish border, but eu leaders say there is no room for renegotiation, only clarification. a russian woman accused in the us of acting as an agent for the kremlin to infiltrate political groups has pleaded guilty in a deal with prosecutors. a former cheshire police officer has been jailed for 25 years for the rape and sexual assault of a 13—year—old girl. local authorities are set to recieve

an increase in funding in the next financial year, and the ability to raise council tax by up to 3%. some hospitals in england are working at capacity, and are turning patients away, as they're overcrowded with no spare beds. also coming up... nearly a third of the street trees, that were due to be cut down and replaced with saplings in sheffield, won't be chopped down after a compromise was reached between the council, its contractor and protesters. well, as we know theresa may has been back in brussels today seeking changes to the brexit withdrawal deal. the irish backstop remains the main point of contention in negotiations, as without it, there will be no withdrawal agreement and no transition period. the dup, the northern ireland unionist party which props up theresa may's minority government, has urged the government to "bin the backstop" amid concerns that any differences between northern ireland and great britain could threaten the union. but what are the views of the other parties in northern ireland?

let's cross to belfast now where we can speak to claire hanna, brexit spokesperson for the social democratic and labour party in northern ireland. thank you forjoining us. first of all, briefly if you can what's her pa rty‘s all, briefly if you can what's her party's position on the backstop which is proving to be contentious for many mps at westminster? we are very clear that there is no good way to brexit but it has to happen, theirfundamental to brexit but it has to happen, their fundamental protections needed for the island of ireland, and if any part of these islands is out of the single market and customs unions that creates friction and that has to be managed through the backstop, ultimately we prefer to see people's boatin ultimately we prefer to see people's boat in anything are the backstop will have to abide. what might theresa may may have been, how much can she improve on the withdrawal

agreement, they're saying they can't help her with that, but what tweaks could you imagine? i think that you have been more flexible than many people imagined that they would. eu. while there may be conflict given in at language, at system roles and it's not really, there's not a huge amount of wiggle room, but to be honest the last two days at westminster between counsel and the boat then the confidence challenge, there'll clarify for many people why this needs to be done legally, a cabbie taken on faith because what mr politics is too volatile and does not understand the complexities of the ireland island. to do excuse me, that's my phone. somebody who should know better. claire, tell us what difference would it make than to have a harder border in between northern ireland and ireland, given

lots of people saying in time, there'll be technological advances could help you around that. it's worth saying that not only the technology they're talking about not being used on any border in the world, there's no company developing it, so that kind of stuff is for the birds, but it is about peoples everyday lives and getting to work and a cancer centre that shared between northern ireland and the republic of ireland, it's about businesses being able to trade and ina businesses being able to trade and in a logical businesses being able to trade and ina logicaland businesses being able to trade and in a logical and geographically coherent way. so for many people it's not about precious union and united ireland, it's about a way of life and that's the tragedy of brexit, it took all the things the very sharp lines around sovereignty about whether you look to dubliner irish or british and the sharpen them and the good friday agreement was about softening all of those issues and allowing them to fade into the background and brexit has landed them back into the middle of

everyday politics, but really it's about conducting people's ordinary lives. but the backstop itself is not necessarily a problem for some politicians, is the fact that we cannot get out of it unilaterally. we had to have the consent of the eu 27, that's not about taking back control, why does that not concern you? well the point is it's an insurance policy, we all hope that in the actual trade discussions, there may be a different way down to around it, but that's the point of an insurance policy. if you can cancel it unilaterally, then your mortgage provider whatever would not cover you and i suppose as i said at the star, it can't be taken on faith that another government could back out of these agreements. if all those people who really believed in technology are or the brexiteers who believe that the eu will capitulate because it needs the uk more than the uk needs it etc, they should be confident that this could all be

with trenton —— result in the agreement, but it's worth saying, a lot of politicians are using the backstop as an excuse to reject the withdrawal agreement and many brexiteers as we know they will not clarify what they would do want, they just do not clarify what they would do want, theyjust do not want clarify what they would do want, they just do not want this clarify what they would do want, theyjust do not want this or that, andi theyjust do not want this or that, and i think the backstop is a useful tangible for them to complain about but really it's because the brexit is not extreme enough for them are really, it's because they want another outcome and we are clear about, it should go back to people. it's clear there is no consensus or majority for this deal or any others, but we are glad the theresa may has internalised the issues around the border and put them into the withdrawal agreement and there is no form of withdrawal deal that will or can be given by europe without it. they made a solemn promise to protect the people of ireland and they can'tjust tear it up ireland and they can'tjust tear it up because jacob rees—mogg doesn't like it. there's an idea that's being suggested tonight, whether

it's got legs we will have to see, but the idea that rather than having an expiring date for the backstop, just and it when there's a commencement date for a future trade deal how with that appeal? the point is ifa deal how with that appeal? the point is if a future trade deal, if there is if a future trade deal, if there is any difference in product regulations and if there is any difference in trading tariffs, that creates friction and things can't move north and south, so if our the case, and the uk to sign up to not diverge from regulations and customs that would effectively be a norway plus model then yes, you'd be the backstop but even if the trade agreement comes into effect, and differentiate, then it creates that line and don't think about the border as being just, you know, getting from a to b, it's about the product standards and bear in mind

the border straddles farms houses and schools and different product standards are on one side, to the other then of course products will have to be checked and that will inevitably lead to a hardening of the border. in belfast, thank you for joining the border. in belfast, thank you forjoining us and coping from the interruption. all my fault. as we know theresa may has endured a tense 2a hours as she defeated moves by rebel conservative mps to remove her as prime minister over her brexit plan. but the tories aren't the only party with divisions over the eu. labour has too. the labour leader, jeremy corbyn, didn't, as many of his supporters urged, force a ‘no confidence motion' in the commons yesterday to try to bring down mrs may's government. the vast majority of its members want a second referendum, but many of its voters, particulary in its traditional heartlands, backed brexit in the 2016 referendum. so what can the labour leadership realistically do to maximise the prime minister's weak position? with me now is stephen bush, who's the new political editor of the new statesman. congratulations on your elevation

and thank you forjoining us. what choices there for labour government to have over brexit and chaos that we are seeing? it comes down to as you say the divide between their members and most of the trade movement wants and what their vote not just their voters, but the votes they need to win in places like swindon if they're going to form a government who overwhelmingly voted to leave and they've got this compromise policy, which is basically having no confidence vote and then moved to a second referendum position, the labour leadership is quite bright of having a second referendum. for two reasons. half of them are brexiteers, they like the result of the last referendum and do not want to sort it out and all of them, even the ones who did not like the result from the last one feel that if you have another one, the labour party will suffer a great deal of electoral damage for supporting it.

what they're hoping is that by delaying the moment of truth and competence, politics or brexit will ship without the labour party in whatever position they end up with will be less painful. how successful mighta will be less painful. how successful might a no—confidence motion really be? at the moment it'll fail. the dup sayville back conservatives up until a point where the agreement comes into force of the backstop, that's not coming to false yet, so the only situation that succeeds at this side of the agreement would be a seven conservatives got sufficiently worried about no deal and the only way to stop it is to have another election is how they feel. how much would they want to be in government at the moment given the complexity of negotiating the brexit do? i think to be honest although when you speak to any labour person they have to say we are ready to form a government that wa nt are ready to form a government that want to, but if you put them on a polygraph and said tommy what you think they'll go, look, they think conservatives made a huge mess of this and they think that some one

has to take the blame for the mass and they would rather it be the people who in their perspective crashed the car rather than the labour party being given the keys to this car in a ditch with bits of smoke coming out of it. how clear is the labour policy than behind the scenes because it seems somewhat ambivalent at the moment. scenes because it seems somewhat ambivalent at the momentlj scenes because it seems somewhat ambivalent at the moment. i think they have it clear strategy but opec policy, the strategy is don't alienate anyone and our coalition, don't alienate the voters we need to win to form government and everything they do sort of oscillates around that. their policy of course is kept deliberately vague because any brexit policy alienates people whether it's remainders who wa nted people whether it's remainders who wanted to be undone or leavers who wa nt to wanted to be undone or leavers who want to be carried through, labour will help them keep saying don't rule anything out don't rule anything in. stephen bush, i know you're waiting around to review the papers later will see you then but for now thank you. a man who became a police officer so he could gain access to young girls — has been jailed for 25 years

for sexual offences, including raping a teenager. ian naude met the 13—year—old after being called to her house for a domestic incident. thejudge said he'd abused his position at cheshire police. andy gill reports. ian naude was a student policeman based at crew in 2017 when he was called to a domestic incident at the 13—year—old's home. he contacted her online and a few days later, raped her in his car. a cheshire police officer read a statement on behalf of the girl's family. there are no words that even begin to explain the pain, hurt or anger we have felt and are still feeling as a direct result of that vile and despicable man. he has destroyed our lives, our family and most of all, the innocence of our daughter. the grandmother of the girl naude grooedm online who now often runs away from home, said in a statement. naude was convicted last month, but was only sentenced today. the crown prosecution service praised the

bravery of the 13—year—old rape victim who gave evidence against him. had she not had the courage to come forward, he and would almost certainly still be serving as a police officer today. this young girl has single—handedly saved many other young girls from the trauma of sexual abuse. the court heard that naude joined the police specifically to get access to vulnerable girls. the youngest he groomed online was just 12. it was ian naude'sjob to enforce the law, protect people from harm instead he became the most dangerous of perpetrators and betrayed the very people he swore to protect. judge clemmond qc said this was as gross a breach of trust as it was possible to imagine. and ian naude was a very dangerous man indeed. he said naude had no idea about the damage he had caused to the work police do to try and build trust in their

communities. he was sent to jail for 25 years and said he'd also have to serve an extra five years on licence once he is released. police forces in england and wales are to receive extra funding to help fight cyber crime, terrorism and pay for additional pension costs. around 300—million—pounds will come from the government but some say it is just a sticking plaster solution. our home editor mark easton reports. pcs kennett and boyd, two of bedfordshire's finest, have been dispatched to help intercept a suspect vehicle. the response is rapid but as we drive they tell me how budget cuts have meant some emergency calls are put on what they call slow time. we have an appointment system where people will call incidents in and we book an appointment with them.

again we have not got the resourcing to go straight out and deal with that particular incident. today, senior officers learned that ministers have agreed to spend an extra £300 million on police in england and wales, including money to cover an unexpected pensions shortfall after years of cuts. here at bedfordshire hq, they were celebrating. we are encouraged by the settlement today, mark. i think it shows that both the treasury and the home office are listening to us and they are recognising now that our officers have been overstretched for such a long time, dealing with the serious and complex nature of crime that we have to. it does mean for people out there, the people you're looking after, are going to have to put their hands in their pocket, doesn't it? indeed it does. forces like bedfordshire can get even more extra money if the local police and crime commissioner puts up the policing element of council tax. right now, as bedford is really squeezed on the police funding... you'd be prepared to pay a bit more?

a bit more but not a lot more. i would rather funds were used from elsewhere to be put to the police rather than people pay extra. i would pay a bit more, yes, especially if it put more police on the streets, because i think that definitely would help in bedford. there is another potential pressure on local tax payers, too, with english town halls given permission to raise council tax by 3% — a rise of £50 to the average bill — money for social care might add another £33 to bills. in places like bedford, the mayor is not impressed. our government grant has gone from 30 million in 2015 down to 6 million in 2019, while the number of services that we have to provide continues to go up. so, it continues to be tough around the country and it is going to be tough in bedford. nevertheless ministers did announce a potential real terms increase in funding for local government today. the headline is not more deep cuts. right now the government really doesn't want any unnecessary domestic battles. so today's announcements i think are really designed to take

the sting out of any potentially explosive rows. after their high speed journey, pcs kennett and boyd search the suspect car. on the back seat, tens of thousands of pounds in cash. if only money for police and other public services was this easy to come by. mark easton, bbc news, bedford. reports on french media quote police as saying that the suspect in tuesday's gun attack near a christmas market in strasbourg has been killed. we are joined from strasbourg by our reporter gavin lee what are the police saying >> kris: we are hearing the same reports across the media that he has been killed, 49 hours after suspected carrying out the gun attack at the business markets where three people died, 12 people injured, six of those and a critical condition in hospital we are in our way at the

moment in a taxi from the market where it extremely quiet on the streets and incredible the police presence and patrols and 720 soldiers and police patrolling the streets. what happened, just to go back early this afternoon. there was a police operation the first operations of the manhunt started on monday night in the area where he was last seen around 10:30pm where reportedly he took a taxi driver hostage after being shot and injured bya hostage after being shot and injured by a soldier in the arm, told the taxi driver to take into this area and we are talking about 50 minutes drive us out from the christmas market and the old part of the city, we we re market and the old part of the city, we were told that nothing was found in that raid earlier today in the operation that park police said they told reporters they were sure that he wasn't in the area and fast forward to about nine o'clock this

evening, there quoted a police source saying the suspect has been killed. we have seen at the moment the accordance being set up, secondary ones being set up around this around the moment of flashing ca rs this around the moment of flashing cars and there's a helicopter ahead, eyewitnesses have reported hearing three gunshots as well. so this is all developing quite quickly and it appears, we have reported at least, but the gunman has been killed. thank you very much, gavin our europe reporter. the headlines on bbc news... unconfirmed reports suggest french police have shot dead the suspected gunman who opened fire in strasbourg on tuesday theresa may heads back to brussels to seek new assurances on the irish border, but eu leaders say there is no room for renegotiation, only clarification. a russian woman accused in the us of acting as an agent for the kremlin to infiltrate political groups has pleaded guilty in a deal with prosecutors. an update on the market numbers for you, here's how

london's and frankfurt ended the day. and in the the united states this is how the dow and the nasdaq are getting on. there are serious concerns about how the nhs is going to cope this winter as the latest figures show that hospitals are already overcrowded, and that's before the cold weather and flu have taken hold. some fear it could be as bad if not worse than last year. last week, more than 94% of beds in england's hospitals were being used, that's above what is considered to be a safe limit. on at least one day last week, 1 in 10 hospitals were completely full and not surprisingly there were long waits at a and e. our health editor hugh pym reports. this is emily, she stepped on glass, came to a&e in london this morning and had to waitjust one hour. it has been an amazing experience especially at this time of year i think. doctors do an incredible job. but damien, who also hurt his foot, had to waitjust over four hours, more than the official target.

there were a lot of doctors around and nurses like running around and sitting there waiting and don't know when you're going to get seen. it's a bit frustrating because basically you just want to get seen and get out there. two experiences of the nhs on the front line, under pressure even before winter kicks in. this week a health minister toured a major hospital to assess their preparations for winter. he said more money had been made available for parts of the nhs. i am pleased to see that that money is now getting to the front line where it needs to be and i am pleased to see that although this is going to be a challenging winter i am convinced that we will be able to put in the right preparations but no—one is complacent. the emergency department is seeing between 550 and 650 patients a day. here at the north middlesex they realised there were long delays for people who were not the very sickest and they have reduced those with a new way of doing things.

the nurses in our department are always identifying which patients need immediate investigations and immediate treatment. that cohort is selected and put into an area where there is consultant presence to see the patients immediately. those patients that do not fulfil that criteria still need our care but they don't need it at quite the same speed. but, with hospitals close to full already before winter's really set in, there have been warnings the service could be stretched to the limit in the months ahead. if the hospitals are full to the brim at the moment, and we have not even seen the impact of some of the conditions that we know that flow from very cold weather such as flu or other conditions that are exacerbated by the cold, such as bronchitis, or asthma, then we know that if we are seeing that already we have worse to come. a&e waiting times in england and got worse in november and were behind scotland though ahead of wales

and northern ireland. one health leader said the latest set of figures was deeply troubling. hugh pym, bbc news. nearly a third of the street trees, that were due to be cut down and replaced with saplings in sheffield, won't be chopped down. a compromise has been reached between the council, its contractor and protesters. it's hoped that this will end the long—running dispute about the controversial highways work. mark ansell reports. for years, contractors working on behalf of the city council to fell and replace street trees have been at had with protesters. at times, the animosity boiled over and campaigners were arrested. now, following months of peace talks between the contractors, the council and protesters and all of branch. they've agreed on a joint position

on what happens next. well, i think none of us wanted this to turn out the way it has, but it is what's really constructive and how we have managed to reset relations over the past six months and longer time we've had it, it's time for reflection and a time to mend bridges with different parts of civil society. and start to map by way forward, i think it's constructive. of the remaining 305 trees due to be chopped down in replace, at 87 have been saved. a0 will now be inspected and the contractor wants residents to be part of the process. you'll see our teens going out doing the investigation work in the coming weeks and residents can speak with them see what they're doing and get a good understanding of the problems the trees cause on the streets and why they are marked for removal. it's done over a phase period so the impact on landscape is minimised. this group says despite the agreement, protest could still take place. we hope that there will be a good collaboration i had.

in the end, people may still decide they want to protest if they do not agree with what has been decided but they want to see how they are working. and to get involved and we hope that we'll have an effect. so a resolution of sorts for now at least, but there is no guarantee that the treat for placement programme is out of the woods. now it's time for a look at the weather. hello, thank you good evening, it's one of those days today for most of us one of those days today for most of us where a few are wrapped up well enough, it was beautiful out there if not, if you felt chilly, 18 southwest wind blowing across the country where there has been clear skies to the date through the night as well allowing it to get cold and frosty, it widespread one, temperatures across parts of

southern england close to “11 minus five degrees, the temperatures can dropa five degrees, the temperatures can drop a little further. not quite as cold across western areas more cloudier, temperature to about a folding reason, not quite as called for the east coast either because here we will see more clouds just at peppering of showers and some of these could be winter he. tomorrow at vast majority of lots of sunshine to come after, that cold and frosty start. bringing outbreaks of rain across northern ireland lie and patchy rain for the most part, temperatures still struggling down 6 degrees, it won't quite as quite as windy as today, so it might not feel quite as bad. and as we go there friday night, this is where things begin to change behind me you could see the frontal system gathering and the atlantic. there is milder air lying in wait in the atlantic as well, this wedge of milder air is tied up with some frontal systems which will slide in. we will see

outbreaks of rain yes, but remember the airat outbreaks of rain yes, but remember the air at the moment is quite cold, so as the air at the moment is quite cold, so as well as rain we can expect snow in places this is the sort of combination particularly when you grow strong wind and as well could cause trouble problems on saturday, stay tuned to the forecasted you are planning to get out and about because details are still somewhat open to question, butjust about anywhere you could temporarily see a little bit of snow. further southern lets you look, things turn back to rain as the day goes on particularly when i show you temperatures, 12 degrees is possible to implement butjust implement but just to implement butjust to in new castle. northern ireland and england a particularly scotland, could well see some significant —— snowfall. i shown you the temperatures on the thermometer, there is also strong wind blowing where it'll feel like —4 wind blowing where it'll feel like “11 and minus five degrees, not a good day to be out and about, across scotla nd good day to be out and about, across scotland not only over the hills and lower levels could be significant snowfall. even blizzard conditions when you consider the strength of the wind, the worse clears up north and western wind blows across the

country for sunday, feeling less chilly by the stage, temperatures are higher and we will see spell the sunshine and we will also see some pretty heavy showers, by its chilly at the moment touch of frost to come as we go through tonight and as we head towards the weekend for more wind and rain and potentially snow. hello, i'm ros atkins, this is outside source. french police say they have neutralised the gunman who attacked a strasbourg christmas market on tuesday. theresa may has kept herjob and she's back in brussels trying to save her brexit deal. my my focus now is on ensuring that i can get those assurances that we need to get those deals over the line. the irish backstop remains a major concern for many british mp‘s — the eu though, remains steadfast. i don't think we could agree to

anything that would change the content anything that would change the co nte nt of anything that would change the content of the treaty, the withdrawal agreement. and a day after donald trump's personal lawyer is jailed —the president says he never directed him to break the law.