tonight at ten, theresa may has spent the day in brussels, looking for new assurances on her brexit deal. she arrived having survived a confidence vote back at westminster, warning that rapid progress was unlikely. i don't expect an immediate breakthrough, but what i do hope is that we can start work as quickly as possible on the assurances that are necessary. but the prime minister was told that the brexit agreement could be clarified, but not renegotiated with the other eu states. we'll have the latest from brussels and westminster, as mrs may still faces the challenge of getting her deal through the house of commons. also tonight, in strasbourg, police have shot dead the man believed to have attacked a christmas market, killing three people and injuring others. growing concern about how the nhs in england will cope this winter, the latest figures show hospitals are already overcrowded. we talk to some of the young people who can't afford to pay rent, many of whom find themselves homeless — it's a growing problem. good evening and welcome to the first question time of a new year...

and 25 years after he took over, david dimbleby presides over his final question time. we look back over a quarter—century of debate. and coming up on sportsday on bbc news, rangers are out of europe — they lost their crucial final group game in the europa league, 1—0 to rapid vienna, who go through instead. good evening. the prime minister is in brussels tonight, trying to get extra assurances from eu leaders on her brexit agreement. any changes are meant to win overmps in time for the big parliamentary vote now due sometime injanuary. mrs may, who survived a confidence vote yesterday, confirmed today that she would not lead the conservatives into the next election.

she is asking eu leaders for new legal assurances so that the deal can win approval at westminster. they apply mainly to the future of the irish border, and the so—called backstop which prevents a hard border between northern ireland and the republic. tonight, eu leaders are working on their draft proposals, but they insist they will not renegotiate the deal. our political editor, laura kuenssberg, sent this report from brussels. 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. ijust 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 secretary just 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 don't 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 theirfixed 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. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, brussels. as we heard, the prime minister confirmed today that she would step down as conservative leader before the next election, though she gave no timetable for her departure. mrs may survived the confidence vote last night at westminster, but she still has the daunting task of getting her brexit deal through the house of commons sometime in january. our deputy political editor, john pienaar, looks at what may lie ahead for the prime minister in the weeks to come. it's 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're all keen to tell us there's 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 would fly 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's the radical option — a 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. but today another minister insisted it can't and won't happen. no deal is simply not an option. the mod planning we're 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 pa rliament‘s approval itself. the voice across parliament is clear. no deal is not an option. could a cross—party brexit emerge to bridge 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's 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's what is going to be vital for a deal. they've 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 time. 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. john pienaar, bbc news, westminster. our political editor, laura kuenssberg, is in brussels.

plenty of talking today, just the load these scale of the challenge that the prime minister still faces. well, huw, tonight in brussels there have been kisses, kodak moments, those normal signs that we see at a summit of eu leaders greeting each other, whatever their problems at home. but theresa may is in serious trouble with their own party, we heard from john the extent of the division, all those clashing opinions in the conservative party about exactly which cause she should follow next. so tonight she's been pleading with eu leaders to give her a solution to the trickiest problem of all, how to solve this conundrum of all, how to solve this conundrum of the backstop, that guarantee against no hard border on the island of ireland is there is no big trade deal. i understand one of the things thatis deal. i understand one of the things that is being discussed tonight is

the idea of putting a start date on the idea of putting a start date on the future trade deal, rather than fretting about putting an expiry date on the backstop itself. now, that might sound technical, it might sound obscure, but for many tory mps, the thing they have been most cross about is the idea that is backstop could keep northern ireland more closely tied to the eu than the rest of the uk if it doesn't have a firm and date. but that is only one of the items that has been put on the table, and it is far from clear that are eu counterparts will want to do more than help. because team—mates doesn't just need to do more than help. because team—mates doesn'tjust need offers of assistance, she needs concrete pledges that can sell her deal at home. —— theresa may. if she is not able to do that, then her leadership is still in trouble. only 2a hours ago she survived an attempt, a serious attempt to oust her, and she had to promise she'd leave early in orderfor the chance had to promise she'd leave early in order for the chance to stay on and get brexit done. laura, many thanks again, laura kuenssberg with the

latest there in brussels. in the french city of strasbourg, police say they have shot dead the man believed to have attacked a christmas market on tuesday, killing three people and injuring others. the man, named as cherif chekatt, had been on the run since tuesday evening. the suspect had a string of criminal convictions and had become a radical islamist while in prison. our correspondent gavin lee has the latest. the scene in the suburbs of strasbourg tonight where the search for the suspected gunmen of tuesday's tag ended with the death of 29—year—old cherif chekatt, the french elite anti—terrorism unit led the operation just over an hour ago, ending the 48—hour manhunt. eyewitnesses here said they heard gunfire as the police and military teams moved in. when i left the mcdonald's, i need to go home, and i see the blocked a road and i heard gunshots, it was very strange.

29—year—old cherif chekatt was born in strasbourg from an algerian family. authorities say he was a known criminal, convicted 27 times for petty crime, but was radicalised in prison and when released last year was placed on a security threat list of individuals monitored for possible extremism. it was here at the christmas market in strasbourg, the christmas market in strasbourg, the oldest and most famous and france, where the attack was carried out. police say cherif chekatt was carrying a pistol and a knife, shooting and stabbing people in the streets, as others run for their lives. chekatt is said to have been confronted by soldiers patrolling the markets, who shot him in the arm, although he escaped by taxi, ordering the driver to take on to the neudorf area south of the city. there was a second exchange of gunfire with police, but he escaped and had not been seen since. special forces carried out an earlier raid in neudorf this afternoon, saying they found nothing and telling reporters they were sure he was not there. three people were killed in there. three people were killed in the attack, 12 more were injured. tonight the city is notably quiet.

people living here speak of their fear of the last few days and sheer relief that it appears to have come to an end. well, the police cordon is still set up, the anti—terror police raid team are still here, and for many people they still can't get back to their homes in this neudorf district. we have just heard in the past few minutes from the mayor of strasbourg, who said it was a woman who lived here who saw the suspect, cherif chekatt, in the street first of all. she was suspicious because she said she saw a man with an injury to his arm, she called the three police officers who later confronted him, so more details emerging. we are expecting to hear from president macron this evening, but the sense here is that after this two day manhunt, relieve here, and also better news that the christmas markets will open, a sense of normality perhaps resuming here tomorrow too. gavin, many thanks for the update, gavin, many thanks for the update, gavin lee with the latest from strasbourg. there's significant concern

about how the nhs in england is going to cope this winter, as the latest figures show that hospitals are already overcrowded, and that's before the cold weather has properly 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, one in ten hospitals were completely full, and not surprisingly there were long waits at a&e. our health editor, hugh pym, has been looking at the latest evidence. this is emily. she stepped on glass, came to a&e in west london this morning, and had to waitjust one hour. it's been an amazing experience, especially at this time of year, i think, like, the doctors do an incredible job. but damian, who also hurt his foot, had to waitjust over four hours, more than the official target. there was like a lot of doctors around, and nurses, like, running around, and sitting there waiting and don't know anybody get seen‘s a bit frustrating, because basically you just want to get seen and just get out of there. same hospital, same day, two

experiences of the nhs on the front line and under pressure. 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'm 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 weren't the very sickest, and they've 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 patient immediately. those patients that don't 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. but withif the hospitals are full to the brim at the moment, if the hospitals are full to the brim at the moment, and we haven't 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're seeing that already, we've got worse to come. a&e waiting times in england 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. the owner of sports direct, mike ashley, has written

a forthright letter to the boss of debenhams, discussing his offer to invest millions in the struggling department store. mr ashley said he was frustrated that debenhams didn't want his help. sports direct already owns 30% of debenhams, which is closing up to 50 of its stores and seeking new finance, following a downturn in its business. 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 will come from the government, while police and crime commissioners will be able to increase the policing element of the council tax. our home editor, mark easton, has the story. 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 pension 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 pockets, 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. 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. the warring parties in yemen have agreed a ceasefire in the red sea port of hodeida, where a blockade and fighting have contributed to the world's worst humanitarian crisis. it's raised hopes that the un—sponsored deal could lead to a wider peace agreement. and tonight, the us senate has voted to end american support for the saudi—led military offensive in yemen. after years of civil war, 14 million people in yemen are on the brink of starvation. houthi rebels, backed by iran, control the north and west of the country, including hodeida, and the capital sanaa. a saudi—led coalition, backed by britain and the united states, has been blockading the port,

in support of yemen's official government. under today's agreement, all forces will withdraw from hodeida, allowing the un to oversee the distribution of aid to civilians. our special correspondent nawal al—maghafi reports. these are the faces of the world's worst humanitarian crisis. in this makeshift camp in northern yemen, civilians have escaped the violence, but not its consequences. without any money, this is what ths woman will feed her family today. a handful of leaves. "we have nothing else to eat", she says. "no aid agencies have come here." her husband told us they've lost everything in the fighting. their children are hungry,

they have no money, and he can't see how things will get better. nearby, a mother holds her son up. critically ill, she can't get the medicine he needs. this is what the people here fled from. for months, fighting around the city of hodeida has intensified. bombs dropping almost every day, hundreds have died. it's severely damaged the port that's been controlled by houthi rebels since 2014, and is a lifeline for food supplies for the whole of yemen. the coalition say the rebels have been using it to off load arms, but the blockade and fighting around this port has crippled the entire country, with millions facing famine. but today, in sweden, a glimmer of hope. the warring parties shake hands, after agreeing to a un proposal that could bring the battle for the port to an end. you have reached an agreement

on hodeida port and city, which will see a mutual redeployment of forces from the port and the city and the establishment of a governorate—wide ceasefire. the un will play a leading role in the port and this will facilitate the humanitarian access and goods to the civilian possibility. back in yemen, news of the deal was greeted with celebration by the houthi rebels. but after months of intense fighting in hodeida and many broken ceasefires, the question is whether this time the warring parties really will put down their weapons. but with international pressure from the uk and its allies, along with the united nations playing a leading role, there is more optimism. optimism and hope that the people of yemen are desperate for. nawal al—maghafi, bbc news. finding somewhere to live has become so expensive that more and more

young people are finding themselves sleeping on sofas, or living in hostels, because they can't afford to pay rent. some even find themselves homeless. last year, more than 100,000 young people had to seek help for homelessness, because they had nowhere to go, or were facing eviction. part of the problem is that most landlords are not willing to rent properties to young people, who have a history of homelessness. our social affairs correspondent, michael buchanan has been looking at the scale of the problem. ididn't ididn‘t want i didn't want to start it off. courtney and theo spent three months sofa suffering. the 18—year—old was staying with her partner's parents when the relationship ended, leaving

them homeless. she moved around weekly, a few nights here and there, often not knowing what they would next sleep. the thing that worried me the worst was in case social services kind of took theo because he wasn't in a stable home. at this centre the young and homeless gather, often in despair, some carried their entire possession, seeking refuge from their struggles. you were on the streets last night. yes, been on the streets last night. yes, been on the streets for a good number of times. 20—year—old sam is hoping the centre will pay for a bed—and—breakfast for the night. he has been homeless for three years after a major argument with his adoptive parents. he sleeps where he can. it is very very tough, very cold, get a lot of illnesses from it as well, the best thing is to just keep from it as well, the best thing is tojust keep warm, from it as well, the best thing is to just keep warm, wear as from it as well, the best thing is

tojust keep warm, wear as many layers as you can, and to remember to stay somewhere like hidden, not really in a door way where you can get easily targeted by people. the never ending stream of clients of a mix of problems, facing evict should be, sofa suffering, or trying to move out of temporary accommodation. but the demand is overwhelming services in the city. we are currently dealing with round 300 case, of those, ho many would you say would like a bed tonight?. i would say round 30. 30? yeah. there are two spots available. yes. part of the problem is those in hostels can't move on. aidan has been homeless forfour year, aidan has been homeless forfour yea r, after aidan has been homeless forfour year, after his father tried to force him to go pakistan for an arranged marriage. the 24—year—old has been ready to leave his hostel for a year but can't find anywhere to ta ke for a year but can't find anywhere to take him, as he is on benefits you will find properties but when you look at it they say no ddss

accepted. it was hard process in my head, not being able to find a home, not being able to bring him up the way other children are brought up, but we did eventually. did eventually get there and we have oui’ did eventually get there and we have our own home. ministers say they will spend more than a billion pounds in the coming years tackling homelessness, aiming to get everyone one day a place to call home. scientists leading nasa's mission to studyjupiter have released some remarkable images of the solar system's largest planet. so far 16 thousand images have been sent back from the probejuno since the mission started. they reveal new perspectives of vast storms, persisting for many months, at both ofjupiter‘s poles.

after a quarter of a century at the helm, david dimbleby will present his last episode of bbc question time tonight. he's presided over the corporation's flagship debate programme, through some of the uk's most turbulent political times. our media editor, amol rajan, looks back at his time in the chair, and the role that question time has played in political debate. good evening, and welcome to question time. a quarter a century ago, david dimbleby took the helm of question time when the tories were divided on europe. but while some things are familiar from that era, others are less so. the system itself inherently encourages that kinds of behaviour. in those 25 years question time has made headlines, as well as interrogated them. successive governments are committing genocide against their own people, is that your theory? the appearance of british national party leader nick griffin sparked huge protested. don't shout out, please. his tie choices can be eccentric and he even got a tattoo. but dimbleby‘s style has been forthright and always

on the audience's side, while willing, if need be, to keep them in check, too. i think you ought to leave, you know, because... applause. question time's been a very important part of the political debate in britain. you know you're called dimblebot? i do. did you know about that? idid. with david, it became a much warmer part of the interview. he was concerned to get the real answer, but he seemed to be more concerned to involve the audience. it's legendary, both in the sheer length of time he's been there. and in the reputation that he's managed to carve. now always when you're in that sort of role you produce a mix of reactions, admiration, but also exasperation. david dimbleby took over question time in an era when the media was very different, with fewer channels and less choice. today the programme has to confront two new and massive challenges —