and we did hear it was planned. and we did hear that evenif it was planned. and we did hear that even if she had lost the leadership of conservative party on wednesday night, she was the one to go to brussels on thursday morning. she had this land. i guess to do it to try and save face to show members of her own party that there are still a lot more than she can do. some idea that so much of this is about show and it is about negotiations being kind of theatrical and taking it to the wire. and that theresa may is pa rt of the wire. and that theresa may is part of this game. so many of the papers have said how completely humiliating it was for her to come back completely empty— handed. humiliating it was for her to come back completely empty—handed. for some people, ithink back completely empty—handed. for some people, i think that alternate —— altercation she had with jean—claude juncker was almost a show of strength in my opinion. i think she looked quite strong. i think she looked quite strong. i think it might be that i am a lone voice in all of this, but some people would interpret that as of this handbag in kind of moment, that thatcher comparison that this strong woman is actually showing the eu

exactly who is boss. maybe this is two years late, but i think for some people she will have shown a bit of strength today. let's go on the ft weekend. let us see how far she wa nts to weekend. let us see how far she wants to push that. the headline here is may threatens to crash pretty deal after summit showdown. the suggestion is that she is going to go back to parliament before christmas and arrange for the vote to them fail. which seems like an interesting negotiating tactic. certainly. the only question is them what. yes. i cannot really see how the threat of that would necessarily force the hand. it is a bizarre situation. again, it goes back to what was said about the fact that a lot of this may have been for show. it is and nobody‘s interest to make this look easy, whether it is

jean—claude juncker, theresa may, the conservative party or the eu. they all wanted to look like eve ryo ne they all wanted to look like everyone has battled until the very last moment. so if you combine working very hard, looking very difficult, getting even token concessions and then time running out, that may, and i do stress may, be enough to convince some, and i do stress some, come over to the side. yes, we are 15 weeks away, are we, until we are due to leave? parliament we are told that doesn't wa nt parliament we are told that doesn't want a no deal. no, parliament does not want that. the idea that she is going to go in and crash brexit by holding a snap vote on the withdrawal agreement is just absolutely mad. they're only four days left it for the christmas recess. i really don't know if she would be able to have this both in time. even if she does have the vote, i don't know who she is going to, who is this for? i mean the eu

just don't care. the eu certainly am not going to take this vote seriously, i don't think. at the same time this is a tried and tested method from prime ministers down the yea rs. method from prime ministers down the years. wilson tried it and was successful in 1975, cameron tried and was unsuccessful in 2016, and so maybe she holds that it can be third time lucky and that she can come back with something that she can then sell to the british people, to her own party, to be, and as sufficient concessions. the key point is the dup and i don't think they will get through, but you don't know. i guess you try to pretend the eu with no deal and banking on the fa ct eu with no deal and banking on the fact that no deal is such a terrible option the eu will come to their senses and realise we're so close to ano senses and realise we're so close to a no deal scenario now, we're going to have to offer a bit more. that is the only reason i can think that she would crash brexit. as the ft are climbing. "don't call me nebulous" this war of words. an unusual way

which goes back to the photograph we referred to several times, it is unusual to see her in this sort of state. isn't it? because she is so very measured, state. isn't it? because she is so very measured , so state. isn't it? because she is so very measured, so very private. the telegraph here describes it as a public meltdown. not that i call it that. would you call it that?|j didn't that. would you call it that?” didn't see it that way. it was unusual and kind of out of character. she was clearly talking to him really forcefully. i don't think it will signal down. she has been urged to wield the handbag, as you talked about. i think that is a bit of a lazy characterisation. a female prime minister has to emulate the only other female prime minister we have had because they both women. there is no way you could be anything else. anything new and different. no, no. i like this, there wasn't on my rush to define there wasn't on my rush to define the ill—defined. apparently google was inundated with searches for the and word nebulous today. were absolutely sure it was nebulous and

not nebula, the character from the avengers? not at all. after a whole day of looking at this, it was nebulous. young club number did look and talk about his —— jean—claude juncker to talk about its latin root as well. insisting that we see her fire and passing about potentially being called nebulous, it is such a bizarre state of affairs that that is the walmart in all of this, where we have really seen her come alive. she has certainly been called a lot worse by, from backbench mps. but i don't think those backbench and b's will think this is anything other than a good look for her. so we move on and talk about something other than brexit? no. laughter model we want to do that? we will come back to that, you can rest assured in a0 minutes when we have another bite at these. the i. in cuts put patients lives at risk. —— nhs cuts. some services are so poor

in some places that they're point to be closed, downgraded and then people will find themselves having trouble further for what should be better services. we have seen this done before. this article specifically focuses on the hospital where the a&e and maternity services are being downgraded. the implications that that will have. although it only focuses seemingly on one particular area, it is obviously an interesting representation of the problem that the nhs faces across the country. it's christmas, it's winter and every christmas you cannot go wrong with a story about nhs problems and the difficulty of cold weather. just at the start of that. it is a staple along with christmas tv. the article goes on to talk about other hospitals and other places, shropshire, huddersfield, kent, perth among those also facing closer, downgrading or merging.

there was a news a few years back to create these very large centres of excellence which were quite unpopular with people even though medically it might be a safer thing to do. people were very, very attached to their local hospital. of course. assuming of course that theirfunctioning course. assuming of course that their functioning decently. as a local news reporter for various different papers in the north of england and nhs restructures and a&e closers or a&e downgrading of the really emotive issue for people. it does really matter. if you live in a rural area where these hospitals maybe 40 minutes away, and into the move maybe another ten minute journey away. they can be the matter of life or death for people. that is why people find it so angering when they see that their a&e services are being restructured probably for about the tenth time. we know the ambulance services have been under pressure too and if they have got to travel even further to collect

people and drop people off, that as set rusher too. it is a hugely emotive issue. no doubt. it is one that will run and run. u nfortu nately, that will run and run. unfortunately, people always fall ill and people will always die. it is always a difficult situation. but equally, it is a powerful political issue. so is the closest thing we have two secular religion in this country. no one has come close to the solution for cracking it. and funding is clearly an issue. as a result, the stories just run along. there are some hospitals which you just keep coming back to all the time. don't you? churros very in particular, we have been talking about for months if not years —— shrewsbury. these persistent problems that they cannot seem to overcome. yes. i think in some ways it is probably be pretty good that

the i paper has done with a story like this. everyone else is talking about brexit but we also have to remember, brexit is so obligated and obviously affects everyone in the country but they today people want to know about their nhs and they wa nt to know about their nhs and they want to know that things are in good hands. this is just want to know that things are in good hands. this isjust another pretty depressing story. the funding is in there. the structuring is incorrect. ultimately the patients are not getting the service that they deserve. so in a whole sea of brexit front pages today, i think for tomorrow going into saturday, i think this is a really good one. of course there is an interesting point about the fact that while we are all discussing brexit and the government is using up all its bandwidth on brexit, there are other issues out there. yes, there are. we have got to talk about a photograph now. here it is. on the times. it is a photo of the duke and duchess of cambridge with their children, luis charlotte and george. it is a photo that is being used for the christmas card. it says they are having a blast. i

wish i could get my children, they are older than his, but i wish i could get them to smile for the camera. they only ever grimace. so the idea of trying to formulate that to send out. about it's a really jolly picture of the family. we do not see many pictures of lily. late hereby a 50—year—old man. not see many pictures of lily. late hereby a 50-year-old man. do you think he would say little old? he looked like a very small, very old man. i'm not suggesting that it's a bad thing. my mum tells me i was a very dutiful baby. in i citywide? of course, she did. ithink very dutiful baby. in i citywide? of course, she did. i think what we do know is it has been reported that this is the first time that prince george has been pictured in long trousers. publicly, not wearing shorts. i think it's pretty close to some nasty parenting. that is pretty good going, actually. to last that long without a long pair of trousers. he is a real boy now. yes.

well, we have no evidence indeed thatis well, we have no evidence indeed that is william isn't wearing shorts. that is true. that is it for the papers but only for the moment. don't forget you can see the front pages of the papers online on the bbc news website. it is there seven days a week. if you miss the programme in the evening, you can watch it later on the iplayer, but don't do that come back and join us again at 11:30pm. we will bring you some more front pages withjoe and kate. i think it is the weather next. see you in a minute. hello. after several days of quiet weather, saturday couldn't be more different. it is hard to overstress how hazardous some of the weather will be for some of us on through saturday into early sunday. met office and were enforced for ice and snow. in terms of ice, that comes

from freezing rain, very unusual and almost unheard of to have such a high level of warning for it as well. the rain freezes instantly on contact with frozen surfaces. that isa contact with frozen surfaces. that is a greater risk here for parts of the midlands, northern england and scotla nd the midlands, northern england and scotland for this zone on saturday through early sunday. north of the central belt of scotland, snow drifting in the strengthening winds piling up in the hills and mountains. we have had cold air coming in around high pressure. now atla ntic coming in around high pressure. now atlantic weather systems are coming in with moisture into that cold air. overnight we see outbreaks of rain pushing into northern ireland. parts of wales in southwest england have that increasing cloud breeze, but it is cold and frosty once again. remember all of this cold air and these freezing services are ready for that moisture to fall on top of them and freeze instantly, causing ice rink conditions in places later on saturday. during saturday for northern ireland and wales in southwest england, we see the rain turning heavier. 20 of standing water maybe 30—50 mm, 50—60 all in

our lives developing across the uk. the winners will be strengthening. a big range of temperatures into the afternoon. milder with the rain in the west but cold elsewhere across the west but cold elsewhere across the uk. we have this moisture moving in over the frozen ground, parts of the midlands, northern england and scotla nd the midlands, northern england and scotland again. that freezing rain has a potentially very dangerous, some sleet and snow especially into the hills. north of the central belt and scotland. a prolonged period of heavy snow and the snow really blowing about, in the strengthening winds with blizzards at times too. all of that makes for an extremely messy travel setup onto saturday into early sunday. we have the freezing rain, and ice risk i'm a heavy rain in places and heavy snow elsewhere. across the uk, strengthening winds. do keep in touch with the latest situation near you. through bbc local radio. we see further snow affecting parts of scotla nd further snow affecting parts of scotland overnight and into sunday morning. eventually that clears away from the south, coming towards the west and south on sunday. elsewhere it looks a little drier and brighter. it is a little less cold as well. that is your latest

forecast. this is bbc news. i'm martine croxall. the headlines at 11: the eu rules out any re—negotitation — but theresa may leaves brussels insisting she can win further assurances to get her brexit deal through parliament if we are going to leave with a deal, this is it. but my discussions with colleagues today have shown that further clarification and discussion following the councils conclusions is in fact possible. but a tense exchange between mrs may and jean claude juncker as she accuses him of describing her latest efforts as nebulous. he denies it. i did not refer to her, but to the overall state of the debate in britain. and that's why i was saying that this was nebulous, foggy, in english. president trump names his budget director, mick mulvaney, as acting white house chief of staff.