this is bbc news, i'm shaun ley. the headlines at 3: cabinet brexiteer liam fox says mps have already decided on the uk's brexit options as he backs theresa may's condemnation of calls for a second referendum. let me tell you that if there is another referendum, which i don't think there will be, people like me will be immediately demanding it is best—of—three. a five—year—old boy becomes the third victim of a house fire in nottinghamshire. a mother and her eight—year—old daughter died yesterday. environmental groups criticise the deal struck at a un climate conference in poland saying it doesn't go far enough in tackling the problem. mps say the rollout of smart motorways — on which the hard shoulder has been permanently turned into a fourth lane — should be stopped due to safety fears. and the bbc‘s sports personality of the year awards take place in birmingham later. and i will be liable for the red

carpet here in birmingham, where all the great and good of british sport will gather under one roof to celebrate another incredible year of sport throughout 2018. more from holly hamilton in a moment. and the click team discover how virtual reality is helping to teach pupils about the suffragettes — 100 years after women first got the vote. that's in half an hour here on bbc news. a leading brexiteer in the cabinet has suggested that parliament will have to look at other options if the uk and the eu can't find a way through on the problem of the so—called irish backstop — as part of the uk's withdrawal agreement from the eu. but the international trade secretary, liam fox dismissed suggestions of another referendum, saying it would not heal divisions in the country.

here's our political correspondent, nick eardley. it is not hard to find divisions over brexit around parliament. 0utside, protesters with different views fight for attention and inside, mps struggled to find consensus. theresa may is trying to get changes she hopes will win the support of mps, but with little success so far. many are discussing what happens if she fails. clearly if there is no reflection of the anxieties mps have had about being locked into the backstop without any choice, it is unlikely... which is where we are now, so if you do not get those changes and this deal is dead? parliament will have to decide on the alternatives. behind closed doors many are having those conversations — what could happen next? this morning, two of mrs may's closest allies

discussed the possibility of another referendum. the chief of staff said he was not planning one and the deputy said he did not want one. supposing we had a referendum and the remains had won by 52—48 but it was on a lower turnout. let me tell you if there is another referendum, which i do not think there will be, people like me will be demanding the best of three. where does that end up? conversations go on between mps of different parties. it is right we should be having conversations across the parties about these issues. we are in a crisis and we should be putting party political differences aside and working in the national interest. to try and resolve the mess we are labour is having a debate of its own on what to do next. there are split on whether to push for another referendum. but if it got to that stage, what would the party campaign for? we would push for a labour deal that protect workers' rights, that protects our consumer protections and our environmental protections, one that has that frictionless trade

the prime minister promised. sorry tojump in again... there are just a few days before parliament breaks for christmas and some want a no—confidence vote in parliament and labour says it will try and force a vote on theresa may's brexit plan. after a roller—coaster period, there could be more to come. let's talk to our political correspondent nick eardley, hejoins me now. further interventions this lunchtime from prominent figures of political past? yes, and i don't think anyone that has been paying attention to the brexits debate will need reminding that there are divisions within the conservative party on this. we have seen them on the airwaves this morning, i'm sure we will see them over the coming weeks as well. but we have been hearing some quite stark messages from the conservative peer and former government minister who was talking about whether or not this deal had any prospect of getting through

parliament in the next few weeks will stop let's hear him firstly on that idea that point could pass this deal. it is impossible to get a deal on the eu and the relationship with us which is both in the national interest and satisfies the conservative party. it cannot be done. mrs may is trying to do that, but it doesn't work. it certainly won't work with the present deal, and however much lipstick you put on the page, it stays a pig. they are the page, it stays a pig. they are the right wing on they are the fanatics, they won't accept it. that will be music to the ears of many in the conservative party. but nora will what lord patten had to say about his colleagues and we know that theresa may has to win over some of them to get any sort of deal through parliament early next year. here is what he has to say about some right wing brexiteers within his own party. the right wing, the

fanatics, they won't accept it. they have been working away like rodents in the basement for years, trying to nibble at the foundations of our relationship with europe, acting as a party within a party, with their owi'i a party within a party, with their own whipping and so on. they will not accept anything which is reasonable. he has history in the conservative party, he was in it in a major part of their ruling, they will dismiss him in the days of margaret thatcher and john major, simply, they will listen to what he will say. what about the broader sense of the grid within the conservative party? we heard from liam fox earlier he was in the cabinet now, and he has quite a lot of influence on what happens. what is the sense of whether there is any movement that can be made between now and the new year that might open up a new opportunity of a deal? there is a feeling that there is something you can do to get the deal through, which is get rid of the backstop. that is what many

conservative mps are demanding, it is what the dup, of course, the conservatives not a partner in government, they are demanding that as well. the problem is, from every sign we have had so far from the as well. the problem is, from every sign we have had so farfrom the eu, they will not accept that. we saw that idea repute in a summit in brussels on thursday and friday, so what the prime minister will spend the next few weeks doing is get some sort of assurance, something legally binding the legally binding part is absolutely crucial for conservative mps, that she can take back and say, this means that if we ever end up in the backstop, it will be for long, and it will be up for parliament to decide what we do. —— it will not be for long. that is hard to choose, so all the signs is that it will be an uphill struggle for theresa may to get that through. are the conservative party mps desperate for this to reach some sort of conclusion? they are, many of them. along with the rest of us! but there

are also many in the party who are staunch views, they have always held those, and they went sign up with what is on the table now. as you heard there, there are split in the labour party, too. parliament is not a happy place, there isn't some sort of easy fix to all of this, so i suspect when it comes to the new year, you and i will still visiting here having these conversations, and they might look quite similarlj will hold you to that, thank you, nick. police in the belgian capital brussels have this afternoon fired teargas at demostrators taking part in an anti—migration protest. the protests are over a global migration pact, with the demonstrators vehemently against a united nations agreement which is due to be signed in morocco next week. some protesters threw missiles at police and there was a strong response from the security forces. the clashes come after weeks of protests in france, not specifically about migration but against the government of president macron. a young boy who was brought out alive from a house fire which killed two people in nottinghamshire — has died.

a girl aged eight and a woman of 33 died in the blaze, which broke out in collingham yesterday morning. a man remains seriously ill in hospital. katy austin reports. a community in mourning. prayers were said during today's service at all saints church to remember three tragic deaths in the same family. firefighters were called yesterday morning to a house fire which claimed the lives of a 33—year—old woman and her eight—year—old daughter. today, nottinghamshire police said her five—year—old son, who was rescued and taken to hospital, has also died. a man believed to be the children's father is still in hospital with serious injuries, and a 53—year—old thought to be their grandmother escaped unhurt. people living nearby have described trying to break into the house during the fire in an effort to help. the cause of the blaze is being investigated. i think we are all aware... all saints church will now be open every day until christmas, so residents of the close—knit village of collingham and leave

prayers or messages of condolence for a mother and her two children. katy austin, bbc news. environmental groups have said a deal struck at a un conference in poland does not go far enough in tackling climate change. delegates from nearly 200 countries reached agreement on how to implement the landmark paris climate accord and outlined plans for a common rule book on cutting carbon emissions. but the commitments are not legally binding. here's our science editor, david shukman. applause and relief that two long weeks of negotiation were over and that a deal to try to tackle climate change has last emerged. at the moment there are many countries in the world, many disagreements among countries to find agreement by unanimity, by consensus, so to fight global warming is very good news. most significant is a set of rules for how countries cut their emissions of the gases warming the planet. that was sorted.

0n finance for developing countries to help them adapt and go green, some progress, but they say not enough. and on promises of much deeper cuts in emissions, which many say are needed, that will have to be discussed later. many diplomats are relieved to have made it this far. but some developing countries, faced with the threat of rising sea levels, say the deal does not go nearly far enough and that bolder steps are needed. we have got 12 years. the additions here today don't really solve anything. i think we have got to do practical things, we have got to cut down the emissions drastically in terms of emissions, so i think working together i think we can achieve what really we want. the real test is whether the deal actually leads to less of this — warming gases entering the atmosphere. and so far, all the talk over the past 25 years hasn't managed to achieve that. david shukman, bbc news.

i'm nowjoined by professor jean—pascal van ypersele, a former vice—chairman of the intergovernmental panel on climate change. i will call it the ipcc from now on fma, 74 i will call it the ipcc from now on fma, 7a being with us will stop you have experienced this painful process of trying to get agreements of this kind, what do you think about what has been achieved in katavitsa? it is a mixed bag, it is very disappointing that the ipcc has not been recognised better, science has not been recognised better, and that... or inaudible 0n the other hand, the rule book which was also something that was

expected from... as expected, at least two thirds of it, it was about one third of the will which still needs to be finalised next... i'm sorry to interrupt you, we are having real problems with your line, we are getting very short snatches as coherent broadcast, and then it disappears for. so i think we will have two redial you and come back to you. if you could bear with us, thank you very much. my apologies, we're having some technical difficulties, let's see if we can get the professor back in a few minutes. a group of mps has said the roll—out of a type of smart motorways — where the hard shoulder is permanently turned into a fourth lane, should be stopped. the all—party group backed campaigners who say having no hard shoulder puts motorists and recovery workers at risk. england has more than 100 miles of all lane running smart motorways, with 225 miles more planned. i spoke to the aa's head of roads policy, jack cousens,

and asked him if the aa were in agreement with the cross—party group of mps. yes, we do agree with the all—party parliamentary group. that is simply because there is a lot of safety concern around them, notjust in terms of where there is an incident, because all lanes are being used, but also in terms of getting the emergency services to the scene of the accident. there was an incident yesterday, a road collision on the m25, on that stretch of all lane running, and that queued for several hours. if all four lanes are being used, it begs the question, how can emergency services get to that seen as quickly as possible? air ambulances are all well but they still need somewhere to land, and they might not have somewhere suitable? there are methods that the emergency services can use, for example travelling back down the carriageway in the opposite direction, once they are sure enough traffic has cleared in front of the incident.

but for the majority of cases, they will come in the same direction as the incident and they will look for a way to try and pick through four lanes of traffic, and they do struggle. when we gave evidence to the transport select committee, as well as the emergency services, we all raised that risk, but the government still decided that all lane running was the smart motorway scheme of preference and that's the one they continue to roll out. the alternative is in a sense probably that public and political pressure for improvements to reduce congestion and the demand for motorway space means that this will probably continue in some form. it is unlikely to be abandoned. you were talking about emergency areas and more of them, where people can get off motorways safely. under the original concept of all lane running smart motorways, they were spaced every 800 metres apart, and when it was trialled on the m42, that was the spacing used. once they got past the trial,

the government increased the distance to every 1.5 miles. so there were fewer of them? yes, exactly. after consistent pressure, highways england in february decided to change that to every mile, instead of 1.5 miles instead, but we still feel it is too far spaced apart, and we would like to go back to the 800 metres used in the trial scheme. we understand that easing congestion and improving capacity is important, but safety should not be the comprising factor. that is the view from the aa of the current plans to close hard shoulders on britain's motor race. —— motorways. afundraising campaign by chester zoo to raise £50,000 following a fire which destroyed much of the roof covering its monsoon forest area has reached its target in little more than 2a hours.

chester zoo said yesterday was one of the toughest days in its long history and thanked the remarkable efforts of the zoo team and the emergency services which meant the fire was extinguished as quickly as possible. in a statement released this morning, the zoo said: the headlines on bbc news: cabinet brexiteer liam fox says mps have already decided on the uk's brexit options as he backs theresa may's condemnation of calls for a second referendum. a five—year—old boy becomes the third victim of a house fire in nottinghamshire. a mother and her eight—year—old daughter died yesterday. environmental groups criticise the deal struck at a un climate conference in poland saying it doesn't go far enough to tackle the problem. in sport... southampton are back in front again against arsenal... southampton are back in front arsenal had levelled it at 2—2 but it's now 3—2 to the saints — meanwhile — chelsea are 2—1 up at brighton, and liverpool v man utd kicks

offatli... celtic miss out on taking top spot in the scottish premiership... beaten by hibs, rangers will go top on goal difference if they beat hamilton — they're1—0 up after by minutes. —— after 15 minutes play. and leicester tiger's hopes of reaching the quarterfinals of the european champions cup are all but over — after defeat by racing 92. i'll be back with more on those stories an hour. bad weather and an increasing trend to buy online are being blamed for shoppers staying away from the high street on what is usually the busiest weekend before christmas. retail experts say footfall across the uk yesterday was down almost 10% compared with the same time last year. here's our business correspondent, joe miller. a bruising year has left many of britain's retailers fighting for survival, and whether never, banking on a busy festive season. heavy rain heaped more misery

on the high street yesterday and prompted many to stage right and shop online. —— to stay dry. there was a sliver of hope for retailers last week when footfall rose 6% on the year before. but figures from one analytics firm show a drop of 7% on saturday if you include retail parks and shopping centres and a drop of 9% on the high street, adding further gloom to one of the worst novembers on record. analysts see few bright spots ahead. we're seeing consumer confidence drop, we're seeing costs increase and in general i think people are very nervous about spending. the british retail consortium predicts that sales will pick up in the next few days as more people rushed to buy last—minute food and presents. the fate of one chain in particular may rest on such a surge. debenhams, which lost a record £500 million this financial year, has rebuffed an injection of cash from the self—styled saviour of the high street — mike ashley.

his company, sports direct, which rescued house of fraser, had a stark warning for its wounded rival. we have put this offer in to interest another a0 million and it really is kind of the electric shock to wake them up to what is it in the last chance saloon. some suspect mr ashley, who is already debenhams largest shareholder, wants the first claim on its assets if it collapses, an allegation his company rejects. but while debenhams and other struggling chains mightjust be able to afford to keep the billionaire at bay, neither they nor mr ashley's retail empire can afford a disappointing christmas. joe mellor, bbc news. for some time, police have been warning of the growth of large urban gangs who use violence and extortion to trap vulnerable teenagers into helping them deal drugs in rural areas. now dorset police has become one of the first forces in the country to create a specialist unit to tackle the growth of so called "county lines" drug dealing. sam everett reports. they carry big machete knives, knives out of my cupboard. they would be lying around the flat,

all over the place. john was a victim of a county lines drugs gang. they use their mobile phones to phone you, try to force their way into your place offering you money or drugs. so what is county lines? it is an operation run by gangs in large urban areas. they set up phone lines to take orders for drugs, then they coerce runners to take the drugs across counties using then they coerce runners to take the drugs across counties using teenagers to avoid detection. in smaller towns, local dealers take over a vulnerable person's home, often by force, and bring the runners to get. the drugs can then be sold and distributed from a secure location. it is difficult when you are caught up in that sort of thing to say no — you want them out. but they just stick around. please go, kind of thing. they are ruthless, ruthless people. i let my family down, myself down.

yeah, i am worried they will come back. john is now off drugs and received help to get rid of the gang, but there's hundreds of other county lines still in operation. the lady who is the tenant there is now deceased, but the property is possibly being taken over by class a drug users. this flat in weymouth was found littered with needles and heroin. located nearby was this — a knife under the side of the bed. teenagers from a london drugs gang were found inside, they were detained and investigated further. the woman living there was a vulnerable drug user. as suspected, the gang had taken over the home after her mum had died. those persons that are living

at those properties, sometimes they are vulnerable through class a misuse themselves, other times it could be through mental health, it could be through poor health, physical disabilities. andy is part of one of the first specialist unit units set up to tackle county lines, using tactics to combat this highly organised form of crime. dedicated officers are stationed in towns where it becomes a problem. they carry out intelligence surveillance on drug gangs and thwart their efforts. they track their efforts. that also identify vulnerable people in danger of being targeted and offer them support. even after that person has lost everything, it might be that they have their children taken away, they have lost their house, the drug gangs will continue to exploit them. the national crime agency estimate there are at least 1,500 other lines operating across england and wales. a serious problem new task forces want to end. sam everett, bbc news.

police are to test live facial recognition technology on the streets of central london this week. privacy campaigners have expressed concern at the use of the system. but officers say the public will be invited to take part, at locations such as piccadilly circus and leicester square, rather than being scanned without their consent. it's the bbc‘s sports personality of the year awards in birmingham tonight. but, as the format has changed this year, we won't know who's been nominated until the programme tonight. let's talk to our sports presenter holly hamilton, she's in birmingham for us. hello, holly. hi there, yes, it is one of the glamorous nights in the british sporting talent there, it is the bbc‘s voice personality of the year, being staged once again in birmingham. there have been some changes, as you mentioned. right now, i should changes, as you mentioned. right now, ishould be changes, as you mentioned. right now, i should be listing the nominees and telling you about them,

but i do know who they are. never the nose, it is top secret for the first time this year. they will not be revealed until tonight's event, which starts at 7pm. another change this year, there is a new award— the sporting moment of the year. that shortlist has been revealed, we know who has been listed there. you have been voting online for your favourite, including england's netball is, at the beginning of the yearin netball is, at the beginning of the year in the commonwealth games, winning gold in australia. the world cup in russia is there as well, england qualifying for the quarterfinals after beating colombia with penalties. tiger woods' comeback, when he won in atlanta for the first time in years. and alastair cook, when he scored the century in his final innings for england before retiring from international cricket. finally, the most international cricket. finally, the m ost rece nt international cricket. finally, the most recent on the list, tyson fury, who made a comeback after two knock—downs to draw with wbc champion, heavyweight champion. we

will find out who has won from that list, you have been voting online alongside this year's the sports personality of the year, we will also meet some of the winners later on as well, the unsung heroes are just arriving behind me now. those are the people who have made a real difference in their local communities within the field of sport. it will be a night of glamour and celebrating sport right across the world and here in the uk. indeed, thank you for bringing it to us on indeed, thank you for bringing it to us on the news channel. you will be staying on the red carpet there for the rest of the afternoon, and meeting up with some of the celebrities and sports people who will be attending. you can see holly again just will be attending. you can see holly againjust after the 5pm will be attending. you can see holly again just after the 5pm news and at 6pm on the bbc news channel, for the arrivals and some more chat. perhaps some of those on the nomination with list. now it's time for a look at the weather. storm deidre brock ‘s summit storms

to us yesterday, leaving a dangerous, icy roads, treacherous conditions out and about. we had multiple accidents on the m71; and the apple 19. heavy snow in northern scotland, and a top class as 79 mph in western wales will stop that system has cleared, and today has been a milder day, we have seen snow and ice on the hills near stirling. looking at the weather picture for the week ahead, high pressure is across europe, that. the area of low pressure from the moving through. that will sit to the west of the uk, and it will drag in wind. the temperatures will be other average across western areas for the week ahead. today, there is an area of cloud across england and wales, that is rain bearing cloud. the wet weather pushes eastwards as we go through this evening. it will clear, showers will continue to affect western scotland, on and off throughout the night. clear skies elsewhere, allowing some frost to develop in the countryside. we may

well see 124 catches into the first pa rt well see 124 catches into the first part of monday. —— one or two of fog patches. monday is quiet, most areas will see some sunshine, low pressure to the north—west will move a bit closer, bringing some strong wind to western areas of the day goes by. enjoy the morning sunshine, it will turn cloudy, windy, and for northern ireland, wetter as the day goes by. we will see the damp weather pushing into western fringes of scotland, england and wales towards the end of the day. the best of the sunshine in the day. the best of the sunshine in the east, highest temperatures up to 12 degrees, mile for the time of year. monday night and into tuesday sees the cold front page is rigged slowly, bringing some heavy rain to northern ireland, and then for tuesday, the wet weather slowly pushes into scotland, england and wales. given how wet the weather has been over recent weeks, perhaps part of the uk could see some localised surface water flooding issues. surface waterflooding issues. it will also be a windy and mild day, temperatures up to 12 degrees. into

wednesday's forecast, the ritual move closer, lengthy spells of rain across western areas. the best of any dry weather with some sunshine across eastern part of the uk. that is your weather. hello, this is bbc news with me, shaun ley. the headlines: cabinet brexiteer liam fox says mps have already decided on the uk's brexit options as he backs theresa may's condemnation of calls for a further referendum. let me tell you that if there is another referendum, which i don't think there will be, people like me will be immediately demanding it is best—of—three. a five—year—old boy becomes the third victim of a house fire in nottinghamshire. a mother and her eight—year—old daughter died yesterday.