you're watching bbc newsroom live — it's 11 am and these are the main stories this morning. a plan for immigration after brexit — the government says it will prioritise skills not nationality. the uk's biggest business groups appeal to mps to avoid a no—deal brexit, warning hundreds of thousands of companies won't be ready. the european commission will publish details shortly of its contingency plans for a possible no deal. a warning from the competitions watchdog — millions of consumers are being "ripped off" for sticking with the same service providers. tech entrepreneur elon musk unveils an underground tunnel designed to transport cars around los angeles at speed to avoid congestion. lewis hamilton says he's "super proud" of his hometown stevenage after referring to its "slums" at the sports personality of the year ceremony. i'm super proud of where i've come from and i hope that you know that i represent in the best way i can, always.

nobody‘s perfect. i definitely make mistakes. manchester united confirm ole gunnar solskjaer as caretaker manager for the rest of the season. good morning. welcome to bbc newsroom live. i'm joanna gosling. long awaited plans for how the uk's immigration system will work after brexit will be published by the government today. the home secretary, sajid javid, is proposing a new system which he says will be built around people's skills, rather than whether or not they come from an eu country. there's reported to have been a dispute within the cabinet over a recommendation that skilled workers would need to be earning at least £30,000 a year before being allowed to live in the uk, and it's understood there'll be further consultation before this is introduced.

the new rules will mark an end to the rights of eu citizens to live and work in britain without restrictions. the government is promising a new visa route for skilled migrants from the eu and beyond. and after brexit there'll be no limit on how many highly—skilled workers can enter the country. the plan leaves out the long—held aim to cut net migration to less than 100,000 a year. this was a conservative manifesto commitment. today mrjavid would only say that numbers will be brought down to more sustainable levels, but downing street sources have said the manifesto targets do remain. let's go to our assistant political editor norman smith. this has been long overdue, norman? it has been long overdue, norman? it has been long overdue, norman? it has been a puzzle to get agreement around this white paper, and that tussle is still going on. but it has been a big moment in the whole brexit saga, because immigration was

at the heart of the referendum debate, and today what we get is the outlines of our post—brexit immigration rules, at the heart of which is bringing an end to freedom of movement, and also a dramatic proposed reduction in low skilled immigration into the uk. so there will be a new system under which eu nationals will get no preferential access in terms ofjobs, coming to the uk, access to benefits, access to public services, schools, hospitals and so on. they will be treated exactly the same as everyone else in the rest of the world. crucially, however, there will be a new visa system for skilled workers only, and it is suggested, proposed, that you should have to have a job paying at least £30,000, although that has gone out to consultation, andi that has gone out to consultation, and i think that points to the tensions over the policy, with some

in cabinet seemingly intent on trying to press down the numbers, others much more anxious about the potential impact on jobs and the economy, with the number of businesses decidedly queasy at the prospect they may not be able to bring in staff who are earning less than £30,000. but perhaps the sharpest indication of the tensions is over this target of reducing net migration to the tens of thousands. downing street insisted the white paper reaffirms that commitment. sajid javid, appearing on the today programme, however, did not reaffirm that commitment. it's our... our objective is clear. it's about bringing net migration down, current levels are unsustainable. john humphreys: you said that very clearly, but i'm just trying to be absolutely clear,

has the tens of thousands figure being abandoned, the target? we remain committed to our manifesto and in the white paper... so, you're keeping it? we remain committed to our objective of bringing net migration down. you're just not going to use those words, "tens of thousands", are you? it is in your manifesto, i've just read you the precise words of the manifesto, "it is our objective to reduce net migration to the tens of thousands, rather than hundreds of thousands". i'm merely inviting you, since you are sticking to the manifesto, i'm inviting you merely to repeat those words. i think what was clear from the manifesto is our commitment to bringing net migration down and that is what this new system will achieve. so you're not going to use those words, tens of thousands, right? i've been clear, i think i've been very clear on this. all right. well, after that interview, downing street rang up to in effect correct the home secretary, to say, yes, indeed, the government does remain committed to getting the numbers down to the tens of thousands. elsewhere, mrjavid sought to reassure business, where there are clearly concerns, in particular over

the impact on those sectors of the economy so dependent on low paid eu workers, areas like the construction industry, the care sector, catering and hospitality. not clear yet how far the rules can be bent to accommodate the needs of those sectors to bring in people who are being paid significantly less than 30,000. but mrjavid saying he believed there was no reason why the rules, why taking back control of immigration, should damage the economy. thank you very much, norman. business groups are urging politicians to prevent britain leaving the european union without a deal, saying that with only 100 days to go until brexit, there is not enough time for some companies to make contingency plans. i spoke to our business editor simonjack earlier, who explained the concerns of businesses who claim that idea of managing a no—deal is not plausible. what we have seen today is a bunch

of business lobbying organisations who have said this pretty much consistently throughout, but they've all come together and signed a single thing in saying they are watching on with horror, is the word they use, looking at how this brexit process is being mired in parliamentary dispute. and they are saying that we just need to get through the politicians‘ heads, the idea that you can somehow manage no—deal with a few fixes here and there is just not plausible, and what they are doing in this letter this morning is urging the government, the mps, to go away during the festive period, talk to businesses in their constituencies, and try and make these mps realised that the fate of the uk economy and british business success lies in their hands. and as i say, not every business is anti—brexit, but almost all of them are against leaving with all of them are against leaving with ano all of them are against leaving with a no deal, and that is why they have come together today. how many businesses have already implemented their contingency plans on the basis

of this potentially being the outcome? i think you can probably cut them into three thirds. there are the big multinationals, glaxo smith kline, vodafone, hsbc, the banks. most of those have got their preparations there, they will be ready to operate on april the ist, come what may. sorry, just interrupt. ready to operate, come what may, does that mean they have moved operations elsewhere? for example, the banks of open subsidiaries in dublin, rbs has got one announced down, glaxo smith kline has operations over there, they have a road map if you like about where they put their people and businesses of licenses, they get their approvals, they have done a lot of that. that‘s not to say it wouldn‘t be disruptive to them, but they have a way through. there is another third of people who have done things like getting authorised economic operator licences so that they can get across borders, but not quite sure what they are going to do about the workforce. then another

third, predominantly smaller businesses, who frankly haven‘t done anything, and it is those people that these business groups are primarily worried about, saying, listen, with 100 days to go, their city isn‘t the time for them to put these contingency measures in place. simonjack talking simon jack talking to simonjack talking to me earlier. we heard yesterday that the prime minister and her cabinet discussed "ramping—up" preparations for a no—deal brexit — today the european commission will publish details later of the measures it will take. legislation will be published today to provide continuity in some key sectors like airports and banking, in an effort to avoid any disruption caused by the uk leaving the eu without a deal. 0ur europe correspondent is gavin lee is at schipol airport in the netherlands — which is one of the busiest hubs for brits in europe. 0ne one of the key elements of the eu no—deal advice preparing this is for travel and airline travel, because let‘s face it, that is what will

affect so many british passengers, for example here at ship all airport in amsterdam, two and a half million brits travel for work or pleasure, it is the busiest hub for brits in europe, and at the moment if britain is anyone stop security system for safety, licenses, which means they can move in and around european countries. that will technically expire in march. what the eu are saying the contingency plans, just for a temporary period, britain stays in that system up until the end of 2019. but what will it mean if there is no deal? let‘s bring in the dutch airline pilots association. british pilots working in europe on the effect of no—deal brexit? if there will be a no-deal brexit, the uk will also believe the european airline safety agency, so

there will be new safety standards in the uk and in the rest of europe. and also the british pilots who now fly under uk licence need to tra nsfer fly under uk licence need to transfer their licence from a uk licence to a eu licence, or they will probably not be allowed to fly any more. and british pilots would be recognised in europe, that is the problem, they will have to get a new certificate, which could take time. 0n the big airlines, the idea that they could set off, start, where ever they want in europe, that has to end as well? yes, you will also then leave the european open skies, and you will fall back on very old bilateral landing rights that are more than 20 years old, and you cannot fly any more for example from the uk to the netherlands and then continue your flight to another eu country. you would have to start and end your journeys country. you would have to start and end yourjourneys in the uk, you

couldn‘t for example go from milan to athens, which is why easyjet is one of those companies moving its headquarters to vienna right now. tell me the sense of concern you have right now over a no—deal brexit. there are challenges over the bilateral landing rights, travel between the uk and in our case the netherlands. what will happen with the dutch pilots working in the netherlands, but for easyjet, and the uk alone. that is a concern, but until now we feel that it is manageable getting the dutch pilots from uk to a european licence, it is an administrative burden, but it can be organised. thank you for talking to us. right now flights with klm going off to luton, to gatwick, other flights to liverpool, going off to luton, to gatwick, otherflights to liverpool, to manchester, passengers, the no deal advice is at customs checks will ta ke advice is at customs checks will take longer. it is an average of 20 seconds, customs here in amsterdam.

there are extra staff being brought in. they are preparing for the worst, but they are hoping there will be a deal. santander has been fined nearly 38 million pounds for failing to process the accounts and investments of customer who‘ve died. the financial conduct authority says the bank didn‘t transfer funds worth more than £183 million to beneficiaries, directly affecting more than a0 thousand customers. it added that in some cases funds were held for many years. santander has apologised and says it accepts the findings. efforts to bring down to the amount of salt in the food we eat have had mixed results, according to a report out today. public health england said that while manufacturers have succeeded in reducing salt in many products such as breakfast cereals and cakes, there‘s still too much in processed meats and ready meals. more on today‘s main stories coming up on newsroom live here on the bbc news channel, but now we say goodbye to viewers on bbc two. the headlines on bbc news:

a plan for immigration after brexit — the government says it says it will prioritise skills not nationality. the uk‘s biggest business groups appeal to mps to avoid a no—deal brexit — warning hundreds of thousands of companies won‘t be ready. a warning from the competitions watchdogs — millions of consumers are being "ripped off" for sticking with the same services providers. and in sport, 0le gunnar solskjaer is confirmed as interim manager and manchester united, expected to bring the club back together. his critics are already asking, is he the right man for the job? it went to penalties, but manchester city are still on to successfully defend their league cup title with a tight win over leicester. and a permanent appointment at leicester tigers per interim coach geordie bersin. i will

be back with more of those stories just before 11. see you then. the competition watchdog says millions of consumers are being ‘ripped off‘ for sticking with the same service providers. the competition and markets authority is now calling for major reforms to the way insurance, mortgage, mobile phone and broadband markets operate which could save consumers around £4 billion a year. the cma carried out an investigation following a so—called "super complaint" by the citizens advice bureau. it uncovered problems like year—on—year stealth price rises, costly exit fees and complex processes to cancel contracts. well, with me now is andrea coscelli, who is the chief executive of the cma. thank you forjoining us. why other companies doing this? is it really £4 billion of extra profit that they could just be handing straight back to customers? 0r could just be handing straight back to customers? or is it more complex than that in that there is loss leading going on? it is more

complex. we don‘t think it is £4 billion of excessive profits. in a number of these markets, the way, this works is there are very good deals for new consumers, people who are very active and confident using the internet, but the other side of the internet, but the other side of the coin is that there are a number of consumers who end up paying more, in some cases materially more, and when you look at the data, some of the consumers who pay more are quite vulnerable consumers, so there is a question of whether that is a fair outcome for the market as a whole. so they are subsidising these good deals to entice new customers to the companies? yes, consumers who don't switch, who stay with the same providers fears, our in effect subsidising the consumers who are more active. the problem is when some of the people are subsidising others, when you look at the data not the type of consumers you would like to see subsidising others. and you have also uncovered that actually some companies are making it quite difficult for those consumers then to switch away with

clauses in the contracts. tell us what you found on that front. we think that is a serious issue, and it needs to be tackled either legally by us or by regulators. 0bviously legally by us or by regulators. obviously there are obligations on companies to allow consumers like us to switch, to exit contracts. but in some cases, while it is quite easy to sign up as a new some cases, while it is quite easy to sign up as a new consumer some cases, while it is quite easy to sign up as a new consumer and to pay more money, for some it becomes quite difficult to exit this contract so we need this legislation. could some companies and are being prosecuted for this? it works on principles, and essentially it is for a court to decide whether a particular practice is illegal. so we are looking into it, the regulators are looking into it and potentially we could try to take some of these companies to court. what can you do short of that

question what are your powers? short of that, in the regulated sectors, there are extra regulations that apply, so there are ongoing investigations for instance by 0fcom for mobiles on broadband and by the financial conduct authority for insurance, and these are extra protections that can come in for consumers in these sectors. a loyal customer might think that they would get some sort of a benefit as a result of that. would you like it potentially almost flip around, that premiums could go down, they could entice customers to stay by reducing premiums over the longer term? there area number of premiums over the longer term? there are a number of factors, that is clearly important. at the same time, there should be a reward for consumers who put in the time and effort to look for new deals, because in many ways, we like when new companies come in or new products come in that they have a chance to succeed, and in order for that to happen, they need to be consumers who are happy to switch

and try new products. so there are a number of considerations in this space. one of the problems for us when citizens advice submitted the evidence tells of some of the case studies that some consumers were paying very high prices, and they are sometimes elderly consumers or consumers with disabilities, and you just don‘t think these are the type of consumers who should be stuck on this type of contract. so can you give any sort of pledged to consumers that this is going to change any time soon? because this is obviously something consumers are aware of and have been for some time. we think that today is an important announcement, because first of all companies have to self assess, and that could produce changes quite quickly. existing investigations are happening from the regulators, so we see changes from 2019 on that, and we have launched our own direct enforcement action on anti—viral software companies, another sector that we think there are some issues, and we

are going to take direct action there, and we‘re looking at other sectors ourselves, so we might have more investigations coming through. so we are going to keep a watching brief and update every six months the consumer forum which is a cross government, cross regulatory initiative, and we will make sure that the initiatives coming so that the consumers can actually see the impact of these changes. thank you, very much indeed, andrea coscelli. thank you. the uk risks "sleepwalking" into becoming a cashless society — with millions of people disadvantaged as a result, a study has concluded. researchers found that 8 million people still depend on using banknotes and coins, and a cash—free world would create problems for those in debt, or living in rural areas. here‘s our personal finance correspondent, simon gompertz. coffee for sale, but not the cash.

this london coffee bar had to close temporarily, because burglars broke in looking for banknotes. one reason we decided to go cashless was that we decided to go cashless was that we had a break and they took quite a lot of money. last night, we had another one but hopefully they got the message. the big reason we went cashless was 90% of our customers no longer use cash. not far off, the place where the cash you spend in shops is recycled, a sorting centre run by g4s, busy for christmas, but it is an industry which will have to slimmed down. cash was used for 64% of payments ten years ago, now it‘s 34% and it‘s likely to plummet to just 16% in ten years‘ time. £50,000 in this brick of 20s, 3.5 million in this cage. if we use less cash, we will need less of this sort of processing and it will affect the quality of life of the millions of people who still depend on cash, notjust for convenience, but out of necessity.

there are people who are elderly, who rely on a neighbour to do their shopping for them, and don't want to hand over over a cashless card. but the biggest indicator of being dependent on cash is poverty. if you earn less than £10,000 a year, you are 15 times more likely to be dependent on cash. some countries force shops to accept cash, in order to protect users. that‘s not the case here, but today‘s study says we‘re not ready to do without our notes and coins. simon gompertz, bbc news. let‘s get more now on one our top stories — and the worry from businesses over a potential no—deal brexit. 0n industry concerned about the new legislation designed to end freedom of movement for eu nationals and introduce a visa regime for skilled workers is the hospitality industry. let‘s get the thoughts of kate nicholls, the chief executive hospitality uk — the hospitality sectors trade association. 0bviously two aspects to this story today. we have the immigration plans published and also businesses saying

they are worried about the prospect ofa they are worried about the prospect of a no—deal brexit. in terms of changes to the immigration, what do you think about that? what impact might that potentially have? potentially it could be catastrophic. we have to wait and see what the government‘s proposals are, but if they took the recommendations of the migration advisory committee, we would know that that would have a serious impact on our sector‘s ability to function fully. about 80% of our workforce would fall below the £30,000 minimum salary threshold, and we have a heavily reliant on workers filling those gaps. do we not have workers at home who can fill the gaps? sadly not, we‘re a time of low unemployment, and we are to demographic change going to have thousands fewer 18 to 24—year—olds entering thejobs

thousands fewer 18 to 24—year—olds entering the jobs market, thousands fewer 18 to 24—year—olds entering thejobs market, so thousands fewer 18 to 24—year—olds entering the jobs market, so there are not uk workers sitting unemployed able to take these jobs at the moment. we are already experiencing labour shortage as a third of our employers say that they have ha rd to third of our employers say that they have hard to fill vacancies that have hard to fill vacancies that have been vacant for more than six months, and we are already seeing some hotels addressed automata close temporarily because they don‘t have the staff to man the kitchens and to fulfil the business requirements. the staff to man the kitchens and to fulfilthe business requirements. on the £30,000 minimum salary threshold, the government says there will be further consultation. yes, we are looking forward to seeing the details of the white paper, which i believe is published imminently. consultation is a very welcome. the migration advisory committee have proposed that is a fixed salary threshold. it will need to be lower than that, and what we need to have... than that, and what we need to have. . . what than that, and what we need to have... what would you set it at? i think you need to look at the needs of the economy. personally i wouldn‘t have a salary threshold. i think the idea of equating salary with skills as a false one. the government needs to be controlling

migration, yes, but it needs to have a system that is based on the jobs on the roles of the skills that the economy needs to continue to function. do think there is much of the disparity between net migration levels as they stand and the numbers that you would envisage being required to fulfil the jobs that you are talking about? i think as we face it at the moment, we are already seeing labour shortages because there are fewer young people coming into the workforce, but there isn‘t a need to rapidly increase migration. migration levels are talking of being pretty steady, we have seen a large number of eu workers leaving the uk and returning home. of the government is still standing by its pledge to get the net level of migration down into tens of thousands. that figure doesn‘t take account of the overall economy and the workings of the economy. it certainly doesn‘t take account of the fact that we are at

almost full employment, and when no circumstances change you might be to bring those figures down, but i don‘t think the net migration target is essentially helpful at this point in time when businesses are trying to adjust rapidly changing set of circumstances. nor is it helpful to set a salary level in order to look atjobs set a salary level in order to look at jobs that you set a salary level in order to look atjobs that you might want to attract rather than the jobs you need to attract to keep the economy functioning. thank you very much indeed forjoining us. we will be talking more about that a little bit later. let me just tell you that we have just had news through from the european commission. i said that they are revealing their plans for what would happen, the preparations in the event of a no—deal brexit on the 29th of march. so it is being announced. i have also got a press release here, so i willjust quickly scan through because i‘m not sure if thatis scan through because i‘m not sure if that is in english, and we can listen in. let me tell you what it saysin listen in. let me tell you what it says in the press release. they say the united kingdom will leave the european union in 100 days‘ time. given the continued uncertainty in

the uk surrounding the ratification of the withdrawal agreement, the european commission has today started implementing its no deal contingent plan. it delivers on the commission‘s commitment to adopt all necessary proposals by the end of the year. the package includes 14 measures and a limited number of areas where a no deal scenario would cause major disruption to citizens and businesses in the eu 27. the areas include financial services, air transport, customs and climate policy to among others. it says it is consistent and urgent to adopt these today so that the contingency measures could begin on the 29th of march 2019 in order to limit the damage of a no deal scenario in these areas, and they go on to these measures will not and cannot mitigate the overall impact of a no deal scenario, nor do they in any way compensate for the lack of

stakeholder preparedness or change the terms of any transition period as provided for within the withdrawal agreement. they are limited to specific areas where it is absolutely necessary to protect the vital interests of the eu, and where preparedness measures on their own are not sufficient. as a rule, they will be temporary in nature, limited in scope and adopted unilaterally by the eu. they take into account discussions with member states, and are in addition to the preparedness measures that have already been taken as set out in the two previous communications. putting citizenss‘ rights first, the right to stay in social coordination... talking more about what will happen in citizens, it is a lengthy statement as you would expect, but the key point is they are saying it isa the key point is they are saying it is a very limited measures, temporary, and it is about mitigating the worst impacts of a no—deal brexit. we will die just that and bring you more reaction to it. universities in england have been warned they risk

undermining their reputations by giving too many students top degrees. the regulator, the office for students, says nearly eight out of ten degrees awarded last year were either first class or 2—1 — an increase of more than 10% over just six years. i‘m joined by nicola dandridge, who‘s chief executive of the office for students. welcome. a 10% increase. is that grade inflation? at these being fairly awarded? there could be all manner of reasons behind those increases. they could be that stu d e nts increases. they could be that students are working harder. it could be that there is better teaching and better support for students, which is fantastic. but it could also be that it is inexplicable grade inflation. because if you look at the pattern of the increases, across the sector, it doesn‘t necessarily correlate simply to students working harder or better quality teaching, so we are concerned about this, and we think

there is some inappropriate, some considerable inappropriate grade inflation here. and why would that be? what would the motivation be?m could be all manner of things. there are incentives within the system to award higher degrees, it may be the university is perceived... sorry, what are the incentives? league tables, for instance. they do recognise the number of higher class degrees. but i think from our perspective, the reasons are not so significant is the fact that where it is inappropriate, it has got to be addressed, because this is really risking undermining confidence in the system. so what we are wanting to do is ask universities who are outliers, where they award very high numbers of firsts and 2—1s to demonstrate the reasons, and if they can explain that it is to do with high—quality teaching students working harder, then that is fine. so the outliers, how many are there and which other universities? universities will find the report

very uncomfortable reading. we will contact them and asked them to explain. how many are in the category where you are concerned? the majority of universities and higher education providers, it also includes colleges, the majority in england demonstrate there are unexplained grade increases. the majority. within that, there are some who are awarding a slightly higher number and others where the grade increases are over 25% over the last six years. you say the important thing is to stop it happening, but if there is any sense that it happening, but if there is any sense thatitis happening, but if there is any sense that it is happening because the

pressure is to look good in league ta bles pressure is to look good in league tables and attract students in a competitive market, how are you going to stop that? we will ask universities and providers to explain what the reasons are and if we feel that their explanation is not compelling and reassuring, then we can, as the regulator, intervene. we can require to prepare and demonstrate they are implementing an action plan to deal with proper assessment of degrees. if they do not, we could find or take other measures. it is demoralising for students. if you‘re getting good grades, great, but then if the cure their it‘s not all universities, that‘s important. there are a small number of outliers, but i think it is demoralising for students who have worked hard and have earned their high degrees to see other students not earning in the same way. so don‘t think wejust not earning in the same way. so don‘t think we just sit back and let this role on. we must this. thank

you. now let‘s it isa it is a quieter day weather—wise. compared to the heavy rain from yesterday. your other showers this morning with a through the midlands and south east of england. still some showers around lincolnshire at the moment and we have some showers on the rainfall radar on the southern and western coasts of england and wales. foremost, it is dry and write with some sunshine. especially towards the north—east of scotla nd especially towards the north—east of scotland and the eastern side of england, as those showers clear and tem ptress england, as those showers clear and temptress getting up to about seven — ten or 11 degrees. bree gets lengthy clear spells across eastern england and up to scotland, tem ptress england and up to scotland, temptress year could get them close to freezing, otherwise five or eight

celsius. 0n to freezing, otherwise five or eight celsius. on thursday, a mixture of sunny spells and showers. most of the showers confined to northern parts. goodbye. hello. this is bbc newsroom live. the headlines: a plan for immigration after brexit — the government says it will prioritise skills not nationality. the uk‘s biggest business groups appeal to mps to avoid a no—deal brexit, warning hundreds of thousands of companies won‘t be ready. the european commission is publishing details of its contingency plans for a possible no—deal brexit. it says are to protect the vital interests of the eu. a warning from the competitions watchdog — millions of consumers are being ripped off for sticking with the same service providers. still to come: theresa may faces herfinal pmqs before the christmas recess. we will have full coverage.

sport now. here‘s katherine downes. good morning. 0le gunnar solskjaer has been confirmed as the new manchester united boss — for now at least. he‘s taking over as caretaker manager until the end of the season, and will be joined by mike phelan as first—team coach, who was once sir alex ferguson‘s number two. solskjaer is currently boss of the norwegian side molde. their new season starts in march, and they‘ve stressed that he‘s just on loan to united. all this of course after jose mourinho was shown the door at old trafford after two and a half years as manager. so it‘sjose out, 0le in. 0ur football reporter simon stone is here. 0le gunnar solskjaer was due to appear on norwegian television but has cancelled his appearance. i have

seen has cancelled his appearance. i have seen lots of people today saying we are excited about his appointment. years such a manchester united legend. are lots of other people are saying that is all he has got. years just a legend. as a manager, he doesn‘t really have the credentials and is expected to turn this club around, isn‘t he? and is expected to turn this club around, isn't he? he is expected to stabilise the situation. if you look at it through the prism of cardiff city and nine months there that ended with relegation and then dismissal because he didn‘t start the championship season very well, then, yes, he didn‘t do a very good job. but fans in molde where he has been twice would argue he has done a good job they are. i think what manchester united are looking for somebody who can represent the club in the traditions of manchester united, who can get the club and the players playing in the way that manchester united used —— are used to playing. from that, they should be able to build. i suppose feeling that it can‘t be any worse than it

is. their sixth in the league at the at the moment. there surely not going to slide any further. is anything else is a bonus. and that is what you‘re looking for 0le gunnar solskjaer to do. he is such a hero at united. so steeped in the traditions of manchester united. i think the general feeling is that he can get that club behaving and playing like manchester united again, so it‘s not so much about what he is going to do as a manager. it's what he is going to do as a manager. it‘s just about steadying the ship and bringing back that belief? and then the man that they think, are we think will be the front runner for thejob think will be the front runner for the job permanently is mauricio pochettino, the spurs boss, the man who many think he could get them back to playing attacking football. he was asked about this yesterday when the news of mourinho‘s sacking broke. i am focused in trying to

deliver my best for this football club. all the people understand i am focused. predictably vague. do you think mauricio pochettino was going to be the man that they go after? what about putting in a different managerial structure, such as bringing in some form of sporting director? i think he is at top of the west but he wants to get to the end of the season. but you are right. manchester united need a sporting director and they are now committed to bringing one in. they need a chain between the manager, a link in the middle, to ed wood worked. it is what has been missing since sir alex ferguson left. he never needed one. the people of common sense did need one. whoever comes in, without that, they are

almost doomed to failure, i think. doom and gloom. thank you. we will keep you updated with all the developments at old trafford. spurs face arsenal tonight, in the league cup quarterfinals. manchester city are already through. they needed penalties to beat leicester, and it didn‘t start that well. shocker from raheem sterling. leicester were even worse from the penalty spot, though, leaving 0leksander zinchenko, to send the holders through. and what a result for league one side burton albion. through to the semi—finals for the first time in their history after beating championship side middlesbrough. jake hesketh the hero with the only goal of the game. that‘s all the sport for now. i‘ll have more for you in the next hour. let‘s get more now on our top story this morning and the home secretary, sajid javid, has said the government has no specific target for reducing immigration to the uk after brexit. draft legislation is being published today which is designed to end freedom of movement for eu nationals and introduce a visa regime for skilled workers. there are some controversy over

whether the salary for skilled workers is going to be put at £30,000. disagreement within the cabinet. mrjavid said the aim was to bring down net immigration to sustainable levels, but he didn‘t mention the conservative manifesto objective of tens of thousands. after he give that interview on the radio this morning, downing street has briefed that actually that limit remains. let‘s get the thoughts now from lord green, the chair of migration watch uk, which campaigns for reduced immigration to the uk. thank you forjoining us. this is our year overdue, the white paper on migration policy. what are your first thoughts? 0bviously at something which is divisive and many businesses are very unhappy about the prospect of really reducing

unskilled workers. well, first of all, i think we have to put this in context. we are now in a situation where immigration is adding 1 million to our population every three years. and in order to house all those people, were going to have to build a new home every five minutes, day and night. those are the headlines of what is happening to our population in a very crowded country and it is a widespread public concern. having said that, i think it‘s right that the home secretary should seek to bring immigration under control, but there is an awful long way to go. it‘s not be necessary in the past. until 20 yea rs be necessary in the past. until 20 years ago, we had a net migration of 50,000 or less. so we can run an economy without huge migration and i think that‘s what we should be doing. our economy has changed,

hasn‘t it? have spoken to representatives from the nhs, from the catering industry this morning, who have been saying that the real concern is filling the jobs that they need to be done with workers from this country, because we are at full employment and are simply are not the people here to fill those posts. they need workers from europe. acknowledging controlling immigration is the right thing, but limiting unskilled workers and putting that £30,000 level on skilled workers they are saying is actually not the way to do it. well, you‘re covering different points there. firstly, skilled workers like plumbers and so on. skilled work but not extremely skilled work. the number of apprentices in british industry fell from 2000 to 2014, 100 40,000 two 20,000. it fell through the four. so it‘s hard to listen to

the four. so it‘s hard to listen to the industry saying they don‘t have any skilled people. the responsible for training their own people and if you don‘t belittle them our own young people don‘t get the opportunities. sucking and needs to be pressure from the immigration system be pressure from the immigration syste m o n be pressure from the immigration system on industry to make sure it is in their own financial interest to train british people, otherwise they won‘t do it. you mentioned the medical staff, i think. they won‘t do it. you mentioned the medical staff, ithink. they they won‘t do it. you mentioned the medical staff, i think. they are excluded and have been excluded from the cap for some six months or so and a large number of people coming through the present system are for the health service. so special arrangements can be made for them. they are really important to everybody. that leaves you with the unskilled who you mentioned just now. people in the hospitality industry or something like that. well, it‘s also the case that there are4 well, it‘s also the case that there are 4 million people in this country who would either like to work or would like more hours. but for so long as employers can bring bright

young people willing to work all hours into their firms, young people willing to work all hours into theirfirms, they young people willing to work all hours into their firms, they are going to do that. they‘re not going to adjust working methods or their timetables or whatever for british people who would like to be working. so there is a lot of scope within the economy as it is now for using our existing population much better and, guess what, improving productivity, which is the real key for growing prosperity. and on the nhs staff, there are currently 35,000 vacancies in nursing. and they make the point that eu workers are absolutely vital in that. what has been happening in terms of the net migration figures since the referendum is that net migration from europe is falling, but it‘s increasing from around the world. and some are saying it‘s because it sent a message out there that actually those workers are not welcome any more in this country. well, i‘m not sure about that. we

still have 75,000 more people coming from europe than going back home. that‘s roughly the size of the british army. title think should exaggerate the impact of the referendum. 0f exaggerate the impact of the referendum. of course, it produces uncertainty on all sides. and that may well be a factor in some people deciding to go home. but there‘s plenty of scope for us to bring people in from europe if they wish to come. and again, don‘t forget, only a few years ago, we were turning away ten or 20,000 british people who wanted to train as mercy is because we didn‘t have the training facilities. surely what we must be doing is getting our own facilities in place and training the nurses and doctors that we need who will actually stay here for a full career? so it‘s not enough, i suggest, to turn every problem to

use an immigration get out ofjail ca rd use an immigration get out ofjail card free. we have serious work to do training our own people and the immigration system, in my view, should support that. thank you. staying with brexit and there‘s a warning that thousands of british seasonaljobs in ski and summer resorts across european could be at risk if the uk leaves the eu without a deal. i‘m joined now by two business leaders worried about the consequences. charles 0wen — managing director of european pubs. and director of ski world, the uk‘s largest independent ski specialist holiday company — diane palumbo. welcome, both of you. thank you for coming. you‘re concerned about workers going the other way, brits working in ski resorts in particular. so, tell us what you‘re —— what is happening with your business because you have closed down two of your operations, haven‘t you? yes, my business is very similarto you? yes, my business is very similar to the large quantity of british businesses in the outdoor tourism industry. that is the industry that caters for british

holiday—makers when they go abroad. and my business has bars and restau ra nts and my business has bars and restaurants which we operate in the french alps and along with other companies in the industry we are very reliant on the ability to recruit british people and succumbed them over to work in europe to support and make holidays in europe the way that british people actually like them. so you have closed down two of your outlets, a pub and restau ra nt. two of your outlets, a pub and restaurant. is it directly because of your concerns around brexit? yes. i‘ve been very concerned about the referendum about the impact on my business model, the ability to continue to employ british staff because we have at the moment very little idea about the kind of deal that we will get. so i sold a bar in maribel. clothes that at the end of last season. and revolution rest rooms, my two main venues that i‘ve

had for 14 years to provide fantastic experiences for people going skiing. so why can't you just ta ke going skiing. so why can't you just take people locally to fill the jobs they are? that's right. we could employ those people, but as many people will know that go to maribel and the three valleys, there are a lot of british people that go holidays and they like the fact that they can go into a british bar, british restaurant, and have british people serve them. it‘s an important pa rt people serve them. it‘s an important part of their holiday, in the same way that a lot of the chalet staff people who work in hotels are also british. diane, tell us about the impact on your business. to echo what charlie said, one of the key things for us is culturally compatible service. and also in the uk we are incredible travellers as well as entrepreneurs. so we have a

culture in the uk of young people, two x young people are sitting before you know, though i still think i am sometimes, who either go off travelling in a gap year or do ski season. and those other people that we employ. now, it is really questionable in many of our french and austrian resorts if there are sufficient numbers of young people in those countries that can help staff are these resorts to cope with the enormous demand. because the hotels are running at full capacity, the ski schools are running at full capacity. even in those local areas in france, it's quite questionable as to whether there would be enough labour to cope with those big demands, so we take young people and we put them on apprenticeships and training programmes. 18—24 —year—olds are the mainstay of our businesses and we take them over and train them and we take them really

to one of the best business finishing schools you could hope for. these are people get opportunities abroad and come back to use those skills in this country develop businesses? absolutely. management teams. charlie and i are both products of that. i had another career in mind and i started to do skiseasons career in mind and i started to do ski seasons and summer seasons and you learn business and planning skills. it is a service industry. you are obviously concerned about the broader impact of that on the unseen opportunities that evolve later, but specifically for your business as well, how are you feeling? sleepless nights. that characterises really the effect on us characterises really the effect on us at the moment. since april 2016, we have already employed 7% less people in our overseas operations

because we've had to shrink down. and we have no idea if our business model of moving staff over to europe for short periods of time, four or five months to gain this experience, we have no idea of that business will be sustainable moving forward. and we think it‘s very important that british people, they love their holidays and love the fact that millions of people can go on holidays to the french alps, or the greek islands, which is why the organisation we set up today thinks that now with more information about what people know, think it‘s right for the british public to have a people‘s vote on brexit. for the british public to have a people's vote on brexit. thank you very much. we are not leaving the subject because you are going to get more details from the eu 27. let‘s speak to our brussels reporter

adam fleming. because of continued uncertainty about whether the deal can get through british parliament. today they have fleshed out the details by publishing 14 legislative proposals, bits of eu law that will help the eu 27 remaining countries deal with an audio brexit. and in the words of one of the european commissioner so that‘s just been giving a press conference about something else, he said this would turn hard landing into more of a soft landing to deal with the cliff edge. it covers eight broad areas, whether its data protection, customs, plantand animal health, transport when it comes to alleviation and road haulage. there‘s some stuff in there about citizens right and some stuff about citizens right and some stuff about financial services as well. this is 14 legislative proposals, bits of eu law, which now need quite consultation and have to be approved by the european parliament as well.

big message from the eu, this is in norway replicating key bits of eu law, which now need quite consultation and have to be approved by the european parliament as well. big message from the eu, this is in norway replicating gbits of eu membership and this is in norway as good as they transition period contained in the withdrawal agreement. this is bare—bones and staff put in place by the eu acting unilaterally on its own, not in negotiation with the uk, and a lot of this stuff will be temporary as well. thank you. in a moment, the business news. first the headlines on bbc news... a plan for immigration after brexit — the government says it says it will prioritise skills not nationality. the european commission is publishing details of its contingency plans for a possible no deal — which it says are to protect the vital interests of the eu. tech entrepreneur elon musk unveils an underground tunnel designed

to transport cars around los angeles at speed to avoid congestion. in the business news... uk inflation has fallen to its lowest rate since early 2017 according to the latest official figures. the office for national statistics says that slowing price rises could bring some relief to consumers who have recently cut down on spending. average prices rose by 2.3% over the year, the lowest since march 2017. staying with the same mobile phone contract, insurer or mortgage provider for years on end, could cost thousands in extra charges according to the financial regulator. the competition and markets authority found that companies in five key markets are charging their loyal customers too much — and offering discounts to win new customers. it‘s now vowed to clamp—down on the so—called loyalty surcharge. banking giant santander has been fined nearly £33 million by the financial conduct authority for failing to process the accounts and investments of deceased customers. the uk arm of the spanish bank did not transfer £183 million to beneficiaries when it should have done. it says the failures affected over 40,000 customers. good morning.

but we start with a deal announced within the last few hours. the drugs giants glaxosmithkline and pfizer are to combine their health care divisions to create a business with combined sales of nearly $13 billion. gsk will have a 68% stake and pfizer 32%. glaxosmithkline‘s chief executive emma walmsley will chair the newjoint venture. simonjack has simon jack has more simonjack has more details on that and we‘ll hear from simonjack has more details on that and we‘ll hearfrom him later. we will get an update on the official reading of inflation, which measures how quickly average prices are rising. the inflation rate for the year, fell to 2.3% in november, from 2.4% in october, according to the office for national statistics. it should bring some relief to consumers who have been facing rising prices and stagnant wages lately, but with wages starting

to rise and prices starting to ease, it could mean we have a little more cash in our pockets. let‘s speak to vicky pryce, chief economic adviser, centre for economics and business research. what you make of these figures? some welcome relief before christmas? that‘s true. retailers have been discounting clothes very aggressively and it‘s one of the reasons why inflation is slowing down. it‘s still obviously above the target rate but it slowing down. we have seen petrol prices come down, although they are still up over the year. it hasn‘t yet fully come through to the consumer and the motorist.. 0n the other side wages are picking up. there are still shortages in all sorts of places in the economy and we are seeing that real incomes if you want to look at the difference between wages and prices are rising by about 1%. the consumer is not feeling confident. we are trying to repay some of their

debt. a number of people are being quite heavily indebted and doing something about it. and worried absolutely. you‘re such a professional. hopefully you can still hear me. i can't. as he touched on there, we are in exactly the opposite position from the start of the year where wages are rising slowly and prices were rising quickly. it cannot turn a blind —— it has kind of turned around completely. exactly. we have seen that the consumer is careful in terms of what it spends and therefore margins cannot improve. and is an issue about what will happen to the retail sector which is finding that pressure is so strong that a number of outlets are closing. it will be interesting to see whether the consumer will be

more confident of the months to come. thank you for persevering with that. we got the gist of everything you are telling us. one number i wa nt to you are telling us. one number i want to show you on the board is glaxo smith kline after thatjoint ventured deal that they have come pfizer. keep an eye on the us markets because we get that interest rates decision at 7pm tonight telling us whether the world‘s largest economy, the cost of borrowing, is going up. see you later. let‘s go to the house of parliament. norman smith as there. we have a minute or so ahead of prime minister‘s questions. minute or so ahead of prime minister's questions. very often the can be like the christmas panto season, the last pmqs of the year. everyone wants to go home on a high, so everyone is setting out sort of

their best policies, my policy is better than yours, oh no it isn‘t, or yes it is. the name of the game is to try to send your own people born with a smile. in the case of theresa may, i think she would just be glad to get everyone away from westminster. very neatly done. we will be back there shortly. now the weather with simon. thank you. we have some servers across the uk. i want to say hello to my friend here. a nice little phase in the middle. the showers have been heavy this morning. as we go to the rest of this afternoon, we continue with a few showers moving m, continue with a few showers moving in, but some lengthy sunny spells. for many of us, sunny spells. the best of the sunshine in northern and eastern areas. maximum temperature, 7-11d. we

eastern areas. maximum temperature, 7—11d. we keep the showers into tomorrow. you‘re watching bbc newsroom live — the main stories at midday. the home secretary will set out the government‘s plans for immigration after brexit — saying they will prioritise skills not nationality. the european commission says it‘s begun implementing contingency plans in the event of a no—deal brexit — saying they‘re protecting the vital interests of the eu. and this is scene at the house of commons as theresa may prepares for her final pmq‘s ahead of the christmas recess. welcome to bbc newsroom live. i‘m joanna gosling. prime minister‘s questions is about to start in the house of commons. let‘s just take a look at what is happening. we can hopefully show you. it is a packed house, and

theresa may is not on her feet yet, but she will be standing up shortly for the last prime minister‘s questions before christmas. so, norman, you were saying that you suspect she will breathe a sigh of relief when it‘s over. it sort of felt like there may have been more political drama before christmas, but you think we are going to get through christmas calmly now, do you? fingers crossed! i hope eve ryo ne you? fingers crossed! i hope everyone hopes we can have a brief interlude before the whole place goes mad again in the new year, when we have a meaningful vote, probably onjanuary we have a meaningful vote, probably on january the 14th or 15th. we have a meaningful vote, probably onjanuary the 14th or 15th. in normal times, pmqs is a moment of high anxiety for prime ministers. you look at the sort of grilling that mrs may has had recently, she probably thinks pmqs is a bit of a breeze now. but let‘s see how she gets going. i think she is about to gets going. i think she is about to get up.

i know that the thoughts of the whole house will be with the family and friends of the 270 people whose perished and all those whose lives have been affected. mr speaker, may i wish all members and staff a merry christmas and a happy new year. and i‘m sure that the whole house will wa nt to i‘m sure that the whole house will want tojoin i‘m sure that the whole house will want to join me i‘m sure that the whole house will want tojoin me in sending our warmest christmas wishes to all our armed forces who are stationed overseas. i‘m sure that i also speak on the half of the whole house in sending christmas wishes to all members of the emergency services and those who will be working over christmas. their service and sacrifice is inspirational, and we owe them a great debt of gratitude. mr speaker, this mornings i had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others in addition to my duties in this house. i shall have further such meetings later today.|j in this house. i shall have further such meetings later today. i would like to wish everybody here and merry christmas, the prime minister

and all members of the house as well. the prime minister may recall that during the first prime minister‘s questions of 2018, i asked her to do more to support the victims of the leasehold mis—selling scandal. can i use the last prime minister‘s questions of the year to ask whether she has done anything about it, or whether she is going to kick it into the long grass as she has done with the meaningful vote. cani has done with the meaningful vote. can i say to the honourable gentleman that we have in fact been taking action in relation to leaseholds, because we want to make sure that the leasehold system is fairand sure that the leasehold system is fair and transparent to the consumer, so their home truly feels like their own. injuly, my right honourable friend the housing secretary announced that no new government funding scheme would be used to support the unjustified scheme of leasehold for new houses, and our technical consultation on how to improve the leasehold market for consumers is now closed. we have

had responses for almost 1300 people and analyse —— organisations, we will analyse these responses and introduce legislation as soon as time allows. mr speaker, you will know that the issue of british national party living in the eu and eu -- national party living in the eu and eu —— british nationals living in the eu, and eu nationals living in britain. when she came back from salzburg, she talked about protecting the rights of eu nationals in the event of no deal. can she confirmed to this house that in the event of no deal, and i hope that won‘t be the case, that she will get a legally binding multinational agreement with the eu on the issue of citizens‘ rights ahead of the 29th of march? my

honourable friend is absolutely right, and has consistently remained a champion of those rights. it is important not just for individuals but also for businesses. we are clear that in eight no—deal scenario, individuals will be a mothers‘ day and access benefits and services on broadly the same terms as now. that demonstrates our ongoing commitment. we obviously wa nt to ongoing commitment. we obviously want to work with and are strongly engaging with our eu counterparts to urge them to make the same commitment to protect the rights of uk nationals living in the european union. we have been clearer about the rights of eu nationals, and we wa nt the rights of eu nationals, and we want the eu to do the same for british citizens living in the 27.|j joined the prime minister in remembering the events at lockerbie 30 years ago. i remember the silence that fell this entire building when news came out of what happened at

lockerbie, and for the people of lockerbie, and for the people of lockerbie, the trauma lives on, and for the families of the victims, it also lives on and we should remember them today. i also take this opportunity to wish you and all members of the house and everyone around our country a very happy christmas, and particularly to those that have to work over christmas, and of course our armed services that will also be on duty over the christmas period, and all the best for a peaceful and welcome 2019. mr speaker... i have gained acquiescence! my my christmas good wishes do extends to everyone my christmas good wishes do extends to eve ryo ne over my christmas good wishes do extends to everyone over there as well. however, until then... until then, mr speaker, ijust however, until then... until then, mr speaker, i just have however, until then... until then, mr speaker, ijust have to say this.

the prime minister has plunged this country into a national crisis. she refused parliament the right to vote on her brexit deal. she said that she did that to seek further assurances. she failed. she is now claiming that she is still seeking further assurances while all the time running down the clock on the alternatives. so can the prime minister explain to us when the european council will meet to approve the changes that they have already ruled out? i say to the right honourable gentleman, we are indeed still working with the european union. we have discussions with them to seek those assurances that this house wanted us to seek. cani that this house wanted us to seek. can ijust that this house wanted us to seek.

can i just correct the that this house wanted us to seek. can ijust correct the right honourable gentleman on one point. we will have the meaningful vote here in the house. i set out earlier this week... there is no point in members on the other side of the house shouting out when, because i set out in the statement on monday when that will take place. but can i just say to the right honourable gentleman, week after week he has stood here on this issue and talked about what he is against, he never says what he is for. so if he wants to fulfil the will of the referendum, to support jobs to fulfil the will of the referendum, to supportjobs can end free movement, to do those trade deals, to avoid no—deal, then he needs to vote for this deal. he could talk all he likes about a meaningful vote, or he gives us is a meaningless position. mr speaker, we should have had the vote a week ago. the prime minister denied parliament

the opportunity to have that vote. and she is still unclear as to when it will actually take place. mr speaker, there are no meetings of the european union council scheduled until the 21st of march, and the eu has been very clear there are no more negotiations, clarifications or meetings. she will be bringing back the same deal she brought last week. it is an intolerable situation, and she is simply playing for time. and on monday, in a response to a question from the honourable member for belfast north on the backstop, she said, "i am seeking further political and legal assurances in relation to those issues which can be achieved in a number of ways." the prime minister must clearly set out now how will she achieve these legally binding assurances before

the house is due to return on the 7th of january? the house is due to return on the 7th ofjanuary? we will set out the house is due to return on the 7th of january? we will set out what is achieved in our eu discussions when we return in the new year, when we have had those discussions, when we have had those discussions, when we bring those assurances back. can ijust we bring those assurances back. can i just say to the right honourable gentleman, he can get as angry as he likes about this issue, but it doesn‘t hide the fact that he has no brexit plan. i know it‘s christmas and he has looked in his stocking, down the chimney, under the christmas tree. he still hasn‘t found a brexit plan. he still hasn‘t found a brexit plan. he has to accept his responsibility to deliver an brexit. the speaker: order! you are normally a most composed and laid—back individual, and you are becoming very hot—headed, i am worried for your own sake. beere goodfellow. the

prime minister. the right honourable gentleman has to a cce pt the right honourable gentleman has to accept his responsibility for delivering an brexit. there are some people who say that the leader of the opposition people who say that the leader of the 0ppositionjust people who say that the leader of the opposition just going through the opposition just going through the motions. what we saw this week was he isn‘t even doing that. the motions. what we saw this week was he isn't even doing that. mr speaker, it is the prime minister who is supposed to be undertaking a negotiation. it is the prime minister that has failed to bring an a cce pta ble minister that has failed to bring an acceptable deal back. and if she doesn‘t like doing it, then step aside and let somebody else do it. shouting. the reality is, mr speaker, is that she is stalling... order. i made it clear that the prime minister must be shouted down. no one should even bother trying to shout down the leader of the opposition. it would work against the prime minister and

it won't work against the right honourable gentleman. and subject. jeremy corbyn. the reality is that the prime minister is for time. there is still no majority for her shoddy deal in this house. it isn‘t stoical, it‘s cynical. and as the honourable member for east surrey said, we have displacement activity designed to distract from last week‘s failed renegotiation. the international trade secretary said, andi international trade secretary said, and i quote, "i think that it is very difficult to support the deal if we don‘t get changes to the backstop. i‘m not even sure if the cabinet will agree for it to be put to the house of commons." so can the prime minister give us a cast—iron guarantee the vote in this house will not be delayed yet again?|j guarantee the vote in this house will not be delayed yet again? i say to the right honourable gentleman,

we have been very clear about the process that we are going through, and we have been very clear about when the vote will be brought back to this house. now, of course, the details of that debate have to be discussed in the usual channels in the usual way, but the right honourable gentleman made a response when it said he had a responsibility. every member of this house has a responsibility to deliver an brexit. and 80% of the votes cast for members of this house we re votes cast for members of this house were for members of this house who stood on a manifesto commitment to honour the referendum and deliver an brexit. and what people will say, what people will say to the right honourable gentleman if he fails to recognise that he has a duty, as has everybody in this house to deliver an brexit, that once again he has just bottled it. mr speaker, the

prime minister didn‘t answer my question about a cast—iron guarantee. she is the one that has denied parliament the right to vote on this subject, so please, no lectures to parliament when it is the prime minister who is denying mps the possibility of a vote on this. we should have had a vote a week ago. we should now be debated practical alternatives. she is behaving in a disgraceful way that is frankly an outrage. mr speaker, no deal would be a disasterfor our country, and no responsible government would never allow it. just two weeks ago, the chancellor said preparations for leaving with no deal could not be done in a matter of months. they would take yea rs matter of months. they would take years to complete. no deal is simply

not an option. so why doesn‘t the prime minister stop the pretence and stop wasting £4 billion in a cynical attempt to drive her deeply damaging deal through this house? attempt to drive her deeply damaging deal through this house ?m attempt to drive her deeply damaging deal through this house? if the right honourable gentleman doesn‘t wa nt to right honourable gentleman doesn‘t want to see money being spent on no deal, he has got an easy answer. vote for this deal. mr speaker, what the prime minister is doing is a criminal waste of money. she is recklessly running down... order. in this house of commons, where we are supposed to try to treat each other with respect, no one under any circumstances is going to be shouted down. so stop the attempted shouting down. so stop the attempted shouting down on both sides, abandoned the juvenile finger wagging, which

achieves precisely nothing, and let each other be heard. it's called the assertion of democratic principle. jeremy corbyn. thank you, mr speaker. the prime minister is recklessly running down the clock. or in recklessly running down the clock. orina recklessly running down the clock. or in a shameful attempt to make her own bad deal look like the lesser of two evils. with rising crime, 20,000 fewer police on our streets, 100,000 vacancies in our national health service and the worst performance for any november on record last month, how can the prime minister justify wasting that money on no—deal that cannot and will not happen? i say to the right honourable gentleman that until the deal has been ratified, it is the responsible position of government

and it would be responsible position of any government to put place contingency arrangements for no—deal . but contingency arrangements for no—deal .but| contingency arrangements for no—deal . but i repeat to him that if he wa nts to . but i repeat to him that if he wants to ensure that we leave the european union with a deal, then he has to put into practice what he is saying it actually vote for a deal. and he talks yet again, yet again he talks about issues like the question of the number of police officers and money going into the police. we put extra money, they have made extra money available to the police this year. we made extra money available, and what did the labour party do? they voted against it. the prime minister should stop dithering and put it to the vote of the house. let the house make the decision on it. herfriend the the house make the decision on it. her friend the honourable the house make the decision on it. herfriend the honourable memberfor totnes is right, is she not, when she said that the threat of no deal, andi she said that the threat of no deal, and i quote, "is an absolute disgrace". the prime minister, mr

speaker, has thrown away two years on her botched negotiations. she is now recklessly wasting £4 billion of public money. she is holding parliament and the country to ransom. she is irresponsibly risking jobs, investment and our industries. there have been no changes, so she must put her deal to the vote. parliament must take back control. there is no majority in this house for no deal, mr speaker. isn‘t this just a deeply cynical manoeuvre from a failing just a deeply cynical manoeuvre from afailing and just a deeply cynical manoeuvre from a failing and utterly reckless prime minister? i have to say to the right honour of a gentleman, it is a bit rich in standing here and talking about dithering. let‘s see what the labour party did this week. they said they would call a vote of no—confidence. then they said they wouldn‘t. then he said he wouldn‘t,

thenit wouldn‘t. then he said he wouldn‘t, then it wasn‘t effective. i know it‘s christmas... then it wasn‘t effective. i know it's christmas... order. members must not shout at the prime minister. order! calm yourselves. try to get into the christmas spirit. 0r try to get into the christmas spirit. or if you can't do that, at least listen to the prime minister. thank you, mr speaker. they said they would put down a vote of no—confidence, then they said they wouldn‘t, then they said they would, then they did it it wasn‘t affected. i know it is the pantomime season, but what do we see from the labour front bench and the right honourable gentleman? he‘s going to pull a confidence vote. oh, yes he is. oh, no, he isn‘t! i‘ve got some news for him. i‘ve got some advice for the right honourable gentleman. look behind you! they‘re not impressed, and neither is the country. shouting. calm. mr speaker, we i wish the

prime minister a well—deserved chequers chillax over this season, but given that there may be money going spare in the new season, i give her my priority list. justice for the 1950s women. genuinely fair funding for schools in west sussex. addressing the 2 million shortfall in children‘s social care, and for good measure, a vote of absolutely no confidence whatsoever in her majesty‘s opposition! i thank my honourable friend for his good wishes. i won‘t be added chequers at christmas, but i will ta ke chequers at christmas, but i will take his good wishes to wherever i am at christmas. can ijust say to the honourable gentleman that as he will know obviously we are putting

more money into social care, and more money into social care, and more money into the various issues that he i know is concerned about. but i do agree with him, but i agree that if there is any vote of no—confidence in this house, it should be with the leader of opposition. i associate myself with the remarks of the prime minister on the remarks of the prime minister on the atrocity of lockerbie, and i wish you and everybody merry christmas, time to be spending with friends and family. i look forward to it on the isle of skye. mr speaker, the british chamber of commerce, the cbi, the ef, the federation of small businesses and the institute of directors, they represent hundreds of thousands of businesses, and today they have said their members are watching in horror at the actions of this government, watching in horror, mr speaker. this prime minister and the conservative party are not fit the government.

with 100 days party are not fit the government. with100 days left on the clock, this government has failed businesses. it has failed members of this house, and it has failed citizens right across the uk. will the prime minister move aside and put a vote to the people? can i say to the right honourable gentleman, first of all i think what is causing concern for businesses is the fact that parliament has not been able to come to a decision because people... shouting. and it‘s no good honourable members on the opposition benches and in his own party pointing across the chamber. they have a responsibility to deliver an brexit for the british people as well, and it‘s high time they took that responsibility seriously. a deal that works for the uk, a deal that works for scotland, that‘s what we are offering. it is supported by tech uk, the federation of small businesses, the scottish

chambers of commerce, the scottish whisky association, the scottish fishermen association, oil and gas uk, they are supporting the deal so why isn‘t he? uk, they are supporting the deal so why isn't he? if the prime minister thinks the deal is worth putting to this house, why did she pull the vote ? this house, why did she pull the vote? the snp will not stand by and watch this prime minister wrecked our economy and rob our citizens of the right. mr speaker, yesterday alongside other opposition party leaders, the snp tabled a motion of no—confidence in this shambolic government. when the official opposition to step up, the real opposition to step up, the real opposition to step up, the real opposition to this tory government will step in. the prime minister is now running scared, and denying to give time to our motion for fear of the result. prime minister, are you so frightened of defeat that she will deny the parliament another vote ? will deny the parliament another vote? can i say to the right

honourable gentleman, we have been clear that parliament will have a meaningful vote on the deal. we have set out when that will be. but he talks about the questions of dealing with the scottish economy. if he is concerned about the scottish economy, why is it that the scottish government has taken measures that mean that people earning £27,000 or more in scotland will be paying more tax than in the rest of the uk? that isn‘t good for the scottish economy, and it isn‘t good for the people concerned. the prime minister was com pletely concerned. the prime minister was completely correct to castigate the party opposite for their deeply flawed plan to snatch shares in private companies, so will she join me in also condemning the south african parliament who are currently taking powers to seize land from their own citizens without compensation and solely based on the colour of their skin? mr speaker, this is not only wrong, it is also risking putting another african country from a breadbasket into a basket case. can i say to my

honourable friend that i recognise the concern he has expressed about this issue. it was an issue, the question of land reform was one which i raised with president rammer poser when i visited south africa in august. we recognise the need for reform, but we recognise that the process should be orderly, and take into consideration the social and economic impact. we need process that does that in a way that is fair to all south african citizens. it is only a few short months since the prime minister promised us an end to austerities, so why at a time when councils depend on deprived resources a re resources councils depend on deprived resources are resources decreasing,

and health resources widening, does the prime minister believed that it is right to cut the health budget to cou nty is right to cut the health budget to county durham by £90 million and increase it in affluent sorry? there are decisions made about these various sums of money. funding per dwelling for the local authority in durham is more than it is in other areas. it is more than it is in my maidenhead constituency. so there are proper ways of looking at these issues, and ensuring as we are by looking into local authorities the money is there to do the job that they need to do. senior managers at lloyds and hbos were convicted of fraud against their customers. now

there is compelling evidence of a cover of a highest level including the disgraceful mistreatment of a whistle—blower, and this week the compensation scheme for victims described by the qcjonathan laidlaw is partial to the banks interest. does my right honourable friend agree that the chief executive should now consider his position, and also that the process should be replaced by an independent processor arbitration. this is an important issue he has raised, and he has consistently campaigned on this, and i understand he has raised this yesterday in the hall. the events at that branch of hbos in reading were criminaland that branch of hbos in reading were criminal and they were right to be brought tojustice. criminal and they were right to be brought to justice. the decision about whether to launch an investigation is the decision of the financial conduct authority is the

regulation for the sector, and they‘re currently conducting two investigations into hbos reading. we look forward to the conclusions of these investigations, and i know my honourable friend will continue to champion the needs and concerns of all those who found themselves recipients and victims of what was identified as criminal activity. for almost 400 years, this country almost 400 years, this country almost uniquely in the world has been a place of safety and security, where jewish communities been a place of safety and security, wherejewish communities have thrived. in 2018, many in thejewish community are questioning whether this will be the case into the future, and a disturbingly large number of young jewish people are questioning whether they should remain in this country. does the prime minister agree with me that 2019 has to be a year when we all stand up and be counted to ensure

that those young jewish people believe and stay in this country wishing to contribute and no longer fearing for their future? can i say to the honourable gentleman that i absolutely agree with him. jewish people should be able to feel safe and secure in this country. i never thought i would see the day when jewish people living in this country questioned whether they should stay in this country. i think this is a terrible state of affairs that we have come to. there is no place for a racial hatred in our society. it is important that we take every step to tackle it. i was pleased to be able to host a reception at the ground—breaking conference and the anti—semitism policy trust, looking at the twin evils of misogyny and anti—semitism, but it is absolutely right when the honourable gentleman talks about the need for us all,

eve ryo ne talks about the need for us all, everyone of us, to stand up, to stand up as we go into the new year and say, 2019 will be the year when we stand up and say, there is no place for anti—semitism or racial hatred in our society. most members of this house on both sides are likely to spend most of the recess working as i know myself. can my right honourable friend think of any reason at all other than grandstanding for the early recall of parliament, and will she continue her endeavours to seek a solution that we all know of what is a very intractable problem. my honourable friend is absolutely right. and it‘s important we conduct the discussions taking place and we will bring the meaningful vote back to the house and we set out the timing on which it will be done but i would like to thank my honourable friend for

pointing out that members of this house, when they leave parliament when they go into recess don‘tjust go away, they go to their constituencies and they work in their constituencies and for their constituents and that is something thatis constituents and that is something that is all too frequently forgotten and thank you for him for raising it. homelessness in the uk is now a national emergency and a national disgrace. how can it be in a country of our resources, talent and wealth that this year 320,000 british people have been classed as being homeless. do not worry about this just go to any british city centre to see how bad this problem has become since 2010. whatever the government thinks it is doing, it is not enough, so prime minister, will you try and do better next year? can i say to the honourable gentleman that first of all, the way he put

his question, he is confusing or putting together homelessness and rough sleeping. these are different issues. nobody should have to sleep rough on the streets of this country and that is why we are taking action against that he raises the wider issue of homelessness and why is it that we have this wider issue, it‘s because governments year after year failed to —— build enough homes in this country. and we need to make sure we are building the homes and that is what this government is doing and last year we saw the number of homes being built at the highest level for any but the last 31 years and if he wa nts to any but the last 31 years and if he wants to ensure there is a variety of housing available to people in this country it is this government that has ensured that councils can borrow more to build more houses and what did he and the labour party do,

they voted against it? thank you, mr speaker. 12 young people die every week in this country from sudden cardiac arrest and that figure could be reduced by more availability of different related. with the prime minister support my ten minute rule bill being presented to parliament this afternoon asking for mandatory installation of defibrillators in all schools and leisure centres and public buildings so we can end this needless loss of life. my honourable friend is right to raise this issue and we take it extremely seriously and we take it extremely seriously and we take it extremely seriously and we are certainly committed to encouraging schools to acquire defibrillators as part of the first aid kitand defibrillators as part of the first aid kit and we want to work with the nhs to make devices more affordable and they are also more easy to use in recent times but i‘d like to pay tribute not only to my honourable friend for raising the issue but the many people up and down the country who are campaigning and raising funds to ensure there are defibrillators not in just schools

but in other places such as outside the hall in my constituency which was for money raised by people in the village and we should commend them. the winter mortality figures show that in our country in the past ten yea rs show that in our country in the past ten years 13,000 people have died because of the cold and 50,000 died last winter, the highest number of winter casualties since 1976 and it‘s a shameful indictment of our country that we are not able to protect our elderly and vulnerable residents so can the priming is to say specifically what she will do this winter to prevent thousands of people from dying needlessly. there are many actions the government is taking in relation to the wider issue that the honourable gentleman raised about saving lives over the

winter and action is being taken in the nhs and elsewhere. for people to be able to keep heating their homes and have confidence that they can afford to heat their homes it‘s important we help those who find themselves stuck on tariffs that are not the right tariffs for them and are higher than they should be and thatis are higher than they should be and that is why the energy price cap is an important step that will help 11 million households and £76 per year will be saved, and a in the summer. my will be saved, and a in the summer. my right honourable friend will be aware that demand for special educational needs is increasing through the country and the coffers are thinly spread. will she make it an even higher priority in 2019 to provide generous support for the special children? —— these very special children? —— these very special children? —— these very special children? my friend is absolute right. they need to ensure we are providing for children with special education needs is very important and we are already seeing 6 billion going towards children with complex special education

needs, the highest level on record and we are investing £265 million through to 2021 to create new school places and improve existing facilities for children with special educational needs and those with disabilities but it‘s also about the programme we have in free schools that have opened 34 special school so far with a further 55 in the pipeline. we will continue to provide this. yesterday, within hours of the prime minister green lighting the no deal preparations my constituents contacted me to say that he had been sent a redundancy notice by his work directly as a result of the chaos this will cause. her own figures show that any brexit deal will bring us poorer, but no deal will bring us poorer, but no deal means a £24 billion hit to our public finances. the chancellor barracks, but it‘s his own figures. can the prime minister tell my now

unemployed constituent what public services she is going to cut or what taxes she is planning to raise to deal with that hole? or will she just leave it to one of her su ccesses just leave it to one of her successes “— just leave it to one of her successes —— success or is to deal with these problems? can i say to the honourable lady that while the government is making contingency arrangements for no deal, what the government is working for is to get the agreement on the deal that has been negotiated with the european union so that we leave with a good deal of the united kingdom that ensures that jobs are deal of the united kingdom that ensures thatjobs are increased in this country as they have been over the last eight years under a conservative government. will the prime ministerjoin me in thanking all nhs, social care and emergency services who will be working over christmas and the new year. imagine how many more of them could be employed if we were not haemorrhaging billions preparing for a disastrous no deal. could the

prime minister end the uncertainty by ruling out no deal and would she also end the uncertainty by publishing the long—term ten year plan for the nhs before we break for christmas? can i say to my honourable friend that she and a number of others have raised this question of no deal or not wanting to have no deal. as i‘ve said earlier in answer to the question is, there is a simple way to ensure that we don‘t leave with no deal and that we don‘t leave with no deal and thatis that we don‘t leave with no deal and that is to back the deal. motor neurone disease is terminal but under this government people who are diagnosed with this dreadful disease have to prove that they have a reasonable expectation of death within six months or go through a process of assessment. so will the prime minister show some empathy and

compassion and take action with her new secretary of state to end this dreadful state of affairs that she is presiding over. can i say to the honourable gentleman that he raises an important issue about those with motor neurone disease and i know to the point he makes and i will enquire from the department for work and pensions on these issues and may i say to the honourable gentleman that what i‘m saying to him is that i will look into the issue he has raised and i will respond to in writing. the prime minister is sending parliament for a two—week break and at the very moment we have a brexit crisis and no decisions. and our communities want us here, representing them in parliament. if we are not even back until the 7th of january, how does she possibly say that we are doing ourjob, and

is in the message to the british people, crisis, what crisis? we are ina simple people, crisis, what crisis? we are in a simple situation and i know my right honourable friend understands. members across this house raised some concerns in relation specifically to the northern ireland backstop in the withdrawal agreement and we are having further discussions with the european union on that matter to achieve the assurances, political and legal assurances, political and legal assurances, that will assuage those concerns and then we will bring the boat back to the house. -- the vote. as the home secretary will not a nswer as the home secretary will not answer a straightforward question, yes or no, is it the prime minister‘s intention that her government will still reduce immigration to the tens of thousands? yes. order, order. a bit push for a

midlands game. thank you, mr speaker. my right honourable friend was sent a letter in a cross—party basis from those of us who have manufacturing workers and those who support them who are deeply concerned about the impact of brexit on theirjobs. would she agree that the best way to avoid the unnecessary economic damage of leaving with no deal is to leave with a deal and protect those jobs? cani with a deal and protect those jobs? can i say to my right honourable friend that she is right in the manufacturing industry has been clear with us that they want the country to leave the european union with a deal that helps protect those jobs and that‘s exactly what we want to do and that is the decision that the parliament will be faced with when we come back for the meaningful vote. almost 1000 nottingham south residents have responded to my brexit survey and only 7% back her deal and more than three quarters

wa nt deal and more than three quarters want a boat on brexit if mps cannot agree. she will not let parliament have a boat and she opposes letting the people have a vote. aren‘t her attem pts the people have a vote. aren‘t her atte m pts to the people have a vote. aren‘t her attempts to dodge and delay simply costly a nd reckless ? attempts to dodge and delay simply costly and reckless? the honourable lady is wrong she says i won‘t let parliament have a vote, and they will have a boat when we have conducted those discussions with the eu. mr speaker, i am afraid that the prime minister is wrong when she says that the choice that will eventually face the house is the choice between her deal and no deal. i gently say that no responsible conservative prime minister, we are after a ll conservative prime minister, we are after all the party of business, would be so reckless as to take it out of the european union without a deal. will the prime minister now commit to this? order. some junior

minister presumes to try and shout down the right honourable lady. not only unethical, mr oppermann, but always, everywhere, without exception, doomed to fail. it is a little dangerous as well. would the prime minister now commit to this, when her dealfails, as we prime minister now commit to this, when her deal fails, as we all know it will, will she then commit to allow this house to consider all the various options that exist to her deal by way of proper, meaningful votes as a matter of urgency, given the clock is ticking down? the house will be having the meaningful vote that the house asked for and that meaningful vote will be on the deal that has been agreed and negotiated with the european union, subject to the further work undertaken in relation to the assurances, but what i also say to my right honourable

friend, and i recognise her concern that she and others have raised about no deal, i come back to the point that the only way to ensure that we don‘t leave with no deal is to ensure that we leave with a deal. when the prime minister quickly intervened with the difficulties at the home office that are obstructing my constituent lara smith from accessing her vital medication, which may mean she will have to face unaffordable procurement costs, plus hundreds for the drug itself. can i say to the honourable lady that the home secretary is honestly on the bench and has heard the question and i will ask him to respond to her. —— obviously on the bench. we‘re leaving prime minister‘s questions there, but we‘ll keep watching and will let you know if there are any significant exchanges. and we will go straight back to the

chamber. still with me here watching the last pmqs of 2018, business minister claire perry, labour‘s barry gardiner, and the bbc‘s political editor laura kuenssberg. something besides brexit to talk about. mrs may finished her last a nswer about. mrs may finished her last answer with a kind of our riff about pantomimes, though i actually got lost about half way through, but it was something like that, in her own side were shouting, joining in and all the rest. mr corbyn didn‘t look very happy, and when she sat down the camera was on, and it looks like he may have said something. why don‘t you have a look and see? let‘s run it. i‘ve got some advice for the right honourable gentleman. look behind you! they‘re not impressed and neither is the country. so what some believe he

benefits my constituency economically and culturally. the government‘s analysis shows that cutting european immigration has an effect. can the prime minister identify a single tangible benefit my constituents will notice to contribute to staff shortages in public services? can i suggest that he looks at previous research done by the advisory committee that shows that in certain economic circumstances the numbers of people

coming to the united kingdom from the european union and overall migration into the united kingdom did have an effect on people here resin resident in united kingdom and their ability to get into jobs market. thank you. you're helpfully circulated an update on the behaviour in this place. this year, when we have been celebrating 100 yea rs of when we have been celebrating 100 years of women getting the vote, do you think it is appropriate language, can asthma right on bob friend, to call people are stupid woman in this chamber? cani can i say to my honourable friend that i think that everybody in this house, particularly in this 100 year anniversary of women getting the vote should be aiming to encourage women to come into this chamber to

stand in this chamber and should therefore use appropriate language in this chamber when you‘re referring to female members. can i join with other members in wishing eve ryo ne join with other members in wishing everyone a happy christmas and peaceful new year? as the prime minister ponders over christmas what might be done to get her withdrawal agreement through this house, can i urge her to consider the necessary changes that need to be made, not just assurances in order to get somewhere with any realistic prospect of actually winning that vote ? prospect of actually winning that vote? i hope the right honourable gentleman will forgive me if i say i will give him the reassurance that we will of course look at all the options available for dealing with theissues options available for dealing with the issues to be raised. order. points of order, after statements,

as the honourable gentleman is well aware. well, a lot of mps getting to their feet and demanding the point of order would be heard. i suspect the reason they want a point of order is because of the suggestion that jeremy corbyn in the middle of the seven when ministers questions called misses me a stupid woman, as she was answering a question. we already saw one tory mp getting up and asking the prime minister if he thought she thought it was appropriate for someone to use that kind of language and mrs may replied that in this year, the 100th anniversary of women getting the vote that people should think carefully about the language they use towards women. but have a look at the moment and judge for yourself

whether. .. we might at the moment and judge for yourself whether... we might have a point of order. let‘s come back to the chamber. bearing in mind, mr speaker, the words the leader of the opposition said last september, would not be appropriate for him to come back in the chamber and apologise? lam i am pleased to respond to the right honourable gentleman's point of order. as he rightly surmised at the start of it, i saw no such thing, i am not making an allegation and i am not denying or seeking to refute that of the right honourable gentleman. i cannot be expected to

pronounce upon that which i did not see pronounce upon that which i did not see and which was not witnessed by my advisors and which i did not hear and which was not witnessed by my advisers. order. i don't need any advice on how to respond to a point of order from the rachael ruble gentleman, which is what i'm doing. what i say in response, with all courtesy to the right honourable gentleman, who is perfectly entitled to have raised that point of order is that it is incumbent upon all members of this house to operate in accordance with its best conventions and to follow the conventions and courtesies if a member has failed to do so that member has a responsibility to apologise. he is quite right to say that. what he cannot, and i'm sure does not expect me to do is to pronounce a verdict ina me to do is to pronounce a verdict in a circumstance which i did not

witness either in terms of seeing anything or of hearing anything, and neither did my advisers. and i will leave it there are. order. it is perfectly proper that the right honourable gentleman raised the matter. i have responded to it and there can be no further to that point of order on that matter, on the matter, for the simple reason, as he acknowledges with his mode of ascent, that he has raised it with me andl ascent, that he has raised it with me and i have responded to it. point of order. is it on and unrelated matter? i am of order. is it on and unrelated matter? lam not of order. is it on and unrelated matter? i am not going to take lectures from members. it is normal convention in this place that when has been addressed, again part of the conventions and courtesies of

this house that people recognise that you don't have repeat points of order on exactly... order. on exactly... you don't have repeat... you don't have repeat points of order on exactly the same matter. order. i order on exactly the same matter. order. lam perfectly order on exactly the same matter. order. i am perfectly prepared to ta ke order. i am perfectly prepared to take a point of order on the matter from the leader of the house. order. we have heavy business today. some of which is government statements and with which we will, in due course, preferably reasonably soon, need to proceed. table happily take the right honourable lady's point of order. thank you, mr speaker. i would just like to ask, after you‘re

finding there that individuals who are found to have made unwelcome remarks should apologise, why it is that when an opposition member found that when an opposition member found that you had called me a stupid woman, you did not apologise in this chamber? no. now. iwill deal woman, you did not apologise in this chamber? no. now. iwilldealwith the point. i dealt with that matter months ago in-run i dealt with that matter months ago in—run marksl i dealt with that matter months ago in—run marks i made to the house of commons to which the right honourable lady in our various meetings since has made no reference and which requires from the chair today no elaboration whatsoever. she has asked the question, i dealt with it months ago, i have reiterated the rationales for the way in which i responded, the matter has been

treated off and i am leaving it there are. point of order, anna soubry. with great respect to the chair, i have to say, if it was one of my male colleagues on the side of the house that had use that expression against the woman on the front bench on the opposition, that user would take action immediately. please, would you deal with it, as you often do, mr speaker, in a fairway, but also from the point of view of women in this house who are fed up of decades of abuse from men. i'm very happy to deal with it. the right honourable lady is absolutely right honourable lady is absolutely right to say that if i witnessed an instance of the kind that hasjust been alleged, i would deprecate it unreservedly. it's no good people

shaking their heads. i received assent to the proposition which i think would command widespread assent simply and logically that i cannot be expected to deprecate the behaviour of an individual which i did not witness. order. if the right honourable lady... if the right honourable lady... if the right honourable lady... if the right honourable lady is asking me whether i deprecate without reservation the use of such language, yes, obviously. absolutely i do, without any hesitation. but i cannot be expected to pronounce judgment in a particular case on a given individual when i wasn't privy to the circumstances. but if she is asking me, is that language and it is. very well. point of order, anna soubry. clearly the evidence exists.

if we bring you the evidence in the next two minutes, would you take action? if it was men on their side, i think you would, against a woman on the other side. the answer is that it on the other side. the answer is thatitis on the other side. the answer is that it is incumbent upon a member who has ever heard, who has used inappropriate language and behaved improperly to come to the house... order. it is incumbent upon that person to recognise the mods —— misconduct and apologise for it. if members. order. if members produce what they regard as evidence, of course. . .

what they regard as evidence, of course... order. if members produce... i course... order. if members produce... lam course... order. if members produce... i am in the course... order. if members produce... lam in the middle course... order. if members produce... i am in the middle of responding. please have the courtesy to allow me to respond to the right honourable lady's point of order. if evidence is produced, it will be considered and i will take professional advice, as fair—minded people would expect me to do. point of order, vicky ford. mr speaker, could you confirm that it is not a cce pta ble could you confirm that it is not acceptable parliamentary language to call a woman is stupid woman in this house? well, these are extraordinary scenes in the house of commons. john bercow said he did not witness or hear reports thatjeremy corbyn had called theresa may a stupid woman and this is the aftermath of that. he has said that the matter cannot continue to be addressed in the commons because he didn‘t witness it

and he has dealt with the question, but as you can see, it is a debate thatis but as you can see, it is a debate that is not stopping. we will have much more reaction on the one o‘clock news injust much more reaction on the one o‘clock news in just a few moments. the government sets out its post—brexit immigration policy — based, it says, on skills and not where people come from. but there‘s a rift between the home secretary and downing street over the manifesto aim of cutting net annual migration to the tens of thousands. yes or no — is it the prime minister‘s intention that her government will still reduce immigration to the tens of thousands? yes. we‘ll bring you all the details from westminster on this key piece of post—brexit policy. also this lunchtime: the uk‘s main business groups have appealed directly to mps to avoid the "severe disruption" of a no—deal brexit. it comes as the european commission publishes its plans for flights and freight and other areas in the event of no deal. millions of customers who stay

with a company long—term are paying much more than they should, says the markets watchdog.