this is bbc news, i'm lukwesa burak. the headlines at 8pm: a furious row erupts in parliament over whether or not the labour leader called the prime minister a "stupid woman". i did not use the words "stupid woman" about the prime minister or anyone else and am completely opposed to the use of a sexist or misogynist language in absolutely any form at all. the european commission says it has started to implement its preparations for a no—deal brexit. the government sets out its immigration policy for the uk after brexit. ministers say it'll be skills that matter from now on. the us federal reserve has raised interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point. labour mp fiona onasanya is found guilty of perverting the course ofjustice after lying to police to avoid a speeding charge. old marley was dead, dead as a doornail.

one of charles dickens‘ best—loved stories, a christmas carol, turns 175 years old today. and in half an hour, i will be looking back at a turbulent 12 months on our high streets. that's review 2018: the retail year with me, emma simpson. the labour leaderjeremy corbyn has denied calling the prime mininster "a stupid woman" during prime minister's questions this afternoon. conservative mps accused him of mouthing the words during heated exchanges at the despatch box. it caused angry scenes in parliament.

mr corbyn later returned to the commons and said he had in fact said "stupid people". our chief political correspondent vicki young reports. rowdy scenes in the house of commons — nothing new there, but this went way beyond the usual heated exchanges. calm down! asjeremy corbyn left the chamber, conservative mps accused him of misogyny, and this is what they had witnessed minutes before. oh, yes, he is! oh, no, he isn't! theresa may with a seasonal pantomime—themed attack on the labour leader... look behind you! they‘ re not impressed and neither is the country. jeremy corbyn looked furious, and then this... he insists he muttered "stupid people". plenty of others think he said "stupid woman". the prime minister's team had to quickly explain to her what they'd seen.

everybody in this house, particularly in this 100th year of anniversary of women getting the vote should be aiming to encourage women to come into this chamber. tory mps leapt to their feet. i saw it, sir. i saw him say it. he muttered words which were quite clearly visible, accusing the prime minister of being a stupid woman. disgraceful! conservative mps and ministers tried and failed to persuade the speaker to watch the video footage circulating on social media. then a jaw—dropping moment as the speaker himself came under attack. why it is that when an opposition memberfound that you had called me a "stupid woman", you did not apologise in this chamber. no, no. mr bercow said he had dealt with that matter months ago. all political parties say they want to do more to encourage women to take part in politics, but parliament has struggled to deal with accusations of sexism and inappropriate behaviour. today, jeremy corbyn found

himself in the firing line. jeremy corbyn... this afternoon, he had to come back to the commons to explain himself to mps. i referred to those who i believe were seeking to turn a debate about the national crisis facing our country into a pantomime as "stupid people". mr speaker, i did not use the words "stupid woman". senior labour figures say this was a phoney row contrived by the conservatives. of course, everyone else will make up their own minds. vicki young, bbc news, westminster. and we'll find out how this story and many others are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10:a0pm and 11:30pm this evening in the papers. our guestsjoining me tonight are the broadcaster david davies and kate andrews, associate director at the right—wing free market think—tank the institute of economic affairs. the european commission has published a series of contingency

measures designed to limit what it calls the most significant damage that could be caused by a no—deal brexit. among other things, the measures would temporarily allow british airlines to operate flights into and out of the eu, but not within it, hauliers to carry freight by road into the eu for a nine—month period without having to apply for permits. uk financial services regulations in a limited number of areas would be recognised as equivalent to the eu's for up to two years. it also urged eu states to take a "generous" approach to the rights of uk citizens living in the eu in the event of a no—deal brexit, provided that was reciprocated. well, our reporter in brussels, adam fleming, told us what this eu memorandum on how to handle a no—deal brexit is actually intended to achieve. they're trying to reassure british

citizens who live in other eu countries that they will continue to be able to live and work there even if there is no deal. but on the rest of it, it's not really about minimising disruption on the uk side, it's about protecting the eu's vital interests that they've identified in this contigency planning process. that stuff about truckers, that's so the eu trucks can go into the uk, too. similarly with airlines, it's about european airlines still being able to fly to the uk. and that stuff about limited recognition for financial services, that's for financial services that the eu wants to use in london. this is all designed to send a political message to the uk that the only deal is the deal that's on the table and it's way, way better than any of this. and that the only way the uk can get that post—brexit transition or implementation period is about signing up to the deal that's on the table. one thing glaringly absent

from all paperwork today, what's the eu going to do on the irish border if there's no deal? nothing about that. no—deal would mean no transitional arrangements between the uk being a member state of the eu and completely leaving. so the exit, set in law as of 11pm on march the 29th, just 100 days away, would be abrupt. our political correspondent nick eardley is at westminster. asi as ijust said, it is 100 days to go 110w. as ijust said, it is 100 days to go now. we are hearing about this memorandum coming out of the eu. in what state if any could britain get there and what about their plans for a no—deal brexit? there and what about their plans for a no-deal brexit? the government's preferred option as with the eu is to get this deal passed by the uk parliament and ratified by european

politicians, too. but the uk i think it's coming round to the idea that no deal is a real prospect, and it's wrapping up its own preparations. we heard yesterday from a government that all the remaining no deal plans, the things that have not been done already, are now being put into motion. that means that businesses across the country are going to get letters telling them to prepare to get ready and getting some advise from the government. likewise, we got a bunch of papers earlier in the year telling us things that individuals should do or be prepared for anyway if we leave the european union without a deal in march. that is going to be stepped up, too. there'll be more advice pertaining to individuals over the next few weeks from the government and from downing street, too. so i think there is a realisation on the uk side and particularly around the cabinet table that no deal is a prospects. they will still continue

to fight for the deal the prime minister has. the speculation from the prime minister's critics, and there are many, but the speculation in the comments is she is trying to get to a point where it is quite ha rd to get to a point where it is quite hard to think of an alternative to her deal or no deal. mps are not going to vote now on theresa may's bmp going to vote now on theresa may's lamp until the middle ofjanuary which only leaves about six or seven weeks until we leave the european union. the speculation. is that by doing that, she winds the clock down a bitand doing that, she winds the clock down a bit and makes it doing that, she winds the clock down a bitand makes ita doing that, she winds the clock down a bit and makes it a bit harderfor politicians to turn around in mid—january and say let's reject this deal and try and get something better. so there has been a lot more talk this week about no deal in parliament. there are many mps who will do everything they can to try and block it. but also many i has been sued in the last few days who think the prospects of leaving the european union without a deal, without the transition, leaving com pletely

without the transition, leaving completely in march 2019, that that has risen the few days. thank you very much for that. controlling immigration was a key reason for many people voting leave in the eu referendum, and today, the government has set out its plans for immigration post—brexit in what it says is the biggest change in policy for decades. in the long—term, low—skilled workers from eu countries will no longer have the automatic right to work here, but under the plans, low—skilled workers from all over the world would be allowed to come for up to a year. the cap on the number of high—skilled workers coming here will be scrapped, with a possible minimum salary requirement of £30,000. current net long—term migration — that's the difference between those arriving in the country and those leaving — was 273,000 in the year to june. that is down compared to previous years. the prime minister insisted the government will stick

to its target of under 100,000. but the last time that happened was over 20 years ago. the proposed new rules won't be phased in until 2021, as our political editor laura kuenssberg reports. in factories, firms, towns and cities, in our daily lives, british and european citizens live and work side—by—side. staff at this company in salford know it's going to change. i think having some sort of a system is always a good idea. we've 17 different nationalities, and the english are the minority. i came as a not fully qualified or educated person, and started working on the bottom of the food chain. the boss is worried shifting the system will mean more hurdles for him.

we've got people of all colours, creeds, nationalities, and it's a fantastic melting pot of skills. anything that jeopardises or dilutes that we are very much against. there won't be an end to immigration, but our exit from the eu means she has a chance to change the controls. people voted to leave the european union, they voted for change. they wanted us to take back full control of our borders, and for the first time in decades, we will be ensuring it is the uk government that sets the rules for who can come here. this is far from a straightforward crackdown on comings and goings. there won't be a limit on who can come if they have a high level of skills and can get highly—paid jobs. that level‘s yet to be set. and there's no plan for a cap on the number of less qualified workers who could come for a year. well, a lot is on the move, because while we're in the eu people from all over the continent have been allowed to move here for good, and that works the other way round.

ministers are sketching out these big changes because of brexit, because of how we voted as a country in 2016. right now, people from all over the eu, whetherfrom poland or portugal, spain or slovakia, have the same rights to come and live and work here as we do — but that will come to an end, and people from any part of the world will have to jump through the same hoops to live and work in the uk. and even inside the government, there's tension over how tight the new system should be. you might remember the tories promised they would get immigration down to under 100,000. but the home secretary didn't sound so keen on that today. there are no targets in this white paper. it is a system that is designed to help bring net migration down overall, but there are no targets that are set. he cannot talk about an outward—looking global britain, and meeting the needs of society

and employers, he cannot do that and also be part of a government with a rhetoric of cracking down on migration. for the prime minister, these changes are part of keeping the promises of brexit, even though the government's own plans suggest the measures may hit the economy. decisions perhaps based on today's politics rather than what we can know about the years ahead. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. the headlines on bbc news: labour leaderjeremy corbyn denies calling therasa may a "stupid woman" during prime minister's questions. the european commission says it's started to implement its preparations for a no—deal brexit. the government sets out its immigration policy for the uk after brexit. ministers say it will be skills that matter from now on. sport now, and for a full round—up from the bbc sport centre,

here's sarah mulkerrins. thanks very much. manchester city and league 1 burton albion made it into the league cup semi—finals last night. tonight sees the other two quarter—finals, both taking place in the capital. the big game is at the emirates, where arsenal host north london rivals tottenham, and it's the visitors who have taken the lead through son heung—min. at stamford bridge it's currently goalless. meanwhile, a couple of significant games in the scottish premiership tonight with both old firm sides in action. celtic have just scored a goal, so they are leading 1—0. goal is in the

other match. celtic could go top with a win if the leaders at rangers slip up. ole gunnar solskjaer says it's "brilliant" to return to manchester united as the club's interim manager. he will take charge until the end of the season following jose mourinho's sacking. solskjaer is a legend at the club after his last—gasp winner secured the champions league and the treble in 1999. his former team—mate henning berg believes he can have a positive effect on united's squad. i think we will see some of the players happy and smiling and back to more energy, playing closer to their best level. but again, they have to find the best way of playing together with this team. the way he likes to play is different to what it has been, it is closer to what they might be used to from earlier. some of solskjaer‘s other former

team—mates have been reacting on social media to his appointment today. rio ferdinand posted an image of the pair celebrating a goal with the words, "let's go ole — united". david beckham put up a picture of solskjaer with the simple message, "good luck ole — @manchesterunited". gary neville got a bit emotional, admitting, "i heart ole gunnar and hope he's amazing and wish him all the best." meanwhile, jose mourinho says he won't discuss his departure from united out of the "deepest respect" for his former colleagues. he left the club yesterday after two and a half years in charge after its worst league start for 28 years. they're in sixth place, 19 points behind leaders liverpool in the premier league table. today, he said the following in a statement... gareth bale scored an 11—minute hat trick as real madrid

progressed to the final of the club world cup. they beat the japanese side kashima antlers 3—1. bale got his firstjust before half time before adding two more. real madrid are hoping to win the tournament for the third year in a row. they'll face abu dhabi side al ain in the final on saturday. olympic champion adam peaty has dared swimming's governing body to ban him after he backed plans for a new competition next year. the inaugural international swimming league was due to take place in italy this month. but it was cancelled after fina threatened to prevent those who raced from competing in next year's world championships. over 30 of the world's best swimmers met in london today to back plans to launch the isl next august

and establish a swimmers' union which is independent from fina. that's all the sport for now. you can find more on all those stories on the bbc sport website. that's bbc. co. uk/sport back again soon. a labour mp is facing a possible jail sentence after being found guilty of perverting the course of justice following a trial at the old bailey. fiona onasanya, who's been the mp for peterborough since 2017, lied to police to avoid a speeding charge. a labour spokesman said she's been suspended from the party and should resign as an mp. our correspondent sophie long is outside the old bailey and explained what happens now to ms onasanya. one way or another, it does seem that her political career is now over. the labour party, as you said, has issued a statement. her neighbouring labour mp has also

said she should stand down. now, it might depend on the sentence that she received. if she's notjailed, then she could technically remain as an mp, but she has already lost the support of her party. if she's jailed for less than a year, then there could be a recall petition. and if she's jailed for a year or more, then she will automatically lose her seat and there'll be a by election pretty quickly. so potentially the end of what could have been a glittering political career, the woman who once said she dreamt of being britain's first black prime minister is tonight awaiting sentencing for perverting the course of justice. the us central bank has raised interest rates this evening, but has signalled that it will go slow on additional increases as it watches the economy. the federal reserve chairman, jerome powell, said politics played

played no role whatsoever in the quarter point rise. which is the fourth increase this year by the federal reserve and was widely expected. however, it's expected to anger president trump, who had criticised the central bank repeatedly on twitter for even considering another raise. the uk rate of inflation rate fell slight last month to 2.3%. big falls in petrol prices have mainly driven the 0.1% drop on the previous month. the office of national statistics says recreational goods and services, video games, toys and hobbies all helped towards the drop. it appears it doesn't pay to be loyal. it turns out that millions of people who stay with companies for insurance and mobile phones for years are actually losing out by around £900 a year. that's the verdict of the competition watchdog the cma, as our personal finance correspondent simon gompertz reports. the loyalty penalty can grind off your hard—earned cash without you noticing. nick near doncaster found he was paying more than £1000 a year

more than he needed to for house insurance. we were paying £1929.82 a year. loyal for 21 yea rs, the cost had tripled. shopping around got him a policy for less than £500. i think it's despicable, it's an easy way for them to make more money, so they'lljust constantly put the price up year after year after year. they assume that if people aren't making complaints, and they're not chasing it up, then it's a safe bet for them. insurers say they're taking action against the loyalty penalty. the provider santander explains nick made claims, though he says he only ever got £200. two strawberry now £1. two blueberry now £1.50. at doncaster market nearby, such explanations from insurers, also mobile phone and broadband providers and banks, get short shrift.

well, i think it's a disgrace actually because i think loyal customers should get treated better. it's just outrageous. should be the other way round. what would happen to you if you charged your loyal customers more than someone who just came in for the first time? i wouldn't last two minutes. i'd be bankrupt. so the competition watchdog is targeting companies who introduce price rises by stealth or impose costly exit fees from deals, plus those who put up barriers to switching or cancelling and make you autorenew to get the deal, then roll it over at a higher price. it's an issue which infuriates people because it seems unfair, it seems underhand that prices should be allowed to creep up without you knowing. and it happens because big businesses are allowed to charge their long—standing customers more. so, how to protect people? today, we're promised there will be court action against the worst perpetrators and caps on excessive prices if they're needed.

simon gompertz, bbc news, doncaster. speculation had been mounting for much of today, but tonight, it's official — the elusive street—artist banksy is behind a new mural that's appeared on a garage wall in port talbot in south wales. the confirmation came via his instagram account, which was accompanied by a message of seasonal greetings. huw thomas reports. "season's greetings" was the only comment from banksy as he posted this video online confirming he was behind this gift to the people of port talbot. at first glance, the boy is playing in the snow, but the work expands to reveal a burning skip and the ash it emits. it's the kind of political messaging that's often in his work and references the impact of port talbot‘s industrial skyline. it was a bit overwhelming for garyjonah ian lewis, a steelworker who built the garage to protect his car from vandals. it's gotten very busy through the night. there's people were coming

here through the night. you've been up all night with this? i've been unable to stay asleep. in case it gets vandalized, i don't really know where we're going with that. and ijust want it to be protected for the town at the end of the day. so you're not going to try and wash it off, pull it down? no, no. banksy‘s work attracts huge prices when they can be removed and sold on the art market. earlier this year, the artist conspired to shred a work as soon as it was auctioned, all part of the banksy image and a move that some say made the piece even more valuable. he has people guessing. there's a political message behind his work. there's definitely a signature style, there's humour, and also it's incredible because what is ordinarily a wall around a garage is now so much more than that. among the parade of selfies in port talbot today were some bansky enthusiasts who travelled far for a glimpse of his latest work. i've come today specially to see the banksy which has appeared. it's great for port talbot.

it's a fantastic piece. i love it. banksy hadn't confirmed his involvement when the council decided to take their own precautions to protect the piece. so the fence is offering some temporary protection. longer—term, i understand the council is speaking to other areas where they have had to protect a real bansky, but ultimately, it's up to the owner of the garage to decide what happens next. news of banksy‘s latest work has spread around the world. but for talbot, thoughts are turning to how best to preserve this christmas present to port talbot. one of charles dickens' best—loved stories, a christmas carol, is 175 years old today. the story of scrooge, the miser who's forced to become compassionate by ghosts, was written in condemnation of the child poverty that dickens saw around him. the first edition published in december 1843 immediately sold out, and the tale has captivated people ever since. david sillito reports.

# god rest ye merry gentleman... marley was dead. to begin with, there was no doubt whatever about that. the register of his burial had been signed by the clerk. a christmas carol. simon callow is at the moment performing it onstage twice a day in this, its anniversary year. i'm holding this very gently because this is an original, a christmas carol, published exactly 175 years ago and they all sold out within five days. and while it would be going too far to say dickens invented the victorian christmas, he certainly, for millions of us, defined what christmas should be. he certainly gave christmas a meaning which it had not had before. he says, "it is the only time in the long calendar of the year that i know of that men and women open their closed up hearts freely and think of those below them

as fellow passengers to the grave." a christmas carol by charles dickens. who are you? what do you want? the story of scrooge and his night of ghostly encounters goes down through the generations. what do you want with me? much. there have over the years been 73 film and tv adaptations and marking today's anniversary, a display at the london pall mall gallery. this lost portrait was rediscovered in south africa, much to the delight of charles dickens' great—great—great—granddaughter. this is what he looked like when he wrote a christmas carol. this is him at 31 years old. the intensity of those eyes. when you think about the campaigning in this book, this is what dickens looked like when he was writing it. thejob now, raising the money to buy it for the dickens museum. time perhaps for a bit of the spirit of a christmas carol. as tiny tim observed,

god bless us every one. david sillito, bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with tomas shafernaker. well, it's relatively mild air right now. and at the moment, the indications are that as we head towards christmas, we're going to keep this a mild weather. in fact, the rest of the week will also bring some showers. so not a guarantee you'll catch the rain, but worth keeping the brolly to hand through the rest of the week. now, this evening, we've got some showers moving through, the same goes tonight. so clear spells, a little bit of rain and then clear spells again, that sort of thing. temperatures in most towns and cities this coming night will be above freezing. maybe a touch of frost in scotland first thing on thursday morning, and then tomorrow, further showers on the way dotted right around the uk. but i suspect the south will have more sunshine tomorrow. south, south—eastern and central areas should be a little bit brighter. and double figures again in the south, a little bit colder there in scotland, six degrees.

you can see these mild conditions lasting through friday into saturday and indeed into sunday as well. in fact, at some point, it could even get up to 1a degrees. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: labour leaderjeremy corbyn denies calling theresa may a "stupid woman" during prime minister's questions. i did not use the words "stupid woman" about the prime minister or anyone else and am completely opposed to the use of sexist or misogynist language in absolutely any form at all. the european commission says it has started to implement its preparations for a no—deal brexit.