we're feeling completely violated, our home has been searched, and our privacy and identity completely exposed, our names, photos, and other personal information have been broadcast throughout the world. the actor kevin spacey is to be charged with sexual assault in the united states. the 59—year—old academy award winner has been accused of assaulting a teenager at a bar in boston, injuly 2016. respect and understanding: the queen will use her christmas speech to deliver a message of goodwill to all. now on bbc news, it's been one of the most turbulent years for british politics in decades. with brexit dominating parliament, and no clear way forward, the bbc‘sjo coburn looks back at a troubled 12 months in review 2018: the year in politics. and a warning, this film contains some flash photography. it has been another incredible year

in politics, with one issue dominating the agenda over all others, brexit. that doesn't mean there haven't been other important issues to grapple with, the windrush scandal, the row over anti—semitism, and many other scandals. and we launched a new political show. politics live. first, theresa may shuffled her government in a bid to change the face of the party, more diverse and younger chairs taken from the intake of mps in 2017. it didn't all go according to plan.

are you confident of staying in government? theresa may had wanted to move justine greening from education to the work and pensions brief, but instead she quit the cabinet, saying she wanted to continue her work on social mobility. others tipped to be moved, like the health secretary, jeremy hunt, didn't budge, and all of the big beasts stayed in theirjobs, for now. ukip was battling its own internal issues, as the party's ruling national executive committee unanimously backed a vote of no—confidence in the party leader, which led to his sacking. gerard batten replaced him. ukip has to continue, because we are the only opposition. in march, the labour party extended its suspension of ken livingstone over

claims of anti—semitism. he went on to resign, but it wasn't enough to stop the issue dominating much of labour's year. jeremy corbyn was found to have posted a historic message about the removal of a mural in east london which was considered to be anti—semitic. the labour leader had expressed his opposition to the mural‘s removal, later admitting he hadn't realised what it was portraying. he apologised. protesters also clashed in parliament square on more than one occasion, angered by how the party was handling the situation. a labour mp spoke of the anti—semitic abuse they have suffered over the years. denial is not an option. prevarication is not an option. chanting: 0h jeremy corbyn! the row continued over the summer, with members of the ruling national executive committee

being forced to resign over comments they had made, and an argument broke out over the party's adopted definition of anti—semitism. they finally accepted both the international holocaust remembrance alliance definition and their examples into the code of conduct, but only after lots of criticism from within the party. there were more casualties. both frank field and john woodcock were facing their own challenges, and cited the party's approach to anti—semitism as reasons they could no longer support labour. jeremy corbyn hoped to draw a line under the issue with his conference speech. i say this to all thejewish community, this party, this movement, we are your allies. but hang on, we are getting ahead of ourselves.

theresa may had to deal with a major incident in march when sergei skripal, a former military officer in russia, and his daughter yulia were poisoned by novichok in salisbury. either this was a direct act by the russian state in our country, or the russian government lost control over this damaging nerve agent and allowed it to get into the hands of others. jeremy corbyn wasn't as quick to condemn russia, and asked for more evidence. we need to seek a robust dialogue with russia on all of the issues currently dividing our countries, domestic and international, rather than simply cutting off contact and letting the tensions and divisions get worse, and potentially even more dangerous. theresa may went on to name the russian suspects as military agents, and along with other eu countries, she expelled russian diplomats.

in march, theresa may was forced to give her third major brexit speech in london. it set out five tests for a uk—eu trade deal, and put a little flesh on the bones of her vision for britain's future relationship with europe. we know what we want, we understand your principles, we have a shared interest in getting this right, so let's get on with it. later that month, michel barnier and david davies agreed on a large part of the withdrawal agreement, including the two—year transition period, and eu leaders formally approved guidelines for the negotiation of future relations with the uk after brexit. labour, meanwhile, set out their vision for brexit. they said they wanted to remain in a newly negotiated customs union,

while still having a say in future trade deals. in april, theresa mayjoined forces with france and the us to order air strikes on syria after a suspected chemical attack there. but she didn't go to parliament and seek mps‘ approval, which angered many. the prime minister. she later went on to win a symbolic vote. the way we protect our national interest is to stand up for the global rules and standards that keep us safe. this statement serves as a reminder that the prime minister is accountable to this parliament, not to the whims of the us president. the windrush generation came to national prominence when it emerged that some were facing deportation and being denied access to public services. one minute, i'm going back to a country which i know nothing about. you know, as far as i know, this is my home. home secretary, will

you resign over windrush? amber rudd, the home secretary, resigned after claiming she didn't know about immigration removal targets in the home office. documents later revealed she had been told. sajid javid replaced her, pledging to correct the windrush mistakes. a statue celebrating the life of the suffragist millicent fawcett was unveiled in parliament square. she campaigned for women's right to vote, and her statue marks the first woman to be commemorated there. local elections took place in may, with labour gaining more than 70 councillors, but no change to the number of councils they control. the conservatives lost around 30 councillors. but it was ukip who suffered the worst defeats. they were almost wiped out, retaining just three councillors. and, with just one word, a proposal to outlaw upskirting,

where you take a picture looking up the person's skirt. the private member's bill was proposed, but failed when a conservative mp blocked it. he said he didn't object to the bill, but didn't approve of the procedure. many of his colleagues disagreed with him. the government later introduced a bill outlawing it. injune, parliament voted to approve a third runway at heathrow. that prompted the resignation of the trade minister greg hands. borisjohnson, who was also against the expansion, flew to afghanistan to avoid having to vote on the plan. june also saw another ministerial casualty. have you told the prime minister why you are resigning? i'll be talking to her shortly. thejustice minister philip lee resigned over brexit, calling for another referendum. brexit was starting to cause theresa may a real headache, as another of her backbenchers,

dominic grieve, proposed an amendment to strengthen the so—called meaningful vote. it required that the government follow directions from parliament if mps rejected her deal. got that? the european union withdrawal bill passed its second reading after dominic grieve found a level of compromise against the government and voted against his own amendment. sick mps were summoned to vote, and questions were asked whether parliament had lost its dignity. at the height of summer, it seems a long time ago now, the cabinet met at the prime minister's country retreat, chequers, to agree her plan. the cabinet has agreed our collective position on the future of negotiations with eu. the chequers plan proposed an independent trade policy that allowed the uk the validity to set its own non—eu tariffs and negotiate its own trade deals, as well as an end to large annual payments to the eu and the acceptance of a common

rule book for goods. but not all the cabinet had signed up to the deal. two days later, the brexit secretary david davis followed up on a threat he had made earlier in the year to resign. he was followed out of the door by borisjohnson, who said in his resignation letter that we appear to be heading for a semi—brexit. following them were another eight junior ministers or aides, and theresa may's backbenchers made theirfeelings known, too. within 48 hours of the statement on friday, i received 300 emails, disheartened, dismayed, and telling you that democracy is dead. brexit will no longer mean brexit. it will mean the commission, where we have no vote, regulating our business forever. theresa may reshuffled her cabinet, making dominic raab her brexit secretary and jeremy hunt her foreign secretary. she barely had time to draw breath before the american president arrived for a long—awaited visit,

but not the state visit he had initially been invited to. perhaps the uk has left the eu. i don't know what you're going to do, but whatever you do is ok with me, that's your decision. he arrived having made critical comments of its chequers plan and supportive noises about boris johnson. but there were protests, including this giant baby trump balloon, which london mayor sadiq khan approved to fly over westminster. before parliament broke up for the summer recess, there were still some votes on the customs bill to get through. the european research group of conservative brexiteers had started to make life difficult for the prime minister by tabling amendments that they said would prevent the government pursuing what they saw as a soft brexit. the government supported those amendments and the bill narrowly passed, but they were accused of caving in to threats by the erg. some even talked about chequers being dead.

never one to let things get her down, theresa may turned her hand to dance floor diplomacy on a trade trip to africa. not once but twice, she got her groove on, proving there was more to life than brexit. the green party elected a new co—leader. sian berry won the contest after caroline lucas stood down. jonathan barclay, the other co—leader, was re—elected. the former first minister of scotland and leader of the snp alex salmond resigned from his party after claims of sexual misconduct were made against him. he denied the allegations, but said he would resign to avoid any potential tensions within the party, which had faced calls to suspend him. september brought a new political programme, politics live. joining me today, former home secretary amber rudd...

we made a splash with our first show, with an all—female panel and amber rudd's first major tv interview since resigning. with no major progress on brexit being announced over the summer, the conservative backbench erg group again started to pressurise the prime minister. they published an alternative plan for the irish border based on technological solutions. i commend it to you for its common sense, its practicality, its effectiveness. but there was also speculation that they would try to force theresa may out. i have long said, and repeated again and again, that i think the policy needs to be changed, but i am supporting the person. theresa may headed to salzburg for a much—hyped eu summit to sell her brexit plan. but, after a heated meeting, she was told... everybody shared the view that, while there are positive elements in the chequers proposal, the suggested framework for economic

co—operation will not work. throughout this process, i have treated the eu with nothing but respect. the uk expects the same. so it was back to the drawing board for theresa may. the conference season gave all the parties a chance to regroup. labour clarified its position on brexit once again. jeremy corbyn said his party would call for a general election if parliament voted down the deal agreed by the prime minister and the eu, but he added that all options are on the table. but, if you can't negotiate that deal, then you need to make way for a party that can and will. divisions emerged, and shadow brexit secretary sir keir starmer said he wouldn't rule out another referendum. our options must include

campaigning for a public vote, and nobody is ruling out remain as an option. for the conservatives, it was boris johnson's fringe speech that drew the biggest crowds. he criticised the prime minister's brexit plans, and speculation mounted that it was the start of his leadership bid. there is time. this is the moment to chuck chequers. the surprise star of conservative conference was the attorney general, geoffrey cox. we will leave the european union. he boomed his way through an eloquent introduction to the prime minister. # abba, dancing queen. theresa may danced her way onto the stage to abba's dancing queen. after last year's speech, where everything seemed to go wrong,

it could only be an improvement. she told her party that better days were ahead, and that austerity was coming to an end. because, a decade after the financial crash, people need to know that the austerity it led to is over, and that their hard work has paid off. but brexit was about to shatter theresa may's post—conference high. the dup, on whom she relies for votes in parliament, threatened to vote against the budget if extra checks were imposed on trade between northern ireland and the rest of the uk. we have been telling people about our red line. so what is important for us is to say to her very clearly that any impediment on the two—way access in the uk single market would not be good for the union, and would not be good for the economy of northern ireland. tensions were also rising in the cabinet, and rumours swirled about more possible resignations.

no—one is planning on resigning. we're all doing ourjobs, and we're trying to get the best deal for this country. then, at another eu summit, theresa may suggested a longer transition or implementation period may be required. what is an idea at this stage is to create an option to extend the implementation period for a matter of months. the most common phrase to me is, just get on with it. order. john bercow announced he would step down as the speaker of the commons next summer, following a report on the failure of high—level figures to tackle bullying in westminster. in his budget, the chancellor, philip hammond, reiterated theresa may's conference speech. i can report to the british people that their hard work is paying off, and the era of austerity is finally coming to an end. he spent a windfall from better public finances on more money for universal credit and bringing

forward planned income tax cuts via a year. november, and joe johnson, brother of boris, resigned as transport minister. he called for another referendum. at present, the deal is incoherent on its own terms, and that's why it's so important for the public to have a say. and then, after one of the longest and most significant cabinet meetings of modern times, ministers agreed to support theresa may's plans for leaving the eu. but the collective decision of cabinet was that the government should agree the draft withdrawal agreement and the outlying political declaration. this is a decisive step. the prime minister warned that the draft withdrawal agreement was the best on offer, but not everyone is happy. it certainly does not appear that we will be able to support it, because it breaches the red line. the next day, theresa may lost her second brexit secretary. dominic raab resigned, saying he now

could not support the deal. if you look at what has been proposed, it's not only damaging to the economy, but it's impossible to reconcile with the promises we made at the last election. good morning, minister. are you going to resign? he was closely followed by esther mcvey, the work and pensions secretary, and other junior ministers. prime minister, is it not the case that you are in office, but you are not in power? i am going to do myjob of getting the best deal for britain. the prime minister. and it was then back to the commons, for the prime minister to sell her deal to parliament. she received little support from her backbenchers or dup partners. she clearly doesn't listen. as what my right honourable friend says and what my right honourable friend does no longer match, should i not write to my right honourable friend the member for altrincham and sale west? this backstop is completely intolerable, and i feel confident that, even in the unlikely event

that legislation for it reaches this house, it will be ferociously opposed. there seems to be a certain interesting today's proceedings. a group of tory brexiteers decided now was their moment, and tried to trigger a leadership challenge, by encouraging colleagues to submit letters to the chairman of the backbench 1922 committee. many claimed they no longer had confidence in theresa may. but the group failed to get the required number of mps to back their plan at this stage. how's the newjob? stephen barclay was named as the new brexit secretary, and amber rudd returned to the cabinet as work and pensions secretary. and, finally, after more than 18 months of negotiations, eu leaders endorsed the brexit withdrawal agreement. but that didn't stop speculation around how long theresa may could continue as prime minister, or whether she would be able to get the deal signed off by parliament.

she embarked on a tour of the uk to try and sell the deal to the public, but was criticised for not trying harder with her own mps. the ayes to the right, 311. the noes to the left, 293. the government suffered three successive defeats in parliament, something that hasn't happened for a0 years. in an unprecedented move, the government was found to be in contempt of parliament, and forced to publish the attorney general‘s legal advice to cabinet. mps were also given more powers if the government's plan fails in parliament. theresa may then opened what was meant to be five days of debate on the withdrawal agreement. and, with my whole heart, i commend this motion to the house. but it was a struggle. promises of taking back control, from a government that is so out of control. beneath the camouflage, we find the same old eu institutions as the customs union and the single market. we should have a people's vote,

with an option to remain in the european union, and we will campaign to remain in the european union. we believe that is in the national interest. i will not vote on this deal on any other basis than it goes to the people for their approval. the day before the meaningful vote was supposed to be held, theresa may decided to pull it, accepting she was staring defeat in the face. there was anger and outrage in parliament, and brussels said the deal was done and couldn't be reopened. if we held the deal tomorrow, the deal would be rejected by a significant margin. as theresa may embarked on a whistle—stop tour of european capitals to try and get reassurances on the backstop, her backbenchers were plotting against her. in the last 20 minutes or so, it's been confirmed that theresa may is to face a leadership challenge, after enough mps backed a vote of no—confidence. it is for me to inform and consult with the prime minister,

i did that over the telephone last night, and then to proceed with a ballot as soon as is reasonably practical. on the grass in front of parliament, pro and anti theresa may supporters lined up to make their pitches to the cameras. but, at 9pm on the dot, graham brady, chairman of the 1922 backbench committee, announced... the parliamentary party does have confidence in theresa may. applause. this has been a long and challenging day. but at the end of it, i'm pleased to have received the backing of my colleagues in tonight's ballot. whilst i'm grateful for that support, a significant number of colleagues did cast a vote against me, and i have listened to what they said. as a major concession, theresa may had agreed not to go into the next general election as the conservative party leader. but even this wasn't enough for some. of course i accept this result.

but the prime minister must realise that, under all constitutional norms, she ought to go and see the queen urgently and resign. for theresa may, it was back to business as usual, as she headed to brussels to try and get reassurances from eu leaders on the irish backstop. but in a late—night press conference, she was slapped down by the eu. we can add some clarifications, as we were explaining, to what has been agreed upon, but there will be no changes. after having it out with jean—claude juncker, theresa may left the summit empty—handed. the government said the debate and meaningful vote on the brexit bill would not be brought before parliament until january. the prime minister ran away... forjeremy corbyn, this was not enough, and after some toing and froing, he tabled a motion calling for a vote of no—confidence in the prime minister herself. i'm about to table a motion which says the following, that this house has no confidence in the prime minister.

but not the big parliamentary bazooka, a binding vote of no confidence in the whole government, which other opposition parties were calling for. downing street dismissed the move as a silly political gimmick and refused to make time for such a vote. another memorable 12 months, with brexit as yet unresolved, continuing into 2019 and probably beyond. politics live will be here to guide you through. until then, i'm off for a rest. arrest sound like a good idea. good

evening, we have some fog around overnight tonight. if you are travelling, including santa, expect some foggy conditions developing more widely known, particularly across the fence. there are patches elsewhere as well. they will be the main issue heading into christmas day morning. rain over the past few days has provided moisture for this fog to form. the club will be pushing its way northwards behind that weather front, bringing some milder air. that weather front, bringing some milderair. on the that weather front, bringing some milder air. on the cooler air in the side of the east, that is where we will see most of the fog. the northern and eastern england, 1—2 patches elsewhere. some fog over the hills, where we click —— teach clear skies, we will find frost, temperatures down to minus 3—4d. that fog will lift slowly through the morning on christmas day, it

should be a dry day for most places, but it will be pretty cleanly out there, as well. sometime after the frosty start across eastern scotland, northeast england and northeastern parts of wales. chance of sunshine coming in the far side of sunshine coming in the far side of england, but on the holder will be cloudy out there. club will slowly lift, so great picture, chilly down their... temperatures at 12 degrees in northern ireland. the high pressure is shaping up, around that we are drawing this mob of cloudy air coming from the atlantic, we have weather from there to bring some rain. it should not be as cold, by the time we get the boxing day morning, there will not be as much fog around at all. we still have this cold air that is really close by over towards the near continent, skies will be clear overnight, and it isa skies will be clear overnight, and it is a drier air pushing in the southern counties of england, so we may get sunshine there. fog is likely to be in the hills, maybe

some rain here. otherwise a dry day, mild with temperatures widely 10-11d. mild with temperatures widely 10—11d. generally dry conditions through thursday and friday, if there is any rain, it will be in the northwest of scotland. high temperatures for scotland and northern ireland, chillier for england and wales. fog patches and the risk of frost, but overall a festive period, it will be quiet and settled weather. have a good one. this is bbc world news today. i'm lewis vaughan jones. our top stories... the death toll in the indonesian tsunami rises to 373 as the rescue and recovery work continues. teams from the military and the search and rescue teams are here, clearing away the rubble to make way for what will be a slow rebuilding process here. but even as they search, there are warnings that another huge wave could hit coastal areas,

as the anak krakatau volcano continues to seethe. gunmen storm a government building in kabul, killing at least 28 people and wounding 20 more. another bruising day on wall street as stocks close down on the worst christmas eve trading day ever, and president trump once again attacks the federal reserve. we'll take you live to the vatican city, where the pope is holding christmas eve mass.