for the vast majority it is a but for the vast majority it is a dry and sunny weather state with temperature sticking in single figures. we continued up into the rest of the week, thursday and friday with frosty mornings, but some fine days, too. hello this is bbc news. i'm anita mcveigh. the headlines: nasa scientists wait to find out whether their space probe, new horizons, has successfully flown past ultima thule, the most distant object ever explored. counter—terror police are continuing to question a man suspected of stabbing three people at manchester's victoria station. billions of people around the world have welcomed the start of the new year. 2019 was ushered in with spectacular fireworks displays and concerts across the uk. the amount of plastic waste predicted to reach landfill in the uk last year — after china banned imports of waste — has failed to materialise, according to bbc research. 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 incredibly busy year in politics, with one issue dominating the agenda over all others — you guessed it, 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 ministerial resignations. and we launched a new political show — politics live. first, theresa may reshuffled her government in a bid to change the face of the party. in were 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, henry bolton, 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 former london mayor 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. shame on you! protesters also clashed in parliament square

on more than one occasion, angered by how the party was handling the situation. labour mps 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, who were facing their own challenges, 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 the jewish community — this party, this movement — we will always be implacable campaigners against racism and anti—semitism in all its forms. we are your allies. but hang on — we're 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 against our country, or the russian government lost control over this catastrophically 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, snow forced theresa may to give her third major brexit speech in london instead of newcastle. the mansion house speech 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 davis 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. but documents later revealed she had been told. sajid javid replaced her, pledging to correct the windrush mistakes. a statue commemorating the life of the suffragist millicent fawcett was unveiled in parliament square. she campaigned for women's right to vote, and her statue marked 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. objection taken. object. and, with just one word, a proposal to outlaw upskirting, where you take a picture looking up the person's skirt, was stopped. the private member's bill was proposed, but failed when conservative mp christopher chope 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 issuing a statement 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 an iith—hour 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 ability 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 rulebook 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 prime minister's statement on friday, i received 300 e—mails,

disheartened, dismayed, and telling me 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 foreign secretary. she'd barely had time to draw breath before the american president, donald trump, 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 they're going to do, but whatever you do is ok with me, that's your decision. he arrived having made critical comments of the 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 dancefloor 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 parliamentary term and 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. music: dancing queen by abba. 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. it is an idea at this stage 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 by a year. november, and jo 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 was 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 the work and pensions secretary, esther mcvey, and otherjunior 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. statement, 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 interest in 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 for 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 vote 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 c0 nfe re nce , she was slapped down by the eu. we can add some clarifications, as donald was explaining, to what has been agreed upon, but there will be no renegotiations. 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 deal would not be brought before parliament until january. the prime minister ran away... forjeremy corbyn, this was not good 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. hello. a fine start to the new year

germany. these fine condition is going to continue through the rest of the first few days of 2019. high pressure keeping things largely dry. afair bit pressure keeping things largely dry. a fair bit of sunshine by day. by night it will be frosty and they could be fachie —— patchy fog. this area of high pressure is moving in. low— pressure area of high pressure is moving in. low—pressure to the east. we are dragging in airfrom the north, hence the drop in temperature. the cold air is in eastern europe. some showers in northern and eastern part of the uk. wintry in the north of

scotland. the remnants of the weather front towards the far south—west. this afternoon if you are out for a walk, it is still breezy across the far north—east. the winds not as strong as they have been. lighter elsewhere. some patchy cloud. showers on the north sea coast in eastern england. the re m na nts of coast in eastern england. the remnants of the weather front in the south. most places will be dry. most temperatures in single figures. it stays breezy on the eastern coast tonight. clearer skies in the west. with winds lightest year, this is where temperatures will drop the furthest. a widespread frost tomorrow morning. temperatures in rural scotland —5 to —6. the new working day for many of you as the new year gets under way. lots of frost. it will be a blue sky day for

the vast majority. a bit more cloud in the far north of scotland. maybe down the eastern counties of england. for the vast majority once they will be tried. sunshine and temperatures in single figures. high pressure sits with us through much of the rest of the week. centred across southern part of the uk. this is where the winds lightest. cold by night, by day, dry with sunny spells and temperatures in single figures. this is bbc news.

i'm annita mcveigh. the headlines at 12.00pm: police say they're treating the stabbing of three people at victoria station in manchester last night as a terrorist investigation. we are working to piece together the details of what happens. nasa scientists wait to find out whether their space probe new horizons has successfully flown past the most distant object ever explored. the robotic craft was due to fly past the icy mass of ultima thule four billion miles from earth a few hours ago. we set a record. never before has a spacecraft explored anything so far away.