this is bbc news. the headlines at 2pm. theresa may warns mps — a failure to deliver brexit would be "a catastrophic and unforgivable breach of trust in our democracy." the leader of the opposition, jeremy corbyn, spells out what labour will do if theresa may loses the vote on tuesday. we will table a motion of no confidence in the government at a time of our choosing but it is going to be soon, don't worry about that. a bbc investigation reveals gambling addicts were able to sign back into existing online accounts by just making minor changes to their personal details. greater manchester police continue to their investigation into a hit—and—run accident, in which an 11—year—old boy died last night. emergency services continue to battle the snow in europe — with a number of ski resorts and mountain villages having to be evacuated. and we'll take a look at the momentous events leading up to tuesday's brexit vote, in the ‘week in parliament‘ — that's

in half an hour here on bbc news. the prime minister has pleaded with mps to back her brexit deal in this week's crucial commons vote — warning that a failure to deliver brexit would be a catastrophic and unforgivable breach of trust. it comes as downing street expressed concern that mps could thwart brexit by changing parliamentary rules — to dicate the next steps in the process — if tuesday's vote is lost. our political correspodnent susana mendonca reports. it's crunch week for theresa may's brexit deal. the vote which she put off last month to buy her more time will happen injust two days, and with her government again heading

for a defeat the prime minister has been trying to win over her back benchers. writing in the sunday express, she urged mps to back her deal, warning that if parliament stopped brexit it would be a catastrophic and unforgivable breach of trust in our democracy. rumours have been brewing about plots by backbenchers to seize control of parliamentary business, if the government loses the vote. the brexit secretary told the andrew marr show that he was surprised that the speaker of the house had allowed mps to change the parliamentary timetable last week and warned that could be a sign of things to come. the uncertainty, in terms of what will happen in the house, has increased and so those on the brexiteer side seeking ideological purity with a deal, are risking brexit because there is a growing risk that evidence could unfold in ways, so they are leaving the door ajar to ways that could increase the risk. at an anti—austerity protest

in london yesterday the records for another general election. the labour leader has been pushing for that but he has remained somewhat cryptic on what his party would do on brexit if they were in power and on when they might try to topple the government. we will table a motion of no confidence in the government at a time of our choosing but it is going to be soon, don't worry about that. barry gardiner has used the word immediately. i'm getting overexcited perhaps but i'm assuming you would do it very quickly? andrew, don't get too excited about it. there is only two days to wait until the vote. i know it is yourjob but it's two days to wait for the vote. we will have the vote and then we will see. so you're not promising to put down a vote of no confidence on tuesday night or wednesday morning? you will see what happens. many labour members want another referendum and campaigners for a so—called people's vote were out in force in sheffield this weekend. the liberal democrat leader, who supports another referendum, said that backbenchers would assert themselves if the government loses this week's vote. parliament will take control of this process, will insist that we persue the option of no brexit.

it can happen in one of two ways. it can happen simply by cancelling article 50 which i think would be resented by lots of people, or it can happen by parliament saying actually we go back to the public to have the final say. the prime minister and her team have admitted they face a challenging week as they try to win the vote, and if they don't win it is clear they will face even more challenges. and susana mendonca is here. a challenging week you said to. that is something of an understatement. that was something the brexit secretary said earlier and it goes along challenging when it comes down to it. theresa may was going to lose this vote in december. here we are two days away from this vote and all the indications are that she is unlikely to have been averse to get it through. the question is how much

does she was by? there is talk that there is potentially a hundred tory mps voting against her own government. issue can bring that number down in terms of the article she has written today, to persuade those who have been wavering, that would be a plus for her. you mentioned the article the message was broad. the tone perhaps a little alarming? yes, this is a sense this isa alarming? yes, this is a sense this is a prime minister trying desperately to win as many mps to her side as possible. the whole thing that brexit might not happen at all is to win over the brexiteers in the party who are not happy with the deal she has got at perhaps a more worried about the idea of no brexit atoll. there is also talk about potentially having a new deal brexit and that is something parliament has indicated there is no majority for that, but there is no

clarity on what that is a majority for and that is the point that theresa may makes. mps are likely to vote against it on tuesday but we're expecting the government come back with an alternative. we are not clear what that will be either and what their plan will be or is even have one. and we think there will be a motion of no confidence from labour but we do not know when? exactly. jeremy corbyn has been asked about this time and time again. he's been quite cagey about the timing of it. key problem for labour is they do not want to call a new confidence vote in other not going to win. added the tory mps and the dup vote by their own government which you would expect, it is still a mountain for them to climb. jeremy corbyn saying he would go for a motion of no confidence are not saying exactly when, if you read between the lines it seems sooner rather than later. i know your

selected with the new piece this morning, the suggestion of the british coop. yes, this is about parliament asserting itself and here we have, probably because of what we thought last week with the speaker john bercow giving mps the opportunity to change the timetable, the government is worried that i set a precedent and those types of things might happen against. they are concerned, in particular, what they call a plot, in move, i some mps to try to take control of government business so that backbenchers have the residents over the government business. that would be very difficult for the government because it with potentially take the power out of their hands. thank you for that. concerns about britain's

post—brexit agreements with switzerland and up to 70 other non—eu countries have been raised by the chairman of the commons international trade committee. last month, the international trade secretary, dr liam fox, announced that the uk had approved an interim trade deal with the swiss — but the snp mp, angus macneil, said greater clarity was needed. our business correspondent joe miller, reports. being in the eu doesn'tjust allow you to trade freely with 27 other member states. because over the years, brussels has negotiated agreements with dozens of countries around the world, including south korea and mexico, and those agreements bring down tariffs, they reduce regulation, and effectively make it easier to move goods and services across borders. last year the international trade secretary, dr liam fox, told the bbc he hopes all a0 of those agreements will be rolled over after brexit, and that 70 countries had already agreed to do so in principle.

last december, he told parliament of his first triumph. of course, we have now actually initialled the first of those major trade agreements, which is with switzerland. which is responsible for almost one fifth of the total trade within those agreements. others will follow. but the snp mp angus macneil, who chairs the international trade committee, which oversees dr fox's department, has written a letter to the secretary of state, in which he expresses concern about details of this accord. he says there has not been sufficient information about it and even raises the prospect that the freedom of movement of people, which is currently a condition of the deal between the eu and switzerland, would have to be accepted by the uk. a government spokesperson said the arrangement with switzerland replicates the existing one as far as possible, and we know that more details will be forthcoming.

but if these 39 odd agreements are to pass through parliament in time for a possible no—deal brexit, thatjust leaves 11 weeks to avoid disruption with many trade partners. the gambling commission has told the bbc it plans to close a loophole that allows problem gamblers to continue betting online — even after they've signed up to a self—exclusion scheme. five live investigates has seen evidence that those who self—exclude can easily sign back in to accounts. gamstop says it has helped more than 50—thousand people self—exclude but now the gambling commission says it plans to ask betting firms to build in enhanced identity verification to prevent customers gambling using incorrect details to access their accounts. with me now is liz karter — a therapist who specialises in treating gambling addictions. good morning. is it possible to

characterise those who are most prone to gambling addiction? what i know from my eating years of experience —— 18 years of experience but what drives a gambling addiction is some degree of emotional and mental difficulty. so, typically, stress, depression or in blighty drive a desire to emotionally medicate i would everform of gambling that person is choosing. in simple terms whether they are gambling for what might be described asa gambling for what might be described as a bars or a high, from casino ta bles as a bars or a high, from casino tables or sports, betting which creates a high or whether, which is increasingly common, which 90% of

the woman i work with discover, that staring at a computer screen or a slot wishing creates a sense of numbing or absorption. it shuts out other problems but because it is gambling very, very sadly and often any very devastating way for many people they start to lose track, not only of their problems but of their money, and online that is very easy because there is no cash to hand over. we can all relate to that, how easy it is to pay a bill online. often people don't realise how much they spent until there is no money left and that of course, makes it very, very difficult for that person to stop because they are emotionally driven to gamble. their cravings are every bit as real and strong as addicted to class a drugs. makes it difficult for the industry to be

able to have a meaningful conversation with that person. and at that low point people are desperate to win or more desperate because of their financial light so will carry on? absolutely. they have double the trouble. ahab the problems they were escaping from the first place —— they have the problems they were escaping from the first place, maybe a divorce or a grievance or bringing up kids alone. they have lost all their money, they have double the trouble so they are living to continue by escapism. they hope that if they win the money back they can turn the clock back and it is as if it has never happened, so they feel stuck in a horrible trap. thoughts on what the investigation recovered what the government is now suing about closing that particular loophole? the industry has a

difficultjob. it is difficult for them to stop somebody in active addiction because it is very difficult for that person to stop themselves. so i think, for one thing, let's acknowledge and congratulate the industry. there are some super responsible companies that i talk to who really do want to know how to help but they need to know how to help but they need to know how to help. they needn't have an essential understanding of what is driving the customer. selected knowledge that is happening but there is work to be done. i would like to see meaningful education. as a society we all need to better understand that when gambling becomes an addiction it is about so much more than money. the obsession with money is the end consequence once there isn't any. the real hook

in is the emotional medication effect on people need to understand that if they are regularly gambling money are feeling stressed, depressed or anxious they are at real risk of developing an addiction to gambling, in the same way as a digital addiction, alcohol or drugs. thank you. greater manchester police are continuing to their investigation into a hit—and—run accident, in which an 11—year—old boy died last night. the child was treated by paramedics at the scene but died of his injuries in hospital. a 31—year—old man was arrested in connection with the crash and remains in custody. fiona trott gave us this update. people here in beswick in greater manchester say they are absolutely devastated by what happened last night. you can see that people have been coming out of their homes here to lay flowers this afternoon. everyone in this neighbourhood says they are extremely upset by what happened. they think the boy was out on his bike last night.

it happened at around six o'clock. as you say he was treated at the scene, taken to hospital but died a short time later and what greater manchester police have told us is that they believe a volkswagon golf, a gray volkswagon golf, was abandoned nearby. they are asking anybody who may have seen the driver of that car to get in touch with them or if they have any footage, any dash cam footage, to hand that to the police as well. they say they are passing their condolences onto the family at this unimaginably difficult time. the headlines on bbc news... theresa may has warned mps, preparing to vote on her eu withdrawal deal, that a failure to deliver brexit would be "a catastrophic and unforgivable breach of trust in our democracy." the head of a scheme designed to help problem gamblers says she is "deeply concerned" after an investigation found people were able to cheat the system. greater manchester police are continuing their investigation into a hit—and—run accident in which an 11—year—old boy died last night.

three men have been killed in an avalanche near the austrian ski resort of lech, as heavy snowfall continues to bring parts of northern europe to a standstill. austria has seen record snowfall, with more forecast for the weekend. soldiers, firefighters, and volunteers have been battling to clear blocked roads and rooftops during breaks in the weather. kathryn stanczyszyn reports. this part of the world is no stranger to snow. but emergency services here in southern germany and in neighbouring austria are having to work extra hard after days of unusually extreme weather. more snow fell overnight across the bavarian alps where people are already experiencing disaster conditions. last night in lech, three skiers were killed in an avalanche after the group ventured to a route that had been closed off because of the risk.

a fourth person is still missing. i tend it last night a relative form in missing person report. after passing difficult conditions they reached the accident site. further avalanches are now a major worry and it's an uphill struggle to keep roads and buildings safe. the lower bavaria police and fire services dealt with 150 incidents overnight, mostly due to the treacherous roads. the army has been brought in to help clear them. in places, normal life has come to a standstill, with railway lines, shops and schools shut. other parts of europe have also experienced severe weather in the past few days. even algeria has been affected. these roads in the northern provinces rendered impassable. in the alps, there's no respite as the authorities try to keep

on top of this dramatic situation. the forecast tomorrow is for temperatures to drop again, which could bring more than a metre of fresh snow. kathryn stanczyszyn, bbc news. development in the french alps has just been reported. to employees at a ski resort in the french alps have died. the avalanche control charges they were trying to set accidentally went off, according to mountain rescue experts. the accident took place 6000 feet up as they were working on an avalanche prevention programme. controlled explosions are often carried out to mitigate the risks of larger avalanches but these people were working with the explosives when the accident happened. local police are following

and it initial investigation. batters in the french alps so problems right across that region. scotland's first minister nicola sturgeon has referred herself to a standards panel over her actions during an investigation into alex salmond. nicola sturgeon made phone calls and took meetings with her predecessor as first minister — mr salmond — while claims of sexual harassment — which he denies — were being investigated. she said it was in the interest of the complainants that she should be examined under the ministerial code. however, she also said she "acted appropriately and in good faith." the us secretary of state, mike pompeo, says he is optimistic that washington and turkey can agree on a way to protect america's kurdish allies in syria after its troops leave the country. mr pompeo was speaking in the united arab emirates during a middle east tour aimed at reassuring allies after president trump abruptly announced his decision to withdraw us troops. our correspondent barbara plett usher is in riyadh and has been following his tour.

he was notably short on details, just saying he thought there could possibly be an agreement that would address turkey's legitimate concerns about legitimate terror threats but also at the same time protect those kurdish allies that are fighting alongside the united states against islamic state group who he said were not terrorists. we know the turks do regard them as a serious security threat — they see them as an extension of turkish kurdish groups that have been fighting an insurgency against the turkish government for many decades. we do know mr pompeo said that his special envoy, james jeffrey, had been in north—eastern syria, presumably to meet the kurds, and he would be going to turkey again so that is active mediation and diplomacy going on. they have been rumours about possibly a deal with regard to border security, perhaps a border force that is acceptable to both sides but again, these are rumours and mr pompeo himself has not confirmed any sort of detail as to what makes them so optimistic that

an agreement can be reached. almost a fifth of councils in england have introduced a ban on begging, yet only ten of 244 fines issued have been paid. a new system that allows people to donate to the homeless via a contactless payment in the street is being piloted in peterborough to try and deter beggers. jo taylor reports. 28—year—old max says he has been homeless for two years, and has no choice but to beg. he is standing metres away from a sign saying he is not allowed to beg. the amount of money he makes varies from day to day. how much? £7.90. it's notjust money people donate. while filming, a passer—by gave him a jumper and food. that looks warm. yeah, a big woollyjumper. around the corner i meet andy, not his real name, who says he is homeless.

due to his circumstances, we have protected his identity. i got sacked injanuary because of the pressure of the job. my mental health went downhill. across england, 5a out of 302 councils told the bbc they have introduced a public spaces protection order prohibiting begging. but only 244 fines have been issued over four years, and only ten of those have been paid. some spare change, please, ma'am? home office advice is to only use the powerfor genuine anti—social behaviour, and not target the vulnerable. peterborough council banned begging last year, but have not issued a single fine, as they want to give those that beg the opportunity to get off the street first. now they are trying something new. a contactless donation point. you just put your card up to the screen and it will immediately take £3, which goes into a charitable donation. right. we want to make sure the money goes

to the right place so we can provide support to get them off the streets, so they don't have to beg in the first place. the money goes into this and it will fund a number of different initiatives. is it actually going to work in stopping people holding their hand out? this is about making inroads. it will still go on, but it's about to what extent. over three months, almost £1000 has been donated through the contactless point. that is helping to fund a new day centre which offers homeless people services. the main aim is to get people off the streets for good. jo taylor, bbc news, peterborough. the nominations for this year's brit awards have been announced. out in front with four is anne marie, who first made her name by singing on clean bandit‘s number one single rockabye. the 27 year old from essex is nominated for best female, best album, best single and best video — and there's a strong showing for women across the board. here's our entertainment correspondent colin paterson. # and it went like this...

2019 is turning into quite a yearfor the singer behind 2002. anne—marie leads the way with four nominations at the brit awards. the 27—year—old from essex is up for best single, best video, best female, as well as the big one, album of the year, for her debut, speak your mind. it's an especially strong year across the board for females. dua lipa has double nominations for both best single and video, but is not eligible to defend the best female title she won last year, as her album was released too long ago. and two years agojorja smith was a barista. now she has three brit award nominations. # i'll be riding shotgun, underneath the hot sun... as for the men, george ezra is recognised in three categories

and will be unlucky not to win a couple, as his album was the best selling by a british act last year. and at the age of 66, there is a first ever brit nominations for nile rodgers. his band, chic, are up for best international group. we'll find out if he disco dances away with the award on february 20. a 33—year—old man in taiwan has been fined more than £2000 for sending a cat that he no longer wanted, in the post. according to a taiwanese news agency, the sender was traced after the sealed cardboard box with the cat inside arrived at the local animal shelter. luckily the pet survived the journey and authorities say he's in good health and looking for a new, loving home. now it's time for a look at the weather. we can cross

the newsroom to susan powell it has been behaving itself quite well today. we have seen some decent spells of sunshine as skies have cleared from the north was cold in pushing its way in. we have had a few showers in races to some patchy cloud running its way down the north sea. most solid cloud is to the south, clearing the cold weather front at the moment of. showers are going to get more organised in the north as another weather front stars to push in as we go into the evening period. still quite windy this afternoon across scotland, northern ireland and northern ireland. the winds will ease overnight. that weather feature pushes across scotla nd weather feature pushes across scotland and goes to nothing at the end of the night but it does allow colder air into scotland added frosty start for tomorrow. elsewhere, we are generally frost—free as monty gets under way. a bit more cloud with the odd shower across eastern england. coming in

from the west some thicker cloud and rainfor from the west some thicker cloud and rain for northern ireland and west of scotland. it will felt pressure than to date with highs of typically six to eight degrees. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: theresa may has warned mps preparing to vote on her eu withdrawal deal that a failure to deliver brexit would be "a catastrophic and unforgivable breach of trust in our democracy". the head of a scheme designed to help problem gamblers says she is "deeply concerned" after an investigation found people were able to cheat the system. scotland's first minister, nicola sturgeon, has referred herself to a standards panel over her actions during an investigation into alex salmond. greater manchester police are continuing their investigation into a hit—and—run accident in which an 11—year—old boy died last night. parts of germany, austria and sweden are suffering

exceptional amounts of snow, with a number of ski resorts and mountain villages having to be evacuated. now on bbc news, the week in parliament. hello and welcome to the week in parliament, our attempt to make sense of a fractious few days at westminster. the ayes to the right, 308. the noes to the left, 297.