on the eve of the most important vote of her premiership — theresa may appeals to mps to support her brexit deal. she warns rejecting the deal would lead to paralysis in parliament, and endanger britain's departure from the eu. i say we should deliver for the british people and get on with building a brighter future for our country by backing this deal tomorrow. it's clear, if the prime minister's deal is rejected tomorrow it's time for a general election. it's time for a new government! with 2a hours to go — we'll be asking voters what they make of the extraordinary events in parliament. and the other main stories on tonight's programme: trying to clean up the air we breathe — ministers plan new curbs on burning domestic wood and coal and as andy murray loses an epic five set match at the australian open, is it now farewell? and coming up on bbc news...

of the brits in the australian open drawjust three remain, with kyle edmund the former semi finalist also out. good evening from westminster, where the prime minister has told mps to look again at her deal ahead of tomorrow's crucial vote, saying they should deliver on the brexit referendum result for the british people and get on with building a brighterfuture. she warned that if they don't back her plans, no brexit might be more likely than no deal. in a bid to support her, eu leaders have written a letter giving more assurances over the future relationship between the uk and the eu,

including on the controversial backstop — the insurance policy to prevent a hard irish border if a trade deal isn't negotiated by 2020. the labour leader, jeremy corbyn, said if her deal is voted down — as is widely expected tomorrow night — a general election should be called. here's our political editor laura kuenssberg. many photo opportunities. many polite conversations. many more than the number of mines sees changed for some weeks now. tomorrow parliament will give its verdict on the prime minister's brexit compromise. this is what a latch ditch plea sounds like. i think the british people are ready for us to move on, to move on beyond division and come together. that is the chance mps of all parties will have tomorrow night and for our country sake i urge them to ta ke for our country sake i urge them to take it. thank you. you see this is

a good deal but you know the majority of your colleagues simply disagree with you. at this late stage do you think you have a chance of changing their minds?” stage do you think you have a chance of changing their minds? i have seen mps when i've spoken to them who are, who recognise the importance of the decision that is being taken and saying they will support the deal where perhaps in the past they had some doubts about it. even on a 5°99y some doubts about it. even on a soggy monday morning there is heat in the arguments outside. you just give them 125 million eu, klein. i am really annoyed and i had to come down today. i had to come down, it's disgusting, listening to them. we voted to leave, we leave. end of. if we leave without a deal, or her deal, we are going to be in dire straits. whatever deal goes through will continue this war between brexit and no brexit. this might not feel like a grand occasion but these are some of the most important hours

in theresa may's career. it's no surprise she's come to leave supporting the stalk and she is speeding back to parliament where her real problem lies. most back bench brexiteers have real fears about the deal, worrying we'll be stuck in a closed mind with the eu. but despite months of growing some might still be prepared. as i told the prime minister when she called yesterday and as i've i've told every constituent i will listen to the debate very carefully. indeed i intend to participate in it this afternoon and tomorrow evening, when it's over, i will make my decision. see you soon, cheerio. but eurosceptics are not making friends by compromise, dozens of them including former cabinet ministers like him are dead set against theresa may's agreement. you have to balance the undoubted but manageable short—term risk with our what i think would be devastating economic

and this is not for six months or a year, this is for our children. a smaller gang of theresa may's en mps believe the way out might be another referendum. if there is no majority and parliament is as deadlocked as we think it is then we might make sense, but although we don't want it, that we consider going back to the people with a new referendum. and there were not many fans for her new promises. booing a letter from the eu which vows to do everything possible to avoid the so—called backstop, the arrangement to avoid a hard border in ireland. the eu will not want this backstop to come into force on the exchange of letters today makes clear that if it did they would do all they could to bring it to an end as quickly as possible. so i say to members on all sides of this house, whatever you may have previously concluded, over these next 2a hours give this deal a second look. today's letter is nothing more than a repetition of

exactly the same position that was pulled more than one month ago. it categorically does not give the legal issue and sees this house was promised and contains nothing but warm words and aspirations. there are needed to be legally binding changes to the withdrawal agreement in order for it to have any chance of getting through this house. for the prime minister this is a compromise, keeping close ties with the eu after brexit to preserve the economy, taking charge here of issues like immigration. but with only 2a hours to go this place is a frenzy. long lists of mps putting forward ideas of their own. the trouble is, none of the rival groups agree. yet if, are likely when the deal goes down tomorrow night, it will still be for the prime minister to make the next move. laura kuenssberg, bbc news. the prime minister has warned of " pa ralysis in pa rliament" if her deal is rejected. yet it's expected to be voted down tomorrow evening — the question is by how much.

our deputy political editorjohn pienaar looks at the implications of tomorrow's vote. theresa may has been fighting against heavy odds and she still is to get her brexit deal approved. it's not all facing huge resistance, plans for citizens' rights, so europeans here can stay, are broadly in place. but even that is not settled on both sides. an end to free movement is a big part of the plan although the policy on who will be allowed into britain is still a work in progress. but the latest letters from brussels won't change the fact that mrs may is staring at defeat for her plan. the real problem is in the fine print. it allows a transition period, no great change, until the end of 2020, and a year more if wanted, until there is a full—fledged trade deal with the eu. if there is no deal in time there is the so—called backstop plan, to avoid the checks and searches no one wants on the eu's irish border. it means the uk staying under eu's customs rules.

northern ireland closer still. it will be temporary, as brussels says, until there is a trade deal, but how long is that? some believe years and that is a big problem in the commons. mrs may needs a majority to win here. 320 mps or more, and she looks well short. why? there is only 317 tory mps and the party is split. the tory brexiteers want clear of eu rules quickly, even if that means no deal. some want a hard expiry date on the backstop, other pro—european tories say "why leave the eu just to follow its rules with no say in writing them?" and of course, the dup who prop up her government fear different treatment for northern ireland will weaken the union. as for labour they are split too on brexit but nearly all want to defeat mrs may's or her deal or both. if she wins, triumph and onto brexit day on march 29. if she loses, and that's the betting, there will be a number of votes and the bigger the defeat the weaker her position, the

decisive battle of brexit begins in earnest. in the commons and behind—the—scenes. while theresa may prepares to try again, labour will pick its moment for a vote of no confidence in the government they know they are most unlikely to win. the plotting will be about who takes control of brexit. most mps would oppose no deal. several ministers would resign and now there is an alliance of mps hoping to seize control after any defeat from mrs may. roll out a new deal brexit and mobilise a majority across the main parties behind a new plan backed by law. their aim and the aim of many other mps, maybe delay brexit until there is a fresh plan. maybe a softer brexit deal, closer to the eu, similar to norway's. or maybe a new referendum. it could end in no brexit at all. talking up the chances of a no brexit might help to get brexiteer rebels on side, that's mrs may's hope. but the danger to mrs may, mps might succeed in seizing control.

her best hope of scaring rebels into line could become her worst nightmare. how does it all end? that is anyone's guess. the next big scene in this drama will be played out in westminster tomorrow. john pienaar there. in a moment we'll hear from our europe editor katya adler in brussels. but first laura is here. the prime minister still on herfeet in the commons, answering questions for the last two hours, has anything changed? technically yes, the prime minister has got letters of assurance from the eu, promises that they don't want the worst—case scenario to happen, for us to go into the controversial backstop, the guarantee against the hard border in ireland. it's almost like the eu has said we promise we do not want to end there. we have seen more mps including a government whip for the first time say i will not back it and the number against it on the face of it has gone up. but fundamentally, nothing has really

changed. for quite some weeks now. you have got different camps of mps ranged against number ten for a whole variety of different reasons determined to vote her deal down tomorrow. so as things stand the prime minister is on the edge of something that traditionally could be terminalfor a prime minister. the expectation is her deal will be voted down tomorrow night, do we have any sense or by how much? as things stand it looks like it'll be a hopping defeat. an insider said to mea a hopping defeat. an insider said to me a few days ago that they be smashed. that said, things have been so unpredictable and strange in recent weeks and there could well be new amendments, changes put forward by different mp eyes that could quite suddenly change the dynamics and the numbers in one way or another. and remember, as confusing as this might sound and as much as these arguments have been like a broken record, it still is possible that tomorrow night mps won't vote

on that tomorrow night mps won't vote o n exa ctly that tomorrow night mps won't vote on exactly the deal theresa may has put on the table. it's possible there might be another vote which twea ks there might be another vote which tweaks it, changes it before the final vote of yes or no takes place. defeat looks pretty much certain, odds on. but by how much? that could still change, there is a real question. laura, thank you. 0ur europe editor katya adler is in brussels. these letters of assurance the prime minister has had today in a bid to support her, the feeling is that the brutal reality is they are not adding much more. that's right, but from an eu point of view, why would they add something more? because the view in brussels is this brexit deal is not something they came up with overnight, it's not something we concocted by themselves. it's the result of two years of often difficult negotiations with the uk government centred largely around theresa may's red lines, that the uk would leave the customs union and single market. the eu wants to keep

the pressure on mps and focus their minds. the underlying message in this letter was listen, it's not as bad as you think. but this is the only divorce deal on offer to the uk, take it or leave it. but, sophie, europe will be watching that vote very carefully tomorrow to see if it does not pass, by how many thoughts. and it's only then that internal conversations start in eu circles as to what next because up until now the 27 eu leaders have not fought amongst themselves of a plan bor fought amongst themselves of a plan b or even admitted to each other that could be one. but they will wa nt to that could be one. but they will want to try to avoid a no—deal brexit if they can. the eu is unlikely to make any kind of significant moves until it sees mps uniting around one alternative to theresa may's plan, one particular change. and even then, inevitably, there will be limits to eu flexibility. today theresa may also warned that trust in politics will suffer "catastrophic harm" if the uk doesn't leave the european union. but what are people who voted

in the referendum making of it all? our home editor mark easton has been to york — which voted to remain — to gauge views there. when politics got too hostile in london, charles i moved his court here to york in 1642. the current parliamentary deadlock and public divisions over brexit are said to have echoes of the national schism that lead to civil war. so we have come to the merchants' hall, a building that has hosted debate in this city for centuries. we asked eight local people, four who voted to leave, four to remain, for a one—word description of the state of british politics. confused. appalling. messy. confused. childish. unsettled. confusing. confused. it's an absolute shambles, nobody knows what they are doing, they are arguing. i think it makes us look a complete embarrassment. i totally agree with that, it is an embarrassment to be british really. these people have been tasked with getting the future right for the whole country going forward from now and all they seem to be doing is fighting amongst themselves

and not pulling together. i voted remain but rather than arguing just get on with it and just crack on. a majority in york voted to remain at the referendum but passions run deep on both sides. arguments over brexit seem to be becoming increasingly shrill on social media and on the streets. it is like somebody has opened a box and it is ok to say these awful things because it relates to the whole shambles that the country is in because of brexit. i think a lot of people who voted to maybe leave thought that the immigration would stop and we would open the gates and say bye, see you later. where i work we have got teenagers with those views who don't understand what they are saying. some people have said if we were to have a second referendum, the reaction of those who voted to leave could be violent. yes, i think there would be a lot more tension in the country if there was a second referendum, definitely. established to give northern england

more of a say over its affairs, kings manor in york was once home to the council of the north. a bbc poll suggests more than 80% of people in york now believe they have little or no control over government decisions that affect their city. i feel like they are in this bubble fighting amongst themselves and we are alljust on the outside looking into this bubble. i think being further north as well we have that distance. where do we end up? i can personally see it going to another general election the way it is going at the moment because there isjust so much fighting within parliament. i still think it is half and half or thereabouts, either way it is going to go. the general election is going to sort nothing out. we should go to no deal in my humble opinion. no deal. i voted leave, i feel that i was totally uninformed. if there was a referendum again tomorrow, it may be different. so a second referendum on the deal? if you know what the deal is before you are asked to vote, then perfect.

you can'tjust keep going to this referendum, can you? you vote for an mp and they voice your opinion as a constituent. but they are not doing it. i can't think of any other industry where this would be allowed. top, high directors and management arguing. you wouldn't get away with it. you have elected your mps to voice your opinions so they should sort it out amongst themselves. but they are not? no, exactly. that is the problem. what do we do? if it comes to no deal, no deal. so finally we want to know how do you feel about your country right now, about britain. i want you to write down a word that describes your mood. indecisive. tired. positive. unsure. chirpy. sad. at the beginning of a tumultuous week for the nation's democracy citizens seem apprehensive but determined to make the best of things.

fortitude and fear in equal measure. the debate on the brexit deal is continuing in the commons but now back to reeta in the studio with the rest of the day's news. wood burning stoves, open fires and the use of chemicals on farms all face new restrictions under government plans to tackle air pollution. the clean air strategy for england aims to reduce pollution caused by particulates across much of the country by 2030. but green groups have criticised the scheme for not going far enough. here's our science editor david shukman. it contains flashing images. blow! squeeze, squeeze, squeeze. research into the effects of air pollution. in a major study 3000 children in london and luton are having their lungs tested. it is known that the growth of children's lungs can be stunted by dirty air. what do you know

about air pollution? it is really bad for your lungs. children are especially vulnerable because they are growing very rapidly and it seems clear that pollution particularly affects the development of organs, whether it is the brain or the lungs for example. and another little bear... ella kissi—debrah suffered from asthma. her family say air pollution contributed to her death six years ago and they want permission to apply for a new inquest. standing in all this traffic with the smell and taste of pollution it is hard to believe that britain's air has actually got cleaner in recent decades. but at the same time scientists have found out more and more about the damage that dirty air can do to us which is why ministers are under pressure to take action. farming is one key source of pollution. ammonia is given off by fertilisers. the government is planning new rules to limit this.

there will also be tighter controls on what is burned in stoves. michelle beek lights hers in bristol. they are attractive features but amazingly each one releases more tiny pollution particles than a diesel truck and logs that are wet are the worst. i totally understand the need to restrain or try to protect the environment so we try and use obviously logs that are seasoned, but i wouldn't be happy if i wasn't allowed to use it. hardest of all is cutting pollution from traffic. the government has told councils to come up with plans. but some of them say they are not getting enough money. it is very frustrating for us despite the fact all the work that we have done is based on our best assessment of what we need to support it, the government aren't coming forward with the funding we think is needed. let's check that this one fits you properly. back at the school's project the children are fitted with monitors to track the air they are exposed to.

the state of their lungs will show how well or badly the government is fighting pollution. david shukman, bbc news. police have arrested 55 men in connection with historical child sex abuse cases in west yorkshire between 2002 and 2009. the arrests have taken place over the past few months and include men from batley, dewsbury, and bradford. all those arrested were interviewed and released under investigation. the claims by seven women relate to alledged abuse against them as children. the husband of nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe — the british—iranian woman detained in tehran — says she's begun a hunger strike in protest at being denied specialist medical care. she was jailed for five years in 2016 after being convicted of spying — a claim she denies. the foreign secretaryjeremy hunt summoned the iranian ambassador to the uk to discuss the case. he said the situation was

unacceptable. he said the situation was unacceptable. caroline hawley reports. this was nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe nearly three years ago after taking her young daughter to tehran to visit family. she thought she was going home when she was approached by iran's revolutionary guards. since then she has been held for more than a thousand days and it has taken a huge toll on her physical and mental health. these pictures broadcast on iranian tv last week for the first time added to the pressure on her. but there was something else her husband richard said today that pushed her into going on hunger strike. they tried to pressure her to become a spy for iran against the uk, specifically to spy on the department for international trade and an organisation called small media which the revolutionary guard keep trying to link her to, like in the film of last week, but which she has no connection to. since she was briefly released last summer and reunited with her daughter, mr ratcliffe says she has not been allowed any specialist medical treatment for neurological problems and lumps in her breasts. he told me the stakes for her were very high. she certainly felt it was her last resort and certainly before

christmas she was pretty desperate to get home. she said it. now i hope it is not last, last resort and that she does it until she ends up in hospital. but, yes, she is not doing it lightly. this afternoon the iranian ambassador to the uk was summoned to the foreign office. the foreign secretary jeremy hunt has called nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe's hunger strike a truly terrible indictment of iran's approach and says he won't rest until she is home. caroline hawley, bbc news. the mayor of the polish city of gdansk has died in hospital a day after being stabbed on stage in front of a large crowd at a charity concert. pawel adamowicz, who was 53, was attacked by a man who claimed he'd been wrongfullyjailed by the mayor's former party, the civic platform. the suspect is now under arrest. the former police commander david duckenfield, who was in charge of the police operation during the hillsborough disaster in 1989, has appeared at preston crown court for the start

of his criminal trial. the 74—year—old is charged with the gross negligence manslaughter of 95 liverpool fans who were killed in a crush. he denies the charges. a 96th victim died four years later, and cannot be included in the prosecution. andy murray is out of the australian open after losing a five set thriller, which could be his final match. the grand slam champion announced on friday that he would retire this year because of a chronic hip problem. there was a standing ovation from the crowd, and tributes from fellow players at the end of the game. from melbourne, hywel griffith reports. the beginning of the end, or a finalfarewell? not even andy murray knows if this was his last match. but just in case, he gave everything. initially that wasn't enough as roberto bautista agut gave him the run around, taking the first two sets and leaving murray limping.

but then somehow he fought back, fist pumping points as if a grand slam was at stake. incredibly he took the next two sets on tie—breaks until eventually, the pain and his opponent was too much. afterwards he told us he still struggling to decide if major hip surgery is the right route to help him make it to wimbledon. it is difficult because i always wanted to finish playing at wimbledon, if tonight was my last match, like you said, it would be a great way to finish. it was an amazing atmosphere, it was a really good match against a quality opponent. but then yeah, there is a bit of me that... obviously, i love playing. i want to keep playing tennis but i can't do it with the hip i havejust now. not surprisingly his fans don't want this to have been his swansong. epic.

yeah, it was. it was like seeing opera or something like that. it was just emotional, i think, to watch. i don't think it is going to be his last game though. he's left you hanging? yes, totally. i don't think he has given up yet. he can push themselves through that pain barrier and he is still running for every ball. i think that is something unique about andy murray, his mental attitude towards the game. he just runs towards every ball. it's absolutely incredible. for four hours andy murray showed the same courage, bitter determination and anger that have characterised his 11; years in professional tennis. his body was clearly failing but it refused to give up. defeated, maybe. beaten, well maybe not yet. as andy murray seems determined to finish his career on his own terms. hywel griffith, bbc news, melbourne. time for a look at the weather, here's louise lear. do you ever get the feeling the

weather so far this year is leading us weather so far this year is leading us into a false sense of security. so far this january it has been cloudy and mild, but we are closing out the month on a real difference. noticeably colder and a return to night—time frosts, but hopefully some sunshine to look forward to later in the week. for now it is a bit boring and bland with the high—pressure slipping down south west. this is introducing more cloud and a bit more of a breeze and it will bring some rain. tomorrow we have got some wet weather, particularly heavy to the north of the great glen. elsewhere chasing cloud around with some breaks. a mild afternoon for all of us, 9—11. tomorrow evening we could see the rain turning to snow across the

northern isles and that whether flying slowly meanders its way into the north of england and wales. to the north of england and wales. to the south and east of that front we stay in that milder air. double digits on wednesday, but behind it, clearer and colder and turning increasingly wintry on higher ground. this starts the change to the story. that weather front opens the story. that weather front opens the door to allow that cold air flooding in across the country. we lose the mild air we have seen recently and the cold spills down all the way from the arctic and that will give us some sparkling winter sunshine on thursday, but any showers, not many, could turn increasingly wintry. it will feel noticeably colder, not only on thursday, leading from a hard frost on thursday night into friday as well. a reminder of our top story. the prime minister has warned mps

against rejecting her brexit deal in tomorrow's crucial vote. and this is the scene in the house of commons right now as the debate on the withdrawal agreement continues. that's all from the bbc news at six. hello, this is bbc news. on the eve of the most important vote of her premiership, theresa may appeals to mps to support her brexit deal.