tonight at ten, on the eve of the big brexit vote we are live at westminster where theresa may has been trying to boost support for her controversial deal. earlier today, she had taken her message to workers in stoke, warning of a high price to be paid if there is a stalemate in parliament. it's now myjudgment that the more likely outcome is a paralysis in parliament that risks there being no brexit. at westminster, lest an 2a hours away from the biggest parliamentary vote of recent times. there seems little prospect of a victory for mrs may. 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! we will be in york, a city which voted remain, asking residents for their perspective on events at westminster. these people have been tasked with getting the future right for the whole country going forward from now, and all they seem going forward from now, and all they seem to be doing is fighting amongst

themselves. we will be looking in more detail at the parliamentary arithmetic and the likely options in the days ahead. also on tonight's programme: the government wants to curb fertilisers on farms and wood burning stoves to try to clean up the air we breathe. donald trump says he never worked for russia after newspaper reports scrutinise his relationship with moscow. and as andy murray loses an epic five set match at the australian open, is it now farewell? and coming up on sportsday on bbc news: manchester city bid to narrow the gap at the top of the premier league to four points with their win against wolves at the etihad stadium. good evening from westminster on the

eve of the main parliamentary vote on theresa may's widely criticised brexit deal. the prime minister in two separate appeals today urged mps to back her deal, or risk brexit not happening at all. she warned of paralysis in parliament if the deal was rejected and said trust in politics would suffer catastrophic harm if the uk did not leave the eu. mrs may urged critics to give her deal a second look. insisting that new assurances on the future of the irish border had legalforce. labour and the other opposition parties have all pledged to vote against the deal, along with dozens of conservative mps and the democratic unionist party of northern ireland. sta rt unionist party of northern ireland. start tonight with this report by oui’ start tonight with this report by our political editor laura kuenssberg en theresa may's latest appeal. many photo opportunities? how many polite conversations? many more than

the number of mines she's changed for some weeks now. tomorrow, parliament will give its verdict on the prime minister's brexit compromise. this is what a last ditch plea sounds like.|j compromise. this is what a last ditch plea sounds like. i think the british people are ready for us to move on, to move beyond division and come together. that is the chance that mps of all parties will have tomorrow night, and for our country's sake i urge them to take it. thank you. you say 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 to change their minds? i've seen mps when i have spoken to them who recognise the importance of the decision that is being taken and saying that they will support the deal, whereas perhaps in the past they have some doubts about it. even on a soggy monday morning there is heat in the

arguments outside. just given 125 million, the eu have, you clown! i'm really annoyed and i had to come down today, i had to. it is disgusting, listening to them not, she should do it off her own back, we voted leave, we should leave, end of. if we leave without a deal or her deal we will be in dire straits. whatever deal goes through it 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. there is no surprise she has come to leave supporting stoke but she is heading back to parliament where her real problem lies. most backbench brexiteers heading to work have real fears about the deal, worrying we would be stuck in a close bind with the eu but despite months of rows some might still be persuaded. as i told the prime minister when she phoned yesterday and as i have 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. afternoon and tomorrow evening when it's over i will make my decisionlj it's over i will make my decision.” just want to say thank you... but eurosceptics aren't making friends by compromise. dozens of them including former cabinet ministers like him are dead set against theresa may's agreement. you've got to balance the undoubted but manageable short—term risk with what i think would be devastating economic and democratic consequences for us if we signed up to this long—term deal. this isn't for six months, for a year, this is for our children. a smaller gang of theresa may's mps believe the way out might be another referendum. if there is really no majority in parliament is as deadlocked as we think it is then it may make sense that, although we don't want it, that we consider going back to the people with a new referendum. and there weren't many fa ns referendum. and there weren't many fans for her new promises. a letter

from the eu that 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 and 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 assurances this house was promised and contains nothing but warm words and aspirations. there needed to be legally binding changes to the withdrawal agreement in order for it to have any chance of getting through this house. remember, for the prime minister this is a compromise, keeping close ties with the eu after brexit to preserve the

economy but 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, orare likely trouble is none of the rival groups agree. yet, if, or 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. as we heard, the prime minister warned of paralysis in parliament if her deal is rejected tomorrow night but there seems little doubt at this stage that the deal will be turned down. the only question is by how much and what that margin of defeat could lead to. our deputy political editor john pienaar looks at the possible implications of tomorrow's vote. theresa may has been fighting against heavy odds and she still is to get her brexit deal approved. it is 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, though the policy on who will be allowed into britain is still a work in progress. the latest letters from brussels will not change the fa ct from brussels will not 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 irish backstop plan, to avoid the checks and searches no one wants on the eu‘s irish border. it brings the uk staying under the customs rules and northern ireland still, temporary 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 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? follow its rules with no say in writing them ? and 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 also split on brexit but nearly all want to defeat mrs may, or how deal, or both. if she wins, triumph and onto brexit day on march 29. if she loses and that‘s the betting, though there will be a number of votes and the bigger the defeat, the weaker her position and the decisive battle for brexit begins in earnest 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 for mrs may. rule out a no—deal brexit and mobilise a majority across their own parties behind in your plan act by law. theiraim, and the behind in your plan act by law. their aim, and the aim of many other mps, may be delayed brexit until there is a fresh plan, may be a softer brexit deal closer to the eu is similarto softer brexit deal closer to the eu is 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 get brexiteer rebels on side, that‘s mrs may‘s hope, but the danger to 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‘s anyone‘s guess, the next big scene in this drama will be played out at westminster tomorrow. that wasjohn tomorrow. that was john pienaar with tomorrow. that wasjohn pienaar with his thoughts at this stage. as we heard, mrs may has received a joint letter from the european council president

donald tusk and the european commission presidentjean—claude juncker offering their support for theresa may‘s brexit agreement. in it they said they were not in a position to agree to anything that changes, or is inconsistent with the withdrawal agreement. but on the crucial question of the northern ireland border, they are sure the prime minister that the eu does not wish to see the backstop enter into force. our europe editor katya adler is in brussels. has anything really changed today? while not exactly legally binding, the eu says the assurances in this letter do carry little weight. but in its essence this letter is an attempt by the eu to highlight elements of the brexit deal they think theresa may has failed to sell back home. so, take the backstop, that contentious backstop, the irish

border guarantee, it‘s not a trap that so many in the uk think, says this letter, and it is not at all inevitable. and, yes, we have heard these assurances before but on the eve of the vote this is the eu trying, in coordination with theresa may, to focus mps‘ mines and keep up the pressure. the underlying message of the letter is, this deal is better than you think and if you sign it off we can all move on to the real prize. —— reminders. talking about the future eu — uk future trade deal. and by the way this is the only divorce deal on offer from brussels so take it or leave it. but, europe will be watching very closely vote tomorrow to see if this deal passes, or if it doesn‘t, by how much, and it is only then that the internal eu discussion will begin. up until now the 27 eu leaders have never sat down together to discuss a possible plan b. they have never even admitted openly to each other that it is possible. so

they will look now for mps to start uniting around one particular alternative to theresa may‘s plan, oi’ alternative to theresa may‘s plan, ora alternative to theresa may‘s plan, or a one particular change, and then you may see may be a significant move from brussels. but inevitably, the flexibility here will be limited. many thanks, katya adler, oui’ limited. many thanks, katya adler, our europe editor in brussels. theresa may stressed today that trust in politics — in her view — would suffer ‘catastrophic harm‘ if the uk didn‘t leave the european union — nearly three years after the referendum of 2016. but what are some of those people who voted in the referendum making of the current state of affairs? our home editor mark easton has been to york — which voted to remain — to assess 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 led to civil war. so we have come to the merchants‘ hall, a building that‘s 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. i'm a little bit like that over a second referendum. i'm not sure. it's worrying to think what the no deal would mean to us as a country. established to give northern england more of a say over its affairs, king‘s 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 particularly 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. the country is still 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? i don't think it's a great idea. 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 is the problem. 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. mark easton, bbc news, europe. laura, the prime minister has been very busy, meeting as many mps as

she cant be for tomorrow, how has it been going? she had a meeting with all of her mps been going? she had a meeting with all of hermps in been going? she had a meeting with all of her mps in the 1922 backbench committee to listen to the prime minister. people in the room said actually, some of them suggested she spoke from the heart, didn‘t follow a script which frankly, all of us right now, are familiar to hearing her saying. will that have changed any minds in any great number? i think it is very unlikely. yes, there are some mps who are yet to make their own personal conclusions. but broadly speaking we know by now, where the various different camps are lined up against theresa may, those determined to reject the deal. some for political reasons and some for personal reasons and principle. in less than 2a hours, what is your sense at this point? after the

events today, how things are moving and it is underlining again, what is at stake? first of all, it is very tricky to get into predicting any kind of numbers. it is safe to say the government is looking at a very convincing defeat, if not something that might look historic by proportion and certainly, traditionally, very, very hard for a leader to come back from. throughout this process, since the referendum, political rule, those conventions have gone out of the window. from cabinet ministers i have talked to in the last few days, they believe theresa may is likely to try to get this through again, maybe with some twea ks. this through again, maybe with some tweaks. but it is not the case that tomorrow night people will be standing here saying she has lost that and now she is about to go on a different path. that said, parliament will have its say and it is going to have its say in the negative, we expect. barring some

kind of musical or brexit quirk throughout tomorrow. bright—macro laura, we will talk again tomorrow, i think it is very certain. laura will be back tomorrow with the result on the withdrawal agreement. or the reaction and analysis and collea g u es or the reaction and analysis and colleagues will be exploring the likely options open to government and to parliament. but for now, back to you. the use of fertilisers on farms, wood burning stoves and open fires all face new restrictions, under government plans to tackle air pollution. the clean air strategy for england, aims to reduce problems caused by particulates— tiny particles which can penetrate deep into the lungs — by 2030. but environmental campaigners say the proposals don‘t go far enough. here‘s our science editor david shukman. his report contains some flashing images. blow! squeeze, squeeze, squeeze, squeeze, squeeze, squeeze. . . research into the effect of air pollution. in a major study 3000 children in london and luton are having their lungs tested.

it‘s known that the growth of children‘s lungs can be stunted by dirty air. what do you know about air pollution? it‘s a really bad for your lungs. children are especially vulnerable because they're growing very rapidly and it seems clear that the pollution particularly affects the development of organs, whether it's the brain or the lungs, for example. ella kissi—debrah suffered from asthma. her family say air pollution contributed to her death six years ago and they‘ve won permission to apply for a new inquest. standing in all this traffic with the smell and taste of pollution, it‘s 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. fertiliser causes pollution. it gives off the gas ammonia, which creates tiny particles that are dangerous to breathe in. the government says there will be new rules to control this and it will help farmers buy new machines that are less polluting. there will also be tighter controls on what‘s burned in stoves. amazingly, each one creates more pollution than a diesel truck. the worst thing is using logs that are wet. 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 able 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's very frustrating for us. despite the fact that all the work we have done is based on our best assessment of what we need

to support it the government aren't actually coming forward with the funding that we think is needed. let‘s check this one fits you properly... back at the school‘s project the children are fitted with monitors to track the air they‘re exposed to. the state of their lungs will show how well or badly the government is fighting pollution. david shukman, bbc news. the former police commander, david duckenfield, who was in charge of the 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 accused of the gross negligence manslaughter of 95 liverpool fans, who were killed in a crush inside the stadium. he denies the charges. a 96th victim died four years later, and cannot be included in the prosecution. police have arrested 55 men in connection with historical child sex abuse cases in west yorkshire, between 2002 and 2009. the arrests took place in recent months and include men from batley, dewsbury, and bradford.

they were all interviewed and released under investigation. the claims by seven women, relate to alleged abuse against them as children. the husband of nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe, the british—iranian woman jailed in tehran, says she‘s begun a hunger strike, in protest at being denied specialist medical care. she was given a five year sentence in 2016, after being convicted of spying, a claim she denies. the foreign secretaryjeremy hunt summoned the iranian ambassador in london, and said the situation was unacceptable. our diplomatic correspondent, caroline hawley has more. 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. president trump has denied a report that he had worked for russia, describing it as a "big fat hoax". it came as the washington post reported that the president took away notes from his interpreter, after a meeting with vladimir putin in 2017, and told them not to talk about what was said. let‘s join our north america editorjon sopel who‘s in washington for us. the white house has been beset by lea ks the white house has been beset by leaks in the past so some might argue the president comment taking these notes was simply been prudence? that is what some of his allies will say. these are just precautions. but it is hard to exaggerate just how abnormal it is when a foreign leader speaks to anotherforeign

when a foreign leader speaks to another foreign leader, each country‘s officials will be on the call or in the meeting and there will be an official note taken about what was discussed. this is what happens when theresa may speaks to anyone. but on this occasion, donald trump saidi anyone. but on this occasion, donald trump said i will take the interpreter‘s notes away, you are not to discuss what happened with anyone else. this has only happened in meetings between the president and his russian counterpart, not with any other countries. this doesn‘t prove there was collusion between russia and the americans, but it is decidedly odd. and so alarmed where the fbi last year about what was going on, apparently they launched a counterintelligence operation into whether the president of the united states was a russian agent. let me say it again, whether the us president might have been working for the russians? he was asked about this on saturday. he

said, i cannot believe you are asking me this question, but he did not deny it. we have the extraordinary spectre of the us president coming before the cameras and saying, i never worked for russia. thank you, from the white house. there have been widespread protests in zimbabwe, after the president announced a doubling of the cost of fuel. thousands of people have taken to the streets — saying they can‘t afford the price hike to over $3 a litre. it‘s the latest in a series of economic problems to hit the country, since the former president robert mugabe, was forced to step down in november 2017. from the capital, harare, shingai nyoka reports. zimbabwe is boiling over yet again. sparked, as in the past, by a deepening economic crisis. over the weekend, fuel prices more than doubled in the country with more than 80% unemployment, the reaction was furious and protest. amid the tensions, the president left the

country to russia on a four nation‘s tour. many believed he should have remained to make sure the problems they are experiencing are temporary. the people are suffering. people have been quiet for so long. zimbabwe‘s economy has struggled for decades. the legacy of robert mugabe‘s misrule. the president blames foreign currency shortage and increased demand. they don't get enough us dollars but we are exporting diamonds and gold, where is the money going? if i don't manage to put it in my car on my bike, i cannot go to work. it affects my pocket, i have kids and it also affects my kids. after ousting rob gabi from power over a year ago and promising to bring prosperity, scenes like these are a reminder to some of how little has

changed. football, and champions manchester city have closed the gap to premier league leaders liverpool after a 3—0 win over wolverhampton wanderers. gabrieljesus opened the scoring with this move in the first half. wolves were then reduced to ten men after willy boly was sent off. city now trail liverpool by four points. andy murray is out of the australian open after losing a five set thriller, which could be, his final competitive match. the grand slam champion announced on friday that he‘s to retire this year, because of a chronic hip problem. there was a standing ovation from the crowd in melbourne, and tributes from fellow players at the end of the game. hywel griffith, has the story. the beginning of the end, or a finalfarewell?