to ten, perhaps more wales, five to ten, perhaps more gci’oss wales, five to ten, perhaps more across parts of the brecon beacons, which is where the heaviest snow was going to be, so a risk of disruption through thursday night, into the early hours of friday morning. a combined effect of the heavy snow in the forecast but notjust combined effect of the heavy snow in the forecast but not just that, combined effect of the heavy snow in the forecast but notjust that, also the forecast but notjust that, also the widespread ice that will be around as well. some quite dangerous conditions for driving. there might be some snow left over on friday, wintry showers likely across the south of england, and still a risk of some snow showers coming in gci’oss of some snow showers coming in across eastern parts of england, bringing a risk of some icy stretches. temperatures around or five celsius, but it is a combination of snow and ice that could cause problems over the next of days. hello, you're watching afternoon live. i'm simon mccoy at westminster. theresa may will meet labour leader jeremy corbyn this afternoon, to discuss the government's attempts to renegotiate her brexit deal. well, what this house voted for last night is to leave the european union with a deal,

but it also crucially showed what it will take to see support in this house for a deal in the future. but eu leaders say they won't revise the withdrawal agreement — and ireland's foreign minister says there are no alternatives to the backstop to prevent a hard border. less than two months to go now until brexit happens on the 29th of march. we are quite simply running out of road. a teenager who attacked a car with a zombie knife has beenjailed, afterjudges overturned his lenient sentence. an arctic freeze in the us — don't take deep breaths outside, say officials as temperatures fall to minus 30. coming up on afternoon live, all the sport with reshmin. hello there. liverpool have the chance to go seven points clear at the top of the premier league tonight when they take on leicester. we hear from tonight when they take on leicester. we hearfrom jurgen tonight when they take on leicester. we hear from jurgen klopp. thanks reshmin.

and chris fawkes has all the weather. yes, we will be looking in detail of what is going on in america. this afternoon we will see temperatures of five celsius. imagine temperatures a0 degrees lower than that? that is what they are dealing with in the united states. we will ta ke with in the united states. we will take a close look at what could be a disruptive spell of weather for us as well. also coming up, the airbase at biggin hill is turned into a museum. hello, everyone. this is afternoon live. i'm simon mccoy. theresa may will talk by phone today with the president of the european council, after mps backed a plan to renegotiate her brexit deal. but european politicians have flatly rejected abandoning the northern ireland backstop,

the element of the brexit deal which mps want to replace or change. later this afternoon, theresa may will hold talks with jeremy corbyn, and she is expected to meet eu leaders in the coming days to consider alternative arrangements. the prime minister insists the eu wants a deal, and says she now has a sustainable commons majority to get one. nick eardley reports. what now? finally, parliament has agreed on something but how does the government make it happen? the prime minister got a handsome majority last night and that majority was clear. we want a withdrawal agreement but the backstop will have to change. the pm macro will be negotiating with the european parliament. not everybody so openly optimistic. can we find an alternative to the backstop?” optimistic. can we find an alternative to the backstop? i am dealing with the day—to—day. thank you. theresa may has convincing to do. this evening she will talk

to the european council president. she is also holding talks withjeremy corbyn. she believes it is clear what needs to happen next. last night a majority in this house voted to maintain the commitment to know ha rd to maintain the commitment to know hard border between northern ireland and ireland, to leave the european union with a deal and to set out to the european union pottable take to ensure this house can't afford a deal. that is the change to the backstop. that is what i will be checking back to the european union. it is not clear what those changes will look like. labour say she will have to offer more. the prime minister may have succeeded in temporarily uniting her very divided party. but, mr speaker, is she willing, is she willing to make compromises necessary that are more important, and that is to unite the country? the prime minister can't

convince him, getting european leaders on board will be just as hard. the eu says reopening the withdrawal agreement without the irish backstop is a definite no. would you bet two weeks from now she will come back with something that will come back with something that will maintaina will come back with something that will maintain a majority? i wouldn't bet on it, no. there is a deal to be done. parliament has strengthened the prime minister's hand to get that deal. the ball is now in the court of the eu. they have a choice to make. there are many who are highly sceptical theresa may can get the concrete changes she needs. the backstop has been an issue for months. so far there has been no sign ofa months. so far there has been no sign of a compromise that will keep every side happy. but remember, the prime minister only got a majority in parliament last night because she promised to revisit the withdrawal agreement. if she can't deliver, the delicate truth could well crumble. and so rigs talks go on. for some,... for other pop —— brothers,

how to find a solution. clear as mud. let's speak to our chief political correspondent, vicki young, in the houses of parliament. this gamble already struggling because so far from europe or be hearing is no? yes, i think downing street expected that. they said there would be a lot of no going on for the first couple of days. what they hope is that maybe in the next few days things change and discussions to start. i think there is still an issue about what exactly theresa may thinks she can get from them. she can go there and she can try. but there is still a dispute within the conservative party, amongst the brexiteers, but there would be willing to accept. remember last night that amendment from sir graham brady, he has said previously that he would accept a so—called coltishall, illegal attachment to the withdrawal agreement guaranteeing that the backstop is

temporary. there are others we spoke to last night, like borisjohnson, who want far more than that. that is theissue who want far more than that. that is the issue the prime minister still has. being clear about what she is going to be asking for. at the moment we are being given various alternatives she is looking at, including technology, which many months ago she said did not exist. i think brussels will still be saying, it is not entirely clear what you wa nt it is not entirely clear what you want from us and it is not entirely clear what would get through parliament. yes, there was a majority last night on something quite vague. the conservative party coming togetherfor one quite vague. the conservative party coming together for one night only is how some people see this. can they keep that unity together and agree on whatever she does get back from brussels? be meeting with jeremy corbyn, what is the agenda? hard to say, actually. both sides being coy. downing street pleased that he wants to, grand talk to us. we wa nt that he wants to, grand talk to us. we want to find a way through this.

downing street making the point they have been speaking to a lot of mps from all wings of their own party but also from all sides of the house. this is an extension of that. 0n the labour side, they say they are willing to go because last night there was that of vote from parliament saying they want to take note of the table, though it is not going —— binding. it is intriguing. there will not be much between them they can agree on. i think they might be talking at each other rather than coming to any conclusion on the way forward. thank you you. so, how have last night's events in westminster been received in brussels? despite theresa may's plans to reopen negotiations, eu leaders — including the french president emmanuel macron and the the european council president donald tusk — have said there will be no revisions to the current withdrawal agreement. here's our europe correspondent, damian grammaticas. 0n on an icy morning in brussels, the eu was bracing itself for the

uk's new demands. the eu chief negotiator up new demands. the eu chief negotiator up early. will you know butch? ema the only point i want to make is the eu institution remain united. we stand by the agreement we have negotiated with the uk. but can the agreement be changed? mr tahir was meeting european parliament's brexit committee. they have insisted the agreement cannot now be reopened. there is no sign last night ‘s vote in parliament would change that. the ayes to the right, 317. the noes to the left, 301. the key amendment in parliament requires the northern ireland backstop be placed with alternative arrangements to avoid a ha rd alternative arrangements to avoid a hard border. but didn't specify what those arrangements might be. so the eu is still unconvinced. what was voter yesterday amounts to saying,

we don't want any backstop. that is what it amounts to. no, we are not going to say that we surrender the backstop or conversely, but we will make no checks at the borders, even though the united kingdom might significantly diverged in terms of sanitary standards, social standards, environmentally standards —— environmental standards. standards, environmentally standards -- environmental standards. the deal contains two elements, the legally binding withdrawal agreement, the eu says the backstop is an integral pa rt says the backstop is an integral part and will be negotiated, and the accompanying political declaration, accompanying political declaration, a broad outline of future possible relations with the eu which could be rewritten. this is where the eu believes it can show flexibility if the uk does. i don't think there is i’ooiti the uk does. i don't think there is room to do that for the simple reason that the backstop is absolutely in the withdrawal agreement. but there is a

possibility to discuss the future relationship. so that is what the european parliament and the european union has always said. the eu's question to theresa may will be, what is new in the uk's ideas? if nothing, there may be little to discuss. last night mps voted in favour of an alternative to the so—called irish backstop — the insurance policy designed to avoid a hard border in ireland in the event that no trade agreement is reached by the end of 2020. but how is brexit being seen in the republic of ireland? chris page sent this report. this is a theatrical protest, but border people hope it will break through and highlight real concerns. they're worried any checkpoints would delay journeys, disrupt trade and bring back dark memories. i don't think the mps in westminster get the reality of border life in the north of ireland at all. and i think it's probably an extremely sensitive border, which has been shown through history. and we all know border structures become targets and things escalate in this part of the world, unfortunately.

that's what we want to avoid. the brexit process has been cooking for two and half years. but still no one is sure what the final product will look like. this is the longest biscuit production line in europe. the firm's boss says there would be huge problems if britain left the eu without a deal. my hope is that any outcome other than a no—deal brexit happens. an agreed one, a postponement, a delay, a scrapping of the decision. a second vote. it doesn't matter what the other alternative is. a no deal exit at the end of march would be a disaster for this business. and it would be a disaster for the entire irish food industry. the irish government is advising companies to prepare for the worst. agencies are holding dozens of events to help them cover like this one about rules for goods and services. the prudent thing to do is assume there will be a hard exit, prepare for that, look at the timelines and start working today if you haven't already done so. and what business people

want more than anything is a clear way forward. the sooner businesses see clarity, the better. because i think if business knows what the outcome is going to look like, we can all put plans in place and we will have to figure a way around it. the best outcome i would like to see is no brexit, but i don't think that is a realistic option now. i think the second—best option would be a soft brexit with a deal. ministers here have always wanted britain and the eu to have as close a relationship as possible after the uk leaves. the irish government is making its most basic position more clear than ever. that there cannot be a brexit deal without the backstop to guarantee an open border. chris page, bbc news, dublin. the irish deputy prime minister, simon coveney, has warned brexit negotiators are "running out of road", to avoid a scenario where britain crashes out of the european union without a deal. we have less than two months to go onto brexit happens on the 29th of march. we are quite simply running

out of road. and so as donald tusk was quick to spell out last night within minutes of the vote, and has, and as had been indicated to the british government numerous times prior to the vote, including from ireland, the withdrawal agreement, including the protocol on ireland and northern ireland, is not open for renegotiation. we are at a ratification process now. not still in negotiation. the solidarity across europe on this, i think, speaks for itself. let's cross to dublin now, where our correspondent chris page is with mary lou mcdonald, leader of sinn fein. thank you very much. so more political reaction. i'm joined by the sinn fein president, marylou mcdonald. the third biggest party in the irish parliament in dublin and the irish parliament in dublin and the second—biggest north of the irish border. have event in london changed anything? well, i

suppose they represent a deepening of the instability and the concerns and the anxieties that people feel right across the island of ireland. and no doubt in britain. i mean, it's very clear that even though what happened in the house of commons has been painted as a victory for mrs may in some quarters, but she acted absolutely in bad faith. she whipped her own mps to vote against the very agreement she had brokered. she acted in bad faith in terms of ireland. she effectively put the backstop through the shredder, even though she knows, because we have had these conversations, and necessarily those most basic protections are for this country. i detect and have detected for a long time, a sort of studied belligerence from a section of the british political establishment as regards ireland. and i think last evening was further evidence of that. one thing is clear, the house

of commons hasn't been listening if they think there will be a withdrawal agreement without an irish protocol, the irish protocol without the backstop. that will not happen. you have been in question time in the irish parliament questioning the taoiseach. you consistently called for him not to budge on the backstop. the government appears to be doing that. is there a danger in holding fast to the backstop, it is increasing the possibility that nobody wants, in no—deal brexit?” don't believe so. this negotiation has been very protracted. bear in mind, chris, there is no good brexit. there is no good brexit for ireland. 0ne brexit. there is no good brexit for ireland. one way or the other damage will be done to our island economically. the backstop is the bare bones, the bare minimum. and remember this, mrs may's government we re remember this, mrs may's government were party to designing this backstop. it was not forced on them. it was landed on by agreement. when all other alternatives were

interrogated, explored and found to be wanting and faulty. so where we are now is in a very dangerous territory, i believe. i don't think anybody, any reasonable person, i wouldn't say anybody, because clearly there are some who wish to crash out, but reasonable people right across the land don't want to see a crash. that matter now, the ball is now at the foot of mrs may. her government, the british political establishment more broadly. and they need to understand, irrespective of who is in downing street, irrespective of which party is in government, the british state has international obligations to ireland that have to be met. if britain wishes to brexit, if that is their democratic decision, who am i to interfere? but ican decision, who am i to interfere? but i can tell you they will not wreck ireland as they do that. finally, my report featured pictures of a protest at the border recently, in

which a wall was constructed. you we re which a wall was constructed. you were at the protest. you played your pa rt were at the protest. you played your part in knocking that wall down. if there is a no deal, our border controls unavoidable? they are out of the question. people need to hear this and they need to take the —— hear the voice of the border communities across ireland. a hard border is out of the question. checkpoints are out of the question. division and going backwards is out of the question. we are only going forward. and by the way, opinion has been sampled across the island ‘s north and south and everybody is firmly of that position. people will not tolerate a betrayal of the good friday agreement, the undermining of the peace that we all enjoy, our prospects for prosperity and progress. we are only going forward, not back. british politics should understand that. it is politicians are not ignorant of the circumstances around ireland and the

need to start acting now in good faith. the taoiseach cannot blink. i don't believe that europe will blink. we are where we are at and i don't know what mrs may proposes to achieve by travelling to brussels if thatis achieve by travelling to brussels if that is her proposed course of action. a level of realism needs to dawn on people. the stakes are very high. but ireland will not be the collateral damage for the tory brexit. thank you forjoining us. the message from sinn fein, from the main opposition party and government ministers is very much that the negotiation on the backstop is not for reopening. chris, thank you. we can speak now to tina mckenzie, the northern irish policy chair of the northern irish policy chair of the federation of small businesses. given what we have just heard, that nobody appears to be ready to

blink first, are we closer to a no—deal brexit than we have been? listening to the rhetoric of parliament and politicians it would seem that way. and unfortunately, you havejust heard from the cbi. from the ssb perspective, our small firms cannot prepare for an ordeal. —— fsb. they don't have the resource or the time. there is definitely a lot at stake. small businesses make up northern ireland. it is a small business economy. there is a lot of risk with a no—deal brexit. i would like to think that when theresa may is around the table with europeans that we actually come up with a solution. we can't lose all hope and faith now. at the end of the day we find in northern ireland deals are done at the last minute. unfortunately, it appears this is following that route, where the deal potentially that has to be done will be done at the last minute. and so, we have got to hope that everyone remains calm, pragmatic and gets a deal done.

that is all very well, many will say, but the clock is ticking and it is ticking loudly? yes. it has been ticking loudly? yes. it has been ticking for two years. this tends to be, we have gone through negotiations are a number of years, especially with the dup and sinn fein, who are skilled in it, and the dup appearat fein, who are skilled in it, and the dup appear at the heart of these negotiations with the conservative government. it is of no surprise to me that we are where we are. i expect it will probably go closer to the wire, which is bad for the economy in the short—term anaemic even we get a deal. the uncertainty, the lack of spending, the gdp figures. the politicians have it within their grasp to make a deal. they have to act responsibly and get a deal. the last thing the business community want is a no—deal brexit. it would be so hurtful across the united kingdom, but particularly this region. on the basis that there isa this region. on the basis that there is a no—deal brexit on the 29th of march, what will life look like the following day where you are

a? wattel small businesses be doing? well, probably panicking. more importantly, the consumers will be hit artist. when you go to get your services... we are a land border with over 200 crossings. i supply chains go back and forward all day long. thousands of times. it is not like the gb situation where it is going back and forwards and you are worried about dover. this is integral to the northern ireland economy and especially the border areas. 0n the next day we will start to see the economy slide, we'll start to see businesses close, we will share —— she —— see our share price is getting more volatile. there is no plan for an ordeal, no plan put forward, no proper preparation. for us it isjust not a cce pta ble preparation. for us it isjust not acceptable that we would put small businesses and employees and consumers at risk. it is the job of politics to ensure things like these don't happen. it is politicians' responsibility to get this country

through this and get a deal. is year ago you said you want to brexit to help small businesses to capitalise on the changes that were coming. that seems a long time ago? we put a deal on the table and we to the dup and sinn fein and the five cabinet ministers in the british government we re ministers in the british government were northern ireland could become an enhanced economic zone, which would solve the problem of the language on the backstop regulation. we could still stay within the uk regulatory zone but still have u nfettered regulatory zone but still have unfettered access to europe and we could be the pathway for the uk and europe to come together. our little zone could become the singapore of the western hemisphere. we have given that paper. there is details behind it. it is only at this stage people are starting to lift their heads and say, what was that solution? and hoping people got those solutions. we have talked enough and we need to get work done around getting a deal. tina mckenzie, thank you.

you are watching afternoon live. a teenager who attacked a car with a "zombie knife", has been jailed for three and a half years after the court of appeal decided his suspended sentence was unduly lenient. let's get more on this with danny shaw whojoined me let's get more on this with danny shaw who joined me from the newsroom. give us the background to this? this all goes back to last year, last may, when this boy was 17 yea rs year, last may, when this boy was 17 years old. joshua gardner. he tried to attack a motorist in broad daylight in a street in south london, using a ten inch zombie knife. the incident was captured on dashcam footage from another vehicle. the driver of the car that was being attacked and joshua gardner had previous disputes. there was animosity between them. he repeatedly tried to get into the car, tapping on the glass, breaking the glass at one point. and the driver actually fled on foot. the case came to court and

what actually happened was that joshua case came to court and what actually happened was thatjoshua gardner got a two—year suspended sentence, suspended for two years, ordered to undertake unpaid work as well and was placed under a curfew with an electronic tag. it emerged that at the time of the offence he was under a community sentence having previously been convicted of an attempted robbery of a teenage boy and he was carrying a knife on that occasion. he had actually been attending a weapons awareness scheme. so thejudges attending a weapons awareness scheme. so the judges at the court of appeal were asked to reconsider the sentence, be suspended sentence, and they decided it was unduly lenient. the lead judge in this appeal, a very experienced court of appealjudge, said that gardner ought to have understood the horrific dangers that flow from carrying a knife. he said one of the great problems society was facing was knife crime in a subculture where people don't assist police.

young men are losing their lives. gardner has now gone to prison for three and a half years. he will not serve all of that time. he will probably be out in a year and a half. it was clear the judges wanted to send a warning to other young people who carry knives and use knives that they face substantial prison sentences. danny shaw. people across large areas of the united states have been warned of a once—in—a—generation blast of arctic air due to hit much of the country over the next few days. it's caused by a spinning pool of cold air known as the polar vortex, and it could bring temperatures as low as minus 53 degrees celsius. it's thought at least 55 million people will experience sub—zero temperatures, and it's affecting the midwest region as well as the usually milder southern states of alabama and mississippi. people in iowa have been told to "avoid taking deep breaths, and to minimise talking" if they go outside. richard galpin reports. the big freeze has hit more than ten states so far. temperatures plummeting to —27 celsius in the midwest and expected

to get even colder today. driving on the roads has become extremely hazardous. several people have already been killed. the cars are into other pick—ups. for those caught out in what has been described as a once in a generation weather event. there are many other dangers. frostbite sitting in within ten minutes. if you don't need to be outside at this time, do not go outside. the temperatures today are not to be taken lightly. these are actually a public health risk. in some areas, people who have ventured out have been told by the authorities not to take deep breaths and to minimise talking. breeding in extremely cold air can cause medical problems. so, what has

caused this dramatic fall in temperature? essentially, arctic air has broken from the far north and drifted far south into the midwest with temperatures down to —30 degrees at night, on top of that there is a wind, the wind chill is down to —50, incredibly dangerous. frostbite in minutes. whilst some children still went to school yesterday, in chicago, 360,000 students have been told to stay at home. and to keep the trains running, railway staff have been setting fire to the tracts to stop the metal contracting. but this extreme cold weather could soon come to an abrupt end. forecasters predict a massive swing in temperature, with chicago enjoying the comparative warmth of plus 10 celsius by the weekend.

nothing like that here but it is not going to be pretty. here is chris fawkes. hello. the snow may look pretty but it has been causing some disruption, particularly in greater manchester this morning. the runway was shut at manchester airport. some 200 schools are out. we have got some snow on the ground across east anglia. you can see that. it is these snow showers that have been feeding in across the irish sea that area feeding in across the irish sea that are a cause for concern. very localised. there could be localised disruption across north—west england for a time due to that snow. overnight as the skies clear we are looking at a sharp frost. things will turn icy. temperatures taking a real dive. the towns and cities are plumbing the depths. temperatures down to —5, —6.

in the countryside it is likely to be one of the cold est it is likely to be one of the coldest night of the winter. into first, more trouble brewing. an area of low pressure moves into the uk and we start to see rain turned to snow as it hits the cold air. the first place you will see that snow is across south—west england and then across the high ground in wales initially. we will see some disruption from that snow developing probably late morning into the afternoon. away from that a lot of dry weather but after the cold start to the day sunshine. temperatures five celsius. thursday evening the weather froms push further north, bringing some significant accumulation of snow to part of south—west england. the amount of snow you see in the midlands and south west england will vary significantly from place to place but could bring between one and five centimetres and bring disruption. the heaviest snow is set to work into wales, five to ten centimetres. that will continue pushing into the

midlands and wales as we go through thursday night into the early hours of friday. this means there is a significant risk of some transport disruption with heavy snow, widespread ice, disruption does seem likely. into friday, and icy start could cause some travel problems. still be scope for some wintry nets around across southern counties of england and the eastern side of england and the eastern side of england as well. snow showers causing problems. another cold day. that's your weather. this is bbc news — our latest headlines. theresa may will meet labour leader jeremy corbyn this afternoon — to discuss the government's attempts to renegotiate her brexit deal. but eu leaders say they won't revise the withdrawal agreement, and ireland's foreign minister says there are no alternatives to the to the backstop to prevent a hard border. a teenager who attacked a car with a zombie knife has beenjailed afterjudges overturned his "lenient" suspended sentence. an arctic freeze in the us. officials in one state warn people not to take deep breaths outside as temperatures fall to minus

30. sport now, on afternoon live with reshmin. and after manchester city's defeat last night, what kind of mood do we think the liverpool manager jurgen klopp will be in today? i think we have to say he will be pretty ha p py i think we have to say he will be pretty happy today after liverpool's recent challenges with chester city. they lost 2—1 after liverpool came from behind to beat them. it was a bit of a shock and it means that liverpool will move within seven points clear at the top of the table if they beat leicester city tonight. that win by newcastle sent twitter into meltdown. there was an outpouring of love from liverpool fa ns to outpouring of love from liverpool fans to was newcastle boss —— towards newcastle boss, so the win certainly a

huge based. interestingly in a interview the chairman admitted that while he loves the dayjob be intensity of the title race is not so much fun. let us enjoy the moment and the right as much as possible and go for everything. are you able to enjoy it? never, i don't really enjoy it, i enjoy the work with the boys but not the situation of it. but it is not the situation of it. but it is not the situation of it. but it is not the most important thing in the world, but in these moments it feels like it. i love what i do but the situation is intense as well. now an injury is never good news — but a 10 week lay—off for the world's most expensive player is a boost for manchester united paris—st—germain forward neymar will miss both legs of the club's champions league tie against manchester united in a fortnight‘s time. he's out for 10 weeks with a broken metatarsal — a foot injury. i'm no

doctor but after david beckham's injury i know that is a foot injury. what a boost for united then. the future — and their football — had been looking bleak underjose mourinho, and then came ole gunnar solkskaer — the old united boy who has brought the good times back to old trafford. he's won eight and drawn one so far. so even with the likes of france's wonderkid, kylian mbappe, the loss is huge. the brazilian suffered the injury in the french cup victory over strasbourg last week — he was also injured at around the same time last season. the french champions say they have opted for what they call a conservative treatment. psg travel to old trafford for the first leg of their last—16 tie on the 12th of february. menna fitzpatrick and her guidejen kehoe have become the first british skiers to win both paralympic and world titles. the pair took gold today in the women's downhill for visually impaired skiers at the world para—skiing championships in italy, to add to their gold medals at the winter games in pyeongchang last year. silver went to kelly gallagher, who won britian's first ever paralympic gold medal at sochi

in 201a, and her guide, gary smith. tomos williams will make his first six nations appearance for wales when they play france in their tournament opener this friday night at the stade de france. williams starts at scrumhalf ahead of gareth davies — and is partnered by his cardiff blues team mate gareth anscombe in the half backs. only three changes have been made from the team that beat south africa in november, as wales, who finished second in last year's competition, aim to build on their nine—match winning streak. france centre mathieu bastareud has not been named in france's matchday 23. he's been replaced by 19 year old romain ntamack, who will make his debut against wales. super league champions wigan warriors will begin their title defence on thursday against st helens on minus two points after being found guilty of breaching salary cap rules in 2017. the penalty, which includes a £5,000 fine, relates to payments totalling £1a,700, which were not declared to the rugby

football league. at an independent tribunal, the warriors admitted the sums should have been included in their cap valuation. wigan have the right to appeal the decision. that's all the sport for now. welcome back to westminster. theresa may will meet labour leader jeremy corbyn shortly to discuss the government's attempts to renegotiate her brexit deal. eu leaders have firmly rejected the suggestion that the withdrawal agreement can be changed. business leaders have voiced their frustration at events in westminster, with the director general of the confederation of british industry warning that uk companies are likely to accelerate their plans for the possibility of the uk leaving the eu with no deal in place. our business correspondent colletta smith reports. if mps thought last night's vote might‘ve reassured businesses, they'd have been wrong. the confederation of british industry says emergency brexit planning is heading into overdrive. i don't think there will be

a single business this morning who is stopping or halting their no—deal planning as a result of what happened yesterday. and i fear they may even be accelerating it because the other amendment feels like a real throw of the dice to be returning to renegotiate something that has been so difficult to negotiate. if it goes ahead, the renegotiation goes ahead, and it sounds as though it will, let us move very quickly so we know the outcome. there's concern that starting to re—negotiate a deal with europe would be a gamble, ending up with a no—deal would be too much of a risk for those companies operating across the border every day. if the withdrawal agreement is going to be revisited, what is key is the effect of any alternative arrangements. the key is that trade can continue across these islands. cross—border trade is key for northern ireland's small businesses. for those running hotels and restaurants, the concerns of the workforce are front and foremost. we have already seen a direct impact on our workforce. recruitment is down 50% from eu

nationals across the uk. we saw a large number of workers return home immediately after the brexit vote and when people are looking to come, there is a reluctance to come and work in the uk while there is continued uncertainty about how long they can remain. with companies in every sector now facing the increasing possibility of no agreement being stitched together, it is time for them to get down to the details. we have many businesses, about 1a5,000 businesses, that only trade with the eu bloc, and for them, their customers are demanding that they're holding inventory, or stock, which is taking up much of their cash and in some cases they are not placing contracts past the end of march because they do know what the terms of trade are going to be. businesses are used to getting deals done and are hoping that the government will be able to do the same. colletta smith, bbc news. with just under two months to go til the uk is due to leave the eu, tomorrow we'll have a day of special

coverage looking at the state of readiness for brexit and what preparations are being made both here and across europe. we'll bejoining forces with radio 5 live in a special programme at 11.30 tomorrow — putting your questions about how you can get ready for brexit to our experts. get in touch using the hashtag bbc ask this. you can also text on 6112a and email askthis@bbc.co.uk three teenagers have been arrested after a 17—year—old boy was stabbed to death in a street attack in north london. the suspects are aged between 16 and 18. it's the fifth fatal stabbing in the capital this year. three men have appeared in court charged with murdering a doorman at a party in london's west end. 33—year—old tudor simionov was working at the private event in park lane, when he was attacked and killed in the early hours of new year's day. forcing job—seekers in england and wales to disclose minor criminal

convictions from their past is a breach of their human rights, according to a ruling upheld today by the supreme court. the case was brought by a group of people who believe their past criminality has prevented them from getting jobs. sarah campbell gave us this update from outside the supreme court. the current situation is that when applying for certainjobs such as working with children or vulnerable adults, applicants with more than one conviction are required to disclose all of them, no matter how minor, and any cautions or reprimands received as a child or young offender must also be disclosed. so, the supreme court were asked to look at a number of cases. one case, a lady referred to in court as p, 20 years ago while suffering from undiagnosed schizophrenia she was convicted of the theft of a book costing 99p then failed to meet her bail conditions. since then she has committed no further offences, she is qualified to work as a teaching assistant but hasn't been able to find employment.

she said it is because she has to disclose these convictions. today, the supreme court essentially agreed with her, ruling that having to disclose them irrespective of what those convictions are isn't proportionate and therefore is in breach of human rights. the second exception revolved around reprimands given to young offenders, so g, who was aged 11 when he was arrested for sexually assaulting two younger boys. the cps decided at the time it wasn't in the public interest to prosecute, the police gave significant mitigating reasons for this and he got two police reprimands instead. he hasn't offended since but now has to disclose those reprimands and says that has affected the jobs he can apply for. again, the supreme court ruled this was essentially unfair. now the government has fought this through the courts but today with the supreme court ruling it means the government, the home office, must now look at changing the system. the brazilian mining company, vale, which owns the dam that collapsed last week, has announced plans to decommission ten others built using the same methods. at least 8a people died and more than 270 others

are unaccounted for, after toxic sludge engulfed a company canteen and nearby buildings. a vigil has been overnight to remember the victims. maryam is here — in a moment she will be telling us what's hot and what's not in the business news. first a look at the headlines on afternoon live. theresa may will meet labour leader jeremy corbyn shortly— to discuss the government's attempts to renegotiate her brexit deal. a teenager who attacked a car with a ‘zombie knife' has beenjailed afterjudges overturned his "lenient" suspended sentence. an arctic freeze in the us. officials in one state warn people not to take deep breaths outside. here's your business headlines on afternoon live. sterling has recovered a little against the dollar after falling heavily last night — after mps voted down a proposal in parliament that could have prevented a "no—deal" brexit. investors are nervous

about what leaving the uk without a deal could mean for the economy. but it's won back some of that value today, more in markets later. uk companies are likely to speed up plans for a no—deal brexit after last night's votes, according to the head of the cbi. carolyn fairbairn says a plan to renegotiate the uk's withdrawal deal does not give business the certainty it needs. sa ntander anounced its latest results for the fourth quarter — with the bank reporting a a% increase in profits. but, last week it announced it close up to a fifth of its uk branches, as it looks to cut costs. a look at the business reaction about what's been happening in westminster now with maryam? disappointment that we are having more of the same. let us look specifically at the pound because pound sterling took a hit last night as investors worried about the

prospect of eight no—deal brexit and businesses are closer than ever to enacting their no deal preparations. little bit earlier we spoke to hannah essex. at the british chamber of commerce we have been warning about this for many months. we did it so be back in september to show that any no deal situation about one in five businesses will move their operation to another part of the eu to have continuity of trade and the clock is ticking. businesses are taking prudent steps to prepare for the west and that means some of them have already enacted their contingency plans and that means some of them are already moving jobs and operations out of the uk, and for some that will be a permanent move even for some that will be a permanent move even if we end up with a deal. that is the view from business, what about the city. earlier we spoke to the senior economist at the

bank and described this as a major opportunity that has been missed. described this as a major opportunity that has been missedm had brexit on the 29th of march presents a big downside risk to the economic outlook. if parliament took steps yesterday to protect against that and give an extension to article 50 and to give parliament in opportunity to decide exactly what it wants, that downside risk to the economic outlook would have been removed so that would have been an opportunity missed. what is happening with the markets. opportunity missed. what is happening with the marketsm opportunity missed. what is happening with the markets. it has to be said that london market is on a high, the pound has lifted the market somewhat. in terms of the pound as i mentioned earlier we saw a big fault last night but it has recovered ever so slightly against both the dollar and the euro. i wa nted both the dollar and the euro. i wanted to show you what gold is doing at the moment, it is up over half a percent, always a good barometer of how investors feel

and they feel quite worried because gold is higher and it is always been easy thieving for investors in the past. i will have more business news throughout the afternoon will stop they hope you're keeping nice and warm. not as warm as you are but thank you for your concern. a new museum dedicated to the history of the second world war air base at biggin hill in kent is opening its doors today. the multi—million pound museum tells the story of the hundreds of raf pilots who died fighting the luftwaffe from the base which churchill called his ‘strongest link‘ during the battle of britain. duncan kennedy reports. if a battle can have a home then biggin hill was the home to the most decisive of battles. surrender what we owe to the few that saved many. in 19a0 this grass airfield was the front line against the germans. britain's future lay in the hands of raf pilots like the late geoffrey wellum. i always felt if i could see my antagonist i could outfly him in a

spitfire. and that was a big thing, see him, out fly him, fight him. geoffrey's story is now told here. the first museum ever built to remember this nation saving airbase. elspeth henderson's memory is also alive. she took shelter under a table during one german attack. the bomb hit the room, it bounced off a table before exploding. the blast shattered glass and the windows and the plotting table, before setting the building on fire. the room was described as being a complete shambles. but your mum was alive? she was alive, yes. elspeth was later awarded the military medal. then there is geoffrey greensmith. where did the bombs fall? he lived on the base as a seven—year—old and saw a wounded german airman land by parachute. he called me over and he had photographs of his two children. one was the same

age as me. that upset me, it still does. but biggin hill wasn'tjust a place about aircraft and bombs. through these letters it also became the location for romance and love. lillian simpson and keith ogilvie became sweethearts but when he was shot down and taken prisoner love only became possible through letters. dear lillian, your turn to be surprised now. i really can't delay any longer in thanking you for dropping those cheeky lines to a dead beat pow. keith later took part in the great escape from stalag luft iii. and lived, but his love for lillian did not endure. we don't talk in the language of victor and villain, we're sharing people's real human experiences and hopefully inspiring others by showcasing the very best of human spirit. a5a pilots from biggin hill died in a place that

became a byword for wartime defiance, and now a museum chronicles the airfield that saved britain. we'll be in brussels shortly — where the president of the european parliament antonio tajani and president of the european commission — jean claude juncker will be speaking. the arrivals as you can see pretty much complete but as soon as that session gets under way we will return to brussels and hear what reaction there is there to what happened here in westminster. it does look as though the president is about to open proceedings so let's stay with this at the moment. there isjunkyard info stay with this at the moment. there is junkyard info —— junkyard junker next to

michelle barnier. translation: colleagues i would like to talk about venice wheeler, a subject that causes great sadness. there is mass protest against a regime and the speaker declared himself interim acting president on the basis of the venezuelan constitution. following that a large pa rt constitution. following that a large part of the international community including latin american states recognised him as acting president, more than a00 people were killed and more than a00 people were killed and more than a00 people were killed and more than 900 people were arrested during the protest that took place. next saturday the venezuelan people we re next saturday the venezuelan people were back on the streets calling for fundamental rights. the european union has already voiced opinion

eight times on the situation in venezuela. no other country has a so much attention, unfortunately the situation is worsening and has reached a point of no return. the maduro regime has planted more than 3 million people to leave their country, the biggest wave of immigration that is ever affected latin america. and things do not change soon venezuela will collapse with terrible consequences for the entire region. after the events of last week the european parliament cannot stand by in silence. i spoke toa cannot stand by in silence. i spoke to a president by telephone to assure him of the support of the european parliament. we have granted a prize to the democratic opposition of venezuelan and we were the first institution to denounce it task on

human rights and to call for sanctions against the regime to prevent it from... called for its strategy to help with the migration process. some countries are only concerned about oil, but we are concerned about oil, but we are concerned about oil, but we are concerned about people and the suffering of the venezuelan population. i repeat, ithink that those who laugh showed their stupidity. we need to think of a peaceful solution and democratic transition. we also need to think on how the country can help return to... the european union needs to stand by the

venezuelan people, in the context of historic events which run the risk of undermining democracy, it is important which stand on the side of human rights, not oppression. transit back —— translation: obviously addressing a number of betting issues of which brexit is one but they are also talking about venezuela, the eu is taking great ca re venezuela, the eu is taking great care and venezuela, the eu is taking great ca re and concern venezuela, the eu is taking great care and concern over it. we are going to stay with this because we are expecting to hear reaction to the proposal from theresa may in the commons last night. the proposal that she wants to take back

to the eu looking for change to the backstop, the irish backstop agreement. we are going to stay with this and we do expect to hear from jean—claude young her shortly. this and we do expect to hear from jean-claude young her shortly. the minutes are thus adopted. go ahead. translation: thank you president. for 12 days now the italian government has been holding hostage migrants who have been saved in the mediterranean with the complicity of other european governments who deliberately are building electoral campaigns at the expense of these migrants. what is happening off the point... ok, they have a couple of

other things on the agenda. we will return once the address matters that affect us more directly but if you keep hearing about that backstop and wondering what on earth it is, let's get more from west morris, i reality check team to explain. you may have heard about the backstop, it is a bespoke term really so what does that have to do with brexit? think of terms of it sitting at any get the general idea. it is key to the talks on the future of the irish border after brexit, because this line between the irish republic and northern ireland will be the only land boyd are between the uk and the european union, and that matters for trait because in theory, there should be checks on staff crossing the border after brexit. but no one wa nts the border after brexit. but no one wants new inspections at the border. they bring back memories of 30 years of conflict in northern ireland and checkpoints could become targets for the uk and eu hope to agree a trade

relationship in the future that keeps the border as open as it is now. but if they cannot or if there isa now. but if they cannot or if there is a delay that is where the backstop comes in. it is a legal guarantee to avoid a hardbody under all circumstances. the government and the eu have come to an agreement about how it should work but theresa may's critics are not happy. this either is no get out clause to allow the uk to leave the customs relationship the eu sets up. the eu says they don't like it either and it was designed to be temporary. the government wants to tweak the backstop government wants to tweak the ba cksto p to government wants to tweak the backstop to get it through parliament but the eu insist that renegotiation is not on the menu so the look in for a compromise before time runs out. the eu says the backstop has to be part of the withdrawal agreement which needs to be ratified before brexit is due to happen on much need 29th, and without a backstop there would be no brexit deal at all. that is the nearest

chris morris has come to a baseball game. let us look at the weather with chris fawkes. this gnomic look on the ground but has been causing some disruption particular across the greater manchester area this morning, the ru nway we re manchester area this morning, the runway were shut earlier this morning and some georgia schools we re morning and some georgia schools were out. we have some snow on the ground in east anglia but it is the snow showers that are feeding and across the irish sea that are cause for concern. very localised but there could be some localised disruption across north—west england for a time due to the snow. overnight as the sky is clear we are looking at a sharp frost and things will turn a seat very —— icy fairly widely. in towns and cities temperatures are down to minus six celsius, in the countryside is as

likely to be one of the coldest nights of the winter. into their state more trouble brewing, miss c maintaining to snow as it hits the cold air. the first place that will see that snow is across south—west england and then across the high ground in wales initially. we will see some disruption from that developing into the early afternoon, away from that a lot of dry weather but after that constructed the day and the sunshine, it is going to stay cold with temperatures 2—5dc. during this evening we see the weather fronts push further northwards running some chelation of snow to parts of south—west england, the amount of snow you see across the amount of snow you see across the midlands and south—east england is going to vary significantly from place to place and could bring around one to five centimetres and a risk of disruption. the heavy snow look set to work into wales. that snow will continue pushing into the midlands and wales as we go through thursday night into the early

hours of friday morning. all in all this means there is a significant risk of transport disruption with heavy snow, widespread ice, disruption does seem likely. on into friday, and a sister activity could cause trouble problems out and about and there is a scope for some winter in a surround perhaps across southern counties of england and down the eastern side of england as well. we could see some snow shows here causing a few problems. according with temperatures around three or a degrees for many of us. that is your weather. hello, you're watching afternoon live. i'm simon mccoy in westminster. today at 3... theresa may prepares to go back to brussels over brexit, after mps in the house of commons supported plans to attempt a renegotiation of her deal with the european union. last night a majority in this house voted to maintain the commitment to know hard border between northern ireland and northern ireland, to leave the european union with a deal

and to set out to the european union what it will take to ensure this house can support a deal. but eu leaders say they won't revise the withdrawal agreement, and ireland's foreign minister says there are no alternatives to the backstop to prevent a hard border. we have less than two months to go now until brexit happens on the 29th of march. we are quite simply running out of road. here's the scene live at the european parliament in brussels where president of the european commission jean claude juncker is due to speak shortly. an underwater search will begin, after seat cushions believed to have come from the plane carrying missing footballer emiliano sala, are found on a french beach. a teenager who attacked a car with a zombie knife is jailed afterjudges overturn his "lenient" sentence. coming up on afternoon live, all the sport with reshmin. hello. liverpool have the chance to go seven points clear at the top of the premier league tonight when they

ta ke the premier league tonight when they take on leicester. we will hear from jurgen klopp. think you. and we'll bejoining you for a full update just after half—past. chris fawkes has all the weather. we have more snow and ice on the way. stay tuned for the forecast because there is the risk of disruption in the next few days. thanks, chris. also coming up, an arctic freeze in the us — don't take deep breaths outside, say officials, as temperatures fall to minus 30. hello, everyone. this is afternoon live. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news, live from westminster, where theresa may is due to hold talks with labour leader jeremy corbyn now in the house of commons, to discuss her plans to try and get changes to her eu withdrawal agreement.

the prime minister insists the eu wants a deal, and says she now has a sustainable commons majority to get one after mps backed a plan to renegotiate her brexit deal. but european politicians have flatly rejected abandoning the northern ireland backstop, the element of the brexit deal which mps want to replace or change. our political correspondent, nick eardley, reports. what now? finally parliament has agreed on something, but how does the government make it happen? the prime minister got a handsome majority last night. and that majority was clear. we do want a withdrawal agreement, but the backstop will have to change. and the prime minister will be negotiating with our european parliament partners to get the very best dealfor britain. and are you confident she will get those changes? absolutely. not everyone is so openly optimistic. can we find an alternative to the backstop? i look forward to the day today. thank you. theresa may has convincing to do. this evening she will speak to the european council president and is also holding talks withjeremy corbyn, but she believes it is clear

what needs to happen next. last night a majority in this house voted to maintain a commitment to no hard border in ireland, to leave the eu with a deal and to set out to the european union what it will take to ensure that this house can support a deal. that is a change to the backstop and that is what i will take back to the eu. it is not clear exactly what those changes will look like and laboursaid she would have to offer more. the prime minister may have succeeded in temporarily uniting her very divided party. but, mr speaker, is she willing to make the compromises necessary that are more important and that is to unite the country? if the prime minister cannot convince him, getting european leaders on board will be just as hard. the eu says reopening the withdrawal agreement and with that the backstop is a definite no.

if you were a betting person, would you bet two weeks from now that she's going to come back with something that would attain a majority, i would have to say i would not. there is a deal to be done, parliament has strengthened the prime minister's hand to get that deal. i think that was the story of last night. of course you're right, the ball is now in the eu's court, they have a choice to make. many are highly sceptical that theresa may can get the concrete changes that she needs. the backstop has been an issue for months and so far there has been no sign of a compromise that would keep every side happy. the prime minister only got a majority in parliament last night remember because she promised to revisit the withdrawal agreement. if she cannot deliver, the delicate truce could crumble. and so brexit talks go on. for some there is now real hope that a deal could reflect the view of parliament, but for others how to find a solution is as clear as mud. nick eardley, bbc news, westminster.

laura kuenssberg has tweeted that jeremy corbyn has walked into the prime minister's office. it is the response to what is going on in brussels that many people want to know about. let's speak to damian grammaticas. one thing you can say about the eu, they are consistent? they have. we're waiting here at the european parliament in brussels for a parliament session in which we will get the first sort of official response, if you like, the first sort of speakers to come up and discuss this. jean—claude juncker is due to speak in the next few minutes. we would hearfrom him. we don't think we will hear from michel barnier. the parliament itself will be debating its response, its views. we know that the coordination

committee, which met this morning, they came out very firmly, absolutely sticking to the european position all along, which is that the withdrawal agreement that contains that iris backstop, the insurance policy to guarantee no return to border controls, is not open for a renegotiation. what they do point to as being open possibly for negotiation is the accompanying declaration on future ties. and in terms of... damian, sorry. in terms of the wider picture, what about european leaders themselves? emmanuel macron, angela merkel, we have heard in the past they have said there is not going to be a renegotiation here. yes, we heard that from mr macron last night. today we have heard from the austrian chancellor,

sebastian kurtz, who said he believes the agreement on the table is the best one possible. he repeated those points that the eu is happy to look at the future relationship and ways that that can be made even closer, so the irish border question doesn't come into existence. angela merkel‘s spokesperson said earlier today that she was saying she acknowledges the house of commons has decided it wa nts house of commons has decided it wants more clarity on border arrangements, but that was up to theresa may to discuss with the european negotiators. the european position again being repeated by mrs merkel, open to hearing what the uk has to say, but the question will be when mrs may comes, how do you propose new arrangements to deal with the border question? what new arrangements? and are they simply what has already been discussed many times over in the months of

negotiations up to now and all found wanting? that is why we have the backstop solution in their in the deal mrs may agreed to. the european union will want to see something new. damian grammaticas, thank you. let's speak to our chief political correspondent, vicki young, in the houses of parliament. we now know thatjeremy corbyn and theresa may are in discussion. they will be talking about this gamble, it isa will be talking about this gamble, it is a gamble, but she is taking? yeah, i don't know where they will find much common ground. the only area is about employment rights, environmental protections, that is the kind of movement we will see in the kind of movement we will see in the next couple of days from the government, trying to ensure and reassure mps, particularly on the labour party, there will not be any backsliding, and that workers' rights are enshrined in law. that could be some agreement around that. the government has been speaking to

union leaders about that. when it comes to budget policy, but will be a lot harder. we heard jeremy corbyn earlier calling for theresa may to discount, to take no deal off the table. something she is not prepared to do at this stage. she will be asking him, what exactly do you mean with your policy when you talk about a customs union but also closer relationship with the single market? she will want to know what that means. there is a danger that they are going through the motions. they will be talking at cross purposes, talking at each other, rather than coming to any firm conclusion of a way through this brexit process. and obviously everybody watching at the moment for the reaction from the european parliament. what they say will be absolutely crucial? yeah, the problem for the conservative party is that they have been reunited for one night only. they make themselves feel better by walking through the same voting

lobby last night with the dup on brexit policy for the first time in a very long time. the problem is, have they coalesced around something thatis have they coalesced around something that is just a fantasy? is it a realistic ambition? busybody probable that theresa may can go to brussels, with the withdrawal agreement she signed off, that was painfully negotiated? agreement she signed off, that was painfully negotiated ? it agreement she signed off, that was painfully negotiated? it is possible the eu will shift. it is always possible. even then, when you interview, as we did last night, different people in the conservative party, they still don't want the same thing. there are some eurosceptics who would accept a so—called codicil, an attachment to withdrawal agreement. they may think thatis withdrawal agreement. they may think that is enough, to clarify the backstop is temporary. there are others, like boris johnson, backstop is temporary. there are others, like borisjohnson, who feel the whole thing needs to be taken out of the withdrawal agreement. that is a completely different issue. the danger for the that is a completely different issue. the dangerfor the prime minister is that she is staggering on and deal lives another

two weeks. depending what he brings back, we could be in the same position where her deal gets rejected again. and thatis her deal gets rejected again. and that is where we are. thank you. with me isjill rutter director of the think tank, institute for government. some will see this as a marvellous stroke of brinkmanship, that theresa may is beginning. others will say the european union could not have been clearer in recent months, that as far as they're concerned this deal is what it is? they have been pretty clear that the deal is not for changing and until yesterday the prime minister was also clear this is the only deal on the table and mps said the choice of her deal, no deal, no brexit. one of the questions is, is this really about trying to show to her backbenchers, both that she is willing to try, but

also that their complaint that the uk never really asked for something different, which you heard from some of her brexiteer colleagues, that the uk wasn't prepared to explore options, that the eu side was more receptive to some of those options? it isa receptive to some of those options? it is a chance for her to show, let's try, we will put your ideas to them and see where we get. she will come back in with something slightly amended, potentially, in february, or with the same deal she had before, which says, we gave it our best shot. that didn't it is no deal or no brexit. the issue of the backstop, there are those who argue that when the uk leaves eu, we take back control, can't we put our own end date to backstop and enshrined in ourlaw and end date to backstop and enshrined in our law and once we leave europe it is down to was? the withdrawal agreement is an international treaty. the uk has

—— can breach international treaties. but that the same time as you get is entering these commitments, the uk has become an important player in a torn right on the international stage. we want to sign trade agreements with lots of other countries. if its reputation as a country you can do deals with, but you can't expect the uk to stick with them, that is perhaps not getting soft on the best board. countries deciding whether they devote their time and attention to the uk, with the eu, with the us, china, india, and then maybe saying, we spend a lot of time doing a deal with the uk and when it gets inconvenient, they decided to abrogate. that is not a great way of starting. there is the matter of £39 billion in the divorce deal. is there a sense that could be used as a bargaining chip? clearly the divorce deal, that settlement of our obligations, has always been seen as one of the things that we have the europeans want. in a

game where negotiation where the cards were stacked against us, that was the one that of leveraged we had. that is why david davis was always very clear that we didn't want to give away things in the withdrawal agreement before we secured the future of trade deal. you will probably see more attempts to do —— to some degree of linkage there to say, actually, can we make that conditional? the problem is the eu would say that 39 billion is not a down payment on a future trade deal. it is us recognising the obligations we could when we were an eu member. that is the starting point for discussions. that shows we are good people to do business with. jill, thank you. air accident investigators say that two seat cushions that washed up on the french shore are likely to have been from the missing plane taking the footballer, emiliano sala, to cardiff. they have commissioned an underwater survey of the seabed to try to locate the aircraft which disappeared last week.

jon donnison has more for us from the newsroom. they have identified these cushions as coming from the plane? that's right. this is coming from the air accident invesigation branch who say they have been told by french officials that two cushions were found. the first was part of a cushion, found on a beach in normandy. that is about 35 miles to the east of guernsey. that was found on monday afternoon. a little later that day, a second cushion was found. the investigation team say that after an initial investigation, they believe it is likely that these cushions came from the plane. if it is confirmed, that will be the first debris found since the plane disappeared with emiliano sala and david ipsos —— david ibson nine

days ago. would there -- this time with the search area they were looking at? they have narrowed that them. they now say that having examined radar and the tide patterns and the rest of it, they have narrowed the search area down to four square nautical miles. the plane went missing, disappeared from radar, over guernsey on the 21st of january. so they are now going to do this underwater search and they say that a specialist survey vessel has been commissioned from the ministry of defence in order to carry out that search. they had previously given up on the search but have now said that a given they have got something to go on, they will start an underwater search. we have had a tweet this afternoon from the man in charge of the search which has been initiated by the family, a private research. he says that his search

vessel will be working closely with the ship that has been commissioned by the air accident investigation board. at the heart of this is the family. they flew over. they have beenin family. they flew over. they have been ina family. they flew over. they have been in a plane looking at the search area themselves, haven't they? they have, yes. by now there will be having to come to terms with the fact this is very much a recovery operation rather than a rescue. nine days missing. terribly cold waters at the moment. incidentally the air accident investigation bureau said the weather is so bad in the moment —— at the moment in the english channel, that any underwater search will not begin until the end of the week. thank you with the latest. a teenager who attacked a car with a ‘zombie knife‘ has been jailed for three and a half years after the court of appeal decided his suspended sentence was unduly lenient. our home affairs correspondent danny shaw has

been following the case. this goes back to last may, when this boy was 17 years of age. joshua gardner. he tried to attack a motorist in broad daylight in a street in south london, using a ten inch zombie knife. the incident was ca ptu red inch zombie knife. the incident was captured on dashcam footage from another vehicle. the driver of the car being attacked and gardner had some previous dispute. there was animosity between them. gardner repeatedly tried to get into the car, tapping on the glass, breaking the glass at one point. and the driver actually fled on foot. the case came to court. what happened was that gardner was given a two—year suspended sentence, suspended for two years, ordered to undertake unpaid work as well, and was placed under a curfew with an electronic tag. it emerged that at

the time of the offence he was under a community sentence, having previously been convicted of an attempted robbery of a teenage boy. and he was carrying a knife on that occasion. he had actually been attending the weapons awareness scheme. thejudges at attending the weapons awareness scheme. the judges at the court of appeal asked to reconsider this sentence. they decided it was unduly lenient. the lead judge in this appeal, a very experienced court of appealjudge, said that gardner ought to have well understood the horrific dangers that flow from carrying a knife. he said one of the great problems society was facing was knife crime in a soap culture where people don‘t assist the police. —— subculture. young men are losing their lives, he said. gardner has gone to prison for three and a half years. he will not serve all of those three and a half years. he will probably add in a year and a half. it is clear the judges wanted to send a warning to

other young people who carry knives or use knives, but they face substantial prison sentence. danny shaw. let‘s show you what happened, this is the prime minister‘s office a short time ago. the arrival ofjeremy corbyn. he was coming for those talks with the prime minister, accompanied by nick browne, seamus milne and carrie murphy. also at the meeting was the chief whip, apparently. an interesting meeting no doubt given that in the hours before they had a heated debate in the house of commons during prime minister‘s questions. jeremy corbyn accuse the prime minister of needing to ditch her red lines in any upcoming talks with brussels. she hit back by saying that mr corbyn had no plan for a brexit. no doubt an interesting meeting under way between the two. more from that later. forcing jobseekers

in england and wales to disclose minor criminal convictions from their past is a breach of their human rights, according to a ruling upheld today by the supreme court. the case was brought by a group of people who believe their past criminality has prevented them from getting jobs. sarah campbell gave us this update from outside the supreme court. the current situation is that when applying for certain jobs such as working with children and vulnerable adults, applicants with more than one conviction are required to disclose all of them, no matter how minor. any cautions or reprimands receives as a child or young offenders, must be disclosed also. the supreme court love that one case ofa the supreme court love that one case of a lady who, 20 years ago while suffering from undiagnosed schizophrenia, was convicted of the theft of a book costing 99p and failed to meet her bail conditions. she has committed no further offences since then. she has qualified to work as a teaching assistant but has not been able to find employment because she had

to disclose these convictions. the supreme court essentially agreed with her today. having to disclose them isn‘t proportionate and is therefore in breach of her human rights. the second exception revolve around reprimand is given to young offenders. a man who was arrested a 11 to sexually assaulting two younger boys, it was decided at the time it was not in the public interest to prosecute. the police gave significant mitigating reasons. he got two police reprimands. he has not offended since but has to disclose those reprimand and said that has affected the job—seeker apply for. the supreme court ruled this was essentially unfair. the government has thought this through the courts. but today with this ruling means the government and the home office must look at changing the system. sarah campbell. people across large areas of the united states have been warned of a once—in—a—generation blast of arctic air due to hit much of the country over the next few days. it‘s caused by a spinning pool of cold air known as the polar vortex, and it could bring temperatures

as low as minus 53 degrees celsius. it‘s thought at least 55 million people will experience sub—zero temperatures, and it‘s affecting the midwest region as well as the usually milder southern states of alabama and mississippi. people in iowa have been told to avoid taking deep breaths, and to minimise talking, if they go outside. richard galpin reports. the big freeze has hit more than ten states so far. temperatures plummeting to —27 celsius in the midwest and expected to get even colder today. driving on the roads has become extremely hazardous. several people have already been killed. the cars are into other pick—ups. there's people hurt. for those caught out in what has been described as a once in a generation weather event, there are many other dangers. frostbite sitting in within ten minutes.

if you don‘t need to be outside at this time, don‘t go outside. the temperatures today are not to be taken lightly. these are actually a public health risk. in some areas, people who have ventured out have been told by the authorities not to take deep breaths and to minimise talking. breathing in extremely cold air can cause medical problems. so, what‘s caused this dramatic fall in temperature? essentially, arctic air has broken away from the far north and drifted far south into the midwest with temperatures down to —30 degrees at night, on top of that there is a wind, the wind chills are down to —50, incredibly dangerous. frostbite in minutes. whilst some children still went to school yesterday, in chicago, 360,000 students have been told to stay at home. and to keep the trains running, railway staff have been

setting fire to the tracks to stop the metal contracting. but this extreme cold weather could soon come to an abrupt end. forecasters predict a massive swing in temperature, with chicago enjoying the comparative warmth of plus 10 celsius by the weekend. we are going to take you straight to the european parliament. jean—claude juncker is addressing members of the parliament but brexit. the european unions said so in november. we said so in december. we said so after the first meaningful vote in january. said so after the first meaningful vote injanuary. the debate and votes in the house of commons yesterday will not change that. the withdrawal agreement would not be renegotiated. both sides have said loud and clear that there can be no

ha rd loud and clear that there can be no hard border on the island of ireland. no slipping back into darker times past. i believe the prime minister‘s personal commitment on this point, but i believe also that we need the safety net that secures us against this risk. we have no incentive nor desire to use the safety net, but at the same time, no safety net can never fully be safe if it can just be removed at any time. sometimes from time to timei any time. sometimes from time to time i have the impression that some hope that the 26 other countries will abandon brexit, and so ireland the last minute. but this not a game. it goes to the heart of what being a member of the european union is. ireland pots

border is your‘s border and it is your‘s priority. ladies and gentlemen, we know from yesterday‘s debate, that the house of commons is against many things. it is against a no—deal brexit. it is against brexit. but we still do not know what exactly the house of commons is actually for. the concept of alternative arrangement is not new. it was discussed in the negotiations. it is referred to in the political declaration. and in our letter to prime minister theresa may, donald tusk and i committed to exploring it further as a matter of priority. but the concept is not a plan. it is not an operation solution. many in the house of commons, both among those who voted macro four and those who voted macro against the amendment, are aware of this. i will continue to be in close

contact with prime minister may, for whom i have the greatest respect. and i will listen to her ideas. but i will also be extremely cheer about the position of the european union that i have presented today. translation: allow me to tell you very clearly that yesterday‘s vote has further increased the risk of a disorderly exit of the united kingdom. we have to continue to do everything in our power to prepare all of the possible scenarios, including the worst. the commission has begun its preparatory work in december 2017. in close cooperation with the parliament, we have accelerated our preparations. we have been sending teams to every capital city to ensure that each

member state is ready, that the commission will supply full support as it has done since the beginning. we have had 88 notifications about the consequences of brexit in different sectors. we have made proposals on specific areas such as erasmus, social security and the budget of the european union. we have presented these today. i would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the members of the european parliament, to ensure that we can get a rapid agreement on these proposals, as well as on all of the other urgent files in the pipeline. it is important that the european union remains calm, united and determined, as it has been throughout this process. in this work we have to follow a

golden rule, we have to follow the result of the agreement and of the political declaration. i instill an optimist by nature and a believer in democratic institutions. this believes me to believe that there can and will be in agreement with the united kingdom so we can move on and move forward together with our new partnership. we will work day and night to make it happen and to ensure that we are ready in case it does not, whichever way i will a lwa ys does not, whichever way i will always ensure that this house is the first to know and the last to decide. thank you. now before i give the boy to our negotiator i wanted

to stress to the president of the commission and to our negotiator and the parliament that the solution to the brexit problem as we see it, includes the defence of the eu citizens, are 3 million of them who live in the united kingdom. that is a priority and we are also concerned about the rights of the british citizens who live in the eu. so percival, the rights of british and eu citizens and those from elsewhere as well, thank you very much. thank you very president, and those from elsewhere as well, thank you very president, thank you, ladies and gentlemen, secretary of state, first and foremost thank you for allowing me to speak to you once again. and they after tea to consolidate against

next to jean—claude juncker, this dialogue of transparency and confidence we have built together with you ladies and gentlemen, members of the european parliament and with the great brexit steering group. we have had a meeting pretty much every week. for the first time yesterday the uk pay minister theresa may openly called to open divisional agreement, even before the vote. she took distance from the agreement she herself had negotiated and on which we had achieved an agreement. the uk government then explicitly supported the amendment entered by sir graham

brady, 20 backstop to be replaced. that was planned under the irish protocol and two had that replaced by alternative arrangements. that would never actually defined. at the same time the house of commons rejected the no deal scenario without clarifying what means they would take to avoid that scenario. so that is currently the state of play. in terms of this extraordinary and lengthy negotiation, which because i was in the front line and under the authority of president jean—claude juncker, president risk and yourself, it was very serious.

presidentjuncker reminded us of what happened yesterday evening and we should beware of the uk parliament to avoid in your deal. i agree with trees at me, voting against any no deal does not rule out the risk of eight no deal. for us, divisionalagreement out the risk of eight no deal. for us, divisional agreement is and remains the best and only means to ensure a orderly withdrawal of united kingdom to implement in an orderly manner the decision taken by uk citizens which we respect, that being to leave the european union, and despite the difficulties we are facing today i believe we can achieve that objective on the condition we are both lucid and realistic, responsible and respectful, on both sides. each side with the other. ladies

and gentlemen, the backstop is mentioned by presidentjuncker is part and parcel of the withdrawal agreement and disagreement will not be renegotiated. the conclusions of the european council in december, which are squared with the resolutions of the european parliament, leave no scope for doubt on that point. on the backstop briefly, just so eve ryo ne the backstop briefly, just so everyone understands what we are talking about, the backstop is not any kind of dogmatism, it is a realistic solution. throughout the negotiations under your control, we sought solutions to the problems created in particular but not only in ireland by brexit itself. the backstop as it is included in the withdrawal agreement is the outcome of these extremely intense negotiations over two

years, involving us, with the united kingdom. never against involving us, with the united kingdom. neveragainst the involving us, with the united kingdom. never against the united kingdom. never against the united kingdom. the backstop is a pragmatic response to the unique situation on the island of ireland after the uk decided in its sovereign right to leave not only the european union but also the single market. then also the customs union. we needed to use to come up with this solution which reconciles various different requirements. the first one, for all of us, being to avoid at all costs the return of a hard border in ireland, in other words to preserve the conditions that have been in place for the past 20 years, peace, stability and dialogue. since the good friday and belfast agreement. i would be called that the united kingdom itself, through its prime minister on several occasions, has

confirmed its commitment as a cool guarantor of the conditions of that good friday belfast agreement, and have for 20 years, we ourselves, to european law and policies and peace programme have supported the success of that cooperation between the various different communities. that is the first requirement. the second requirement is the cult from the uk government to keep northern ireland‘s —— is the hole from the government to keep northern ireland and uk. the third requirement is ours, is to preserve the integrity of the internal market. that is a crucial point. the irish body, because of the uk well, it‘s going to become the border of the eu and

our own internal market. it is going to be our new external border and what is at stake is the protection of all consumers and companies in the union, more specifically still the union, more specifically still the uk decision to leave the eu, the single market, has a clear result. all the goods, all animal or plant to produce, all live animals going into northern ireland from the uk, not only entering northern ireland but also entering into the single market of your countries. the safety, the nature of those products linked to animal quality, and i am saying this as a former minister of agriculture in my country, that requires checks on those checks are implemented in all of our external borders, all around to the eu,

health checks, physical checks, that change checks and regulation checks. we all that protection to the 500 million consumers and the 22 million companies to all of those that are in the market. for those people now calling to get rid of the backstop there are members of the uk parliament, and i heard some of them state this morning, they negotiated with us. they know perfectly well that this backstop is a solution we came up with for what is the very heart, the core of us as europeans, our obligations and principles. the protection of the internal market and all of its dimensions, all of the rights, social, economic, consumer, environmental,

protection for companies and consumers. so, when i hearfrom some people who are pa rt when i hearfrom some people who are part and parcel of the negotiations, when i your what they are saying it is tough. i find when i your what they are saying it is tough. ifind it when i your what they are saying it is tough. i find it tight to accept the blame game they are trying to play against us. as president juncker has said, we will do nothing, it is as simple as that. nothing that will undermine the eternal market and compromise the future of the european union because of these negotiations, and does the president said we are nonetheless open to alternative arrangements which were mentioned yesterday in the house of commons, the irish protocol and the political declaration mentioned that. the

letter from declaration mentioned that. the letterfrom president declaration mentioned that. the letter from presidentjuncker made that a priority for future negotiations. we are ready to work on that as soon as the withdrawal agreement is signed but right here and now, quite honestly, no one on either side can say very clearly and precisely what form these alternative arrangements will take so they can be operational and so they can objectively meet the aims of the backstop. so once again, calmly but clearly i will say right here and now, with this withdrawal agreement as proposed for ratification we need this backstop as it is. ladies and gentlemen, rejecting the backstop as it stands today boils down basically to rejecting the solution which was found with the british but the problem remains, as i have origin described it for you, and on that

point, going beyond the alternative arrangements mentioned, the european council and the european parliament on several occasions have clearly rejected the idea of having a limit in time or leaving unilaterally the backstop because that would undermine the idea of the backstop. it is an assurance, it is your insurance for your house or apartment or whatever, we do not wa nt to apartment or whatever, we do not want to use it but it will be there if we need that insurance. the withdrawal agreement we are talking about goes well beyond the question of ireland. this agreement shows the rate of more than four and a half million citizens. you talked about the priority of the parliament, it is ours as well and whatever happens, that priority to security rights of citizens and compatriots, living in the

uk from different countries, and the rights of one and a half million uk citizens in our countries, securing those rights are our priority. we have to protect the beneficiaries in the 20 countries. they committed we entered into have to be respected by 28. the 21 month transition period, in the course of which administrations and companies on both sides will be able to prepare themselves for this future relationship, and that will give us a time, not long, it will be very demanding, but it will give us time to negotiate the future relationship. this agreement is necessary first step to build confidence between the united kingdom which will remain an ally,

partner and friendly country, and the european union. a real solid ambitious partnership, and i would just like to add in respect of this future relationship. the europeans are ready and will continue to be ready over coming days to be more ambitious and to rework the nature and intensity of our future relations, economic relations in particular, and you know, there are several models for economic cooperation is with countries. each of these models have their own balance, rights and obligations but there are many different models. if there are many different models. if the uk demand were to evolve beyond a simple free trade agreement on which we agreed in the political declaration and move towards another model, we would be ready to discuss

that immediately and express their own ambitions in the face of the uk's own ambitions in the face of the uk‘s ambitions. we have said that already. i mentioned the acidity beforehand and realism as you did madam secretary of state. it is less than 60 days to when the uk is going to leave but we do not have a positive majority in the house of commons and a clearly identified solution accepted by the uk and as presidentjuncker said it is therefore urgent that we should be prepared for all scenarios and we should ring in all contingency measures which are more essential than ever. that is what the secretary—general has been called upon to do by presidentjuncker who is working with you and all of your teams. thank you very much for your attention and your confidence.

thank you, you can count on support of the european parliament. mr president, president in the office, president in the office, dear colleagues, i would like to begin by thanking juncker and michelle barnier. we shall pull away from the moment. let‘s bring in our correspondence. as we were discussing earlier there is no sign of any change, barnier says we need the backstop as it is and they say we are playing being game against us. “— we are playing being game against us. —— blame game. we are playing being game against us. -- blame game. yes, the three speakers have all made the same point that the withdrawal agreement

is not open for renegotiation. we have heard that from barnier, his boss juncker and also, have heard that from barnier, his bossjuncker and also, before that, from the representative of the romanians and 27 countries. they all said what are the alternative arrangements that the uk is proposing? they all indicated they would be willing to be open to discussions and to listen to what mrs may has to say but what presidentjuncker has said is he will listen to her ideas and be in contact, but we do not know what it is for. interestingly, we heard the pinning of what michelle barnier said, a pointed remark at some of the frustrations on the eu site, where he said he listened to the debate in the uk parliament

yesterday where he saw theresa may and the uk government calling for the agreement they just sealed with him over a year or more negotiations, and taking a distance from the agreement she had negotiated herself, and i think what he is saying is from the eu side, that puts the eu site in a very difficult position in its confidence in its negotiating partner. i think you are saying we are ready to work on alternative arrangements which is what the uk amendment calls for but nobody can say what form they will ta ke nobody can say what form they will take now and how they will meet the needs of the backstop. he does not believe it exists at the minute. europe says it is ready to more ambitious and outlining future prospects relations with the uk but not ready to touch the backstop. the text and the rest of the withdrawal

agreement must take as it is, because not be clearer. yes, but i think that is an important signal that the eu is trying to send. it touches on this comment about a blame game. the eu wants to say it is willing to be flexible, it has been flexible in the design of the backstop already. immediate point clear, it is designed according to theresa may‘s wishes and he is saying the us willing to be flexible on the part of the deal which is about the future relationship —— the eu is willing to be flexible. when he is talking about being ambitious, thatis he is talking about being ambitious, that is code about being willing to talk about it customs arrangement, economically close ties that would make the border issue much easier to solve he is saying the eu is open to discussion and that is repeating what we heard last night from donald tusk, what we heard from the austrian chancellor, coming from the eu countries. they are offering

flexibility on that side of the negotiation and on the future talks and relationship. the current deal has taken each year are still to negotiate or more, the very clearly seen today it is not open for renegotiation. she enquired juncker described himself as an optimist —— jean—claude juncker described himself as an optimist. yes, we heard the idea repeated earlier about european union and the european 27 aside believed they had managed to stay together and unified without this process, and believe that has been key to their negotiating stance and the cost to keep that unity. not to break away and have lateral deals with the uk. mrjuncker also said and talked about the backstop, saying he was an

optimist about getting a deal. he believed prime minister may in her assurances about the backstop and there would be no return to a high point on the island of ireland because of the importance for the peace process, but he said we still need a safety net. the eu are still insisting there, despite his optimist, says they need a safety net. not one bit want to invoke. still trying to push that message and hoping it will get through, perhaps meaning it has not quite got through. it is not something they wa nt to through. it is not something they want to see come into play, it is not a trap for the uk, michael barnier was at pains to say this had been carefully crafted over a year of negotiations to meet the uk‘s needs and fit within the uk‘s red lines. if you asked anybody there if there was any point entries on a booking a flight to brussels, what would they say?

—— in theresa may booking a flight to brussels. would they say? —— in theresa may booking a flight to brusselslj booking a flight to brussels.” think they would say whatjuncker said, they will listen to their ideas. it is open to discussions are not closed off but the negotiation itself on that withdrawal agreement and will not reopen, so the eu wants to signal if there is a new idea, bring it but from the site of the table, they do not believe they can see what that is and see a way through. i think the interesting thing is that point about the future relationship and the ambition for that. the eu had said and last night we heard this again, they believe that a collaborative approach to trying to work out solutions together in this, the uk 27 is the best way forward and trying to signal that to the future relationship. saying the hives

negotiations over the withdrawal agreement and backstop have happened, they want that to remain closed or remain open to listening to uk ideas and demands on the other side of the negotiations and future ties. thank you. we havejust side of the negotiations and future ties. thank you. we have just been going on about this backstop and if you are wondering what on earth that backstop actually is, here is our reality check corresponding to explain. you may have heard about the backstop, it is a baseball term really so what does that have to do with brexit? think in terms of a safety net and you get the general idea. the backstop is key to the talks on the future of the irish border after

brexit. why? because this line between the irish republic and northern ireland will be the only land border between the uk and the european union, and that matters for trade because in theory, there should be checks on stuff crossing the border after brexit. but no one wants new inspections at the border. they bring back memories of 30 years of conflict in northern ireland and checkpoints could become a target, so the uk and eu hope to agree a trade relationship in the future that keeps the border as open as it is now. but if they cannot or if there is a delay that is where the backstop comes in. it is a legal guarantee to avoid a hard border under all circumstances. the government and the eu have come to an agreement about how it should work but theresa may‘s critics are not happy. they say there is no get out clause to allow the uk to leave the new customs relationship the eu sets up. the eu says they don‘t like it either and it was designed to be temporary. the government wants to tweak the backstop to get it through parliament but the eu insist that renegotiation is not on the menu, so they‘re looking for a compromise before time runs out. the eu says the backstop has to be part of the withdrawal agreement which needs to be ratified before brexit is due to happen on march 29th, and without a backstop

there would be no brexit deal at all. i‘ve been looking at twitter and the front page has just been tweeted, worth a look because it has been drawn by an artist who says the unicorn helmet in particular, is inspired. looking at the events in the house of commons last night our appointment given what we have heard from the european parliament. trees are meet going into battle with what the spectators says is her last shot. there is plenty more from westminster in the next few minutes. now it‘s time for a look at the weather with chris fawkes. hello. the snow may look pretty

on the ground but it has been causing some disruption, particularly in the greater manchester area this morning. the runway was shut at manchester airport earlier on. some 200 schools are out. we have got some snow on the ground across east anglia. you can see that here. it is these snow showers that have been feeding in across the irish sea that are a cause for concern. very localised. there could be further localised disruption across north—west england for a time due to that snow. overnight as the skies clear we are looking at a sharp frost. things will turn icy fairly widely. temperatures taking a real dive. the towns and cities are plumbing the depths. temperatures down to —5, —6. in the countryside it is likely to be one of the coldest nights of the winter. into thursday, more trouble brewing. an area of low pressure moves into the uk and we start to see rain turn to snow as it hits the cold air. the first place you will see that snow is across south—west england and then across the high ground in wales initially.

we will see some disruption from that snow developing probably late morning into the afternoon. away from that a lot of dry weather but after the cold start to the day, in the sunshine it was going to stay cold. temperatures two to five celsius. thursday evening, the weather fronts push further north, bringing some significant accumulation of snow to parts of south—west england. the amount of snow you see in the midlands and south west england will vary significantly from place to place but could bring between one and five centimetres and bring disruption through thursday evening. the heaviest snow is set to work into wales, five to ten centimetres. that will continue pushing into the midlands and wales as we go through thursday night into the early hours of friday morning. this means there is a significant risk of some transport disruption with heavy snow, widespread ice, disruption does seem likely. into friday, an icy start could cause some travel problems. still the scope for some wintriness around across southern counties

of england and the eastern side of england as well. snow showers causing problems. another cold day. that‘s your weather. hello, you‘re watching afternoon live. i‘m simon mccoy at westminster. today at a... eu leaders say theresa may‘s brexit withdrawal deal will not be renegotiated. the withdrawal agreement we made is the best and only deal possible. the european union said so in november. we said so in december. we said so after the first meaningful vote in the house of commons injanuary. the debate and votes in the house of commons yesterday do not change that. the prime minister has been holding talks with labour leader jeremy corbyn, who wants her to rule out a no—deal brexit. an underwater search will begin, after seat cushions believed to have come from the plane carrying missing footballer emiliano

sala, are found on a french beach. a teenager who attacked a car with a zombie knife is jailed afterjudges overturn his "lenient" sentence. coming up on afternoon live, all the sport with reshmin. hello there. liverpool have the chance to go seven points clear at the top of the premier league tonight. they take on leicester at anfield and we will be hearing from jurgen klopp. thanks, reshmin, and chris fawkes has all the weather. we will cast an eye on what is going on in the united states, with some of the coldest weather we have seen in decades. and we will cast an eye on what is going on here in the uk as we go through thursday and thursday night. more snow and ice macron the way. —— ice. thanks, chris. also coming up, an arctic freeze in the us — don‘t take deep breaths outside, say officials, as temperatures fall to minus 30. good

afternoon. the european commission president, jean—claude juncker, says the brexit withdrawal deal is the "best and only deal possible". he told the eu parliament that the deal cannot be renegotiated and the votes yesterday in parliament do not change that. theresa may, who insists the eu wants a deal, is holding talks with labour leader jeremy corbyn now in the house of commons. let‘s speak to europe correspondent damian grammaticas in brussels. it is pretty much what we were expecting. perhaps more vehement than that? that is right. very clear message coming from this debate in the european parliament today. jean—claude juncker, michel barnier, both of them delivering exactly the

same message, no to reopening the withdrawal agreement, to renegotiating the irish backstop. both made the point that side taken months of negotiations. both said it was the best possible, that it had been agreed with the uk government. michel barnier expressing his frustration that theresa may, who had negotiated the backstop, had now, he said, instructed mps, he said taking a distance from it, and explicitly called for it to be replaced. both also said they remained open to listening to the uk's remained open to listening to the uk‘s ideas. this is whatjean—claude juncker said. the european union said so in november, we said so in december, we said so after the first meaningful vote in the house of commons in january. the debate and votes in the house of commons yesterday do not change that. the withdrawal agreement will not be renegotiated.

both sides have said loud and clear that there can be no return to the ha rd that there can be no return to the hard border on the island of ireland. no slipping back into darker times past. i believe the prime minister's personal commitment on this point, but i believe also that we need a safety net that secures us against this risk. we have no incentive, nor desire, to use the safety net, but at the same time, no safety net can ever truly be safe if it canjust be removed at any time. sometimes from time to time, i have the impression that some hope that the 26 other countries will abandon brexit, and so ireland at the last minute. but this is not a gamer. and neither is ita simple this is not a gamer. and neither is it a simple bilateral issue. it goes

to the heart of what being a member of the european union means. ireland pots border is europe's's border and it is our priority. ladies and gentlemen, we know from yesterday's debate that the house of commons is against many things. it is against a no—deal brexit. it is against brexit. but we still do not know what exactly the house of commons is actually for. the concept of alternative arrangement is not new. it was discussed in the negotiations. it is referred to in the political declaration. and in our letter to prime minister theresa may, donald tusk and i committed to exploring it further as a matter of priority. but the concept is not a plan. it is not an operational solution. many in the house of commons, both amongst those

who voted for and those who voted against the amendment, are aware of this. we then heard from michel barnier, who repeatedly made some of the same points. you sent a frustration on the side of the eu, from jean—claude juncker, from michel barnier, that the negotiations that took so long, the negotiations that took so long, the deal that was so difficult to seal, which they believe they made a significant contest —— concessions m, significant contest —— concessions in, as been rejected by parliament. but they seem to be trying to persuade the uk mps that the value of it. mr barnier said the backstop was a unique solution designed for ireland and he said rejecting it was rejecting the solution the uk and the eu had found together. he said then that the outcome of this meant that no deal was more likely. we heard that repeated by

someone speaking for the eu 27. she said the eu had been hoping for more clarity from the uk parliament yesterday. what if instead had was more uncertainty, no clarity about how the uk parliament would want to avoid a no deal, no clarity about the alternative arrangements it instructed theresa may to seek. and more likelihood of a no deal out, the end of all of this. all said they wished to seek to try to avoid that if possible, which is why they are still open to talking to the uk side. damian grammaticas, thank you. with me now, is our chief political correspondent, vicki young. fairto fair to say, predictable, fairto say, predictable, but fair to say, predictable, but not the reaction theresa may needs right now? no, but pretty inevitable. downing street will hope it comes down a bit and by next week she could maybe go out there and start sameen gul talks. she is having phone calls with various people. there is a major issue.

last night the conservative party was able to vote on the same way on europe. really the question is, are they just coalescing and agreeing... you came up with a 02:06:17,1000 --> 02:06:19,243 wonderful phrase, reunited for one night only. came up with a wonderful phrase, reunited for one night onlym came up with a wonderful phrase, reunited for one night only. it is like brass! it makes you feel good. what will happen when reality bites. --? what will happen when reality bites. ——? even if the eu were to shift, and they say now they will not, but we do know they have moved the past —— in the past, how far would they go? boris johnson and —— in the past, how far would they go? borisjohnson and others say ta ke go? borisjohnson and others say take out the whole backstop. that seems unlikely. more possible is a so—called codicil, some kind of legal text to go alongside the withdrawal agreement. that will not be enough for some brexiteers. we are going to be back here in two weeks potentially with the same problem, that there has been a shift but it is not an offer some of those

brexiteers. the majority she got last night, is it really a stable majority? and much it is. we hear it here every moment, calls for another referendum. that seems very much to have fallen away? yes, i was never convinced the numbers were there in the house of commons, given that labour, even ifjeremy corbyn got behind it, we saw last night he had effectively 25 rebels who either abstained or voted against what he wa nted abstained or voted against what he wanted them to do, that is a group of brexit leaning labour mps you could argue they are from brexiteer constituencies, but they do not feel they can vote for a theresa may‘s deal. that is an important grouping. if that stays at 25 or even higher, that could be significant if they decide they have to leave on time. jeremy corbyn has been to see the prime minister. he has been there for a5 minutes. someone said they we re for a5 minutes. someone said they were saved by the bell because the division bell for a voting started.

they said there was a useful exchange of views, whatever that means. labour said the case was made foran means. labour said the case was made for an alternative plan, details about the customs union single market relationship, and they have agreed to meet again. it does feel like they are going through the motions. they went from a big fight the prime minister‘s questions to going ina the prime minister‘s questions to going in a room and saying, who knows what? theresa may make a decision a couple of weeks ago after the dues defeat in the hazard, is not to go for a so—called softer brexit, a customs union. instead she is still focusing on her eurosceptic mps and on the dup to try to get what they want. at the moment labour is not in that picture. this could change. if she doesn‘t get what is required from the eu and it has to come back here, maybe then she will need to change tack. you get the sense from everybody around here that no deal is looking more likely

today than it was yesterday? yes, thatis today than it was yesterday? yes, that is partly because what the house of commons did last night was they said, we are really unhappy, we don‘t want a no deal situation. they didn‘t not like it enough to do the meaningful bit, which would be to even change the law potentially, they went for the softer, we are not happy but we are not greg dyke at the moment... dozens of ministers are willing to resign to stop a no—deal brexit. when does high noon arrived? does no—deal brexit. when does high noon arrived ? does it no—deal brexit. when does high noon arrived? does it ever arrived? valentine‘s night! high noon. we look forward to that. vicky, thank you. where would you rather be on valentines night? you are watching afternoon live. let‘s here now from... let‘s speak to lucinda creighton, who‘s the former irish europe minister. shejoins me from dublin.

ijust wonder what i just wonder what you make of what you heard from the european parliament? it sounded pretty final. there is no chance of a change?” think us in dublin this comes no surprise. all of the eu institutions, if you listen to the very swift response from donald tusk, the president of european council, the parliament today and what we have heard consistently from the european commission, there is 100% unity in supporting the basic tenets of the withdrawal agreement. particularly the backstop as the only solution on the table currently to the future of the border in northern ireland. that is the sort of, you know, very clear and consistent view. i think a lot of people here in ireland are perplexed as to why we are, yet again,

seeing the prime minister going back to brussels asking yet again for changes to the agreement, which as far as all of the eu institutions and eu leaders are concerned, has already been done. the negotiation went on for nearly two years. it‘s over. it‘s either acceptable or not. is it your sense that we are near a no—deal brexit than we were 2a hours ago? i absolutely think so. i think the stakes have heightened. they heightened when the house of commons votes overwhelmingly against the withdrawal agreement a few weeks ago. and when theresa may withdrew it from westminster in december. these have all, i think, been steps ina very these have all, i think, been steps in a very negative direction. and i suppose, you know, a lot of people here are questioning why the prime minister has sort of dog in rather than sort of reaching out to those

in ourown than sort of reaching out to those in our own party and in the labour party who might be minded to find some sort of a compromise. but instead has decided to sort out entrench the position and go back to the european union to ask for something that is simply not deliverable. what does it say about the uk approach to the good friday agreement? i simply think the good friday agreement has not been a priority really since this debate began in the uk. i recall very clearly being in london in the run—up to the referendum in 2016, and speaking to people, speaking to seniorfigures in and speaking to people, speaking to senior figures in parliament and speaking to people, speaking to seniorfigures in parliament and indeedin seniorfigures in parliament and indeed in some of the business organisations, about the fate of northern ireland if brexit were to go ahead. and frankly, it didn‘t seem to be a concern or a priority. it was very much about the internal dynamics within westminster and particularly within the conservative party. i simply don‘t think that has changed. there is a complete lack

of understanding as to what this means in terms of, you know, how you were potentially mane border in the absence of the backstop or a full alignment through continued membership of the single market and customs union. there just is membership of the single market and customs union. therejust is no real understanding of what that will mean to the lives of people in northern ireland, to british citizens in northern ireland, what it will mean for the future of peace, not to mention the economic integration between the north and south. don‘t forget the economic integration east west between the island of ireland and the rest of the uk. these are concerns that have been at the foremost concerns that have been at the fore m ost of concerns that have been at the foremost of our minds in this country all along. but have only really begun to be sort of considered as a real problem because of the backstop. and dr now hadn‘t been factored in. given what you have just said and given been factored in. given what you havejust said and given now been factored in. given what you have just said and given now that time is running out, what is your prediction for what the border area

will look like the day after the 29th of march? i think if the uk leaves without a deal on the 29th of march, and it certainly, the chances of that have increased, i think it would be chaos, frankly. i don‘t think it will be possible to monitor new border posts and checks overnight. i have no doubt that is the process that would begin. and it would be required because it would become the border with northern ireland would become the frontier of the european union and the single market, and so there are obligations that go along with that. they would also be obligations for the uk, who would hope in those circumstances to begin trading under wto rules, to negotiate bilateral free—trade agreements with third countries, and of those steps have consequences. the can‘t have bilateral agreements with other third countries and expect not to have border restrictions between your territory

and that of the neighbouring territory, which of course is the european union. so all of this, i think, would be very context. i expect that negotiations will continue as to how this would occur. i think continue as to how this would occur. ithink in continue as to how this would occur. i think in fact the taoiseach, the irish taoiseach, leo varadker spelt it out in stark terms at davos last week when he reminded people what the border checks look like between the border checks look like between the north and south and talked about the north and south and talked about the role of defence forces, police and so on. it is inevitable that if this is what we are facing, that is what would be required. we hope it can be averted. we hope the prime minister camp, in the coming weeks, start to beat out to those in westminster abbey genuinely want to avoid a hard brexit. we know the plenty who do want a hard brexit. and start to build consensus with those who can find some sort of solution based on the withdrawal agreement, possibly around alignment of the customs union. i think that would be the best outcome. it would

avert the problems on the border. it would ensure there is no major economic disruption to the united kingdom and indeed to the republic of ireland. and make sure that our relationship can continue to be seamless. that would be the best outcome for our citizens. it is certainly what i think almost all irish citizens want to see. former irish european minister, thank you for your time. with me isjohn whittingdale, the conservative mp and prominent brexit supporter. i wonder if you‘ve changed your view of what has happened in the last 12 hours, that sense of tory unity that we saw and usually last night as seems to be giving way to a sense of real concern that we looking at a no—deal brexit? real concern that we looking at a no-deal brexit? one of the things european union kept saying to us was, what do you want, what would parliament support? last night sent a clear message there is a parliamentary majority in favour of an agreement, as long as we

can make the necessary changes to the backstop. the ball is now in their court. jean-claude juncker said in the european parliament this afternoon, we know we don‘t want the backstop. but we still don‘t have an offer they would regard as acceptable, as an alternative? we have made a number of suggestions as to how you can do with the question about the northern ireland border. we would like to move into a transition period, to reach a full trade agreement. but as long as we get a legal assurance that at the end of the transitional period they will not be a backstop. that has a lwa ys will not be a backstop. that has always been the issue that has caused most difficulty and which parliament very plainly said had to change if parliament is to agree a deal. listening to what we have heard from jean—claude juncker, michel barnier and others this afternoon, it is looking very unlikely? we have only had a a few hours since the vote in parliament. they are not the only people making comment. labour and

other voices in europe saying, hang on, let‘s look of the alternatives. i‘m still optimistic. but the prime minister has now been given a very strong and —— mandate from parliament to go back and say, this has got to change. i suspect until she can demonstrate that actually parliament would support a deal if those changes could be made, then we will not take it seriously. the vote last night was in favour of the agreement as long as the backstop can change. there are other issues we can debate. at the moment it has to be the backstop changes. it is quite a gamble given the length of time we have? it is always at the last minute. but it is not europe who is creating this last—minute crisis?m is up to the european union, and particularly the irish government, to find an

alternative. we have put forward a number of suggestions. but at the moment one or two people say, the agreement is the agreement. i don‘t accept that. i think realism will break out. nobody wants us to leave without a deal. i don‘t want us to leave without a deal. but they have to understand we are going to leave on the 29th of march and there isa leave on the 29th of march and there is a way we can reach an agreement if they address the concerns parliament has very clearly demonstrated. you are dangling a threat, the threat being if you don‘t accept our terms on the backstop, it will be a no deal. that isa backstop, it will be a no deal. that is a dangerous game. it is not a threat. it has always been the issue. we have always said on the 29th of march, that is the date we are leaving, we would prefer to leave with an agreement in place. but the 29th of march is the date britain is leaving the european union. we have until then to get an agreement. very briefly, one of the —— what are the consequences if there is a no deal? what happens to

this country? i think there will be problems attached to a no deal. i don‘t think they are as serious as some have tried to make out. one of the things my colleagues are put forward is that we can reach an agreement with the european union on the article 2a, which allows us to maintain zero tariffs while we reach a new agreement. i don‘t see there needs to be this massive disruption immediately. butland that the it will cause uncertainty and it would be much better if we could reach an agreement. john whittingdale, thank you. people across large areas of the united states have been warned of a once—in—a—generation blast of arctic air due to hit much of the country over the next few days. it‘s caused by a spinning pool of cold air known as the polar vortex — and it could bring temperatures as low as minus 53 degrees celsius. it‘s thought at least 55 million people will experience sub—zero temperatures, and it‘s affecting the midwest region as well as the usually milder southern states of alabama and mississippi. people in iowa have been told to "avoid taking deep breaths, and to minimise talking" if they go outside. richard galpin reports.

the big freeze has hit more than ten states so far. temperatures plummeting to —27 celsius in the midwest and expected to get even colder today. driving on the roads has become extremely hazardous. several people have already been killed. the cars are into other pick—ups. there's people hurt. for those caught out in what has been described as a once in a generation weather event, there are many other dangers. frostbite sitting in within ten minutes. if you don‘t need to be outside at this time, don‘t go outside. the temperatures today are not to be taken lightly. these are actually a public health risk. in some areas, people who have ventured out have been told by the authorities not to take deep breaths and to minimise talking.

breathing in extremely cold air can cause medical problems. so, what‘s caused this dramatic fall in temperature? essentially, arctic air has broken away from the far north and drifted far south into the midwest with temperatures down to —30 degrees at night, on top of that there is a wind, the wind chills are down to —50, incredibly dangerous. frostbite in minutes. whilst some children still went to school yesterday, in chicago, 360,000 students have been told to stay at home. and to keep the trains running, railway staff have been setting fire to the tracks to stop the metal contracting. but this extreme cold weather could soon come to an abrupt end. forecasters predict a massive swing in temperature, with chicago enjoying the comparative warmth of plus 10

celsius by the weekend. let‘s speak to christine michels, a senior program director for catholic charities of st. paul and minneapolis, which is operating a shelter to help people keep warm. that must be a tough ask at the moment? yeah, it is proving to be a difficult task. it is taking a lot of efforts by our existing providers in our community of efforts by our existing providers in ourcommunity and of efforts by our existing providers in our community and by our government entities to make sure that all members of communities as safe and warm places to be in in this unbearable cold. how many people do you think are directly affected and need shelter, who would normally not have it? hundreds. they say on our metro transit system we experienced on any given night about 250 to 300 individuals who ride the

tra nsfer 250 to 300 individuals who ride the transfer shelter. we have several hundreds of people throughout the metropolitan area who do not have shelter on any given night. what do you say to some of them who presumably say, i‘m used to sleeping out in the cold? do they have any idea of how bad things are getting? we have great partnerships with the law enforcement entities, the sheriff, the police department, metro transit police, to go out and advocate passion for people. so sometimes when they are not in a position to make good decisions for themselves... if they say no, we will be out there talking to them to encourage them to come inside. to those of was not used to any temperatures like that, what is it like to live in the middle of that? it is unbearable. there is no reason ora it is unbearable. there is no reason or a way anybody can survive outside of these conditions for a long period of time. cars don‘t want

to start. people shouldn‘t be outside. presumably you are just trying to find as much space inside, prefera bly find as much space inside, preferably with some source of heat, just to get everybody off the streets ? just to get everybody off the streets? correct. the shelters are extending their hours. they are staying open at all hours of the day. we are designating publicly held spaces such as libraries. the union depo centre is staying open. some people have a place to go in law enforcement and other emergency personnel have places to deal with people to get them off the street in these really dangerously cold temperatures. and everybody being warned, don‘t go out unless you have to? dunne that is correct. we are extending daytime service centres to keep people in one place. law enforcement is providing transportation for people between locations. shelters are running a

van shuttles to get people to where they need to go. but we are encouraging people to stay where they are at and to keep warm. thank you forjoining us. now, if you want to see exactly how cold it is out there have a look at what happens when journalist adam roberts threw a mug of boiling water out of his kitchen door in chicago. we can talk to add now. quite remarkable to watch. what is it like to live through this? as your previous guest said, it is bitterly cold. i have had the chance to be in cold. i have had the chance to be in cold temperatures elsewhere. in norway, the himalayas, greenland. i have never felt anything as cold as it is in chicago today. it is absolutely better. you look relatively cosy. you are indoors. presumably everything is vulnerable in weather like this? it was striking. i came down this morning

before filming that and i saw this ice that had formed on the inside of the key hole in our front door. the walls conduct the cold in from outside. even in a warm, well built house like this you can sense how bitterly cold it is outside. it is the degree of cold he wouldn‘t experience elsewhere. people where you are, they are used to low—temperature is you are, they are used to low—temperatu re is but you are, they are used to low—temperature is but nothing like this? one measure of it is what is open. my boys go to a local public school. their school has been cancelled for the rest of the week. basically most people are working from home. officers are closing. some basic emergency things are going on. some shops are open. but fundamentally the city has become rather quiet. zouma blue people are not going to work, they are staying where they are and try to keep warm? even yesterday, when it was not

quite as extreme as it is today, i went to the zoo. try to get a sense of what is happening. it was much quieter than usual. even the alpine yaks, the mountain yaks from tibet, they have gone inside. basically the city is in lockdown for a couple of days. keeping an eye on the forecast, which suggests this is passing and in a few days you will get back to normal temperatures? what matters as well if the wind. if you have strong wind coming off the lake, even if the absolute temperature is better, if the winds pig up, temperature is better, if the winds pig up, the chill effect is stronger. everybody is braced for the wind chill. adam roberts, thank you. time for a look at the weather... this is just remarkable seeing what is happening in the united states. yes, not just united yes, notjust united states but also

carried out with extreme cold. the start of this year there were sudden stratospheric warming where the stratosphere suddenly weakened its vortex and what is happened since thenis vortex and what is happened since then is a knock—on consequence. the pressure has been building, the way down to the atmosphere across polar regions and more recently we have had the air being pulled by those areas of high pressure across siberia, across the top of the north pull in that area of incredibly cold here has been pushing its way southwards across canada and the united states. i was checking some of the observations, we have had temperatures in manitoba which is in central canada, down to... chicago is —26. the maximum temperature on wednesday, there‘s something of a heatwave at the weekend, and she we

will see temperatures get up to plus 11 degrees, a rise of 37 celsius between today and the end of the weekend simon, so things will get better. telus what is happening closer to home because it is not pity for us. we have had a little bit of snow but not as bad as north america, check out this nasa satellite picture. we have also had some heavy snow causing problems in north—west england with some 200 schools shut in greater manchester for example. that is where we are seeing showers working in at the moment. the evader picture is picking up showers, one or two across the midlands towards the london area and we have showers into the highlands of scotland, many falling as rain but there is a little bit of sleet and snow mixed in as well. overnight tonight there —— many of us will have a dry night

with clear skies. for most of us it isa with clear skies. for most of us it is a clear and present cold night with temperatures down to minus six in towns and cities but much colder in the countryside. through thursday we have this troublemaker coming in, and area of low pressure is going to be bringing disruptive snow. most of it is equalled, —— cold, frosty start. they could be a risk of icy patches. through the afternoon we will see snow arriving to south—west england and across wales as well so thatis england and across wales as well so that is the first place will be unlikely to seek disruptive weather as we head through the afternoon. in terms of the amount of snow we could see something like five to ten centimetres of snow building in across parts of south—west england, further space probably not quite so active but across the midlands and south—east england we could see one to five centimetres of snow and ice and additional hazard thursday night. if you are planning to travel ta ke night. if you are planning to travel

take note of this. heavy snow is likely to be across the high ground in wales. that‘s not well continue through thursday night into the early hours of friday morning. to sum up, travel —wise we are likely to see significant transport disruption with a combination of heavy snow and ice causing problems. into friday, there is the risk of some rain treat —— maxima wintry nest around and further showers in eastern england, maybe one or two in each and scotland. another caudate with temperatures around three or four celsius for most but the fact of the snow and the ice is causing much concern over the next couple of days. that is the latest weather. this is bbc news — our latest headlines. eu leaders say theresa may‘s brexit withdrawal deal will not be renegotiated. the prime minister is hoping to make changes to the controversial back up plan for the irish border.

the withdrawal agreement remains the best and only deal possible. european union said so in november, we said so in december, we said so after the first meaningful vote in the in general. the debate in the house of commons yesterday to do not change that. the prime minister has been holding talks with labour leader jeremy corbyn who wants her to rule out a no—deal brexit. seat cushions believed to have come from the plane carrying missing footballer emiliano sala, are found on a french beach. an underwater search will now begin for more wreckage. sport now on afternoon live with reshmin. you can club has one of those smiles, when he smiles everyone smiles. i think after last night, he will pretty happy indeed.

liverpool‘s nearest challengers manchester city lost 2—1, after newcastle came from behind to beat them at st james‘ park. it was an unlikely result, they had not beaten in 22 premier league games. it means liverpool can move seven points clear at the top of the table, if they beat leicester city tonight. the win sent twitter into meltdown — with an outpouring of love from liverpool fans towards newscastle boss, rafael benitez — forever a hero at anfield, after delivering the club the champions league back in 2005. so the win was a huge boost tojurgen klopp — always an entertaining and happy character. interestingly, in an interview with our sports editor dan roan, the german admitted that while he loves the dayjob, the intensity of the title race isn‘t as much fun. let‘s enjoy the moment and the

right as much as possible and go for everything. we do not set limits. are you able to enjoy it? never, i don‘t really enjoy it. i enjoy the work with the boys but not the situation. football is not the most important thing in the world but at this moment it feels like it. i love what i do but the situation is intense. and one other football line to bring you simon... manchester united will face a paris saint germain side without neymar, in the champions league in a fortnight‘s time. the world‘s most expensive player is out for 10 weeks with a broken metatarsal — a foot injury. the brazilian broke it in their french cup victory over strasbourg last week — the french champions say they have opted for what they call a conservative treatment. psg travel to old trafford for the first leg of their last—16 tie on the 12th of february. there will be a new face in the line—up for wales, as tomos williams will make his first six nations appearance when they play france in their tournament opener this friday night — at the stade de france.

williams starts at scrumhalf ahead of gareth davies — and is partnered by his cardiff blues team mate gareth anscombe in the half backs. only three changes have been made from the team that beat south africa in november, as wales, who finished second in last year‘s competition, aim to build on their nine—match winning streak. france centre mathieu bastareud has not been named in france‘s matchday 23. he‘s been replaced by 19 year old romain ntamack, who will make his debut against wales. and england record point scorer emily scarratt has recovered from a hamstring injury in time for friday‘s women‘s six nations opener against ireland. it‘ll be the centre‘s first appearance for the 15—a—side team since leaving the england 7s programme at the end of last year. for their second test against the west england have dropped opening batsman keaton jennings for their second test against the west indies in antigua... uncapped kent batsmanjoe denly comes into the squad in his place. jennings has struggled forform recently, and only managed

scores of 17 and 1a in the first test in barbados. also spinnerjack leach replaces adil rashid, with stuart broad also included in the 12—man squad. the second test starts tomorrow. menna fitzpatrick and her guidejen kehoe have become the first british skiers to win both paralympic and world titles. the pair took gold today in the women‘s downhill for visually impaired skiers at the world para—skiing championships in italy, to add to their gold medals at the winter games in pyeongchang last year. silver went to kelly gallagher, who won britian‘s first ever paralympic gold medal at sochi in 201a, and her guide, gary smith. super league champions wigan warriors will begin their title defence on thursday against st helens on minus two points after being found guilty of breaching salary cap rules in 2017. the penalty, which includes a £5,000 fine, relates to payments totalling £1a,700, which were not declared to the rugby football league. at an independent tribunal, the warriors admitted the sums should have been included

in their cap valuation. wigan have the right to appeal the decision. some breaking news, in the last few minutes your planning has officially left his post as head coach after being suspended. we will have plenty more bbc news. —— neil lennon. now on afternoon live — let‘s go nationwide — and see what‘s happening around the country — in our daily visit to the bbc newsrooms around the uk. we‘ll be speaking to allen sinclair in southampton, where a mobile washing machine is being deployed to help people living in poverty... and stewart white is in norwich, where emergency kits are being distributed to pubs for use on acid attack victims. austerity may be officially over, but south today has been looking into the reality across the region... people who

are struggling to get by. it is into the politicaljargon of recent times, this awful phrase, just about managing. sometimes it shortens to jams. we have been trying to put a human face on those people and over the last you days we have turned up some really heartbreaking stories, right across the south of england there are pockets of poverty in towns but you would normally think of as fairly affluent. in recent nights we have been visiting for banks to cyp demand is still so high. we met were charities giving practical help like cookery lessons to parents to help stretch budgets. we have met organisations swapping and sharing and new school clothes and winter coats for families who are struggling to buy them new. tonight, it is about another of life‘s basics, doing the laundry. we have been to a school where it is a

school day but also washed eight because rolling into the car park alongside the teachers this morning was a mobile launderette with more than one washing machine on board, it is parents who are scotsmen otherwise not be able to wash their children‘s school close. otherwise not be able to wash their children's school close. they might come in the whole week without enable delaware creek close, sometimes the cuts are filthy and maybe their socks as well, they have had their socks on for a week and they are crusty. theresa may told us not long ago that austerity was over — but not everyone is seeing that reality. managing the laundry is such a basic need when budgets are tight... it appears to be a growing problem because 80% of premise good teachers say they had noticed an increase in children coming into class in dirty or unwashed clothes. similar stats for you, one in five parents say they can no longer afford to wash their children‘s clothes as often as they would like. we have heard of

schoolteachers stepping into bite washing powder and other toiletries or achieving supplies of clean clothes inside schooljust with those children. here is an awful bit ofjargon for you, those children. here is an awful bit ofjargon foryou, hygiene those children. here is an awful bit ofjargon for you, hygiene poverty. i‘ve not heard that before. when it comes to children, this is a really crucial issue. clean clothes, turning up anywhere in green close especially to school, it‘s all about dignity and self—confidence. this is a problem parents and children could do without. thank you allen. acid attack kits are being distributed to pubs across chelmsford to be deployed as an emergency first response for anyone who is attacked. what is this all about?” what is this all about? i have got some pictures of their kit, let me show you what is indicate. if you have a look at these pictures you

will find we have masks, water, gloves, scissors in there. there is a shower attachment. the shower attachment is particularly important because people think if you have had an acid attack what you need to do is wash it off and that is very important, but it takes along time if the acid is very strong. it takes a long time to get rid of it and so the shower attachment will help keep the shower attachment will help keep the shower attachment will help keep the shower going only person who has had to be acid attack for a long time until the ambulance arrives, thatis time until the ambulance arrives, that is very important for them and their injuries. i was crying for water, it wasjust burning, i thought like i was melting, someone came running out with a jug of water and poured it over me and that basically started the reaction again because it wasn't constant water, it wasjust a because it wasn't constant water, it was just a little because it wasn't constant water, it wasjust a little bit. i remember my hair smoking. and why

are these kits so important? she told me she went to the hospital and had three or four hours in and out of the shower to try and get the acid off then she could see it on herskin acid off then she could see it on her skin that it was still burning the moment the water stopped. she was very the moment the water stopped. she was very cold and the rest of her body but where she had been burnt she was burning up. the most regularly used hospital in this region were serious acid attacks is the one in transferred and in 2016 they had more cases of burn victims come in and they had in the previous 15 years put together. it is something which is happening more and more often. it is not happening particularly in chelmsford, because burns victims come from all over the region but it is a terrible thing. i asked adele what she thought of people who would do something like this and she had

one word, cowards. she is not wrong. thank you stuart and alan. plenty more where you watch at 6:30pm tonight. if you would like to see any other stories you can access them on the bbc iplayer. air accident investigators say that two seat cushions that washed up on the french shore are likely to have been from the missing plane taking the footballer, emiliano sala, to cardiff. they they‘ve identidied an area to search — and will begin an underwater survey of the seabed to try to locate the aircraft which disappeared last week. i‘ve been getting an update from our correspondentjon donnison. this is coming from the air accident investigation branch who say they

have been told by french officials that cushions were found, the first was part of a cushion, that was found on a beach in normandy, about 35 miles to the east of guernsey. that was found on monday afternoon and then a little later a second patient was found and the investigation team —— a second question was found and the investigation team it is likely it came from the plane. if it is confirmed it is the first debris to be found since the plane disappeared with emiliano sala and his pilot nine days ago. with that tie in with the search area, when there was a search that they were looking at?‘ mile square area? they have narrowed that down now. they are now saying they have examined radar and patterns, they have narrowed the search area down to four

square nautical miles. the plane went missing or disappeared from radar over guernsey on the 21st of january, so they are now going to do this underwater search and they say that a specialist survey vessel has been commissioned from the ministry of defence in order to carry out that search. they had previously given up on the search but have now said that given they have something to go on they are going to start an underwater search. we have had a tweet from david mearns, the man in charge of the search initiated by the family, a private search, and he said his search vessel will be working closely with the ship that has been commissioned by the accident investigation board. that‘s all from me at westminster this afternoon, in a moment maryam will be telling us what‘s hot and what‘s not in the business news. first a reminder of the headlines on afternoon live.

eu leaders say theresa may‘s brexit withdrawal deal will not be renegotiated. the prime minister has been holding talks with labour leader jeremy corbyn who wants her to rule out a no—deal brexit an underwater search will begin, after seat cushions believed to have come from the plane carrying missing footballer emiliano sala, are found on a french beach. here‘s your business headlines on afternoon live. sterling has recovered a little against the dollar after falling heavily last night — after mps voted down a proposal in parliament that could have prevented a "no—deal" brexit. investors are nervous about what leaving the uk without a deal could mean for the economy. but it‘s won back some of that value today, more in markets later. uk companies are likely to speed up plans for a no—deal brexit after last night‘s votes, according to the head of the cbi. carolyn fairbairn says a plan to renegotiate the uk‘s withdrawal deal does not give business the certainty it needs. sa ntander anounced its latest results for the fourth quarter — with the bank reporting a a% increase in profits.

but, last week it announced it close up to a fifth of its uk branches, as it looks to cut costs. in business reaction to events in westminster — the pound took a hit as investors worry about the prospect of a no—deal brexit, and businesses are closer than ever to enacting their no—deal preparations. earlier we spoke to hannah essex, co—executive director of policy and campaigns, at the british chambers of commerce. we‘ve been, at the british chamber of commerce, warning about this for many months now. we did a survey back in september that showed that any no deal situation about one in five businesses would move some or all of their operation into another part of the eu in order to have continuity of trade. and the clock is ticking. we‘re really close now to the 29th of march so of course, businesses are taking prudent steps to prepare for the west so that means some of them have already enacted their contingency plans and that means some of them

are already moving jobs and operations out of the uk. for some that will be a permanent move even if we end up with a deal. the royal academy of engineering is warning that the uk education system cannot produce enough engineers to support the economy, especially with increasing reliance on home grown talent post—brexit. earlier, we spoke to dr hi—artan sillem, chief executive dr hiartan sillem, chief executive of the royal academy of engineering. we're just not making progress fast enough. we have a profession that is today 12% made up of women, that is 2019,12% woman, 8% black and ethnic minorities, and we have skill shortfalls right across many, many different areas of engineering, and businesses are telling us this is having real impacts on their productivity and as we expect, they need to be economy to grow in relation to digital skills. we have got the fourth industrial revolution, digitisation of many parts of our economy, including engineering. we are going to see

increasing skills needed, notjust in those coming into the profession but also we need to put more effort into retraining and upscaling those who are already in the profession. what about the view from the city? joining us now is gervias williams, managing director, of uk asset management group miton group. we have been talking about the pound asa we have been talking about the pound as a barometer of how the markets feel about brexit and we have been watching the pound over the last 20 hours or so, what is the reaction been so fight today? the general reaction is that sterling has been strengthening and over the last couple of hours it has peaked a bit, so it is marginally down but the pattern has been relatively positive. what do traders want to see? out of westminster. i think we

will get you a solution on brexit, whether a hydro brexit or a softer brexit but hopefully it will come to an end and once investors can start making plans on that basis. most had made contingency plans but as we get to the finishing point investors can make decisions about reallocating capital. most investors over the last years have been underweight assets and if things looks stable formike assets and if things looks stable for mike reallocate back into the uk. they have removed money out of the uk and they will only bring back once they know where we are going? that is right, they want to feel confident about the future. chinese industrial production is properly in recession and moment, we have seen a pronounced slowdown asserting european economies and even the us which is been going so well is moving into a budget ceiling problem, probably in march, so the uk, by default, could be an area where investors feel they could reallocate capital back into the

uk. what about other factors impacting the market today? we're seen a strong in the ftse 100 the market today? we're seen a strong in the ftse100 and the main stock market and next is up by 107 points, moving up to watch the 7000 area against that has been a good move. on top of that we have seen specific areas coming through and you will remember, the crisis we saw in brazil, cutting back on production of iron or so other countries producing our no arguing up countries producing our no arguing up in this market. —— iron or are going up in this market. pound has recovered some ground agains the dollar and euro as investors keep hoping that a no deal scenario will be avoided. traders are looking to the us federal reserve which will make an announcement on interest rates this evening. it is not expected to lift rates but comments from fed chairman jerome powell will be scrutinised by investors for any hints about where us

monetary policy is heading. that‘s all the business news and afternoon live, here‘s chris fawkes with the weather. this no mean that petty on the ground that has been causing disruption particular across the greater manchester area, the runway at the airport was shut and some 200 schools are out. we‘ve got some snow on the ground at the moment across east anglia, you can see that here. you can see the snow shower speeding and across the irish sea and cause for concern. very localised but they could be further localised disruption across north—west england for a disruption across north—west england fora time, disruption across north—west england for a time, due to that snow. overnight at sky is clear we are looking at another sharp frost and things will turn icy fairly widely

with temperatures taking a dive. for towns and cities we are planning the depths, temperatures down to minus five or six celsius and in the countryside it is down to be one of the colder nights of the winter. my trouble brewing on thursday, an area of the pressure moves into the uk and we start to see that rain turned to snow as it hit sequel there. the first place to see that snow will be across south—west england and then across south—west england and then across the high ground in wales initially. we will seek the disruption from that snow developing, away from that it will become dry but stay cold in temperatures from two to five celsius. thursday evening we see weather fans push northwards bringing collations of snow to parts of south—west england, the amount of snow you see across the midlands and south—east england is significant but keeping around one to five centimetres and the risk of disruption through thursday evening.

the heavier snow looks set to work into wales, five to ten centimetres and that snow will continue pushing into the midlands and wales as we go through thursday night into the early hours of friday morning. this means there is a significant risk of transport disruption when heavy snow, widespread ice, disruption does seem likely. into friday, nic started the day causing some travel problems up and about, and some which are in a surround for southern counties of england and the eastern side of england as well. we could see some snow showers here causing problems. another because they were tempted around three or a degrees for many of us. that is your weather. today at 5.00pm: we‘re live at westminster, where the scale of the prime minister‘s challenge in trying to renegotiate the brexit withdrawal agreement is increasingly apparent. the response from the eu to the notion of reopening the deal and replacing the northern ireland backstop was spelled out in the european parliament. the

european union said so in november, we said so in december, we said so after the first meaningful vote in the house of commons injanuary. the debate and votes in the house of commons yesterday do not change that. the withdrawal agreement will not be renegotiated. earlier this afternoon, labour‘s jeremy corbyn attended talks with the prime minister to try to find consensus on a way ahead. also today: an underwater search will begin for the plane which carried the footballer emiliano sala, after debris is found on a french beach. an arctic freeze brings a cold snap to parts of the us with temperatures falling to —30 celsius.