you re watching bbc newsroom live. it's ham and these are the main stories this morning. in his annual state of the union address, president trump has made an appeal to the democrats to co—operate with him for the good of the american people and insisted the wall on the border with mexico would be built. we must choose between greatness or gridlock, results or resistance, vision or vengeance, incredible progress or pointless destruction. tonight, i ask you to choose greatness. mr trump also used the address to announce that he will hold a second nuclear summit with north korea's leader this month. theresa may is holding talks about brexit with the five main political parties in northern ireland, on the second day of her visit there. lawyers say five men due to leave the uk on the first deportation flight to jamaica since the windrush scandal have been given a reprieve.

according to campaigners, the flight has taken off. six of the largest hotel booking websites are to change to the way they operate following an investigation by the competition watchdog. council tenants in england, scotland and northern ireland owe local authorities more than 300 million pounds in rent arrears according to new figures, up by one quarter in the last four years. also coming up — should online abuse against disabled people be a hate crime? katie price thinks so, after her teenage son harvey faced shocking online taunts. i would like to say, if there are any trolls out there watching or if any trolls out there watching or if any of you know any trolls, just think about it, what to you get out of picking on someone like this and a lwa ys of picking on someone like this and always remember if there is someone out there you love, imagine if they committed suicide and left a note and it is because of online trolls.

good morning. it's wednesday the 6th of february. welcome to bbc newsroom live. donald trump has announced he'll hold a second nuclear summit with north korea's leader kim jong—un later this month. the comments came during his state of the union address, in which he also appealed for a compromise with the democrats to build his border wall with mexico. chris buckler reports from washington. the president of the united states! it's a sign of the political state of this union that this address had to be delayed. democrats initially withdrew donald trump's invitation to speak amid a partial government shutdown. we must reject the politics of revenge, resistance and retribution, and embrace the fabulous potential of cooperation, compromise and the common good. but after two years, during which some critics have

called mr trump america's most divisive president, the reaction of many democrats was telling. mr trump invited as some of his guests the family of a couple allegedly killed by an illegal immigrant, an emotive attempt to get funding for his long promised wall with mexico. i will get it built. this was a speech in which america came first, but mr trump made one significant international announcement, giving details of a second summit with the north korean leader. chairman kim will meet again on 27 and 28th february in vietnam. but mr trump needs to show he can build relationships in washington as well as internationally. a little earlier, we had this update from chris buckler

who's in washington. this was a speech in which donald trump was trying to pitch for greatness for the us and saying that it was important that republicans and democrats work together. but the democrats sat there shaking their heads through the speech, given that he specifically has been saying that he wants to push through his agenda and doesn't care what democrats think. that's how they view it. and particularly on this issue of immigration, it's something that donald trump has been pushing time and time again. he wants this $5 billion for a border war with mexico and he made clear in his speech he was going to continue pushing for it. it's all very well, of course, talking about north korea, for donald trump a lot of the speech is aimed at the american public because it is in prime time, it's on the main us networks, it is intended to try and set his goals and agenda for the year ahead. and despite talking about his

achievements in terms of that's why he brought people who had been affected by immigrants, he said specifically, and according to democrats, really scaremongers about the dangers of immigrants coming into the country. but, if you listen to those words, democrats became angry, because they said if you take a look at what immigrants bring to the country, that is being ignored by donald trump, and in actualfact, for many of them, they want immigration, they don't want walls. and a little earlier our correspondent laura bicker gave us the perspective from seoul. when it comes to foreign policy, donald trump has been touting this as one of his big achievements and you heard there what he claims the insula would be at will without him. when it comes to what he has actually achieved, north korea perhaps had this planned all along,

they declared themselves a nuclear power and then decided to negotiate. maybe just part of kim jong un spam as much as donald trump's. so far north korea has dismantled one of its main nuclear test site in front of reporters. that has not been independently verified. it has also started to dismantle another site. there has not been —— not been verification of that. they have returned war remains after the korean war and it has not been testing and firing rockets. north korea has kind of been saying, we are doing all the work and it is time for the us to act. the us says, we are doing nothing until there are concrete measures towards denuclearisation. what we will see any kind of second summit and the groundwork that has been made, the us is prepared to do something, perhaps not lift sanctions but it looks as if they are prepared to either office and humanitarian aid or at least offer some concession.

as for north korea, it has said through the south korean president it is prepared to give up one of its uranium processing plant. they said they will do that if the us makes concessions. those are the bargaining chips that are being put on the table. us envoy to north is in pyongyang laying the groundwork for the summit on the 27th and 28th of february in vietnam. president donald trump will return to the uk in decemberfor a nato summit, following repeated criticism of the military alliance. it will be mr trump's second visit to britain since his election — when he entered the country amid swathes of protest lastjuly. theresa may is meeting the main political leaders in northern ireland as part of the government's efforts to break the deadlock over brexit. mrs may is on a two—day visit to try to reassure people she can secure a brexit deal that avoids the return of customs checkpoints on the irish border. our ireland correspondent, chris page, is at stormont for us. lots of different perspectives that

she has got to try and please their today. how is she likely to get on? well, certainly on this visit, the prime minister trying to bring reassurances to unionists and nationalists and that is never an easy task and i certainly don't think it is going to be easy at all in the context of brexit, which is dominating the political discussions here at the moment. she is in meetings with all five of the main parties at stormont. there has been an interesting development over the la st two an interesting development over the last two days. the former leader of the ulster unionist party, lord trimble, one of the main architects of the good friday agreement back in 1980 -- 1998, of the good friday agreement back in 1980 --1998, is of the good friday agreement back in 1980 “1998, is planning to bring a court case to get the irish backstop, this important element of the withdrawal agreement, declared unlawful. lord treadmill is a brexiteer on the basis of his case

is he says it is in breach of what is he says it is in breach of what is called the consent clause in the agreement. —— lord trimble. so, the cult ulster leader robert swa n so, the cult ulster leader robert swan hasjust so, the cult ulster leader robert swan has just been so, the cult ulster leader robert swan hasjust been into see the prime minister. —— current. mr swan raised the court case with the prime minister. we are coming near the deadline for brexit on the 29th of march, so now i think is the time for all governments in all situations to actually take the responsibility serious. we hear a lot of talk about the belfast agreement and from our interpretation of most the people here talking about it don't actually understand what it means. and of the principle of consent is paramount in brexit negotiations and how we work out, and we put that across to the prime minister as well, and we also talked about david trimble's possible legal challenge that's coming forward, because we've been warning the prime minister and the british government for a number of times that we saw the threat in her withdrawal agreement and the backstop to the belfast agreement

and i think now because of david trimble's intervention they are actually starting to look at that seriously. that is the perspective from the ulster leader. we have also heard from naomi long. this is about people being able to do theirjobs, it's about workforce planning and our health service, and our schools, it's about all of those things. it's not about philosophical debates in parliament. it's about practical arrangements that will allow people to continue to live their lives without interruption, allow businesses to continue to trade without additional costs, and until we have something in black and white, from parliament, and from the prime minister, and from the eu, which provide certainty, there is no reassurance that can be given, and that is what we were reiterating

to the prime minister today. we believe she got a good deal, we believe it has been rejected largely for party political reasons and not practical reasons, and we think it's really important now that people wake up and start to deal with what is a very serious situation, but also a very practical one in terms of northern ireland's future. the alliance parties perspective on the backstop is particular controversial element is that a backstop with a time limit is not a backstop with a time limit is not a backstop at all. the ulster unionist party said the prime minister had raised the potential as she saw it for some kind of time limit to be added into the backstop. there is thinking now that is something that could enable the prime minister to get her deal along the line. it was something she made reference to any speech in belfast yesterday. mps

we re speech in belfast yesterday. mps were concerned that it was open—ended and did not have an end point. it would be unclear if it could get out. in terms of renegotiating that and particularly any time limit on the backstop, the irish government, the irish prime list is in brussels today, has a lwa ys list is in brussels today, has always said that is not going to be possible. he said a backstop that does not have a definite end point is just not does not have a definite end point isjust not going does not have a definite end point is just not going to work in his view. we can expect that to be one of the items discussed between theresa may and the northern ireland parties today. sinn fein have done a very quick news conference behind me. they have just gone very quick news conference behind me. they havejust gone into very quick news conference behind me. they have just gone into the building at stormont in which the talks of the prime minister is going to ta ke talks of the prime minister is going to take place. also today, the primary so will be meeting the democratic unionist party and the nationalist sdlp. —— the prime minister. thank you very much.

we can go to brussels and we can speak to our europe correspondent, damian grammaticas. the question we keep asking again and again and again, is we go round the circle and is there likely to be any movement there? the answer has been a very resounding not, on those questions us hearing about, not on the questions of reopening the idea of the backstop, any idea of a time limit on it, any idea of trying to make some of legally sort binding restrictions that mean the uk could exit that unilaterally come and no, that has been a very clear message from jean—claude juncker, donald tusk, michelle barnier, all on this side, the one thing that they all consistently have point —— pointed to is the possibility...”

consistently have point —— pointed to is the possibility... i am going to is the possibility... i am going to have to interrupt you. we are going to say goodbye to viewers on bbc two. this continues on the bbc news channel. sorry about that. pick up exactly where you are. i hated to break your thread but i had no choice, sorry. that is ok. the thought is the issue that has been put on the table here is what you can do from the uk side is what you can do from the uk side is reopen the political declaration, the second document that accompanies that withdrawal treaty and in that, the uk could be given assurances awkward... there could be what the eu says is a more ambitious vision for the future, which would make needing a backstop unnecessary. but what that really means is a more ambitious vision for the future is a future that is more tightly bound to the eu. the uk and eu with a closer

relationship where the issue of borders and melts away. there is no sign that is what theresa may would wa nt to sign that is what theresa may would want to look for at this stage, but it is what they might offer. it has been said repeatedly that the negotiations will always go to the wire on the eu will often make changes at the last moment. but only if it is going to be something that presumably is in the interests of the eu. as we —— are we seeing now the eu. as we —— are we seeing now the eu. as we —— are we seeing now the eu defending its own interest, ireland is only 27, in the same sort of way that we heard the language around gibraltar last week, with spain remaining in? our interests are no longer being argued at the table. yes. exactly. ithink also slightly different things comedy gibraltar thing was a spanish interest being pushed. the irish question and the issue we are all focusing on at the moment is seen as

a core eu issue, it seizes the whole of the eu and that is because of the first of all the commitment to the peace process in ireland, on the island of ireland, that nothing should be done to disturb that. therefore the current arrangements, keeping the borders open, have to stay, that is the basic irish and eu shared position. the second aspect of it is that the irish border, that border that everyone has spent so much time talking about, is going to be the external frontier of the eu, it is going to be the only land border with the uk. and therefore, that yeo has to deal with that in a sort of watertight legal way —— the eu, to ensure the way that border is functions, police, the way that goods cross it, the checks that are made, the duties that are paid, the

taxes that are levied, all of those things are clearly legally laid out and functioning, or a clear route is laid out that there are not going to be any checks there, so that the eu asa be any checks there, so that the eu as a whole, the single market, with all its borders, what they call here the integrity of it, is protected and it is that sort of core issue for the issue. they cannot have an open door, that is the argument on the eu side. it is bigger than an irish issue, it is an eu issue. thank you very much. if you still have questions around the backstop under the brexit terminology, there is plenty of information on the bbc website. the headlines on bbc news. in his annual state of the union address, president trump makes an appeal to the democrats to co—operate with him for the good of the american people , and insists the wall on the border with mexico will be built. mr trump also used the address to announce that he will hold a second nuclear summit with north korea's leader,

later this month. theresa may is holding talks about brexit with the main political parties in northern ireland — on the second day of her visit there. and in sport, there was a classic cab said last night, as newport knocked out middlesbrough to reach the fifth round in filthy conditions at rodney parade and their reward, manchester city next. manchester city could top the premier league table later if they beat everton. and it is a big day for british women's tennis. the fed cup is being held here for the first time in 26 yea rs. held here for the first time in 26 years. they take on slovenia in their first round robin years. they take on slovenia in theirfirst round robin match years. they take on slovenia in their first round robin match this afternoon. i'll be back with more on all those stories little later. six online hotel booking sites, including expedia and trivago, have agreed to make changes to end misleading sales tactics, pressure selling and hidden charges. the competition and markets authority says it will now do whatever it can to make sure the rest of the sector meets the same standard.

michael grenfell, from the cma, described some of the practises they have found. the kind of thing is that, in our investigation, we uncovered and caused us concerns, whether the price you see at the end may not be the actual price. that there might be had in charges like city taxes or resort fees. that the discount you're told about may not be an actual or real discount, and the things you've just mentioned, which is that there is pressure selling when you sign up and you're told about room scarcity. and those messages, though they can be useful, have in some cases been misleading. so, you've been told that there are 15 people looking at the site right now, and right now turns out to be in the past week. or you're told there are only three rooms available and you think that means three rooms in the hotel, and itjust means only three rooms on that particular booking website in the hotel. so, what we've got today is formal

commitments from the six main booking sites, companies like expedia, booking.com, trivago, that they will ensure that there are no such misleading messages and that people can have real confidence in the sites. let's talk now to rory boland, the travel editor of the consumer group which?. customers go on those websites, thinking they are going to get sort of impartial guidance on what are the best hotels and also the best price. are they wrong? in a lot of cases, they are wrong. to give you a really good example, lots of the websites will have search results that are presented as recommended for your best for you and those search results are in fact best for the hotels or the booking sites because they are based on the

commission that the booking site is taking and nothing to do with you. the wait is presented to customers is they are getting something that really is recommended for them. it is the same with discounts as well. we found previously in investigations we have carried out at the first ten results, eight of those were crossed out and said, here is a discount, it was cheaper, that was often based on weekdays. it is more expensive on the weekend. that is not anybody‘s understanding of the deal or discount. our advice has been for a long time to mostly not follow these deals, not follow these discounts, shop around for yourself and you often get the best deal if you phone hotels directly. when you are on one of those sites and frantically try to get a room somewhere where you want to go on to seal these things that are saying, this number of people are looking at it, but now, you might feel like you do not have the time to shop around? what do you think about those sort of selling tactics because two that

is exactly what the booking sites i try to get you to feel. they are trying to pressurise you into purchasing before you shop around. we looked this week at booking dot—com and we found that where it said that one room was available, there were 50 rooms available and thatis there were 50 rooms available and that is true in most of the booking sites. take your time, there is not that much of a rush and make sure that much of a rush and make sure that you genuinely do get the best deal, which will almost certainly be a few from the hotel directly. they will be able to give you a better price because they don't have to pay you a commission. going to those websites is a simple one stop shop. i guess that is why people do it. and sometimes as well if you phone hotel in another country and you don't speak the language, it is difficult to book. i think that is what is frustrating. it should be simple but it is not. and to give you a really good illustration, we

tracked ten deals last year, this was with online travel agents and with hotel booking sites, deals and discounts, and we found that half of them were actually cheaper after the deal discount had ended. people should absolutely not fall for the words steel, discount, reduced, that is why this action has been taken. is that going to change now? in the case of deals and discounts, some of the other changes that have been announced are advisory, but those deals and discounts they have said will have to be active deals and discounts, rather than basing it on 30 days either side or a year of data. hopefully that will improve and we will certainly be watching and we will certainly be watching and we will continue to check that is the case. but for now, the same advices true, try and found the hotel and in most cases, you will get a better price from them. irish premier leo varadker

is in brussels today to meet with eu leaders to intensify plans for a no—deal brexit. he is also meeting the president donald tusk. we are exporting a new conference —— news conference shortly. we will bring that to you when it happens. council tenants in england, scotland and northern ireland owe local authorities more than £300 million pounds in rent arrears, new figures show. that's risen by a quarter injust four years, and debt charities are blaming changes to the benefits system. david rhodes reports. look at me, look at me cardigan. lisa, a mum of three, owes york council over £1,000 in unpaid rent, she says because universal credit has pushed her into debt. you don't know, like, what's coming next with universal credit. i was out of debt in 2017, and since i got on universal credit last year, i've nearly lost my house twice.

and then ijust — yeah, ended up in debt again. universal credit is designed to make claiming benefits simpler, and to help people back into work. over 1.5 million people in great britain see up to six benefits merged into one monthly payment. but four years ago, councils in england, scotland, and northern ireland were owed around £250 million by current tenants. last year, that figure had climbed to over £300 million. the welsh government doesn't collect comparable figures to the rest of the uk. the government said there is no one single cause why rent arrears build up, and that many people join universal credit with pre—existing housing debt, adding that 500 social landlords have recently signed up to a scheme that can arrange direct rent payments and help recover arrears. david rhodes, bbc news. five men due to be deported

to jamaica have been granted last minute reprieves to stay in the uk, an immigration lawyer has said. campaigners claim that meanwhile a number of others have left on a plane this morning. the government has said they are all foreign nationals who have criminal convictions. we are joined now by our news correspondent, andy moore. there has been lots of controversy around immigration status of people after everything that has emerged around the windrush scandal. ring is up—to—date with what has been happening today, who these people are who have been affected. there has been a lot of controversy about this flight. has been a lot of controversy about this flight. we did not know when or where it was due to take off from. and we still have had no confirmation from the home office. understandably, they are worried about the security of these flights and there is sentencing today 15 protesters. one of these flights from stansted. protesters. one of these flights from sta nsted. but protesters. one of these flights from stansted. but campaigners say this flight

from stansted. but campaigners say this flight did take off this morning from birmingham airport at about 815. they were due to be about 15 people on board. campaigners say in the end only about 35 got on board. we know about five that were given a last—minute reprieve. we know that a charter plane did take off from birmingham bound for kingston in jamaica, that off from birmingham bound for kingston injamaica, that is a charter flight, used by kingston injamaica, that is a charterflight, used by titan airways, that is a slide that has been used in the past for these deportation flights. as i said, no official confirmation from the home office yet. what is known about those who have left? the home office said they are all foreign nationals who have committed serious crimes in the uk. they have completed their prison sentences and they are now being sent back to their country of origin. the home office says these are crimes as serious as rape and

murder. we have spoken to activists and we have heard from activists who have spoken to those on board. they say that one young man, 22 years old, tried to kill himselfjust shortly before the flight, he tried to slit is late —— rests on one occasion and cut his own throat. they say according to his information, that young man was taken off the flight. some reports say is in hospital, some say he is ina say is in hospital, some say he is in a detention centre. again, that is just in a detention centre. again, that isjust a report in a detention centre. again, that is just a report from the activists, that has not been independently confirmed. two other people we know it taken off the flight, one was a former solea, there is an online petition saying he should not be sent back. he was actually on the plane according to the campaigners when he was taken off at the last minute. and somebody else taken off the plane was owen paisley from manchester. they are to people we know have been taken. and are they people who have lived in this

country all their lives? according to their lawyers, yes, they have lived in the uk, if not all their live, certainly a lot of their life. one of them arrived when he was four yea rs one of them arrived when he was four years old. they have lived in the uk for most of their lives. quite a few of them have children but they will admit themselves that they have committed offences here in the uk. thank you very much. two men have been arrested by police investigating a fatal stabbing in south—west london. the victim who was 19 was attacked in battersea last night. the red carpet opening of liam neeson's latest film was cancelled last night amid a race row over comments he made in an interview. the hollywood actor sparked outrage after admitting he once wanted a kill a random black man after a close friend was raped. neeson has denied he is racist and said he wanted to start a wider conversation about racism. it's been confirmed the oscars ceremony will take place later this month without a host for the first time in 30 years. comedian kevin hart stepped down in december, after apologising for homophobic comments he'd made a decade earlier. the network that hosts the ceremony,

said it would instead have various celebrities presenting the trophies. now it's time for a look at the weather with simon king. hello there, good morning. we're going to in very wet and windy conditions developing for the end of the week. but before that for many of us through today it's going to be dry. hello there, good morning. we're going to in very wet and windy conditions developing for the end of the week. hello there, good morning. but before that for many of us through today it's going to be dry. there will be some hazy sunshine. a few showers, though, to talk about, mainly across scotland and northern ireland, those north—western areas in particular. a few showers in the south—east of england before heavier rain starts to develop here later this afternoon and into the evening. in between those two, though, we've got some largely dry conditions with hazy sunshine, few bright spells, and maximum temperatures today getting up to about 9—12d. through tonight that rain in the south—east, as i mentioned, will turn quite heavy, and we have another batch of rain moving through wales, northern ireland, northern england and scotland.

it will fall as snow over the higher ground. temperatures here back down to two or 4 degrees but mild in the south at seven celsius. during thursday that rain across northern parts of the uk will tend to clear away to some showers, and maybe some sunshine developing elsewhere. bye— bye. hello this is bbc newsroom live. the headlines: in his annual state of the union address, president trump makes an appeal to the democrats to co—operate with him for the good of the american people — and he insisted the wall on the border with mexico will be built. we must choose between greatness or gridlock, results or resistance, vision or vengeance, incredible progress or pointless destruction. tonight, i ask you to choose greatness. he used the address to announce he will hold a second nuclear summit with north korea's leader later this month. theresa may is holding talks about brexit with the main political parties in northern ireland — on the second day

of her visit there. lawyers say five men due to leave the uk on the first deportation flight to jamaica since the windrush scandal have been given a reprieve. the flight carrying others has taken off according to campaigners. six of the largest hotel booking websites are to change to the way they operate following an investigation by the competition watchdog. council tenants in england, scotland and northern ireland owe local authorities more than £300 million in rent arrears according to new figures — up by a quarter in the last four years. sport now, here'sjohn watson. good morning. league two newport continued their superb cup run — knocking out middlesbrougjh in last night's replay to reach the fifth round as the lowest ranked side still in teh competition. having knocked out leicester city —

the championship side were next — padraig amond with their second — and the reward a tie with the champions manchester city. mike flynn their manager masterminding another cup upset. it is unreal, fantastic occasion for the whole football club and the city. i've got a fantastic group of players who always seem to raise their game when they need to and it isa their game when they need to and it is a joy for me to work with them. 30 years ago this year the club went into business and now welcoming the premier league champions and fa cup champions to rodney parade, and arguably the best manager in the world right now. it was a tense evening for newport keeperjoe day. not only did he have to give middlesbrough out, his wife had gone into labour during the match. so at full time, no hanging around to celebrate — he was straight off to the hospital!

and this the outcome — twins. he didn't manage to make the birth but what an ouctome on both fronts. by the end of the day manchester city could be back on top of the premier league, a position they haven't occupied since the start of december. win at everton and they'll move above liverpool on goal difference — pep guardiola of the opinion, though, it's notjust the top two who are in the title race. with 39 points to play, when you are nine or ten points behind its not too much. i never said tottenham wasn't there, chelsea, i never put out all five or six, united is making this run of victories every single week and will be there to fight for the premier league. an independent medical council tribunal is due to begin today with former team sky doctor richard freeman accused of ordering testosterone to enhance the performance of an athlete. he's alleged to have lied to "conceal his motive" for the order of the drug

back in 2011, its use by athletes is banned. the barrister has asked for the tribuinal to be adjourned for 48 hours. british sprinter dwain chambers is out of retirement and on the 60—metre start list at the british indoor championships this weekend. it's a surprise return to top level athletics for chambers, who officially retired two years ago and is now almost a1. chambers was banned from athletics for two years after testing positive for steroids in 200a. he's attempting to qualify for the british team at next month's european indoor championships in glasgow. it's a big day for british women's tennis. the team tournament, the fed cup will be held on british soil for the first time in 26 years. the round—robin event starts with great britain against slovenia. speaking to sally nugent the women's team said they wanted the event to become as well known as the men's davis cup. fundamentally, i think young kids

growing up, whether they are girls or boys, they want to play with equal opportunity, so i think it's just a great chance for both young girls and boys to see the fed cup in all its glory. finally a very cute story from the world of horse racing. fans are celebrating the arrival of a boy — a foal born to annie power and galileo. now mum annie power is a champion hurdle winner over the jumps while dad galileo won the derby at epsom on the flat. galileo is twice the age of the new arrival‘s mother and a super stud who commands a fee thought to top at least £300,000. there you go. that's all from the bbc sport centre at the moment. you can find more on all those stories on the bbc sport website. that's bbc. co. uk/sport. only one in three adults in the uk believes it is possible

to reduce their risk of developing dementia. the study by alzheimer's research found a lack of awareness surrounding lifestyle choices that can increase the risk of developing the disease. they include heavy drinking, genetics, smoking, high blood pressure, depression and diabetes. exercise is known to help protect against it. nearly half of those quizzed for the poll did not know dementia was a cause of death. let's speak to laura phipps, from alzheimer's research uk. thank you forjoining us. how much can you reduce your risk of dementia? current research suggests around a third of cases of dementia could be contributed to by lifestyle factors that are potentially in our power to change, so things like heart health risk factors that we know are important for the brain. so if we were to be as good as we possibly could be on all of those aspects that impact on a third of cases of dementia, so, no heavy drinking, no smoking, low blood

pressure, haven't had experience of depression, and no diabetes, would that mean that you are pretty much in the clear? unfortunately not. there are a range of risk factors for dementia. dementia is caused by complex brain diseases, we know age isa complex brain diseases, we know age is a risk factor. i'm so sorry, going to interrupt you because we have to go to a news conference we have to go to a news conference we have been waiting for, we are hearing from leo varadkar and donald tuskin hearing from leo varadkar and donald tusk in brussels. as well as in ireland, wish for a reversal of this decision. i have a lwa ys reversal of this decision. i have always been with you with all my heart. but the facts are unmistakable. at the moment the pro brexit stance of the uk prime minister and the leader of the opposition rules out this question. today there is no political force and no effective leadership for remain. i say this without

satisfaction but you can't argue with the facts. today, our most important task is to prevent a no—deal scenario. i would once again like to stress the position of the eu 27 is clear, as expressed in the documents agreed with the uk government. that is the withdrawal agreement and the political declaration. and the eu 27 is not making any new offer. let me recall the december european council decided that the withdrawal agreement is not open for renegotiation. i hope that tomorrow we will hear from prime minister theresa may a realistic suggestion on how to end the impasse in which the process of the orderly withdrawal of the uk from the eu has

found itself following the latest votes in the house of commons. the top priority for us remains the issue of the border on the island of ireland and the guarantee to maintain the peace process in accordance with the good friday and. there is no room for speculation here. the eu itself is first and foremost a peace project. we will not gamble with peace, or put a sell by date on reconciliation. and this is why we insist on the backstop. a guarantee of peace in northern ireland and the uk will leave the eu a trusted friend. i hope the uk government will present the idea

that both will respect this point of view, and at the same time, command a stable and clear majority in the house of commons. i strongly believe that a common solution is possible andi that a common solution is possible and i will do everything in my power to find it. a sense of responsibility also tells us to prepare for a possible fiasco. the taoiseach and i have spoken about the necessary actions in case of no deal. i know that you will also be discussing this shortly with the european commission. by the way, i've been wondering what the special place in hell looks like for those who promoted brexit without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it safely. thank you. thanks very much,

donald. i had another very positive meeting with president tusk today and we discussed the latest developments in london and noted the impending deadline for the uk cosmic departure from the eu. while we are open to further discussions with the uk, the withdrawal agreement which was negotiated in good faith over many months and agreed by 28 governments, including that of the kingdom, stands, it is the best deal possible. it provides much needed certainty for citizens, farmers, fishermen, exporters and businesses and crucially provides all of us with the transition period are essential if we are to have an orderly withdrawal. while we expect that the backstop will never be used, we agreed again today that it's needed as a legal guarantee to ensure that there is no return to a hardboard on the island of ireland while protecting the integrity of our european single market and customs union. i think the events in

london and the instability in british politics in recent weeks demonstrates exactly why we need a legal guarantee and a solution that we know will work and will last. i thanked donald once again for his unwavering commitment to protecting the hard—won peace and stability, civil rights and people's writes on the island of ireland. and we agreed that this is a fundamental eu issue and that we will stay united on it. as the leader of a small country thatis as the leader of a small country that is fully committed to the european union, the solidarity resonates deeply in ireland but not just in ireland, but in all member states as well. we agreed that if the united kingdom cosmic intentions for the future partnership were to evolve, the european union would be prepared to adapt the content and level of ambition in the political declaration while respecting its established principles. while we both hope that the withdrawal agreement be ratified, by both

westminster and european parliament, and let's not forget that ratification by both is necessary, once that is done the negotiations once that is done the negotiations on the future relationship can start in earnest and we agreed that in light of the ongoing uncertainty in london and the fast approaching deadline, our preparations for a no—deal scenario must continue and intensify and i will discuss that in greater detail with the commission later on. thank you very much and thank you again, donald. i was expecting there might be questions but there are no questions. a really strong comment from donald tusk there, when he said he's been wondering whether there is a special place in hell for those who promoted brexit with no clear plan on how to do it. he said that tomorrow he wants to hear from... he has tweeted it as well about the

same timejust has tweeted it as well about the same time just prior to actually saying it in the news conference. i've been wondering what that special place in hell looks like, for those who promoted brexit without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely. he was making the point in the news conference that the eu is all about being a peace organisation and he said first and foremost it is a peace organisation and they will protect the peace going forward. that is the priority. and that means making sure that the good friday and remains intact. he said we will not accept anything that doesn't give a guarantee of peace in northern ireland. the top priority remains the irish border and he said again there cannot be any time limit on there cannot be any time limit on the backstop that's in the withdrawal agreement that is there to prevent a hardboard in the event of no agreement on the relationship going forward. the backstop would mean closer regulations between

northern ireland and ireland, between the uk and ireland to prevent the sort of checks needed in the event of big differences between the event of big differences between the territories. he again said the eu 27 are not going to be making any new offers. the withdrawal agreement is not open for renegotiation and he said what he wants to hear from theresa may tomorrow is a realistic suggestion on how to end the impasse. the really eye—catching comment from him was home wondering about a special place in hell for those who promoted brexit with no clear plan on how to do it. we will get reaction on that later. let's go back to what we were talking about prior to that news conference. only one in three adults in the uk believes it is possible to reduce the risk of developing dementia. it isa the risk of developing dementia. it is a study by alzheimer's research and it has found a lack of awareness surrounding lifestyle choices that can increase the risk of developing

the disease. we can speak to laura phipps who is from alzheimer's research uk. we were speaking to you before but we had to interrupt for that news conference. picking up where we left off, you were saying that a third of cases of dementia are basically contributed to by either poor lifestyle or not doing enough exercise. people can mitigate against cases in that proportion of cases. otherwise, what are the risks and is there anything you can do about it? there is no sure-fire way to prevent dementia. we know it is caused by complex brain diseases like alzheimer's. age is a big risk factor, u nfortu nately we like alzheimer's. age is a big risk factor, unfortunately we cannot change our age, and genetics is also a risk factor and stronger for some people than others. again, that's something we can't change. but lifestyle factors we know are also a contributing factor, so if people can maintain good heart health, keep

socially and physically active, then ina way socially and physically active, then in a way they are stacking the odds in theirfavour when in a way they are stacking the odds in their favour when they look towards their brain health later in life, and we know these are things that can have a big impact in midlife as well, so that's potentially really important window people to start thinking about the positive lifestyle changes they could make to impact their brain health and their risk of dementia. is it ever too late to change? for instance, if you were diagnosed, there is no clear diagnostic test for dementia but there are various ways that can make an assessment. if you were deemed to have the early onset of dementia, could you take up exercise at that point to improve things? could you stop drinking so much? can you change it once it has started ? much? can you change it once it has started? there are a number of different forms of dementia and some of them have a stronger lifestyle component, so for example, for people with vascular dementia, lots of the advice they are given when they have had a diagnosis is to address some of the lifestyle

factors that might help to improve their heart health and in turn help to maintain the health of their brain for longer in the hope that that would help them to manage their symptoms, or delay the progression of their condition. we know for many people that exercise can be fun, it can be sociable, it can improve your mood, it can help you interact with people, so many people with dementia find it is a really enjoyable and kind of spirit lifting activity to get involved in. and maintain their role in their community. why do you think it is that so few people, just 34% of people, think it is possible to reduce the risk, when you look at other issues like heart disease, it is 77 and diabetes it is 81% of people. why is the message not getting through about what we can all do as individuals to help ourselves with dementia? some of the findings from the dementia attitudes monitor that we have done at alzheimer's research uk have been really interesting because they have shown us that there is still a

misunderstanding about what causes dementia, there is still one in five people who think it is inevitable pa rt people who think it is inevitable part of getting older. only half the people recognise it causes death when it is actually the leading cause of death. i think there are a lot of people who think dementia is not particular serious, just something that happens when you get older. because people don't realise it is caused by these physical diseases they are less engaged with the fact that they might be able to prevent it. there are possibly things they could do in their lives that could help to prevent the onset of these diseases. thank you for joining us. disgraced entertainer rolf harris was asked to leave after he walked into the grounds of a primary school near his home. the convicted sex offender, who released on licence in 2017, went onto the premises of oldfield primary school in bray, berkshire, reportedly to talk to a sculptor working in the grounds. headmaster richard jarrett said: "in line with our standard procedures, an uninvited individual was asked to leave the outer perimeter of the school site yesterday, which he did without delay."

crime rates, property prices and transport links are all things people often consider before moving to a new area. but how do these differ for young people? the radio1 newsbeat team has been looking into what matters to people under the age of 26 — and it's factors like the number of bars and clubs in an area and 4g coverage. it's launched a calculator so you can rate your area, as daniel rosney explains. esme is 18. she's a home carer and lives in bridport, west dorset. it's one of the bottom five areas to live in britain if you are under 26. that's what this new bbc analysis suggests. people tend to retire in towns like bridport, which is why there is a demand for carers like esme. i've seen a few documentaries and stuff about people living in cities and they meet up with their friends and they can just go out and do whatever, whereas when i was growing up, if i wanted to meet one of my friends, then our parents had to drive us to each other‘s houses and we had to wait there

because there's no way you could walk there, and as soon as i learned to drive, that's when i could actually do stuff for myself. there's only so many words you could use to describe dorset. it's so simple. everyone knows each other. everyone grows up with each other. if you do something stupid, then the chances are that someone will find out about it until everyone else, and tell everyone else, and i think that you can't really do that much unless you can drive. i want to leave, and i don't mind coming back because i love it here, but i don't think i could to stay here forever because i think i need something to mix it up a bit. this analysis covers local authority areas in england, wales, and scotland. it looks at 11 factors for under 26—year—olds including the numbers of bars, clubs, and music events, as well as access to sports facilities and ag. average rent prices and levels of unemployment are also used. 60 miles away from bridport is bristol.

and that's one of the top five areas for serving its younger population, according to this research. sham describes himself as a proud bristolian, born and bred. every corner that you go to has history about it, has some sort of culture about it and has something unique, and it'sjust so nice because everyone here has a different background and a different story about them and ijust love that about bristol. esme plans to move to gloucester in september to study nursing, but for her, west dorset will always be home. you can find the know your place calculator on the bbc news website. the prime minister's questions is due to start shortly. she is not there today because she is in ireland so there will be others standing in for her, and also the leader of the opposition. let's

have a quick chat with our political editor norman smith before it begins. we had one of those blimey moments when donald tusk said he has been wondering if there is a special place in hell for those who promoted brexit without a clear idea of how to do it safely. really striking language, they thought also the sense of the rather gloomy and doom laden view of where this was going, saying they would have to step up preparations for "the fiasco" of no deal, again insisting the eu was not up deal, again insisting the eu was not upfor deal, again insisting the eu was not up for renegotiating the withdrawal agreement. also bemoaning the lack of effective leadership on the remain side in britain. but above all, that clear attack on the likes of borisjohnson all, that clear attack on the likes of boris johnson another all, that clear attack on the likes of borisjohnson another prominent leave campaigners that they deserved a special place in hell, not made much better by leo varadkar, the irish taoiseach, he also said they we re irish taoiseach, he also said they were going to be stepping up no deal preparations, no question of opening

the withdrawal agreement but they could look at some movement possibly in the political declaration. and that you really get the sense when mrs may arrives in brussels tomorrow, the eu is not in any mood tomorrow, the eu is not in any mood to offer her any help at all. she is going to face an uphill task from an eu who seem determined to stick to their position of hanging on to the existing deal. whether that isjust a negotiating position, perhaps, but there is no getting away from the fa ct there is no getting away from the fact that they seem to be having something of a gear change in brussels and devoting a lot more rhetoric, certainly, to the possibility of a no deal out come. thank you forjoining us. we will be back for prime ministers question shortly without the prime minister and jeremy corbyn. now it's time for a look at the weather with simon king. morning, we have had quite a bit of cloud across the uk this morning, quite high level cloud for many of us, so it's making the sunshine turn

hazy and that's the scene from one of our weather watchers earlier in leicestershire. showers across northern ireland and the north and west of scotland, those will continue this afternoon. a bit more clout down towards the south—east of england, but in between it is dry and it is fairly bright. where you have the hazy sunshine. it's still quite mild really, maximum temperature is getting up to about seven, 11 or 12 celsius. tonight we will see rain moving through the channel islands to the south—east of england, pretty heavy. further rain spreading into wales, the midlands, northern parts of england and scotland, some hill snow associated with that, and the winds will really pick up across southern parts, gusting 60, 70 mph in coastal counties into thursday morning, really quite windy conditions to start the day. temperatures overnight staying above freezing. the winds will ease across the south and the rain will eventually move away, the hill snow going with it. during thursday

afternoon, plenty of dry weather, some sunny spells, may be a few showers around the western areas, and those temperatures once again just about getting up into double figures across southern parts. but then go into thursday, out into the atlantic, we have an area of low pressure developing and that will move in across the uk, quite a deep area of low pressure. it will give us some particularly strong winds and heavy rain. you can see the rain as it moves west to east throughout friday moving into the south—east of england during the afternoon, and a windy day for all of us on friday, gusting 110—55 mph but it's around the exposed western areas and over the exposed western areas and over the hills in the west where the gusts of wind could be as high as 60, 70 gusts of wind could be as high as 60,70 mph. if you are gusts of wind could be as high as 60, 70 mph. if you are travelling during friday afternoon, bear that in mind, they could be disruption because of that. but it still mild, those temperatures still getting up to about ten or 11 degrees. into the weekend, that area of low pressure will gradually move away and then

turn our attention to the south—west, because this could develop into something quite potent as it moves its way towards the uk through saturday and into sunday. for the end of the week, still some heavy rainfall around, it is going to be mild but windy, gusts of 50—70 mph expected, not only through friday but perhaps through the weekend as well across southern parts. so well worth staying tuned to the forecast for. bye and bye. you re watching bbc newsroom live. these are today s main stories: strong words from the president of the european council, donald tusk, as he criticises those who promoted brexit without a plan of how to do it. i have been wondering what the special place in hell looks like for those who promoted brexit. without

even a sketch of a plan how to carry it. mr tusk‘s words come as theresa may is in the middle of talks about brexit with the main political parties in northern ireland. this is the scene live in the house of commons, where prime minister's questions are about to start. in his annual state of the union address, president trump makes an appeal to the democrats to co—operate with him for the good of the american people and insists the wall on the border with mexico will be built. we must choose between greatness or gridlock, results or resistance, vision or vengeance, incredible progress or pointless destruction. tonight, i ask you to choose greatness. lawyers say five men due to leave the uk on the first deportation flight to jamaica since the windrush scandal have been given a reprieve. the flight carrying others has taken off according to campaigners. six of the largest hotel booking websites are to change to the way they operate

following an investigation by the competition watchdog. and we are going straight to the house of commons. the right honourable gentleman is a notable celebrity, not only in aylesbury but here in this house. mr speaker, i have been asked to reply, the prime minister is in northern ireland outlining this governments commitment to the people there and our plan to secure a brexit deal that delivers on the result of the referendum. mr speaker, iam that delivers on the result of the referendum. mr speaker, i am sure that the whole house will want to join me in welcoming today's announcement that the next meeting of nato heads of state and government will take place in london in december 2019. this is fitting,

as 70 years ago this year, the united kingdom led by those atlantis as champions, clement attlee and ernie bevan, was one of the alliance's 12 founding members. we will continue to play a key rolling nato as it continues its mission of keeping nearly 1 nato as it continues its mission of keeping nearly1 billion people say. i have always considered the leader of the opposition to be just an unreconstructed marxist. however, in light of video footage that has emerged this week, i may well have to change that view. he clearly campaigned vigorously against eu referendums in ireland and declared forcefully he did not wish to live undera forcefully he did not wish to live under a european forcefully he did not wish to live undera european empire forcefully he did not wish to live under a european empire of the 21st—century. in this spirit of cross—party 21st—century. in this spirit of cross— party consensus, what 21st—century. in this spirit of cross—party consensus, what my right honourable friend join with the leader of the opposition to dismiss once and for all any prospect of a

second referendum and reaffirm that we are leaving on the 29th of march. mr speaker, i can say to my honourable friend that the government position is clear, we said to the british people in 2016 that we would accept their vote as decisive and the duty of politicians is to implement the result of the referendum and not to suggest that the public got it wrong and i think i undermined trust in democracy. emily thornberry. thank you, mr speaker. i am so glad to renew my acquaintance with the minister for the cabinet office, or as the newspapers always call him, effectively the deputy prime minister. surely the only occasion these day when the words prime minister and affective are used in the same sentence. and while there

are many other important issues that i would like to discuss with the cabinet office minister today, sadly none is more vital or urgent than brexit. so, iwould none is more vital or urgent than brexit. so, i would like to use our time to have a sensible, grown—up discussion about what the actual plan is between now and march the 29th and can i ask him this, if the briefing is correct that this is not —— they will not be a fresh, meaningful vote on the withdrawal agreement next week and if that is right, when will the vote take place? i think that my right honourable friend the prime minister was completely clear on this at this dispatch box last week. she said that she... she said that the meaningful vote itself would be brought back as soon as possible and if it were not possible... if it

we re if it were not possible... if it were not possible to bring the meaningful vote backed by the 13th next wednesday, the government would then make a statement and would then table a motion for debate the next day. i thank the minister for that answer, mr speaker, and i take from that and from other briefings that we have heard is that the time for a fresh photo be after the prime minister has secured what she called last week a significant and legally binding change to the withdrawal agreement. so, this house has something genuinely different to vote on. can be minister simply clarify what will happen if we start to approach march the 29th and those significantly legally binding changes have not been achieved? the prime minister i think has been announced by number ten, she is going to be in brussels tomorrow and she will be meeting jean—claude

juncker and donald tusk to discuss the changes that she is seeking, following the recent vote in this house, both to reject the deal that was on the table and to support the amendment in the name of my right honourable friend, the memberfor altrincham and sale west. i do think that the honourable lady does need... notjust perfectly fairly that the honourable lady does need... not just perfectly fairly to question the government but actually to face up to the fact that if as both she and i wish we had to leave the yield in an orderly manner, with a deal, it requires this house to vote in favour of a deal —— the eu. and not just declare vote in favour of a deal —— the eu. and notjust declare that it does not want a no deal scenario. again, i would like to thank the minister. but does the prime minister seriously think that she will get anything different than the responses we have heard over recent

days? because none of them have given us any encouragement that they are willing to reopen the withdrawal agreement unless the prime minister is winning to reconsider the red lines on which the agreement is based. does the minister not agree that the sensible, cautious them to do at this late stage is to seek a temporary extension of article 50, so that we have time to see where the negotiations succeed or if they do not to pursue a different plan? the problem with the proposition that the right honourable lady puts forward is that it would simply defer the need for this house, including the opposition front bench, to face up to some difficult decisions. now, the right honourable lady has criticised the approach that my right honourable friend the prime minister has taken but i have to put it to her that the leader of the opposition last week, having met

the opposition last week, having met the prime minister, went out in front of the cameras and demanded changes to the backstop. as part of the approach he wanted to see for the approach he wanted to see for the future. the right honourable lady has said that she would be co mforta ble lady has said that she would be comfortable with the backstop. does she agree with her leader or a she sticking to her guns on this?” she agree with her leader or a she sticking to her guns on this? i hear what the minister is saying that he doesn't seem to get us any answers. i genuinely appreciate his attempts but i hope you will understand the concern that all of us have, not just in this house, but across the country, that we have a government treading water in the niagara river while the current is taking us over the falls. and we go... be quiet. the whip on duty has no useful contribution to make other than to nod and shake his head in certain

places. emily thornberry. iam very places. emily thornberry. i am very grateful, mr speaker. can we go back to the central issue, which is this, there is no way that we can avoid a border in ireland after brexit without a full customs union or a permanent backstop or some new technological solution, so can the minister tell us which of those options that government is currently working towards? the right honourable lady again makes this commitment saying that the labour party wants to see a permanent customs union, but what most people who support a customs union say they want is to ensure that businesses can expect to export to the eu without tariffs, quotas or rules of origins text when macro checks and that is what the prime minister's deal does but also allows

this country to establish agreements with other nations around the world, so what part of that deal does the right honourable lady actually object to? if the honourable gentleman would like me to answer questions, i will be quite happy to hold a seminarfor him at another stage. may i continue with myjob and he can continue with his and answer some questions. the technological solution is a nonstarter, a permanent backstop will never be acceptable to the erg other dup. and the only solution that actually work is a full customs union. that is what i said at our first encounter here in 2016. it is the answer that is staring the government in the face. if they backed it, it would command a majority in this house. it would avoid the mayhem and the chaos of no

deal. and it would protect thejobs at nissan, airbus and elsewhere which are currently at grave risk, so can be minister explain why the prime minister is so dead against it? even if we take the right honourable ladies somewhat ill—defined description of a permanent customs union, that would not address issues in respect of northern ireland and ireland, in respect of either regular tree standards for industrial goods or phytosa nita ry standards for industrial goods or phytosanitary decks for foodstuffs and livestock aren't even in her own terms, her answer is inadequate —— phytosa nita ry terms, her answer is inadequate —— phytosanitary checks. she also says she wants to be part of leasing a market and that means free movement

continuing and her parties manifesto explicitly says that free movement would stop. so is the right honourable lady supporting a norway model or ratio supporting the labour party ma nifesto ? model or ratio supporting the labour party manifesto? -- or is she supporting. flattered though i am that the minister feels it necessary to ask me questions, i do feel that it is important to make it clear that the reason i have asked these questions today is that the minister for the cabinet office understands europe, northern ireland and brexit, probably better than any of his cabinet colleagues, so if anyone could give us answers from the government, it would be him. the truth is, there are no answers, plan a has been resoundingly rejected by parliament, plan b was rolled out by the eu months ago, and the government is in danger of sleepwalking the country towards reading with no plan and no deal at

all -- reading with no plan and no deal at all —— ruled out. withjust over 50 days to go, can i give the minister a final opportunity to tell us whether there is a better plan than this or, for goodness' sake, will they let parliament take charge instead ? mr speaker, as i said earlier, the prime minister will be reporting back to this house next week following her discussions in brussels and elsewhere but i have to say to the right honourable lady, the two—year deadline, the 29th of march deadline, stems from european law and the wording of article 50. which lays down the two years. the right honourable lady, as i recall, voted in favour of triggering article 50. now, perhaps it is... perhaps it was one of those votes where she was present but not involved. i have to say to her and

to her front bench that if they are worried about no deal, they have to vote for a deal and every time they vote for a deal and every time they vote against a deal, the risk of no deal becomes greater. and it really is time for the opposition front bench for once to put the national interest first, do the right thing, and vote for a deal. last friday, the health secretary made a superb visit to princess alexandra hospital in harlow, meeting some inspirational staff doing outstanding work for patients. however, our hospital is crumbling and sewerage is coming into the operating theatres. our infrastructure is failing. will my honourable friend lobby the treasury to ensure we get the capital funding so to ensure we get the capital funding so harlow gets the new hospital that we desperately need? mr speaker, i know that my right honourable friend

the health secretary was very impressed by what he saw on his visit to harlow. i know my right honourable friend the member for harlow will remain a very ardent champion of the need for renewal of those hospital facilities. champion of the need for renewal of those hospitalfacilities. he knows that as part of the government long—term plan for the nhs, nhs england will be making decisions about capital investments for the future and diageo my right honourable friend will be driving his caisson with them. —— i am sure. whilst the chaos of the shambolic brexit negotiations have dominated the headlines, this covenant has sneak through a cut pensions credit which will see some couples up to £7,000 a year worse off. an estimated 300,000 more pensioners are now living in poverty than in

20,012. -- 2012. does the are now living in poverty than in 20,012. —— 2012. does the minister agree the government needs to change course and instead of robbing pensioners, start supporting them? mr speaker, i think the right honourable gentleman is talking about the situation of mixed aged couples where one is over pensionable age and receiving a pensionable age and receiving a pension on the other is of working age. i think what the government... what this house voted for some years ago is perfectly logical and in line with the intention of the benefit systems. we certainly did not vote for that. what we are seeing from this government as it continues to put the hands into the pockets of our poorest in society. it is the tory government that is allowing a proposal to take free tv licences away from pensioners. it is this conservative government that is denying women born in the 1950s the

full rights to state pensions. and it is this tory government that resides over the lowest state pension age in any developed country. pensioner poverty is not a myth, it is a reality. mr speaker, with scottish pensioners being short—changed by the uk government, the minister must agree that the only way to enter pensioner poverty in scotland is to put fairness back into our pension system. and to give older people the dignity that they deserve in return. it is... responsibilities seriously. mr speaker, the right honourable gentleman has got some nerve. he knows... he knows... he knows that it is in the power of the scottish government under devolution

legislation to top up social security benefits. he knows... he knows, mr speaker... order! there is a lot of wild gesticulation and people looking at me, pleadingly. it is very difficult what is being said. iwas is very difficult what is being said. i was trying to listen to the erudition of the minister but there is much noise. the right honourable gentleman knows that he and his party have voted against this government possibly has budgets even though they have been reducing tax upon the lowest paid in united kingdom. he knows... knows that the budget set by the snp in the scottish parliament last week have led to scots being more highly taxed than people in any other part of the united kingdom. and that... that in

a year when the scottish government block grant as a result of the chancellors budget decisions was increased by 950 million pounds. the snp, mr speaker, has squandered that union dividend. the message that we get from them is that if you have an snp government, scottish people pay more and get less. thank you, mr speaker. citizens advice in solihull has been a cornerstone of my community for over four decades. does my right honourable friend shame my dismay at a council procurement process that has seen 60% of funding white out overnight and will he join has seen 60% of funding white out overnight and will hejoin me in calling on the council to do everything to ensure the survival of my brilliant local citizens advice?

i certainly understand not least from my own constituency of the valuable service that citizens advice provides in many different parts of the country. as my honourable friend knows, the funding available through the local government settlement is largely unwritten fenced and these are decisions that are a matter for elected local authorities to take at their discretion but i am sure that they will have heard my honourable friends concerns. my constituent rachel spoke to me saying my husband cannot live day—to—day without incident. he has tried to build up a simply, incident. he has tried to build up a supply, there are no limits to how much you can order and keep. we have no idea how bad this will get. i am also worried about mice and with serious food intolerances. 99.5% of insulin used in the uk is made in the eu. the home secretary, foreign

secretary and leader of the also said we need extra time. when will the government allow our constituents to sleep at night and announced a delay in article 50? obviously if there's concerns about a particular case, the relevant health minister will be happy to discuss it with the gentleman. in his general point about supplies of insulin, as part of sensible contingency planning, my right honourable friend the health secretary and his department had been talking to suppliers of insulin and other key medicines and treatments to ensure that supplies will remain available to patients who need them, whatever the outcome in the current brexit negotiations. health and safety are strictly followed inside schools, but we expect our children to cross dangerous roads to get to the school gate. will my right honourable friend consider new minimum requirements and a funding pot to provide pedestrian crossings, signage, and reductions in speed limits to ensure our children are

looked after and don't have to cross such dangerous roads in the future? and i completely understand the concerns that notjust my right honourable friend but many parents have about this issue. of course, a lot depends upon the location of an individual school and the circumstances of the roads that in which that school stance. but i am sure a ministerfrom which that school stance. but i am sure a minister from the which that school stance. but i am sure a ministerfrom the department for transport will be happy to meet my honourable friend to discuss these ideas further. mr speaker, this week as children's mental health week. and there has been a massive deterioration in children's mental health, so that now one in seven children have a mental health disorder, much linked to rising poverty. yet there is a chronic shortage of trained psychiatrists to treat these children and we rely on the eu for one in seven trained psychiatrists and much of the primary research. what is he going

to do to avoid a further deterioration of the situation if we brexit and would he agree with me that parents who voted to leave did not vote to leave their children in greater risk of mental disorder and deserve the final say to protect... order. minister. on his point about eu health workers, of course, with the end of freedom of movement, we will need to put new arrangements in place and the immigration bill now before this house provides the framework within which those more detailed arrangements can be made for the future. i do have to say to the honourable gentleman, of course, the honourable gentleman, of course, the health service in wales is devolved and is a matter for the welsh government and assembly, but nhs england's long—term plan is good

to see the largest expansion of mental health services in a generation. i listened very carefully to the quiet and earnest exchange between my right honourable friend the chancellor of the duchy and the shadow foreign secretary on the subject of the arrangements were brexit. i have to say i form the impression they were trying to find detailed points upon which they could disagree and if it was left to them, they would take about five minutes to agree on a proposal which would take us smoothly through march the 29th with proper negotiations will stock can i ask my right honourable friend if he can arrange that on feathery the 14th we finally have some indicative votes in this house so that the sensible majority can house so that the sensible majority ca n ex press house so that the sensible majority can express their opinion —— february the 1ath, we can move smoothly into proper negotiations, based on a customs arrangement and some regulatory arraignment and stop

being so dominated by called ministers and the european research group. —— corbynistas. ministers and the european research group. —— corbynistaslj ministers and the european research group. -- corbynistas. i have been talking to members from all parts of the house, including members of the labour party and if the right honourable lady wants to come and see me as well, i would be very happy to talk further to her. i just think it is a pity that the leader of the opposition waited a full fortnight before even opening discussions with the government. people watching expect mps to be working together at this time in the national interest. while the prime minister is away, chasing political fixes, he knows that this brexit crisis could be resolved right here

in this house because many members would support a deal that was then put to the public for their approval. why, mr speaker, won't he offer the public this final say when he knows it would break the deadlock? the honourable member has been an open champion of the second referendum, i respect that. in fact, he knows the concerns that the government has that actually this would lead to an erosion of public trust in our political process and that actually it would be... it would not settle the question because there would be demand from whoever lost the second referendum to proceed to a third. i have to say to proceed to a third. i have to say to the honourable member, you need to the honourable member, you need to persuade his own front bench because i find opposition to a second referendum is quite deep in both major parties in this house.|j

had just come from speaking at the launch of a draft eu uk free trade agreement, which lays out 300 pages of what such an agreement would look like. and invites governments and businesses to engage, but this depends on being outside of a customs union with the eu. could my right honourable friend notwithstanding the exchanges earlier on this very topic reconnect himself today to our manifesto commitment to be outside of a customs union with the eu in the future relationship? well, my right honourable friend perfectly properly made reference to the conservative ma nifesto made reference to the conservative manifesto in 2017 but i could refer him also to many, many statements from this dispatch box and elsewhere by the prime minister to the same effect. what i would say to him is that for the complex negotiations that for the complex negotiations that would be needed to establish the detail of the future economic partnership between ourselves and the european union, we need to have

the european union, we need to have the mentation or transitional period thatis the mentation or transitional period that is specified in the withdrawal agreement, that is what businesses are asking us in this house to do, thatis are asking us in this house to do, that is why the house should come together and support ideal. —— a deal. will the minister explain why councils like bury with less brownfield land available cannot use the most recent independent ons figures on household projections to determine local housing need, thus saving more of our precious green belt from development? of course, there have been new tests of housing need recently, introduced, and those are designed to reflect the fact that under successive governments of all political parties, we as a country have been building far fewer new homes than our country and particularly our younger generation

now need. and i can say to the honourable gentlemen, representing one part of the country with some of the fastest house—building rates anywhere in england, i think this is anywhere in england, i think this is a social justice anywhere in england, i think this is a socialjustice challenge that we have to face up to but the national planning policy contains within it very strong tests to protect against inappropriate development in the green belt and the government will stand by that approach. last week, it was announced that emergencies and women and children services are going to move from telford is princess royal hospital out of. i have asked the health secretary to call in this decision for review because the needs and health outcomes of people in both telford and wrekin have not been considered. will my right honourable friend join me in urging the health secretary to review this decision and to listen to the concerns of people? my

honourable friend is a strong advocate for the health needs of her local area, as i would expect. i understand that she met the secretary of state for health yesterday and i expect she will consider carefully the case she put to him then. the fuel poverty is on the rise thanks to your government. the cold weather payments received by people are needed. my constituency, the majority of them, they see these payments when temperatures are below zero. however, i have neighbouring constituents in my ward who live based on a measurement from a weather station 20 miles away. so, will the minister act and end this postcode lottery for cold weather payments for the good people of my constituency? mr speaker, the

government is committed to ensuring the most vulnerable people get the support when they need it most, and it's important, obviously, that people are able to keep their homes warm during any cold snaps and the cold weather payments and winter payment and enable them to do that. i will ensure that the relevant minister looks into the particular constituency issue he has raised. speaker: jack brereton. on behalf of my honourable friend the member for stafford who has been in his constituency this morning, i wanted to thank staffordshire fire and rescue and police for their efforts in the horrific fire that occurred in stafford this week. i wanted to thank the local schools for the support being given to children who know the family. will my right honourable friend join me in expressing our condolences to the family and friends of all those involved. i don't believe there is any member of this house whose reaction to that

ghastly news yesterday was other than horror and the most deeply felt sense of sympathy with the family and with the friends of the children and with the friends of the children and parents involved. i think any of us thinking through what that family has had to live through, and must face living through it in the future it strikes one it must be almost unendurable. i would hope on behalf of the whole house during my honourable friend in paying tribute to the emergency services. and let us not forget that for those who we re us not forget that for those who were called out to the scene, this would have been a traumatic experience. and also paid tribute to the local schools who he mentioned. the fire and rescue service is going to be leading an investigation into the causes of this tragedy and

obviously we will have to await the outcome of that before deciding any further lessons should be drawn. speaker: jim mcmahon. thank you, mr speaker. my friend, the honourable memberfor swansea speaker. my friend, the honourable member for swansea east opened speaker. my friend, the honourable memberfor swansea east opened her heart to share the story of her son martin and the pain she went through when he died as a child. nine months ago the prime minister committed to establishing martin's fund, a children's funeral fund meaning the pa rents children's funeral fund meaning the parents wouldn't have to go through the cost of burying their child, yet nine months on, there has been 3000 families who have had to find the funding to bury their children because the government has not put the fund in place. and i ask, when can we see the fund and importantly will the government commit to backdating the payment from the date that that announcement was made? mr speaker, as the prime minister said previously, it isn't right that grieving parents have to worry about how to meet the funeral costs for a child. we have confirmed parents

will no longer have to meet the costs of burials and cremations and fees will be waived by local authorities and paid for by the government. we have been working, as the honourable gentleman acknowledged, the most effective way to deliver the fund because we need to deliver the fund because we need to make sure we get this right. but i take his point about the need to step up the pace and we will provide an update to parliament on implementation as soon as possible, andi implementation as soon as possible, and i will certainly be drawing his comments and the support he has from other members right across the house ona other members right across the house on a cross—party basis to the attention of ministers concerned.” am proud to represent penzance, which is the start of a rail link to london and elsewhere. five years ago, five years since this track was cut off by coastal erosion and landslides. the planning application has finally gone in to create a resilient rail link for devon and cornwall. will the right honourable

friend i sure my constituents and this house that adequate funds will be made available to avoid any further delay? my honourable friend is absolutely right about the critical importance of this stretch of line, not just to critical importance of this stretch of line, notjust to south devon, but to the whole of the southwest and particularly to people living in cornwall. i've been told by the department for transport that the first phase of work to protect the sea wall at dawlish began in november last year with essentials repairs to breakwaters, part of a £50 million wider investment to make the railway at dawlish and tim with more resilient to extreme weather and top quality engineers have been carrying out detailed ground investigations to develop a long—term solution to protect the railway and minimise disruption for passengers. we are talking to network rail about the long—term plan now. last year my constituent with cerebral palsy was awarded £55 per week in personal independence

payment. she was then diagnosed as having an incurable and often severely debilitating condition and was summoned for a reassessment and the private profit driven company this government chooses to make those assessments decided she is healthier with this disease than without and stopped her benefit in its entirety, leaving her £2900 per year worse off than she was before, literally punishing my constituent for being ill. how does the government possibly hope to justify such a travesty ofjustice? obviously the honourable gentleman raises a particular constituency case and i don't know the detail other than to the extent with which he has just relayed other than to the extent with which he hasjust relayed back other than to the extent with which he has just relayed back to the house but i will ask the minister at the department for work and pensions to talk to him to listen to the details of this case in greater depth. sur bernard jenkin. could i

point out to my right honourable friend that the house has already had some indicative votes, that the house didn't like the withdrawal agreement as it stands, would prefer not to leave without a withdrawal agreement at all, and the whole government voted to replace the backstop. so what progress are the discussions making which are being led by a remarkable alliance by my right honourable friend for love prugh and my honourable friend for east somerset, who are promoting what is known as the malthouse compromise which would replace the backstop with a perfectly viable scheme to secure an open border in northern ireland and under all circumstances. what is holding it 7 __ circumstances. what is holding it up? —— loughborough. circumstances. what is holding it up? -- loughborough. there is no attempt to hold anything up. the government is very determined that we need to make progress, not least because of the two—year deadline under article 50, and the importance to our businesses of leaving the eu in an orderly manner with a

withdrawal agreement. but the group to which my right honourable friend referred to has been meeting with the right honourable friend, the exit secretary, those talks continue. thank you, mr speaker. iss are private contractors who employ some of my constituents as porters and cleaners at kingston hospital but they won't pay them sick pay. one was refused sick pay after suffering a stroke, and coercing people who are sick to come into hospital risks infecting vulnerable patients. iss have threatened to break off negotiations with the gmb trade union if there is any political campaigning on this issue including contacting mps. will he condemn iss for undermining their work is' basic democratic right to contact their mp and will he call on iss to pay their workers fairly, including when they are sick? there are two issues raised on the point about access to a member of

parliament, there is no excuse for any organisation or any individual to try to stop a constituent from approaching their member of parliament. and while it is a matter ultimately for you, mr speaker, there have been previous occasions where such attempts have been ruled asa where such attempts have been ruled as a contempt of parliament. so i hope that message will go back. on the substantive point about the operation of the contracts, clearly the contract would have been let by the contract would have been let by the relevant part of the nhs but the health secretary indicated to me he is willing to sit down with the honourable member and talk through the details of this. thank you, mr speaker. following on from the excellent question from my honourable friend for harwich and north essex, can i remind the chancellor of the duchy that on the 29th of january the house passed the so—called brady amendment, 317 members were present and were

actively involved, as they all voted for it, including him and the whole of the government. the amendment said, "and requires the northern ireland backstop to be replaced with alternative arrangements to avoid a ha rd alternative arrangements to avoid a hard border." has the government voted for it and can he confirm that is still there policy, and if not, which bit of "replace" was not clear? the motion, of course, also said that subject to those changes that those who voted for the motion would be willing to accept the withdrawal agreement. the talks are continuing with the so—called malthouse group. but my right honourable friend prime minister spelt out in belfast yesterday how she intends to take forward the work following the vote following the amendment of our right honourable

friend for sale west. studio: we are leaving prime minister's questions. standing in today for theresa may and jeremy corbyn, david lidington and emily thornberry. emily thornberry put to david livingstone the only way to resolve the issue of the irish border is for there to be a customs union, that was her standout comment. "we have a government of treading water in the niagara river while the current texas over the falls. " while the current texas over the falls." david liddington's response was that they have to vote for a deal in the national interest. the question being asked again, what is the government's policy on replacing the government's policy on replacing the backstop? we have had very clear indications again from the eu this morning that there is going to be no reopening of the withdrawal agreement. so, let's go to our assistant political editor norman smith who can put all of that together for us. it felt like a

fairly lacklustre prime minister's questions. what would you take from it? it is always slightly less charged when you don't have the pm and jeremy corbyn there. quite a bit of cut and thrust on brexit but rough rule of thumb, there is almost no point asking questions on brexit if you are not asking the prime minister because so tightly does she control the negotiations, i suspect even some of her cabinet colleagues really don't quite know what her game plan is. however, if he did have to ask someone other than theresa may, david liddington is probably the person to answer, not least because she is —— he is her effective deputy, he is so plugged into all matters brexit, he has been incorporated into the revised british negotiating team, so he is the man to ask if mrs may isn't there. only, he is an experienced politician and it seemed to me we we re politician and it seemed to me we were in dead bat country and he was giving nothing away, so emily thornberry tried to tease out what

mps might get a vote on next week when mrs may comes back to make a statement on what progress, or lack of progress she has made. she tried to get any clarity on whether the government was considering delaying brexit, was the government veering towards a customs union? really no change out of that. one little bit of interest i thought was we got the glimmers of the real disquiet among brexiteers following on from mrs may's remarks in belfast yesterday where she pretty clearly said, "i'm not getting rid of the backstop." we heard bernard jenkin saying rather anxiously, what's happening to the group looking at the malthouse compromise? this is the alternative arrangements favoured by the brexiteers, similarly, other remarks saying what part of remove does the government not understand? i think we saw glimmers of the emerging disquiet amongst brexiteers about the way mrs may seems to be going into these negotiations. stay with

us norman because i mentioned what donald tusk has been saying. let's hear his words exactly. they have been strong. he has been speaking after talks with leo varadkar, and donald tusk said there isa varadkar, and donald tusk said there is a special place in hell for those who promoted brexit without a plan of how to do it. it was in a news conference with the irish prime minister. let's listen to what was said. i've been wondering if there is a special place in hell for those who promoted brexit without a plan of how to do it safely. this is what nigel farage tweeted following that.

there were some comments picked up on the microphone after the joint news conference. can we bring it to you? we are going to try. basically, the microphones after the news conference picked up some off—the—cuff comments from leo varadkar to donald tusk. i'm afraid i can't bring it to you. sorry. i'm hearing in my ear that we can't bring it to you right now. basically, it sounded like leo varadkar said to donald tusk, but it is really muffled so not completely clear, but it sounded like you said to donald tusk, you are going to get in all sorts of trouble for that, something like that. back to our assistant political editor. quite extraordinary what donald tusk said and also what was said afterwards, kind of a bit ofjoking around.” thought what we got was almost an

insight into the almost despair now in brussels at the way these negotiations have ended up, although the remarks were directed at the likes of nigel farage and boris johnson. but that sense of gloom and pessimism about where this has all gone with donald tusk saying that the eu now felt they had a responsibility to prepare for" a fiasco" and like leo varadkar saying they were now intensifying their no deal preparations, in part because of the instability in british politics. both men come as a curtain raiserfor politics. both men come as a curtain raiser for mrs may's visit tomorrow, hugely discouraging, i would think, saying there is no question of reopening the withdrawal treaty. the agreement stays. which, you know, it would seem to suggest mrs may is facing a gargantuan task if she is going to be seeking significant meaningful concessions because the eu really do not seem to be in the

market for it. but i think you've got a real sense, perhaps, market for it. but i think you've gota realsense, perhaps, of market for it. but i think you've got a real sense, perhaps, of not just the anger at the sort of bewilderment, pessimism and gloom in eu circles about how this is now all unfolding. i think we can now play the clip of leo varadkar speaking to donald tusk just the clip of leo varadkar speaking to donald tuskjust off the back of that news conference, so stay with us, norman. you'll be in terrible trouble in a minute. what do you think the place in hell looks like? it is not clear but it sounded like you're going to get in terrible trouble with the british press. that comment from emily thornberry when she said we have a government treading water in the niagara river while the current texas over the falls, alluding to the possibility ofan falls, alluding to the possibility of an accidental no—deal brexit —— ta kes of an accidental no—deal brexit —— takes us over. what is your sense of

where we are heading? it feels with those comments today that positions are hardening rather than looking more like compromise. paradoxically, i don't think mrs may will be that perturbed by the comments of donald tusk, either about the likes of borisjohnson tusk, either about the likes of boris johnson and nigel tusk, either about the likes of borisjohnson and nigel farage, or indeed about the prospects of a no deal. why? because part of mrs may's game plan, if you like, is to remorselessly crank up the pressure on her mps so that they really are facing the stark alternative of her deal, warts and all, or no deal and all that might entail. and so everything which adds to the sense of foreboding about what no deal might actually mean strengthens her hand. so! might actually mean strengthens her hand. so i don't think she'll be that upset about that. perhaps more worrying is any indication that the eu is closing ranks and isjust not going to give her anything. within government i think they have pretty

much concluded they are unlikely to get the withdrawal agreement reopened, no matter how hard they push, and probably will have to settle for some sort of legal guarantees in a document that sits alongside the withdrawal treaty. that will never satisfy some brexiteers, but the brexiteers are not a sort of homogenous united force. there are different strands of opinion and i think the hope will be if they can get something which the attorney general tells them is legally binding, that may be enough to get enough brexiteers on board for mrs may to have a hope of still getting her deal through. for mrs may to have a hope of still getting her dealthrough. so for mrs may to have a hope of still getting her deal through. so the vote is on valentine's day? there will be a vote on valentine's day. it's not going to be the meaningful vote, unless there is some sort of miracle in brussels tomorrow and over the weekend. instead the likelihood is mrs may will come back and say, i'm trying, we are still negotiating, i really need more

time. mps will be able to table amendments to that sort of statement and that in itself will be interesting. will we see another attempt by the likes of yvette cooperfor parliament attempt by the likes of yvette cooper for parliament to seize back control. will those in favour of a second referendum suddenly discover their courage and put down an amendment? it will be another flash point moment but it is not going to be the meaningful vote, the big vote on mrs may's deal. thank you very much, norman. well, theresa may has met with the main political leaders in northern ireland as part of the government's efforts to break the deadlock over brexit. mrs may was on a two—day visit to try to reassure people she can secure a brexit deal that avoids the return of customs checkpoints on the irish border. sinn fein's leader mary lou mcdonald spoke straight after her meeting and said theresa may had come to belfast empty—handed and with no plan. said theresa may had come to belfast empty-handed and with no plan. we had what i would describe as a very direct meeting with mrs may. we are

now 51 days from the brexit deadline and the british prime minister has come here empty—handed with the same old rhetoric, with no plan, no credibility, and frankly no honour. we have told her that the british strategy of running down the clock and playing a game of chicken with ireland and irish interests, is profoundly unacceptable and wrong. we have told her that the days of britain dictating to ireland, or irish people, that those days are over and will not return. we have told her that the backstop is the bottom line, the bare minimum requirements to meet irish interest, to protect the good friday and, to prevent a hardening of the border, two in some way mitigate citizens' rights. we reminded her that when we last met before christmas she, in

fa ct, last met before christmas she, in fact, understood that case. in fact, she went to some lengths to articulate that position to us. and, therefore, she has acted with her eyes wide open in absolute bad faith. sinn fein leader mary lou mcdonald. crime rates, property prices and transport links are all things people often consider before moving to a new area. but how do these differ for young people? the radio1 newsbeat team has been looking into what matters to people under the age of 26 — and it's factors like the number of bars and clubs in an area and 4g coverage. it's launched a calculator so you can rate your area, as daniel rosney explains. esme's18. she's a home carer and lives in bridport, west dorset. it's one of the bottom five areas to live in britain if you are under 26. that's what this new bbc analysis suggests. people tend to retire in towns like bridport, which is why there is a demand for carers like esme. i've seen a few documentaries and stuff about people living in cities and they meet up with their friends and they can just

go out and do whatever, whereas when i was growing up, if i wanted to meet one of my friends, then our parents had to drive us to each other‘s houses and we had to wait there to be picked up because there's no way you could walk there, and as soon as i learned to drive, that's when i could actually do stuff for myself. there's only so many words you could use to describe dorset. it's so simple. everyone knows each other. everyone grows up with each other. if you do something stupid, then the chances are that someone will find out about it and tell everyone else, and i think that you can't really do that much unless you can drive. i want to leave, and i don't mind coming back because i love it here, but i don't think i could to stay here forever because i think i need something to mix it up a bit. this analysis covers local authority areas in england, wales, and scotland. it looks at 11 factors for under

26—year—olds including the numbers of bars, clubs, and music events, as well as access to sports facilities and ag. average rent prices and levels of unemployment are also used. 60 miles away from bridport is bristol. and that's one of the top five areas for serving its younger population, according to this research. sham describes himself as a proud bristolian, born and bred. every corner that you go to has history about it, has some sort of culture about it and has something unique, and it'sjust so nice because everyone here has a different background and a different story about them and ijust love that about bristol. esme plans to move to gloucester in september to study nursing, but for her, west dorset will always be home. daniel rosney, bbc news. you can find the know your place calculator on the bbc news website. the broadcasterjohn humphrys has said he is preparing to step

down from bbc radio 4's today programme by the end of the year. he has told programme bosses he intends to leave in the autumn. the head of bbc news, fran unsworth, said he'd always been a champion of the listeners, holding the powerful to account on their behalf. mr humphrys — who also hosts tv quiz show mastermind — has presented the flagship morning news programme since 1987. and a little earlier on this morning's programme — he was forced into a little joke about his mooted departure. good morning, john, i can't believe you're leaving. oh! all of these stories knocked out by the press. don't believe a word you need. the press we re very don't believe a word you need. the press were very irresponsible! turning the questions onjohn humphrys! in a moment it's time for the one o'clock news with clive myrie but first it's time for a look at the weather with nick miller. some hazy sunshine but the weather is about to become much more active

with heavy rain in some places but many places are dry at the moment, some showers around scotland, north—west northern ireland, and some heavy rain comes back towards parts of south—east england and east anglia overnight, some sleet and snow over the hills of northern ireland, northern england and scotland, turning windy around some of the coasts of west and south—west wales and south—west england, 60—70 mph gusts this evening and that chorus of winds transfers east into the east of england tomorrow morning, 50 mph gusts to start the day. the winds will ease as the day goes on, coming still from a fairly mild direction, so some of us still getting into double figures but maybe not quite as high as they have been for england and wales today. with sunshine and a few showers tomorrow in the west. the president of the european council has condemned in the strongest terms those he said who promoted britain leaving the european union without a plan to deliver it safely. on the eve of talks with theresa may in brussels,

donald tusk said the eu was preparing for the "possible fiasco," of a no deal brexit. i've been wondering what that special place in hell looks like for those who promoted brexit without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it. we'll have reaction as theresa may meets political leaders in northern ireland, saying there will be a hard border —— no hard broder with the republic. also this lunchtime... in his delayed state of the union address due to the partial government shutdown, donald trump appeals for republicans and democrats to set aside their differences.