tonight at ten, the economy expands at its slowest annual rate in six years, after a sharp slowdown in december. the official explanation is a fall in factory output and car production, as 2018 presented many challenges for business. 2018 was a challenging year for us. we've had rising raw material costs. our customers have suffered raw material increases. and we've suffered from high employee turnover this year. it follows forecasts of slower growth in 2019 because of uncertainty over brexit and a weaker global economy. there is no doubt that the uncertainty around brexit is taking a toll on the economy. that is why we want to get the deal done so we can put this issue behind us. we'll have a closer look at the latest figures and the prospects for this year. also tonight. the labour party has revealed it received nearly 700 allegations of anti—semitism by its members injust ten months. more than 300,000 babies are living below the poverty line,

according to new analysis carried out for the bbc. the earth's entire insect population could be extinct within a century, according to new research, with catastrophic results for the planet's ecosystem. and a decision is expected tonight on whether british horse racing can resume, after an outbreak of equine flu. and coming up on sportsday on bbc news, captainjoe root‘s century helps england to build a commanding lead in the third test against west indies in st lucia. good evening. the economy grew at its slowest rate in six years in 2018,

after a sharp slowdown in december. the latest data comes after predictions of slower growth this year, due to brexit uncertainty and a weaker global economy. the office for national statistics says gdp growth, which measures goods and services produced in the uk, was 1.4% last year. the last time it was lower was in 2009. the 0ns pointed to a sharp fall in the manufacture of cars and steel products and a decline in construction. labour said it was time for the government to end austerity policies and rule out a no—deal brexit. 0ur economics correspondent dharshini david has been looking at the figures. protecting metal gate posts from the ravages of the weather is all in a day's work at this zinc galvanising plant. but insulating the business against outside forces has been tough. in fact, their sector has been one of the hardest hit. 2018 was a challenging year for us. we had rising zinc prices and rising

steel prices for our customers with reduced order books, and a high employee turnover. business investment tends to rise and fall. but anxious times meant companies spent less and less on equipment and buildings in 2018, squeezing overall growth. low investment affects how efficient companies are and so may impact profits and ourjobs and wages in the future. so is there an effect from brexit? the chancellor admits a lack of clarity is hurting. there's no doubt that the uncertainty around brexit is taking a toll on the economy. that's why we want to get the deal done so that we can put this issue behind us and move on, growing our economy, creating morejobs, creating higher wages. the continuing stalemate over brexit has contributed to the weakest year for growth since the financial crisis. the figures out today cover everything from investment to income and spending. they are the best guide

to financial well—being. and it's notjust about brexit. even if those clouds clear, there are other factors that could impact our prosperity. the uk's biggest car—maker, jaguar land rover, blamed notjust brexit but weaker demand from china, when it recently announced job cuts, which is part of a global slowdown. we have seen weaker growth in china, we have seen a slowdown in germany, italy is in recession. and it's down to a number of factors, in particular trade wars. there has been a slowdown in trade and there are also geopolitical concerns. those are concerns that the bank of england warned ofjust last week. the bank of england has pointed out that the world is moving into a period of slower economic growth. what they're forecasting for the uk next year will still see us ahead of germany, ahead ofjapan, ahead of italy. and the bank of england confirmed also that there is an upside to come for the uk economy if we get a good deal.

but their central forecast is for business investment to fall by even more this year, and that's even with a deal. so talking of a dividend is a little bit unrealistic, isn't it? no, i don't think so. i think if we get the right deal, consumers will feel more confident and as consumers recover their confidence, businesses will feel more confident. surveys suggest the start of this year hasn't been any brighterfor business. consumers are faring better, but key to all our prosperity will be the outcome of the next few weeks. and dharshini is here now. lots of the focus on last year there but what can we say now about the prospects for this year? well, not much seems to have changed in terms of politics in the last six weeks or so of politics in the last six weeks or so but that does not mean there haven't been developments for the economy. surveys are telling us companies have been busy, that is, preparing for the event of a no

deal, for example, stockpiling goods 01’ deal, for example, stockpiling goods or setting up alternative offices. however, new orders have been drying up however, new orders have been drying upfor however, new orders have been drying up for many, particularly from overseas, export customers likely concerned there might be delays or extra charges in the event of a no deal, or their own economies could be suffering. the bright spot is consumers. what we learn today is incomes rose by 3.7% over the last year. they may be cautious now that you can see why the chancellor is feeling very optimistic. you may also have noticed that normally on a day like today he is out in a factory or workshop somewhere unveiling these figures but instead, i had to catch up with him in westminster which may be a sign of how concerned he is and how important he thinks a deal is to ensuring our prosperity in the coming years. thank you forjoining us. the prime minister and the labour leaderjeremy corbyn look set to hold further talks over the brexit process. but theresa may has rejected one ofjeremy corbyn‘s five key demands for backing a possible brexit deal, which is to keep the uk in a permanent customs union with the eu.

mrs may is trying to find a way out of the political stalemate over brexit, with the uk's set departure date of march 29th just over six weeks away. she's due to make a statment to mps tomorrow, as our political editor laura kuenssberg reports. he does not look that enthusiastic about a compromise. has the pm met your demands, mr corbyn? but are jeremy corbyn and the government moving any closer together? with huge numbers of tory mps disgruntled at the prime minister's deal, any sign from labour that they are willing to talk counts. which direction is the prime minister heading in? is she, firstly, simply trying to get her own team back on board to put her deal yet again with some supposed changes? that is what it looks like she is doing. or is she genuinely looking to see whether there is a majority for labour's proposal? remember, theresa may's deal was comprehensively booted out by parliament last month so she is desperate for votes. last week, jeremy corbyn

wrote to theresa may, outlining what could get his party over the line. last night, she wrote back to him, dangling some labour friendly promises of protections for workers and the environment, cash for labour constituencies. she is, though, a million miles from getting the opposition officially on board, even though some labour mps are tempted to move. after months of whispers, this deal—making is out in the open now. i think that there would be a numberof labourmps, we estimate it's somewhere between 40—60, who are actively looking for ways to support this at the moment. there is one particularly sticky point. the trade secretary signed today to keep us trading with switzerland like we do now in future. even though similar talks with other countries are behind schedule, he and the prime minister are adamant we must have the power to sign our own trade deals. but labour wants to be

in a customs union — closer ties for business, but more rules. it is very clear from the european union that non—eu members do not have a say in eu trade policy. so to pretend that you could do so is a dangerous delusion. and brexiteer anger always lurks. being part of a customs union would be unacceptable to plenty on the tory side. so if the prime minister's really serious about budging to win some labour votes, she would do so potentially driving more of her own ranks away. corbyn‘s proposal would keep us locked in the customs union and locked in much of the single market forever. therefore, brexit, the promise that we made to the british people of coming out of the eu institutions, would be broken. pleasing all of the people, all of the time, was never going to happen. the prime minister's challenge is to satisfy enough mps in parliament to save her deal.

laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. the labour party has disclosed that it received 673 complaints in ten months alleging acts of anti—semitism by its members. a letter from the party's general secretary revealed the figures after pressure from mps for specific details. 96 members were immediately suspended from the party for their conduct, and 12 were expelled. our special correspondent lucy manning has the details. labour has been a clear used of failing to deal with anti—semitism. now it has revealed the scale of the complaints. it is really upsetting. no —— complaints. it is really upsetting. no——i complaints. it is really upsetting. no —— i know otherjewish labour party members who are in continual term while. cathy, a party member for 30 years, her family holocaust survivors, close to tears at the lack of action, nearly a year after she complained of anti—semitism.m

has just felt like another kick in the teeth, really. it has felt like you are expected to be silent. she had objected to fellow party member supporting ken livingstone after he made comments about hitler and it was suggested she should apologise. i thought that it was institutional racism, it was making those who are the victims of racism responsible. her local party, dulwich and west norwood, dispute the account, and say it has no tolerance for anti—semitism. labour says all complaints are fully investigated. tonight, labour released figures showing over ten months, it received 673 complaints about allegations of anti—semitism involving its members. 96 members were immediately suspended, and 12 have been expelled. other cases are still being considered. while 220 have been dismissed, with the party saying there wasn't sufficient evidence. in a statement,

the labour party said:. while the mainjewish community groups don't believe labour has done enough, one smaller group ofjewish labour supporters thinks the party's general secretary is trying. under jennie formby, the party are starting to implement fair and just processes , starting to implement fair and just processes, it is dealing with a tiny minority of cases that are justified. it is getting rid of those cases which are not. but some mps have written tojeremy corbyn tonight, questioning the figures. the abuse is just vile, tonight, questioning the figures. the abuse isjust vile, and to think that that has only led to 12 expulsions beggars belief, and just convinces people like me that the labour party has yet to take this issue seriously. labour admits there

has been hard evidence of anti—semitism but the party is hoping this will show it is tackling it. lucy manning, bbc news. a man questioned in connection with the disappearance of the student libby squire has appeared in court accused of unrelated offences. pawel relowicz, who's 2a and from poland, pleaded not guilty to five charges, including voyeurism, burglary and outraging public decency. miss squire, who's 21, has not been seen since a night out 11 days ago. the defence secretary gavin williamson has announced plans to modernise the armed forces and, in his words, to redefine britain's role in the world after brexit. he said the royal navy's new aircraft carrier, the hms queen elizabeth, would be deployed to the pacific in response to the perceived threat from china. mr williamson said it was vital the uk was prepared to use its military power. more than 300,0000 babies under the age of one are living below the poverty line — that's according to analysis

carried out for the bbc by the joseph rowntree foundation. relative poverty is defined by the organisation as living substantially below the average income. for a single—parent family with one child, that amounts to £198 per week after housing costs. for a family of two parents with two children, it's £360 per week. the government says there are now 1 million fewer people living in absolute poverty since 2010. absolute poverty is defined as living with income 60% below the average income in 2010, adjusted for rises in the cost of living. 0ur correspondent danny savage has been to castleford to talk to one working mother about her experiences. morning, charlie. ready? the start of another day for vicky miller and her son charlie, in their rented home in castleford. going to get ready for nursery, aren't we? another day worrying about money. get some milk, you want to come up?

things were so desperate a few months ago, she was referred to a baby bank. you get the toiletries and nappies. it supplies everything for a newborn that a growing number of people can't afford. and it's just received another message asking for help. they might ring us up and say, "i don't get paid until friday, but we've run out of nappies, or milk", or theyjust need topping up on clothes. you know, when winter came we had a lot of referrals from mums who wanted just winter coats and things like that. although vicky works two days a week, it's not enough for some of the basics. when she was on maternity leave, things were even tighter. even recovering from a c—section, it was nothing unusual for me to walk six miles a day. so like, into town, around town to look at the prices on the market, look at the price on the supermarket, and have to go back to one because i could save 25p on a bag of potatoes

on the market. vicky now has to make her food budget of £20 a week go as far as possible. call it £5 for cash. 0h, grand. thank you very much. thank you ever so much. have you ever had a week when you've literally run out of cash when there's two or three days to go? yes. it was like not long after i took my house over, i went two weeks with just living on baked beans. he wasn't feeding, he was breast fed at the time, so of course that wasn't good, i wasn't getting enough nutrients in, so i had to go to food banks. what sort of things do you have to send home to people? nappies, wipes. and at charlie's nursery, the daily struggle of working families is a familiar story to ownerjodie. so they come in on a morning absolutely starving. so we're providing breakfast when realistically they should be fed at home, before they come. fair enough, them that's coming in at half seven, that's the breakfast club, they're coming in for that,

but there's children that come in here, at 9.00, and they're starving. at the baby bank, more donations are being dropped off. researchers say 300,000 children in the uk under the age of one are living in relative poverty. this is clearly needed. danny savage, bbc news, west yorkshire. the work and pensions secretary amber rudd says the increased use of food banks is partly caused by problems in implementing universal credit. the department has previously played down links between the new single benefit and people seeking emergency food parcels, but today the minister said that difficulty in accessing money after moving to universal credit was "one of the causes" of the rise. the food bank operator the trussell trust said the acknowledgement was welcome. human activity could drive the earth's entire insect population to extinction within a century, according to a major new scientific study.

insects are vital pollinators, so any decline threatens food production, and there are warnings now that 40% of species could be gone within just a few decades. pesticides, agriculture and climate change are being blamed. 0ur environment correspondent victoria gill has more details. they are the planet's smallest and most essential workers, producing ourfood, cleaning up our waste. but changes we are making to the environment threaten the very existence of the earth's insect population. that is according to scientists, who analyzed dozen of insects surveys, carried out all over the world, over the last 13 years. it revealed that many species are now sliding towards extinction at a dramatic rate. 0verall, a1% of the world's insect species are in decline. that includes some very familiar creatures. 49% of beetles are declining, 37% of mayflies and 53% of butterflies and moths.

that's one of the groups that are troubled ? absolutely, moths and bees and beetles are all massively in trouble right now. those losses, scientists say, could jeopardise our way of life. so much of our atmospheric carbon which is linked to climate change, that is stored in the soil, and that is cycled through the soil by insects. 0urfood is grown in the soil — that is made by insects — and then our food is then pollinated by insects. every single step along that has an insect associated with it that is doing an importantjob, and without that, we would lose the ability to produce food, wouldn't we? but as much as we rely on insects it is primarily our activities and ourfood production practices that have been driving these declines. there are three key things that this study highlights as threats to our planet's insect diversity — climate change, invasive species and critically, how we use our land.

the increasing intensification of agriculture. around the world, suitable habitat is being consumed by farming and urbanisation. and the study says widespread use of synthetic pesticides is a major driver of insect loss. bug lovers can help by making gardens more pollinator friendly, but researchers say food production will have to change to stop our most important pollinators becoming collateral damage in the battle against pests. a trial has started over the rape and murder of six—year—old alesha macphail who was killed on the isle of bute. her body was discovered in woodland last july. a 16—year—old boy — who can't be named because of his age — denies the charges at glasgow high court. a decision is due in the next hour or so about whether british horse racing can resume again this week, after an outbreak of the highly infectious equine flu.

there's been no racing forfive days, after several horses were found to be infected. now, four more cases have been identified at a second yard in newmarket. 0ur correspondent richard conway is at the stables of trainer henrietta knight at wantage in 0xfordshire with the latest. the cheltenham festival is just over a month away, an event that transcends jump racing. i'm a month away, an event that transcendsjump racing. i'm here tonight at the yard of henrietta knight who knows all about winning and training gold cup winners. we will hear what she has to say on this issue in a minute in my report because this issue has divided opinion in racing circles. some feel perhaps the british horseracing authority has overreacted but others think that they have taken swift and effective action to contain the

virus. whatever your opinion, there is an important decision to make and injust over an is an important decision to make and in just over an hour we will know if they will give the go—ahead for racing to resume on wednesday. another day of no starter‘s orders, and with four new positive tests of equine flu discovered at the newmarket yard of trainer simon crisford, a total of 174 stables remain in lockdown. the british horseracing authority are continuing to analyse test results to see how prevalent the virus is amongst racing's thoroughbreds. as a result there's been no racing since last wednesday, a decision praised by some but considered an overreaction by others. to shut down racing completely because of a couple of cases, six cases of equine flu, is rather drastic. and rather sad. and it has shocked quite a number of people. the champion trainer meanwhile would like to get his horses running competitively once more, but remains for now at least supportive of the stoppage. i think by not racing over the weekend, it's

a good enough decision. as far as cheltenham is concerned, i mean, if we don't race for another ten days, it's not going to threaten cheltenham, but there will be a lot of horses that would have liked to have had a run in the meantime. it may be quiet now but in four weeks' time the cheltenham festival will be under way and the cheers will be deafening as the horses pass this winning post. it is the pinnacle ofjump racing and organisers are confident it will go ahead despite this outbreak of equine flu. but this sport is about more than just the glory. construction of the huge hospitality stands and bars at cheltenham continues apace. a potent symbol of the millions of pounds racing brings to local and rural economies. we will have several thousand people employed here for the four days of the festival. both in catering, in security, on the car parks, it is a huge event which does bring employment to a lot of people. for now all bets are off as a sport and the wider industry of racing

wait to see if the threat of equine flu has been contained enough to let them gallop again. richard conway, bbc news, cheltenham. the manchester evening news released its first ever print sunday edition yesterday, bucking the trend elsewhere in the uk, with more than 200 local papers going out of business since 2005 because of advertising moving online and readers going elsewhere for their news. dame frances cairncross was commissioned by the government to find out what the future holds forjournalism, and our media editor amol rajan has been looking at the findings. in here is our treasured armistice edition. based in leeds, the yorkshire post is yorkshire's national paper. as editor, you become acutely aware that you are a custodian. 100 years ago, people got their news from the local paper. today, many of us get our news online, while the internet has destroyed the market

in classified advertising. according to the press gazette, 2115 local newspapers have shut since 2005 alone. there is a charm to newspapers, don't you think? the rustle and crinkle of newsprint. that faint pong as you leaf through the pages. and the irresistible whiff of proper reporting and the craft of clever curation. best of all, there are no weird adverts for nappies or marmalade based on your most recent online search. the trouble is, in news, convenience is king, and for a generation used to getting free stuff direct to their smartphones, newsprint just can't compete. what we have is essentially a business model that's acutely challenged by declining revenues. but the dichotomy of more people demanding our content than ever before. innovation is key. the manchester evening news just launched a sunday edition. and a new generation of entrepreneurs is delivering fresh hope. andy has been a journalist

for 30 years. the third time he was made redundant, from his job as a subeditor at his local paper in somerset, he set up wells voice, a free monthly. funded by advertising, its circulation is rising and it's doubled in size. the local voice network shows that local or hyper local publications are thriving and can be very successful. i think the appetite for news has never gone away. local papers have been asking government for help, particularly from what they see as the predatory behaviour of technology firms like google and facebook. the government response was to ask dame frances cairncross to publish a review on the future of high quality news. it suggests a new regulator to oversee the quality of news on online platforms. tax relief to encourage online subscription models. and that 0fcom investigate the size of bbc news and its impact on the comercial sector. i asked dame frances why she resisted lobbying from the industry to classify tech platforms as publishers and make them pay for news content.

there is no way that the platforms are going pay for content. i think they would rather stop carrying news directly, and that would do no good to any newspaper. they are the main route by which people reach newspaper websites. i don't think that american companies get rich by stealing content from local papers. i think they get rich by stealing advertising from local papers and that is a different matter. the relationship between local news and global technology platforms is complex, as the boss of one of britain's biggest regional publishers acknowledges. we were too reliant on facebook and we have readjusted our business so that we are much less reliant. however, people spend their time on facebook and i want our needs to be there. —— our news. there is, as dame frances says, no silver bullet. but while the presses are rolling, there is cause for hope, so long as people are willing to pay for news. amol rajan, bbc news.

there's a growing campaign for african art, seized during the colonial era, and displayed in european museums, to be returned to the continent. a recent report commissioned by president macron of france suggests that 90% of africa s cultural heritage currently lies outside the continent, and recommends that museums return art taken during imperial conquest. and here in the uk, the british museum is working with nigerian officials to create a rotating exhibition of priceless artefacts, taken in the 19th century. the bbc s africa editor fergal keane has more details. the past is alive. but to whom does it belong? to the descendants of the empire builders or the people from whose lands it was taken? in the old imperial capitals art that was stolen by colonial conquerors is now the focus of a growing campaign for restitution. these are the benin bronzes at the british museum,

looted by british forces in nigeria at the close of the 19th century. those pieces, that art, represents the essence of us. i need to be able to explain certain things about my being, certain things as to why i am who i am and do things the way i do and think the way i do. and that's why art is important. on one level this is a debate about priceless pieces of art and where they really belong. but it's part of a much larger movement in africa and the african diaspora, to reclaim a stolen cultural heritage. it's about the right of africans to possess their own history. perhaps nowhere is the debate so haunted by past cruelties as here at the grand museum erected outside brussels by king leopold ii of belgium. it was built on the profits of forced labour in rubber plantations. those who failed to collect

the quota had hands chopped off. african art was carted back here in vast quantities. but the museum has undergone a major revamp, to reflect the reality of colonial history. if you look there, you know, there's a hologram of leopold ii about six times here and in total about 45 times throughout the building. he wasn't a man for understatement, was he? but as for restitution, there are reservations about capacity and the dangers of corruption. do you trust the authorities in congo? no. to treat anything that is brought back with the care it deserves? at this moment, no, absolutely not. i wouldn't trust any of the people that are currently in charge. not that they are of bad will, but just they don't have the facilities.