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headlines. now on bbc news, thursday in parliament. hello there and welcome to thursday in parliament. coming up in the next half hour, mps are told they will get another say on brexit soon. the prime minister will bring back the meaningful vote just as soon as she feels she has accommodated the wishes of this house. but opposition mps reckon the government's still trying to run down the clock. and attempts to blackmail this house into accepting this rotten deal while a disastrous no—deal continues apace. peers call for treason laws to be rewritten to allow islamic state members returning from syria to be prosecuted. and show these people to be traitors, something that our nation really believes that they are. and there's a call for a total ban on the consumption of dog and cat meat. these dogs undergo horrifically

inhumane treatment. treated like cargo, they are cramped in small cages, put under physical and mental torment as they await to be killed for their meat. but first, the chancellor, philip hammond, has suggested that mps could get the chance to vote on theresa may's brexit deal as early as next week. he said the timing of the so—called meaningful vote would depend on progress in talks that are taking place over the next few days. theresa may met the eu's jean—claude juncker on wednesday and said progress had been made on changes to the brexit deal. though mrjuncker‘s verdict on the meeting was less optimistic. in the commons, mps were told what would happen next. if the government has not secured a majority in this house in favour of a withdrawal agreement and a political declaration, the government will make a statement on tuesday the 26th of february and table an amendable motion relating to the statement and a minister will move that motion on wednesday the 27th of february, thereby enabling the house to vote on it and on any amendments to it

on that day. mr speaker, it is absolutely unacceptable that the government has failed to effectively plan its brexit strategy of the last 2.5 years. the prime minister gave a speech in lancaster house on the 17th ofjanuary in 2017, in davos on the 19th ofjanuary, in florence on the 22nd of september, at mansion house on the 2nd of march 2018 and chequers on the 6th ofjuly 2018. yet, with just five weeks to go until the uk exits the eu on the 29th of march, the government is still attempting to secure a negotiated agreement with legal assurances. she asks about our negotiations on brexit and she will be aware that the prime minister is determined to negotiate legally binding changes to the backstop to ensure that the requirements of this house in approving the withdrawal agreement and political declaration, can be met. she continues to do that

and what i can say is that i will, if necessary, make a further business statement, but my statement today is clear that we will meet our commitment to deliver a debate on an amendable motion next week. but an snp mp thought another amendable motion, but not a binding meaningful vote, just wasn't good enough. and on wednesday, it's another one of these "i can't believe it's not the meaningful vote" debates as the clock gets further run down and attempts to blackmail this house into accepting this rotten deal while a disastrous no—deal continues apace. and once again, it will be another one of these christmas tree motions. the government will be told that this house will not accept a no deal and presumably the government willjust go and ignore the wishes of the house all over again. but at some point, this nonsense has to come to an end. the house simply isn't going to accept no deal and the quicker the leader of the house accepts that, the better we all will be. and with 36 days left

until we leave the eu, with its —— the government is going to have to come back with its real meaningful vote. so, when will that be? i've certainly tried to make clear that the prime minister will bring back the meaningful vote just as soon as she feels she has accommodated the wishes of this house for the legally binding changes to the backstop that will mean that the prime minister's withdrawal agreement and political declaration can then be approved by this house. that is something that all members need to take incredibly seriously. it is not the government's policy to have a no—deal. it is the government's policy to have a good deal that works for the united kingdom and for our eu friends and neighbours. and should we agree to the meaningful vote and pass the meaningful vote, we will then swiftly be able to move to the withdrawal agreement bill and actually give certainty to citizens and businesses right across the united kingdom. andrea leadsom. staying with brexit, the government has admitted that if the uk leaves the eu

without a deal next month, there won't be time to continue the eu's current trade deal with japan or the trade arrangements between the eu and turkey. the announcement in a written statement came as mps debated potential trade deals after brexit. businesses who want certainty have had to change arrangements from wto with japan and that again is in this statement, madam deputy speaker, to eu—japan, at the start of this year, presumably now they are going to have to change back to us trading with japan through the wto, and i think it does say that in the statement. and then on, in time, once agreed, to a uk—japan bilateral. that is far from a demonstration of certainty for business. while it is the government's firm intention to secure an ambitious partnership with the european union, if we are to deliver

on the referendum result instruction, given to us by the british people, we must also remember that there is a world beyond europe and there will be a time beyond brexit. now, for the first time in almost 40 years, the united kingdom will have the opportunity to step out into the world and forge relationships across the globe by negotiating, signing, and ratifying new free trade agreements. is he seriously suggesting getting out of the single market and the european union, as the treasury have suggested, which will hit the uk economy up to 6—8% is not actually the truth because that's what's going to happen. now, he knows there is a gdp hit for that and he knows that the likes of the usa, which a quarter of the world gdp is only getting a 0.2% gain, he needs to make about 30 or 40 deals of usa's style to make up for that loss. now, given that a quarter of the planet, he's going to have to trade with seven or eight planets to make up the loss thanks to his government policy of leaving europe. i know the honourable gentleman feels very strongly,

didn't like the results of the referendum, and doesn't like the decision to leave the european union, but we are leaving the european union and we now need to ensure that we've got sufficient access to the european market but in a way that does not tie our hands to increased access to these other global markets. now, he makes assumptions on growth in other markets that i don't accept. trade agreements could have a big affect on the agricultural sector, which some worried would struggle to compete with the vast farms of the us and new zealand. in our northumberland countryside, you're never more than a few hundred miles, 300 metres sorry, from a wall or a house or a... ..field or home or roads. whilst in new zealand, we have only 4 million people with 20 million sheep and i for one whilst admiring and recognising the different forms of landscape, we do not want to see that imposed on the north—east.

there is a balancing act to be done, isn't there, between looking after consumers and making sure we're looking after the beautiful countryside, not least in the north—east of england? and the rest of the country and also if there are to be any changes, liberalisation, that then needs to be done in a sensible way that maximises the potential upsides and minimises any downsides to any losers. if we are not able to conclude the free—trade agreement with the european union, perhaps right into the transition period, then that will substantially impair our ability to secure a new trade agreement with any of the three countries that we are considering today. the secretary of state is like a general who fails to secure his rear before charging off in search of a new enemy to fight. barry gardiner. now, there've been calls for the law on treason to be rewritten to make it easier to prosecute people returning to the uk if they've joined the islamic

state group in syria. the demands came as arguments continued over the decision to revoke the uk citizenship of shamima begum who went to syria and married an is fighter. she has recently given birth to a baby and wants to return to britain. to prosecute terrorists for treason, risks giving their actions a political status of glamour they do not deserve rather than treating them as merely as criminals. the government has just passed the counterterrorism border security act which updates terrorist offences and introduces new powers to reflect the threat we face today from foreign terrorist fighters. whilst no—one would want to glamorise any of the crimes we have been talking about here, nevertheless, doesn't the noble baroness agree with me that those who have justified the murder of other british citizens through the bombing of the manchester arena in 2017, for instance, and for those who have taken up arms to those who have targeted british forces and civilians have betrayed this country, its people,

its values and its laws? he said it was time for a solid legal basis for prosecuting returning jihadis, rather than relying on a act of parliament from 1351 to... demonstrate our unerring and passionate belief in the rule of law and that those responsible, their heinous crimes, cannot expect to evade prosecution. —— of law and that those responsible for heinous crimes cannot expect to evade prosecution. lady williams said the home secretary had said he'd review the law. if you look at the recent counterterrorism bill which has now become an act, the noble lord will certainly agree i am sure that new powers available through that act might in the future prevent the sort of terrible things that we've seen in recent months. i share the view of the noble lord alton. i don't believe this would glamorise the things that are being done by people, which i believe are loathsome. and i think it is appropriate that actually as a nation, we show how repugnant this is and how appalling that sort of behaviour is and when i was a minister, it was very difficult times to actually pin, to get into court people who clearly

should have been in our courts to be tried, and this seems to me a way it could be done. it seems very easy — well, easy, it seems to be something that if we don't update the treason law and show these people to be traitors, something that our nation really believes they are. i agree that the 1351 act is rather an old act. of course, it was relatively recently updated in 1861, i think. but, of course, whether a prosecution isjustified in an individual case will in fact be a matter for the courts and whether that appropriate charge is treason, but i am not dismissing it. the minister implied that it is difficult to prosecute those involved with isis as we effectively had no extradition arrangements with syria. that is why the government had to deprive people of their british citizenship. my lords, many of these people want to return to the uk

but the government is preventing them from returning to face justice by depriving them of their citizenship. is the government strategy confused, or is itjust me? well, i think it might actually be the noble lord because... laughter. ..it is difficult to prosecute people in syria. we have no consular access in syria, people have been prosecuted when they come back to this country and, in fact, people have been both prosecuted and put into programmes such as channel to rehabilitate them. there are a number of different remedies available to the government and to the home secretary in order to try and bring people to justice. isn't the use of the term "fast—moving home office" the ultimate oxymoron? laughter. i don't think so, my lords. you're watching thursday in parliament, with me, alicia mccarthy.

don't forget you can follow me on twitter @bbcalicia. now, a memorial has been unveiled outside parliament as a permanent tribute to pc keith palmer, the police officer killed during the westminster terror attack in march 2017. keith palmer was stabbed by khalid masood while on duty in the grounds of the palace of westminster and died despite an mp‘s attempts to save him. he was one of five people who died in the attack on 22 march 2017. the speaker, john bercow, paid his own tribute in a brief statement to mps. pc palmer was nothing short of a hero in the way in which he ran towards danger to ensure the safety of us all on that day. he paid the ultimate price for doing the job that he loved and we owe him a profound debt of gratitude for his bravery.

yesterday afternoon, the police memorial trust placed a permanent memorial to pc palmer at carriage gates. not only will it serve as a lasting tribute to his dedication and his courage, but it will ensure that visitors to parliament never forget his sacrifice and heroism. the speakerjohn bercow. the environment secretary, michael gove, has vowed to stamp out puppy smuggling, describing it as "one of the vilest types of crimes against animals". according to groups like the dogs trust and the rspca, puppies, often kept in horrific conditions, are being brought into the uk on fraudulent passports to be sold as pets to unsuspecting buyers. the issue was raised at question time by a senior conservative. the late prime minister stanley baldwin said that his country were a sentimental people easily

moved by stories of cruelty. in that spirit, will the secretary of state clamp down on puppy smuggling, by which means sinister foreign traders bring small dogs into this country, causing disease, causing distress, causing death? well, my right honourable friend makes a very important point. he's absolutely right. from the time of earl baldwin to this day, people have looked to the conservative party to safeguard the welfare of the nation and to stamp out cruelty. and he's absolutely right that puppy smuggling is one of the vilest types of crimes against animals and that is why we have introduced specific provisions in order to ensure that it is from appropriately—licensed breeders that individuals can find the companion animals that give all of us such joy in our lives. we all know the welfare of puppies is vitally important, but could he enlighten us today what his department is planning

to do when it comes to stricter penalties for those that abuse young puppies? well, there are strict penalties available already but we will be strengthening the sentences for real attempts at animal cruelty to five years from six months. we're just waiting for the right time, for the legislative vehicle to do that, and i know in northern ireland, there are already strong standards in place. later in westminster hall, mps called for a total ban on the consumption of dog and cat meat in the uk and elsewhere. the dup‘sjim shannon said 30 million dogs were killed every year around the world. during their short lives, these dogs undergo horrifically inhuman treatment. treated like cargo, they're cramped in small cages, put under physical and mental torment as they wait to be killed for their meat.

worse still are the misplaced beliefs dictating that dogs are tastier and that their meat is filled with better properties if the animals are stressed and in pain at their moment of death. the results are widespread torture of these poor animals. but he said attitudes were changing. one in seven have never eaten dog meat in china whatsoever. in shanghai, nine out of ten want a ban. so even in china, attitudes and trends, i believe, are changing. so, if we take the stance that other countries have done, i believe it will be a very, very positive step in the right direction. amazingly, it is still legal to personally slaughter your dog or cat and privately consume its meat here in the uk. and i'm sure that most people would think that the very idea of doing that is abhorrent. in 2018, there were 20 million dogs and cats in the uk and these wonderful companions have such a positive impact on our lives, in our culture, they're our friends, our confidants, our playmates, they're our companions, and they do have a great

and measurable positive impact on mental health. so they are not food. chinese authorities have said that, "until we make it illegal here, why should they?" and they have a point. we should be leading the world on this, as we do on other international issues. we've already led the world in opposing ivory poaching, even though we have no elephants roaming across the south of england, or anywhere else in britain for that matter. but we should seek to mirror that example, as we should in our world—leading opposition to modern slavery, bull—fighting and whaling. i understand not least from today's debate, one of the core aims of this campaign is to set an example and to highlight to other countries that the uk considers that dog meat trade is cruel and unnecessary as a practice. i applaud that aim and i applaud the contributions that are being made today. and the secretary of state and i are working with different

officials to explore what more we can do to address this. through doing this, we want to be able to send out a clearer message, particularly in those countries where dog meat is eaten, that the consumption of dog meat should never be tolerated. back at environment questions, the environment secretary michael gove promised the government will apply tariffs to food imports in the event of a no—deal brexit, to protect uk farmers. his remarks come as the government is poised to release details of the taxes on imports that would apply to thousands of products coming in from around the world, if the uk leaves the eu without a deal. many supporters of brexit argue that tariffs on food and other items should be scrapped in order to lower prices for consumers. but farmers fear that cheap imports and lower standards would destroy many parts of british agriculture. how are discussions going with the chancellor on whether there will be tariffs on food imports? minister. well, mr speaker, the government is currently in discussion around a tariff policy in the event

of no deal. the options that are open to us are to have tariff rate suspensions, which we are likely to do on goods that we do not produce, and also to have autonomous tariff reach quotas for lower—applied tariffs, and that's an issue at the moment that is being considered in government and a statutory instrument will be late in due course. minette batters, the very highly—respected president of the nfu said last week that the impact of a no deal brexit would be savage. i can't imagine she said how bad it would look. we would see a long—term future ofjust bringing cheap imports in. on the basis of her comments, she knows herfarmers, i know my farmers, i know they're worried, will the secretary of state guarantee that the government will take no—deal off the table? first of all, let me congratulate the honourable lady on that question, she's absolutely rightm minette batters is an outstanding

public servant as leader of the nfu and i also know from the honourable lady's consistent work in this house since she was elected that she's one of the strongest and most diligent advocates for rural britain. so, i absolutely understand the concerns that she expressed and i had a chance to speak at the nfu conference this week that in the event of no—deal, our food producers would face significant tariff and other barriers. that's why it is so important that everyone across this house when the opportunity comes supports the prime minister in making sure we get a deal that safeguards producers's interests and allows us to leave the european union in an effective fashion. a labour mp turned to last week's climate protests by children — who took the day off school to take part. did the secretary of state see those wonderful people campaigning

for the environment against climate change last week, last friday? some of them are in the gallery today. can't we harness those young people's enthusiasm, tackling the waste, tackling the waste crime, the litter, blogging, clearing the planet up a bit, can we put this energy and action and leadership behind those young people? i think i am right in saying that a couple of shermanites are observing our proceeding today. mr secretary. laughter i was going to say, we have recently seen in this chamber a number of new groups emerging. can i say i welcome the growing number of shermanites in the chamber? i'm tempted tojoin them myself. but the one thing that — the serious point that the honourable gentleman makes is absolutely correct, the idealism shown by young people towards the environment is inspirational, and in particular, we hope through the year of green action that we can support youth and community groups

across the country into taking practical steps in order to improve the environment around us, and also to raise awareness of the threat of climate change. now, with everything else that's been going on this week, there was a brief respite in the commons on thursday morning where mps wanted to know what was being done to keep alive that most traditional of english past—times, church bell ringing. will she let us know what the church of england is doing to encourage young people into bell—ringing so that we can foster the next generation of campanologists? mr speaker, i hope that the honourable member for brentwood and ongar will be encouraged to note that this weekend over 250 young people will gather in liverpool to take part in the national youth ringing contest. the church of england is delighted to see young people rediscovering the love of these traditional community activities. church schools and parishes provide a range of support to children and young people and initiatives like this show how beneficial exercise and teamwork can be for young people's well— being. i must say to the house that i did

observe bell—ringing undertaken both in winslow and in lillingstone lovell in my constituency, and very skilfully undertaken it was too. for my own part, i am bound to say that i was very maladroit, very maladroit in trying to bell—ring. and i found it a bit strenuous activity. finally, there was some surprise in the commons when the schedule for next week's business was released, as the snp‘s pete wishart explained. they've actually invented a new date. apparently, we've got the 29th of february next week. i don't know whether the leader of the house knows, there's no 29th of february. perhaps it's not so much as running down the clock,

it's extending february forever... laughter the leader of the commons had an explanation for the mix—up. well, of course, if the honourable member had only realised i put deliberately on his paper in the hope that he might think that as it would be the 29th of february, i might propose to him. but a labour mp thought there could be another use for the fictious 29th of february. when the amendments are discussed, could we put down an amendment that brings forward brexit day from the 29th of march 2019 to the 29th of february 2019 since it is here on the sheet and let's avoid the whole thing altogether? all i can say mr speaker is nice try. andrea leadsom. and that's it from me for now, but dojoin me on friday night at 11pm for a full round—up of the week in westminster and the splits that created a new independent group of mps in parliament. but for now from me, alicia mccarthy, goodbye. hello there.

this very mild springlike weather for february is set to continue this weekend and indeed into next week as well. now, on thursday, we saw a top temperature of 18.3 celsius in aboyne, in aberdeenshire. and that has broken the scottish february record of 17.9 celsius, so very mild indeed for the time of year. now, this warm air is rooted as far south as the azores and the canary islands and is being brought up to our shores on a fairly brisk south or south—westerly wind, denoted by those orange and yellow colours. now, as we start this morning, it's going to be a largely dry one. quite breezy across the far north—west with a few showers and we could start seeing areas of fog developing across england and wales. some of it could be quite dense, in fact. temperature—wise, a few chilly spots across the north—east of england, southern scotland, otherwise, temperatures generally between 6—9 celsius. so that fog could be quite extensive across the midlands,

southern south—east england, into east anglia, and extending as far north almost as the welsh marshes, up into merseyside and cheshire. and it could take a long time to clear through the morning and could even hold on in one or two spots across the south—east through the day. so some areas could have a grey day. otherwise, for most, another bright and sunny day. some hazy sunshine and it will feel very warm indeed for the time of year. quite windy across this far north—west corner, with generally 13—15 degrees, with a few spots 17 or 18 celsius. high pressure still with us as we head on into the weekend as well, bringing these southerly winds. but these weather fronts always trying to encroach in from the atlantic. it will bring more cloud, some outbreaks of rain, i think, on saturday to northern ireland, then into western scotland, the odd heavier burst and it will be quite windy too. but eastern scotland, for most of england and wales, away from the west, another fine day with some hazy sunshine after the mist and fog clears away again. and again, extremely mild, 14—15 degrees, the odd 16 or 17 celsius. on into sunday, again some the mist and fog to start off with.

could have a bit more cloud across the west, northern ireland, western scotland, and perhaps western wales and the west country, where it'll be breezier. and i think temperatures a degree or so down across the board. so we're looking at 12s to 13s, maybe the odd spot 14 or 15 degrees across the south—east. and then on into next week, this big area of high pressure still dominating the weather, trying to keep these weather fronts out of bay but they will occasionally brush into the west and the north—west of the country, bringing a few spots of rain. but generally speaking, into next week with high pressure with us still, warm days, fairly chilly nights, sunshine by day but also the risk of fog in the mornings.