hello. it‘s thursday. it‘s 10 o‘clock. i‘m victoria derbyshire. good morning. brexit. does your head you're watching bbc feel like this? do not worry and news at nine with me, stick with us because we will talk annita mcveigh. the headlines: you through everything that is happening and all in plain english. more brexit votes. we have our political guru norman smith who this time yesterday reported that mrs may‘s brexit deal was not dead and would likely be mps return to the commons to decide whether the uk should request an extension brought back again. you are joking! to the brexit process as the government confirms it will put the prime minister's deal she had suffered two cataclysmic defeats. how on earth could she to a vote for the third time. the prime minister's deal remains there and i sincerely hope that, thinking very hard about what happened yesterday and what may bring it back again? my view is that happen in the days ahead, a she still thinks that is the best significant number of my colleagues way and the only way really to get any sort of agreement with the eu. who voted against it may yet change their minds. what would brenda in bristol say? you arejoking! not what would brenda in bristol say? you are joking! not another one! oh, labour and senior tory mps call for a new cross—party compromise to yes, brenda. we are heading break the brexit deadlock. 17 former soldiers will find out today if they are to face charges for their part in the bloody

sunday killings in 1972. facebook suffers the most severe disruption in its history with many of its services inaccessible across the world. boeing grounds its entire global fleet of 737 max aircraft after investigators uncover new evidence at the scene of the fatal ethiopian airlines crash. liverpool become the fourth english side through to the quarterfinals of the champions league after an impressive win away to bayern munich. good morning and welcome to the bbc news at nine. mps will vote today

on whether they want a delay in the uk's departure from the european union, after rejecting the idea of leaving without a deal during another difficult evening in the commons for the prime minister. the government is willing to ask the eu for a one—off postponement until the end ofjune. theresa may will also make a third attempt to get her eu withdrawal deal through parliament in the next week. she has warned that if it doesn't get the backing of mps, a much lengthier delay may be required. in a moment, we'll look at what could happen next but first, our political correspondent iain watson reflects on another extraordinary night in parliament. if it appeared that the protesters outside parliament last night were divided, well, wait until you see the politicians. more than a dozen of theresa may's ministers defied her last night, to rule out leaving the eu without a deal in all circumstances. the ayes to the right, 321... you could hear the sound of the prime minister's authority draining away, losing two crucial votes

in the commons. these days, she's almost immune to defeats, so she simply set out what would happen next. it's likely there'll be another vote on the brexit deal next week. she said if it passed, well, there could be a short delay to brexit. if it doesn't pass, then brexit could take an awful lot longer. the house has to understand and accept that if it is not willing to support a deal in the coming days and as it is not willing to support leaving without a deal on the 29th of march, then it is suggesting that there will need to be a much longer extension to article 50. but the handling of last night's vote hasn't endeared the prime minister to some brexiteer rebels that she needs to win over. they're angry that no action has been taken against those ministers who failed to back their own government by abstaining. one of them, the scotland secretary, david mundell, said he had no intention of resigning. i support the prime minister in her course of action.

her course of action is to leave with a deal in an orderly brexit, but ijust am very clear that i don't support a no—deal brexit. and this has enraged some brexiteers. they've got to go. how can they not support the government's position on the single biggest policy that faces this country right now and still be in the government? parliament has made clear it doesn't want to leave the eu without a deal. the vote though is non—binding, and theresa may is still insisting the best way of avoiding no deal is to vote for her deal. iain watson, bbc news, westminster. another day of drama in the commons. so what could happen next? today, mps will vote on whether to ask for permission to delay the date the uk leaves the eu — currently 29th march. theresa may is proposing to ask brussels for a one—off technical postponement, which would delay brexit until the end ofjune.

or possibly longer. but the prime minister has warned that unless her brexit deal passes, a much lengthier delay may be required. that means a third meaningful vote on mrs may's withdrawal agreement. that's expected to take place before the eu summit on 21st march. remember, as it stands, under current law, the uk is set to leave the eu on the 29th of march until the withdrawal agreement is approved, and that would mean a no—deal brexit. let's wind our way through all of this without the sit in a vertical editor, norman smith. what a week it has already been. —— assistant political editor. will mps seek an extension to article 50 tonight?” think you might as well ask mystic meg what will happen with brexit nowadays. i have given up trying to a nswer nowadays. i have given up trying to answer what will happen. all i can

say is that it will be another humdinger of a brexit date. really anything could pretty much happen. we know what the government and mrs may want to happen. she wants to push through her motion, allowing a short delay to brexit. but she is allowing her mps a free vote, and thatis allowing her mps a free vote, and that is a clear sign that she wants to avoid further revolts and rebellions by her own party. at the same time, other mps will pile in with their own amendments, and there could be a whole host of other amendments calling for anything from amendments calling for anything from a customs union to a referendum to a series of indicative votes. the one thing i think we are getting clarity on is the government game and the government game is basically to keep on trying to hammer away with mrs

may's deal in the hope that eventually you just wear down your opponents. we now know that team mrs may are going to come back for meaningful vote number three on or by next wednesday. and their hope todayis by next wednesday. and their hope today is that mrs may will say to them if you don't back my deal, there could be a very long delay to brexit going well beyond the european elections, and by the way in those elections the tory party will probably do pretty badly because of the electorate gave them a kicking for the mayhem of brexit. that will really put the squeeze on tory mps to come on board. at the same time however, there are moves by labour, by some senior tories, to try and forge some sort of cross— party try and forge some sort of cross—party consensus, try and forge some sort of cross—pa i’ty consensus, a try and forge some sort of cross—party consensus, a softer sort of brexit, and interestingly the chancellor philip hammond seemed to be tiptoeing towards that. have a listen to him this morning. just

kicking the can down the road doesn't help anybody and probably will not be acceptable to the european union. we need to focus relentlessly as a house of commons oi'i relentlessly as a house of commons on how we are going to come together around a way forward. the prime minister's deal in my view is a perfectly sensible way forward. it does involve people compromising. it doesn't give everybody exactly what they wanted. but i can predict with a high degree of certainty that the outcome of this process is going to mean an awful lot of us are not going to get exactly what we would have wanted but we have to be mature about this and form a compromise that the house of commons can get behind, otherwise the nation can't move forward. the other thing in the mix is we are hearing tittle tattle that the attorney—general, geoffrey cox, could be looking to revisit aspects of his legal advice to give some kind of reassurance to brexiteers, because obviously when heissued brexiteers, because obviously when he issued his initial negative legal advice, the bombshell that he

dropped on the pm, many brexiteers thought we can't possibly back to deal because he hasn't changed his legal advice. now it seems as if he could perhaps come up with a little twea ked could perhaps come up with a little tweaked legal advice that could reassure some of those brexiteers. now all of thisjust reassure some of those brexiteers. now all of this just underlines the utter uncertainty of how it might all play out. we got a sense of that this morning from andrea leadsom when she left home, saying pretty much all options are now on the table. is no deal off the table? i think what we are seeking to do todayis think what we are seeking to do today is to get the will of parliament and what it does want. if it does want to extend article 50, and if that's what parliament decides, then the prime minister will go to the eu and seek an extension. but the really important point here is that she can't insist

on it and the eu may well have ideas of their own either to refuse or to put conditions on it. by no means is any option off the table at present. thanks very much. thank you. will she resign? the one thing we do know is that we are getting to showtime. only two weeks until blastoff. there is not really much time for mps to sit on their hands anymore and those mps who want to press for another referendum are probably going to have to break cover now, as are those mps who want a customs union and those that want an indicative vote. we a re and those that want an indicative vote. we are running out of time to play parliamentary games. i think to date you may begin to see some of these different camps breaking cover and putting down their own amendments. —— today. and putting down their own amendments. -- today. two weeks away. that must be concentrating minds. thank you. wejust away. that must be concentrating minds. thank you. we just thought that clip of andrea leadsom saying who knows what the reaction from the

eu will be? there has been a tweet from the president of the european council, donald tusk, saying i will appeal to the eu 27 to be open to a long extension if the uk finds it necessary to rethink its brexit strategy and build consensus around it. very interesting tweet from donald tusk talking about the possibility of a long extension, the thought of extension that theresa may is about at this stage is just until the end ofjune. we will see how things pan out today and talk to adam fleming in strasbourg and a couple of minutes. but first let's catch up with a reality check correspondent, chris morris. good morning. what other technicalities of getting an extension if that is indeed what mps vote for tonight? article 50 is article 50 of the lisbon treaty which sets out how a country lisbon treaty which sets out how a cou ntry leaves lisbon treaty which sets out how a country leaves the eu and a lot of the language is quite vague. it is clear about one thing. the two yet

initial negotiating period which i’u ns initial negotiating period which runs out on the 29th of march can be extended if all countries agree to that. in other words, the uk, the country intending to leave, and the other 27. technically that could probably be done at ministerial level, ambassadorial level, but it is such a political issue that the key moment if an extension is requested would be the end of next week, a european summit, a council of leaders, where they are all gathering together, and they want to know firstly why are you requesting an extension and secondly how long do you want it to be? as we were mentioning, donald tusk seemingly sympathetic to the idea of a longer extension if necessary. that brings me onto the next question. how long could the extension be? we are hearing different dates being speculated about. yes. the prime ministers talking about a short technical extension but others are

talking about longer. we have a little graphic to help us out. if you want an extension until mid—may, a last—minute deal, third orforth meaningful vote got through and you needed a bit more time to turn that into law, i would have thought an extension until mid—may would have been approved by the rest of the eu in those circumstances. one of the key dates, the third to the 26th of may, the key parliamentary elections in the eu, and if the uk as a member state at that point, there are those saying it has got to hold european elections. but legal opinion on that is divided. the new parliament doesn't meet until the 2nd ofjuly, so doesn't meet until the 2nd ofjuly, so technically you could have an extension until the end ofjune. it is only at the beginning ofjuly that you would need to have new meps are meeting for the first time. there are various ways you could do that. i have heard legally and there are tweet this morning from eleanor sharpton, the most senior uk lawyer

at the european court ofjustice, saying she doesn't think necessarily for a longer extension, and some people are talking as you can see on this graph potentially 2i people are talking as you can see on this graph potentially 21 months, up until the end of december, and there isa until the end of december, and there is a huge range on that graph, yes, as long as the uk has some kind of representation in the next european parliament, then perhaps a legal device could be found to accommodate that. not necessarily elected meps? you wouldn't necessarily have to hold an election. this is legally disputed i think, and because it is uncharted territory and we haven't been here before, there is division in legal opinion. but for example, if you're looking around for any president, when a countryjoined the european union, the last one to do so was croatia, itjoined halfway through a parliamentary term so national mps were appointed as meps

foran national mps were appointed as meps for an interim period. when a country for an interim period. when a cou ntry leaves, for an interim period. when a country leaves, could you do the same? could you ask the current crop of meps to stay on for a specific time? all of these things are in the mix as there is a range of different opinions, notjust hear that right across europe as well. as ever, lots of permutations and questions. thank you. as promised, let's talk to our correspondent adam fleming in strasbourg. in light of what mps will be debating here today and voting on indeed, that latest tweet from donald tusk, the president of the european council, about being open potentially to a longer extension, is very interesting, isn't it? donald tusk in that tweet has taken an idea that was in the ether until now other potentially very long extension to article 50, may be of a year or of 21 months as chris was saying, he has taken it from the ether and he has put it firmly on the table. that will be music to the ears of people in the uk who want everything on the brexit approach, and perhaps a much close future relationship with the eu than

the one the government has been pursuing until now. for people who wa nt pursuing until now. for people who want a referendum on the uk's membership of the eu or en mrs may's deal, it gives them space on the eu side for that to happen. for theresa may, she is probably welcoming that tweet as well because one of her tactics is to say to people to vote for her deal or there could be a very long delay to brexit, which could potentially be incredibly unpopular with the public who voted for brexit. i think it will cause slightly more problems on the eu side though because there is not a settled view among the 27 prime ministers and presidents and chancellors about how long a brexit extension should be and there are various levels of keenness and enthusiasm for it. donald tusk has put that on the table and he is now doing what he always does ahead of eu summits, going round key capitals and speaking to leaders and capturing their thoughts, trying to

forge a consensus position. what is really exciting for all of us who have observed this fun eu side, we have observed this fun eu side, we have got used to the eu having very strict and precise positions, virtually carved into stone. when it comes to an extension, they don't have a settled position and we think this will be decided by leaders in the room around the table when they meet in brussels next thursday. adam, thank you very much. worth remembering that mps tonight will be voting on seeking an extension not voting on seeking an extension not voting on seeking an extension not voting on an extension directly, just seeking an extension, because of course that has got to come from the eu 27. let's talk to the conservative mp owen paterson, former northern ireland secretary and a member of the pro—brexit erg group. that morning. you voted against rejecting no deal yesterday.

what are your next move? though you also be voting against an extension of article this evening? despite the emotions and excitement last night, the law of the land is still that we leave at 11 o'clock on the 29th of march. that would deliver what 17.4 million people voted for. i was sitting through these debates and you just get an extraordinary sense that the house of commons is com pletely that the house of commons is completely out of touch with the people who voted. the house of commons gave the people the right to decide. it was made absolutely crystal clear that if the people voted to leave, the house of commons would go through the necessary legislative measures to honour it. what we are facing is absolute constitutional crunch. in every previous referendum, the people, in the european communities act in 1975, scotland, wales, northern ireland, av, the people have politely and obediently gone along with what the establishment wanted. this time, as we see in this debate, to the horror of the political establishment and the media establishment and the media establishment and the commercial

establishment, organisations like the cbi, the people have gone against the establishment and the establishment hates it and is doing everything it can to frustrate the people. what we should do, and i voted clearly yesterday, it is idiotic to take no—deal off the table because these european negotiations always come to a head at the very last minute and we should very clearly keep no—deal there. it is the law of the land to bring compassion to these negotiations. nonetheless, we are where we are and the majority of mps did vote yesterday to take no—deal off the table. in terms of the vote tonight, what are your plans? is it your instinct to vote against an extension or should you vote for theresa may's version of a shorter extension, forfear that a longer extension, forfear that a longer extension may be what emerges?” have just seen donald tusk‘s tweet proposing a long extension. of course, he is bound to do, isn't he? we know the european establishment hates brexit and it wants to keep its paws on our money. there is absolutely no question. i am sure he will be pushing for a longer

extension. i would will be pushing for a longer extension. iwould be will be pushing for a longer extension. i would be very strongly opposed to that. that would mean this ghastly saga would carry on for months and months and it is the uncertainty causing real damage. i was approached this morning by a fantastic businessman who has created huge amounts of wealth and jobs and he says just leave. we are all ready to leave. the vast majority of businesses he is in touch with our organised and they wa nt to touch with our organised and they want to leave. and many others say they are not ready to leave because they are not ready to leave because they haven't had enough advice from they haven't had enough advice from the government. they simply haven't had the certainty. in terms of your vote, there must be a huge amount of tactical voting going on among mps at the moment trying to second guess what any particular decision may or may not lead to next. let me just finish answering your first question. on an extension, i would not be in favour of a long extension because that would drag out this saga. idid because that would drag out this saga. i did vote and i strongly support the compromise amendment put forward by damian green, which gives

a very clear route out, but did ask for a small extension until the 22nd of may in order that we could come to interim arrangements with the eu. that would be sensible. there could bea that would be sensible. there could be a case for a short extension if we need time to do legal details. i am emphatically not in favour of a long extension because this would just drag on and on and it would be a deliberate tactic, more than that, long—term strategy to kill off the witches the 17.4 million people. —— the wishes. sorry for interrupting but as a member of the erg you may vote, if i am reading this correctly, for what theresa may seems to be pushing for, which is a shorter extension. you may possibly vote for that tonight?” shorter extension. you may possibly vote for that tonight? i have just come straight here from home and i haven't been into the comment yet andi haven't been into the comment yet and i haven't seen the order paper and i haven't seen the order paper andi and i haven't seen the order paper and i haven't seen the order paper and i haven't seen the motion and any amendments which will be put down later this morning, so i will

decide then. but broadly, i am absolutely opposed to a long extension because that is purely a mechanism for defying a 17.4 million people. i might look carefully at a short extension if it could deliver a definitive leave. it would be better to leave as the law stands now on the 29th. the erg, i would like to make this very clear, we represent mainstream conservative opinion. time and again at agms we are hearing from members of parliament that they have overwhelming support. we are described as extremists and ultras. all we want to see is the conservative manifesto delivered. every conservative mp was elected on a manifesto which said we would on a bit leave vote and honour it by leaving the customs union, the single market and the remit of the ecj. that is all we are doing. we are characterised as extremists, the extreme end of the tory party. we

are actually bang in the middle of the mainstream. the people who are totally out of line other cabinet ministers last night. some people might dispute whether you are bang in the middle of the mainstream. clearly the conservative party is a very broad church. there are huge ranges of opinion. can i come onto this point? where do you think it is possible for mps to find a point at which they can compromise and come together around some sort of deal? would you personally be content for the uk to leave without a deal? on the uk to leave without a deal? on the 29th of march, it seems you are. would you prefer to achieve a deal if that is at all possible? we have a lwa ys if that is at all possible? we have always been absolutely clear that a deal is much better. that is why i have worked very hard with my other collea g u es have worked very hard with my other colleagues on the alternative arrangements group, discussing it with stephen barclay and a range of senior civil servants on proposals that could replace the backstop.

that is the whole basis of the malthouse compromise which has brought mps from right across the spectrum in the tory party to go for a deal. that we have got to respect the 17.4 million. and if we can't get agreement, we have got to leave. this idea of no deal is a nonsense. there has been a whole string of side agreements already. aeroplanes, the city of london, the insurance industry, truck drivers, tariffs have been agreed. you hearfrom calais, the northern region of france, they are all ready. logistics is a huge deal. but many things have not been agreed. yes, that i was run by a very senior businessman this morning who said just get on with it because it is the uncertainty now damaging business and they will find a way through. it is like water. it always finds a way through. the cbi

disagree with that. they want this process extended so that a deal can be achieved. the cbi represents a small number of businesses who are fanatically opposed to brexit. there are very large numbers of businesses who will have nothing to do with the cbi and they despair when you hear them constantly being put on the telly and radio. they have been very strongly opposed to brexit all along and they were wrong on so many other recent big issues and they were run on the euro and on the erm and numerous macroeconomic decisions. i am afraidi numerous macroeconomic decisions. i am afraid i dismiss them. i listen to real businessmen, real entrepreneurs on the ground, who have created real jobs entrepreneurs on the ground, who have created realjobs and wealth. not corporate bureaucrats. we do have those who are in favour of brexit, like yourself. i would like to move away from brexit, if i may. as we introduce to you, we reminded viewers that you are reforming northern ireland secretary. we are due at 11 o'clock this morning to hear from prosecutors about whether 17 former soldiers will be prosecuted or not over their role in bloody sunday and the killings of 13 people in 1972. a relative of one of

those people said earlier on the bbc when asked whether the soldiers should be prosecuted, she said the evidence should be followed through to its logical conclusion. is that a fair comment, do you think?” to its logical conclusion. is that a fair comment, do you think? i am probably one of the very few people who has read every page of the saville report and i worked very closely with david cameron on his statement and the government's reaction back in 2010. and this was a really terrible event and saville goes into great detail. but there are moments in those events when saville will go on for page after page and could not come to a conclusion. what was stated when the report was set up, the inquiry was set up, was that evidence could not be used against the soldiers. our feeling at the time was that this

was very much a question for the director of public prosecutions and politicians have got to stand back from it. and i have also frequently been approached by many of those very, very brave serving policemen and members of the armed forces who put their lives on the line and lost collea g u es put their lives on the line and lost colleagues defending the rule of law, and they are very emphatic that they would like to see the rule of law prevail. what worries me on this is seeing these elderly x soldiers put on trial when the then attorney—general, who i remember talking to about this in great detail, dominic grieve, who understands northern ireland very well, we were really worried whether they would get a fair trial. that would be my concern about this. it is not for politicians to interfere in the legal process. i find it very, very hard to see that these vetera ns very, very hard to see that these veterans will be put through this

but i have also talked at great length and met them many times the relatives of those who lost members of theirfamily relatives of those who lost members of their family on that terrible day. my feeling is this is absolutely not for me to make a judgment on whether it is right to go to trial. it is for the dpp. but ido go to trial. it is for the dpp. but i do have to question after all this publicity the fact that the evidence from the report cannot be used. is there really any new information coming forward? that is what i would be surprised by after so many years from those terrible events. owen paterson mp, thank you for your time this morning. let us continue with bloody sunday now because i was i was mentioning, prosecutors in northern ireland will announce at 11 o'clock this morning whether there isa o'clock this morning whether there is a former soldiers are to be charged over the killings on bloody sunday in londonderry in 1972. 13 people shot dead by paratroopers at

a civil rights demonstration. our ireland correspondent chris page reports from derry. londonderry was a volatile place in 1972, but no—one on this march thought it would end in such bloodshed. gunfire. soldiers from the parachute regiment killed 13 people in half an hour. pictures like these captured the trauma and the tragedy of bloody sunday. the troops said they'd been shot at first, but nine years ago, a public enquiry found none of those who died were posing a threat. john kelly lost his 17—year—old brother michael and has campaigned for prosecutions. my mother never got over michael's death until the day she died. it broke her heart, and for that alone, it certainly spurs me on, and i'm not only doing it for mike. i'm doing it for my mother and my father, and all the otherfamilies. the passage of time hasn't diminished the families' sense of grief, and today, almost half a century after bloody sunday, prosecutors will tell them

whether any former soldiers will be charged over the killings. more than 3,500 people died during the conflict in northern ireland. some victims groups say more should be done to prosecute pa ramilitaries. there is a focus and a resource issue which is very much directed towards a minority of cases which allege state wrongdoing, and in terms of the innocent victims of terrorism, from whatever background that comes, people do feel very much as second—class citizens in it. the soldiers who were here on bloody sunday are now in their 60s and 70s. the possible charges include murder. chris page, bbc news, derry. let's go live now to londonderry where a march is taking place, demonstration, by relatives of the 13 people who were killed and other supporters, walking from the bogside

area of derry to the city's guildhall, as they wait to find out whether there will be any prosecutions over the deaths of their relatives. families will be told and lawyers acting for the former soldiers will be told of the's decision, before that news is made public, we expect, at 11 o'clock. denis murray is the bbc‘s former ireland correspondent, hejoins me now from our belfast newsroom. dennis, good morning to you. this is a huge day for those families of the victims, for those former soldiers. if you think about the trouble is, this is one of the defining moments, bloody sunday, one of the defining moments of that period of northern

ireland's history. good morning, yes, very much so. in fact, it is in the saddle report and i think everybody who lives here would agree with it that bloody sunday was one of probably the more significant but one of two things along with internment without trial which moved a troubled province into a province that in dennis badly‘s words, to a state of war, it stopped being the troubles and became a war. dennis bradley was a young priest in on the day of bloody sunday in dairy. and conservatives politicians admit this is that it was the biggest recruitment ever for the provisional ira, which went from being a relatively small group to being a group that represented republicanism and it sustained its campaign, as we know, until 1994 and 1996. so very much one of the defining moments of

the entire troubles, notjust that period. we await the prosecutor's decision on whether there will be a trial or not, or trials, decision on whether there will be a trial or not, ortrials, but decision on whether there will be a trial or not, or trials, but i think the question i want to ask is, is it ever going to be possible to get satisfaction for all the sides, because this is the issue with these legacy questions in northern ireland, when people try to deal in the present date with traumatic events the present date with traumatic eve nts fro m the present date with traumatic events from the past, whether anyone, or everyone, can ever be satisfied. yes, absolutely right, the bloody sunday families would like to see justice done, that is what they keep saying. which in their terms would mean to see all their terms would mean to see all the soldiers prosecuted. all the soldiers i suspect will not be prosecuted. i think some soldiers will be prosecuted. but we don't actually know until 11 o'clock. but that would seem to be the consensus of what is going to happen. just to

pick upa of what is going to happen. just to pick up a couple of things owen paterson said. interestingly, the saville inquiry report is inadmissible in any court case, which is why it has taken nine years since the bloody sunday report was published to get to this point, because the police had to reinterview more than 600, more than 668 witnesses, and 20 suspects who we re 668 witnesses, and 20 suspects who were interviewed under caution, 18 soldiers, one of whom died late last year and two members of the official ira who fired shots on that day. also, he talked about it being very difficult to get a fair trial. now, what the authorities would wish to see is that if there were to be trials, they would be held in front ofa trials, they would be held in front of a judge alone, no jury. what they used to call a diplock court. there is another case in going where another soldier who is facing trial

here is arguing have his trailhead in front of a jury. but 30 of the authorities —— would like to see it in front of a judge only. many trials in northern ireland were held only in front ofjudges, because of the controversial nature, the concern it would be very difficult forjurors to come to a decision. perhaps you could tell us more about that form of trial if, potentially, that form of trial if, potentially, thatis that form of trial if, potentially, that is what could happen. well, that is what could happen. well, thatis that is what could happen. well, that is what could happen. well, that is what the authorities would like to see. there were difficulties with the system to begin with but, ultimately, i think the establishment, to use that phrase would have thought the system worked very well because there were acquittals when there simply wasn't evidence. or the so called schedule defences, in other words, terrorist —type defences, to do with the troubles, were tried in front of these courts for two reasons. one is intimidation of witnesses and a

threat to the lives of witnesses as well, frankly. but also, by this day and age, you would have the possibility of an extremely biased jury possibility of an extremely biased jury ora possibility of an extremely biased jury or a juror he would have their minds made up about bloody sunday before any trial in northern ireland would begin. but there is this other case ongoing and it is happening today, i believe, in the supreme court, where a soldier who will be tried in armagh once the child to be heard in front of a jury and the supreme court has yet to rule on that. —— once a trial to be heard. but if there are to be charges, trial would be in front of a diplock court and i suspect it would be one trial rather than separate trials, one big trial. thank you very much for your thoughts this morning, the bbc‘s former ireland correspondent. we will bring you the morning

briefing where we bring you up to speed on the stories people are watching, reading and sharing. brexit a big focus. mps are voting this evening on seeking to extend brexit beyond 29th march. any extension of article 50 would require european permission. germany's economy minister, peter altmaier, has urged eu politicians to assess any such request constructively, but said the bloc urgently needed clarity from britain. the president of the european council, donald tusk, has tweeted in the last hour that.. the vice president of the european parliament, and irish mep mairead mcguinness has

this morning denied that a brexit extension — and the possibility that the uk would end up voting to remain in the eu — would be in the eu's interest. i don't think the leaders want that scenario because, first of all, we have dreadful uncertainty at the moment and the idea that we would have prolonged uncertainty is not good for anyone. so i don't think there's this little part in the background of the leaders of europe to say, well, let's try this and see what happens. not at all. if anything, there is quite a desire to at least finish the first phase of brexit, so we can get on to talking about the future. so that isn't a scenario that i think the leaders are, if you like, working towards. but i think there is an interesting twist here in the suggestion of another referendum, which i'm not putting forward, in case your viewers think that. but let us presume, or assume, that there is an extension of time so there has to be european parliament elections in the united kingdom,

i think it would be in that frame that there would be quite a debate about europe — and perhaps the debate might be better informed because i think lots of people have learned more about the european union, not just in the united kingdom, but, indeed, right across europe, and understand how it functions a little bit better. so just to repeat the point, i do not think the leaders are looking at that prolongation in the hope of a change of mind. there's huge, if you like, respect for the outcome of the referendum. there is a regret about it, but we have moved on to a very different place here. we're trying to deal with many big challenges and brexit, if we could get over this first phase of the withdrawal treaty being agreed, we then move into another very testing phase, which is how we manage ourfuture relationship, and that is something that will take time. and of course, if we don't have a withdrawal agreement, there's no transition and all of those other complications that follow. but last night's vote, i suppose, gives some indication to us here that the united kingdom realises that a no—deal scenario is bad for everyone. however, the legislation is still on the statute books in the united kingdom,

so unless something changes, the law has to change in order for there to be a no—deal... rather, in orderfor no—deal to be completely off the table. that was the vice president of the european parliament. let's have a look at some of the most—read and most—watched stories on bbc news online. most watched... the prime instead to bring the third brexit deal votes to mps, we think thatis brexit deal votes to mps, we think that is going to be at some point next week. tonight, festival, we have the vote on whether to look to extend article 50, in other words, to delay brexit beyond march 29th. but you can't get enough politics at the moment. well, some of you, anyway. number two, right the moment. well, some of you, anyway. numbertwo, right to the moment. well, some of you, anyway. number two, right to buy owners sold within weeks, research the bbc has done. right to buy homes resold since 2,000 have made £6.4 billion in profit. the article sta rts billion in profit. the article starts with sighting an example of one council tenant who bought their home for £8,000 and sold it for

£285,000 just nine days later. so lots of opponents of this were saying this was meant to be about bigger social ambitions than someone making a speedy profit, but that is an interesting read at number three on the most read. and looking down to the most watched, really interesting, about one man and his knife amnesty. this is as the latest figures on knife crime are due out, or they have come out in the last few minutes. i will try to get those figures if i can, for knife crime in angers —— in england and. and this man in london has been so shocked by the knife crime epidemic that he is deciding to do something about it himself. he has declared an amnesty campaign, he uses social media to publicise it and he urges people to hand in knives to him, he gives them

vouchers in return and he brings the knives to the police and hand them over to the police. that is a really interesting watch and that is at number one on the most watched at the moment. that's it for today's morning briefing. sport now, and a full round—up from the bbc sport centre. sally, good morning to you. hello, it has been ten years since england last had four teams through to the quarterfinals of the champions league and it has finally happened again. it's finally happened again after liverpool pulled off a famous victory away at bayern munich. our sports correspondent katie gornall was watching. it's been suggested the bright lights of the champions league could be a distraction for liverpool this season. this, after all, is a club in the race for the premier league title. but then the top teams take everything in their stride. europe often brings out the best in liverpool. in the first half, it also brought the best from sadia mane... it's mane, and it's in! whose twists and turns left

the great manuel neuer stranded. try telling him the champions league doesn't matter! the away goal meant bayern munich now had to score twice and joel matip made that task easier when he turned the ball into his own net. in the second half, bayern had to go for it, but their frustration was building and liverpool took full advantage. van dijk‘s in. oh, he's scored! first, virgil van dijk headed them firmly in the direction of the quarters, before sadia mane — who else? — delivered a diving knockout blow. whether at home or in europe, this is a team intent on making their own history, and who's to say they can't go all the way? katie gornall, bbc news. lionel messi was once again the inspiration for barcelona — he scored twice as they easily beat french side lyon 5—1 to reach the quarter finals.

let's have a look at some of this morning's back pages. the daily mail leads with liverpool ‘fab four‘ after their brilliant win at bayern munich in the champions league. the daily express ‘reds hail mane'. it also looks at gareth southgate's fears of his players‘ involvement in that competition. this year's final takes place just five days before england's nations league semi—final against the netherlands. the times has a picture of altior with hisjockey, nico de boinville, following their win yesterday in the queen mother champion chase. it was the horse's 18th straight victory, which equals the record over jumps. tributes have been paid to one of formula 1's leading figures, the race director charlie whiting, who has died suddenly. he was 66. whiting was the official race starter and oversaw all rules matters in f1. he passed away in melbourne, where he was due to officiate this weekend's season—opening australian grand prix. valteri bottas has tweeted...

damon hill tweeted a picture simply saying ‘god's speed charlie'. jenson button posted: ‘he always had the drivers safety and concerns in hand and didn t worry about putting us in our place when we acted out of line. we ve lost such a lovely kind human being today, who will be sadly missed by many.‘ it‘s day three at the cheltenham festival and the feature race is the stayer‘s hurdle. the favourite is paisley park, who could give trainer emma lavelle an emotional win — the horse‘s owner andrew gemmell has been blind since birth. our reporter kate grey has been to meet him. a racehorse is often a thing of beauty. bright eyes, shiny coat, and paisley park is no exception, but his owner, andrew gemmill, c is that, blind from birth me he relies on those around him, particularly his racing trainer emma lavelle who

in 2015, he tasked with finding him a champion horse. i said to emma, she really liked this horse and brought him back to the yard and the rest is history! andrew is absolutely brilliant and he will never let his blindness hinder his enjoyment of life. he has a great bond with the horses. he comes down armed with polos and wants to go and feed them all. paisley park has been unbeaten in his last four races, which means he goes into the cheltenham festival in the stayer‘s hurdle as the favourite. an incredible feat considering two yea rs incredible feat considering two years previous, he had a health scare that almost ended his career forever. emma rang to tell me that he was really ill and he had a colic and it was touch and go whether he survived, in fact. and it was touch and go whether he survived, infact. but luckily, he did and he won his novice hurdle at the end of that year. a miraculous recovery. paisley park continued to improve and won his first grade one

race just before christmas. paisley parkis race just before christmas. paisley park is given out... and paisley park is given out... and paisley park wins the jail tea hurdle. and andrew, despite his lack of site, has found his own way to enjoy the action. i will be listening over the tannoy. at least with racing, you can tannoy. at least with racing, you ca n follow tannoy. at least with racing, you can follow the commentary without having any need for an additional earphone. i think he must be, it must be 50 years since i went to my face cheltenham, i have always loved it and you always think of having a win but you never think it is possible. but my goodness, who knows? so with final preparation is complete, the wit —— the dream of a cheltenham winner has never been closer. you can hear how paisley park gets on in the stayer‘s hurdle on 5 live this afternoon from 3:15. the rest of the day‘s coverage is on 5 live sports extra past one this afternoon. that is my day spot —— that is my day sorted! thank you very much.

i mentioned we were due to hear the latest figures of knife crime in england and wales. they have been published, so what are the headlines from this latest report, danny? these figures really reflect the fact that knife crime is a considerable problem in england and where is at the moment. these are figures compiled by the ministry ofjustice for last year, 2018, and for people who are cautioned or prosecuted for carrying a knife or another band weapon. and what they show is that the number of offences that were dealt with was 21,484 last year and that is the highest number since 2009. so we are at a record number of offences dealt by the criminal justice system for number of offences dealt by the criminaljustice system for a decade. interestingly have a figure on it now. although everyone watching this, of course, will be

very watching this, of course, will be very aware watching this, of course, will be very aware of knife crime. it has been a rising problem for a number of years now, hasn‘t it? and we have seen so many people already stabbed and killed this year. interestingly, they are also saying in this report that the proportion of repeat offenders has risen to a record high. so if people are being caught, whatever is being done to them, whatever is being done to them, whatever punishment is handed out, it doesn‘t seem to be necessarily working in every case. this is a figure that will really cause alarm. 28% of those who are cautioned or prosecuted were repeat offenders, 28%, over 5,000. and prosecuted were repeat offenders, 28%, over5,000. and a new law prosecuted were repeat offenders, 28%, over 5,000. and a new law came into effect in 2015 that‘s it, if you were convicted for a second offence of knife possession, then you should serve an immediate jail sentence. six months for adults, four months for 16—17 —year—olds. there is an exception where the

interest of justice suggests that would not be appropriate. these figures show that 64% of those repeat offenders are going to prison immediately, 64%. but that means there is a considerable proportion who are not, who are not going to prison, even though it is a repeat offence. i have not drilled down the numbers but the numbers for 16 and 17—year—olds are even lower, so that may certainly raise concerns. having said all that, we now have a higher proportion of people now being sent to prison for knife possession offences overall than before, 37% of all offences and in someone going to prison, 37%, compared with 20% over a decade ago. ok, danny, thank you very much, our home affairs correspondent. more now on brexit as mps will vote today

on whether they want to delay brexit beyond march 29th, after they last night voted against leaving the eu unless an agreement is in place. let‘s cross to our assistant political editor, norman smith, who‘s at westminster. into the mix is theresa may with a third attempt, we believe commit next week to get her deal through a meaningful vote three, it is pretty confusing, isn‘t it? meaningful vote three, it is pretty confusing, isn't it? hugely confusing, isn't it? hugely confusing, all i can say is we had a tumultuous night last night and quite possibly, we are going to have another tumultuous night tonight. well, i am joined another tumultuous night tonight. well, iamjoined by another tumultuous night tonight. well, i am joined by caroline spelman and jack dromey, two figures reading the move to get no—deal taken off the table altogether. although you are the propose of that amendment, caroline spelman, you decide not to put it to a vote, yvette cooper did you not go for it? because i thought we would get a bigger majority behind the government motion which called for no—deal to be taken off the table on march 29th because there was a free vote in my party and it would have revealed the true size of the majority in parliament that is

against a majority in parliament that is againsta ten majority in parliament that is against a ten brexit. how did you react when you saw mrs may get up afterwards and say, in effect, that although the house had voted to take no deal of the off the table, the default position still remained leaving on march 29th? festival, i felt sorry for her with her sore throat, i think that is natural empathy for a colleague. but she was stating the facts, that is the position in law. but as a result, of the house of commons voting three times with the majority that clearly shows the will of parliament that we do not want a no—deal brexit, it has effectively taken the no—deal brexit orange the table on march 29th and when the government asked for an extension to stay, that will become quite clear. are you confident no—deal on march 29th has absolutely been taken off the table because some brexiteers seem to think you can still teeter up to march 29th and leave without any agreement? some wide—eyed brexiteers might still try it on. the simple reality

is, there is not a majority in house of commons for a no—deal brexit, there will not be a no—deal brexit on march 29th. the crucial thing now is how do we go forward? and what we have to do now and we will set the tone for this today, is for parliament to come together parliament to come together parliament and across party in discussions on a better deal for britain. her deal has been rejected and it will be rejected, but we need to arrive at a deal and as quickly as possible. ok, but the signs from number 10 as possible. ok, but the signs from number10 are as possible. ok, but the signs from number 10 are that they plan to come back with meaningful vote three and maybe even meaningful vote four is there any point in trying that? i'm sure there any point in trying that? i'm sure there is, i voted for the prime minister's deal both times it has been put to parliament. i accept people in my party need to be reassured and i think that there will be a discussion to date with the attorney general. and if you are against no—deal brexit, you have to be in favour of a deal sol

against no—deal brexit, you have to be in favour of a deal so i would say through you to my colleagues in the wider nation, don't despair because parliament can work together to get a deal which is good for this country, but i think it will take cross—party country, but i think it will take cross— party support. country, but i think it will take cross-party support. that is absolutely right. the problem so far has been tory talking to tory, tory arguing with tory. that is now breaking out and what we're seeing is all—party discussions starting to ta ke is all—party discussions starting to take place. crucially, that needs to be driven some of the debate will be how that is driven forward at the next stages. is there a natural majority for the making progress? i think there is. for example, on customs arrangements which would really matter to the land rover in ca roline's really matter to the land rover in caroline's plant in my constituency and jaguar in my constituency, that has to be our focus at the next stages. there has been a lot of talk about this, who is going to make this happen now? because we are running out of time. we are rob working across party, people of different backgrounds and different traditions, i sometimes say, i am a

pleb working with patricians, i am working with tories, and a good thing because we have to put the country first. the automotive industry is at the heart of the west midlands, the problems are mounting, it would be unthinkable not to do a deal to secure the long—term interests. one argument is they should be indicative votes, a series of votes where mps vote on the range of votes where mps vote on the range of different options, do you favour that? yes, i do think we should have votes that establish whether consensus lies in parliament for a positive way forward for this country. parliament has never been asked that question. i happen to believe the two main parties are not that far apart. my party favours a customs arrangements with the european union, the labour party favour a customs union and they are within touching distance. having these votes that establish a consensus would help to fend that up. you mention talks with the attorney general, today?” up. you mention talks with the attorney general, today? i don't know because the attorney general is not talking to me, but i understand

that the attorney general is looking again and talking to members of the erg about his interpretation of the legal position of the backstop and i hope he can really focus the minds of the san marco on the fact there isa of the san marco on the fact there is a deal on the table. if you want to leave, there is a deal which will enable you to leave —— focus the minds of the brexiteers. and like me, you need to vote for it. thanks for your time. another hugely important today at westminster, we expect the votes at around five o‘clock so strap yourselves in! 0k, o‘clock so strap yourselves in! ok, thank you very much, norman smith. now it‘s time for a look at the weather. simon king, a focus for weather, the weather, not the politics! it was certainly storm yesterday, with storm gareth. stormy conditions today. strong winds widely across the uk. cloud at the moment, rain

this morning moving southwards. if we look at the satellite picture towards the atlantic, we have weather systems waiting all the way from the caribbean. this cloud will continue to bring in wet and windy conditions over the next few days. and certainly for today, very windy again with a mixture of sunny spells and showers. some of these showers moving through in derbyshire. cloud breaking up, to give some sunshine. still fairly strong wind gusts, 35 to 50 mph, particularly for england and east wales. they could be a little higher than that in some spots through the morning. rain came into the south. but then we have sunny spells and showers. and moving into much of scotland and north west england and into wales. quite cloudy across south wales, england and northern ireland, a few spots of rain here and maximum temperatures this afternoon up to nine, 13 degrees. through this evening, we do it all again. because we have got

more rain pushing its way in from the west. that will move to or parts overnight tonight. the wind is picking up again. but tomorrow morning, temperatures no lower than five to nine celsius. perhaps that rain clearing through quicker than it did this morning so there will be more in the ray of sunshine through the morning in northern england, scotla nd the morning in northern england, scotland and northern ireland. quite cloudy again in southern areas and some spots of rain still here, maximum temperatures on friday, once again, up to about eight to 13, 14 degrees. a blustery day again on friday as wind gusts potentially reach 40, 50 friday as wind gusts potentially reach 40,50 mph. and then into friday as wind gusts potentially reach 40, 50 mph. and then into the weekend, well, more wet and windy weather, quite stormy in fact during saturday and there could well be some snow over the higher ground of scotla nd some snow over the higher ground of scotland and northern parts of england. as we go to saturday, this is the area of low pressure that will develop, it will push these weather systems through, bringing wet and windy weather quite widely across wales, northern england, into

scotland. significant snowfall across scotland throughout saturday. driest and brightest was the south east but windy for all of us, and the unsettled weather continues. goodbye.