this is bbc news. i'm ben brown. the headlines at eleven: the eyes to the right, 412. the noes to the left, 202. mps have approved a government motion on delaying brexit. it's a victory for the prime minister who will hold another vote on her deal. there are now two options left. one is to vote for the deal, get it through and leave in an orderly way. the second is a long delay. but the la st the second is a long delay. but the last few days have also put a responsibility on the prime minister. first, to publicly accept that both her deal and no deal are simply no longer viable options. almost half a century

on from the bloody sunday killings, the families of the victims are told one former paratrooper is to face charges of murder but sixteen others will not be tried. the only thing we can do is keep going on, you know. keep doing what we're doing. and i don't know legally, within the law, what we can do but we will pursue it. former liberal leader lord david steel has been suspended from the liberal democrats following his evidence to the inquiry into child sexual abuse about cyril smith. new figures show the number of criminals caught with knives oi’ dangerous weapons has hit a 10—year high. and at 11.30 we'll be taking an in—depth look at the papers with our reviewers lucy fisher, defence correspondent at the times and anand menon, director of uk in a changing europe — stay with us for that.

tonight, the house of commons has voted in favour of delaying brexit, with just 15 days to go to the set date of the uk's departure from the european union. the prime minister will now have to ask her fellow eu leaders to approve the delay. the parliamentary motion says that if a brexit plan is agreed by mps by next wednesday then the extension to the process would be relatively brief. if there's no deal agreed the extension would be longer and the uk might then have to take part in the european elections. our political editor laura kuenssberg reports on the series of votes taken in parliament today and why they're likely to lead to a brexit delay. speeding back to number 10 with brexit going slow.

the prime minister's voice that we could leave this month isolated for weeks, now drowned out. the ayes to the right, 412, the noes to the left, 202. mps voting clearly to say brexit should be delayed. the ayes to the right 412, the noes to the left, 202. the ayes have it. unlock. theresa may was not there to hear it read out loud, to face reality. her government accepting we might not leave the eu before the end ofjune. after the last few days of government chaos and some defeats, all of us now have the opportunity and responsibility to work together to find a solution to the crisis facing this country. labour has its own noisy struggles. the party says it wants another referendum but would not vote for one today.

the whole purpose ought to be to protect communities that are stressed and worried, those people who are worried about the future of their jobs and their industries. ourjob is to try to meet the concerns of the people who sent us here in the first place. nor is the government ready to give up on the hope brexit might happen beforejune. we double our resolve to get this through and to deliver in what i very strongly believe is international interest. people have strong views and you want your politicians to have strong views, i have got a very strong view. my very strong view is that the prime minister's deal is the best way to deliver on the referendum result. an extension is a step in the right direction because the government have not brought this together and we still have to find a way through this.

but again, number 10 can't contain tory divisions. anything cabinet remainers could do yesterday brexiteers seem to want to do better tonight. yesterday four of them voted against government policy, but tonight, seven cabinet ministers split from theresa may and voted against the delay. in this strange world even the brexit secretary went against the argument he had publicly made. collective responsibility is very much alive and that is what the public expect. they expect us to work together as a team to deliver the will of the people and we have to get on and do that. there was a rare if maybe shortlived sigh of relief for number 10. the noes to the right 312, the noes to the left the ayes to the right 312, the noes to the left 314. this seen off by only two votes, an attempt by mps to take

charge of brexit altogether. i am disappointed the amendment lost by two, but we have gained something this evening. the deal has been defeated by a large margin and no deal has been defeated by parliament and the prime minister will have to apply for an extension. without labour's support, the independent groups push for another referendum was smashed. and although the prime minister's deal has been chucked out twice, that does not mean she is giving up on getting it through parliament. might that be the sound of one of her allies who says no right now tiptoeing to yes. when you come to the end of a negotiation is when you really start to see the whites of people's eyes and you get to the point where you make a deal. we want to see a deal because we want a deal that is good for the whole of the uk and that is what we are focusing on. not yet. dozens of brexiteers still believe the prime

minister's deal is too close, too tightly bound but tempers are fraying. they are engaging in political idiocy and are doing more to damage the prospect of us ever leaving the eu than many people campaigning for a second vote. they are dangerously close to destroying the very thing it is that we all fought so long and hope to achieve. that is what it has come down to, tory mp calling each other idiots? i said they are engaging in political idiocy which is what it is. if you do not fight for what you believe in, which is brexit, you have given up the fight far too early and you should not be in politics. just in case the prime minister did not have enough well at home, the special friend could not help but pitch in as well. i am surprised how badly it has all gone from the standpoint of a negotiation. but i gave the prime minister my ideas on how to negotiate it and you would have been successful. she did not listen to that and that is fine, she has got

to do what she has to do. to do what she has to do, if only it were so simple. number 10 must to try to govern this mess and survive. so the reaction in europe will be crucial to what happens next. i'm joined now by german mep elmar brok, who sits on the european parliament's brexit steering group — which deals with the uk's withdrawal from the eu. thank you very much for being with us. thank you very much for being with us. what do you think will happen next? the british parliament has voted for a delay, what sort of delay would the european union be prepared to grant?|i delay would the european union be prepared to grant? i think they would want an assurance about what the british parliament wishes to do. eight continuation of the negotiations we have had until now do not work. it must be clear that there is a majority for something. a

referendum was excluded, if i understand rightly today, so i think the best thing would be for both major parties to talk to each other. we need an assurer and from parliament that there is a majority for some things or some things against dumping. the thing is we need to continue. london should talk to london. certainly. there are different voices being heard in europe this evening about how long any extension might be. some in europe say it should be longer, perhaps one or two years. others say it should be a few months.|j perhaps one or two years. others say it should be a few months. i think on the 2a of may we have eu elections and it makes no sense that the uk takes part in these if they wish to leave. therefore i believe the decision should be made before

then other ways the uk needs to take pa rt then other ways the uk needs to take part in these elections and i think it would be ridiculous circumstances. what would you think of the way all this has been handled by the government, by theresa may?|j by the government, by theresa may?” think she has promised us in many negotiations that it is a majority for them but it was never delivered. such a situation where no party has a majority in the house of commons, they should talk to each other. it is not the normal way of british politics but it should be done now. the whole continent is waiting and watching what every evening as the house of commons fights each other but no—one can bring the nation together. no—one can bring the house of commons together for a proper deal. some people are suggesting that next week, the third time of asking she may just

that next week, the third time of asking she mayjust get her deal through the house of commons and if she does not get it through next week then she may get it through at a fourth time of asking. you need to ask the house of commons what they wa nt to ask the house of commons what they want to do. but the best way is that the reason they should notjust look to her own party to find supporters, they should talk to the other party. the labour party is also interested in the fate of your country and the fate of europe and they should work together to find a majority. thank you very much for your time. after today's votes there's a sharp focus on next week when mps will be asked to change their minds and back theresa may's deal and then there'll be that crucial summit of european leaders that could determine the length of an extension to the brexit process. our deputy political editor

john pienaar has been looking at how the next stages might unfold. another concession, another retreat by theresa may. mps have delayed brexit past march the 29th. they don't know for how long and nor do we. mrs may never wanted this, but she has been weakened by defeat after defeat in the commons. now, with less than a week to go before the next eu summit, her mission somehow to win around 75 or more tory brexiteers, democratic unionists, leave supporting labour mps who want a brexit deal. it is a big ask, so theresa may will be calling another big debate, another big vote, before she faces eu leaders and asks for the delay in leaving. sojust days, time is running out to finally support this battered prime minister or start to thrash out a new brexit plan. in brussels next week, eu leaders must decide whether to grant

a brexit delay at all. the signs are they will, but there may be strings attached. will france impose conditions? will spain, where elections are on the way, reopen the sovereignty of gibraltar? and crucially will they insist on a long delay, a year or more, until the brits agree on brexit? mps decided against voting on brexit alternatives next week but they still remain. so aside from mrs may's plan, what are the other options? mps will try to drum up support from behind—the—scenes. some on both sides, including cabinet ministers like amber rudd, would like a brexit closer to the eu, a bit like norway's, sticking with eu market rules and standards, maybe also the eu customs system. no new trade tariffs or border checks, no problem avoiding stops and checks on the irish border, but it also means no new trade deals around the world. jeremy corbyn and labour want the customs union. he says he can negotiate terms to his liking.

then there is another referendum. mps were never likely to back a referendum this evening, but the so—called people's vote campaigners will be back. tonight the prime minister's last, best hope is that all her defeats, all her concessions, will pave the way to a deal, that the fear of a long delay, the possibility of being tied to eu rules, fear even of a referendum will persuade or scare mps into backing her deal as the best available. some legal guidance from the attorney general that the uk might, just might, be able to legally break with eu rules if britain feels trapped, that might help rebels climb down too. if she wins, it will be a triumph. britain could begin the even tougher task of discussing the future after brexit, even if many tory mps and ministers are saying quietly that will be a job for a new prime minister. mrs may's time may have all but run out. a former british soldier has been charged with murder,

almost half a century after bloody sunday, when 13 civilians were shot dead by british paratroopers on the streets of northern ireland. the man, identified only as soldier f, faces two counts of murder and four of attempted murder. in january 1972, soldiers of the parachute regiment opened fire on civil rights protesters in londonderry. the official report at the time claimed they'd acted in self—defence, after coming under fire from ira gunmen. the families of the victims dismissed that as a whitewash. a second inquiry by lord saville more than a0 years later confirmed that those who died were innocent civilians who had posed no serious threat. the inquiry said some soldiers had "knowingly put forward false accounts". today's decision to prosecute one soldier has been met with mixed feelings from the victims' families as emma vardy reports. etched into the fabric of this city,

the events that unfolded on bloody sunday have cast a long shadow. # we shall overcome today...#. today, retreading the route, families of victims marched again. # we'll walk hand in hand, we'll walk hand in hand...#. in 1972, this demonstration began peacefully. but rioting broke out in the area of derry known as the bogside. the british parachute regiment had come to make arrests, but when it was over, 13 people lay dead. the enquiry found none of those killed had been armed. this morning, the first indication of the long awaited news.

a decision has been taken to prosecute one former soldier, soldier f, for the murder ofjames wray, and for the murder of william mckinney. these were the men soldier f is alleged to have killed. he was a lance corporal, who's been given anonymity. in the 2010 inquiry into bloody sunday, soldier f said he fired on nail bombers. his evidence was disputed. the enquiry concluded he did not ca re the enquiry concluded he did not care whether or not those he fired on posed a threat. we have walked a long journey since our fathers and brothers were brutally slaughtered... families of other victims were told there was not enough evidence to charge the remaining paratroopers involved. there cannot be one law for the military and political elite and one law for the others. thank you. applause for the brother of william mckinney, this is a day he thought may never come, but no celebration. there's no joy in a situation

like this anyway, this is too serious. it's a feeling of... the person who murdered my brother, the person responsible for that, is going to be brought to book. is one prosecution enough? absolutely not. relatives of some victims hoped for more. i just was absolutely gutted. i came down here today saying that's me, that's the end of the road for me now, that's it, no matter what happens. i don't feel like that now, i'm fighting on. it's taken prosecutors two years, considering thousands of pieces of information, to reach this moment, and it is a decision steeped in controversy. today the defence secretary, gavin williamson, said the government would offer soldier f full legal support and would make urgent reforms, saying former military personnel cannot live in fear of prosecution. i'm not sure this is justice and i'm

not sure it is justice for the families either. i'm not sure how this guy's going to get a fair trial, i don't know how the evidence is going to stand up from 47 years ago, when there's no new sort of physical ballistic evidence or something like that. bloody sunday was a watershed in ireland's conflict. it added to a sense of injustice and galvanised the ira's campaign. the repercussions are still felt today. emma vardy, bbc news, derry. the former liberal leader david steel has been suspended from the liberal democrats. the suspension comes after lord steel gave evidence to the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse concerning the late mp, cyril smith. in a statement, the party said that further investigation was needed into his evidence. well, the liberal democrat leader, sir vince cable, told bbc newsnight about the decision to suspend lord steel. well, the decision was taken by our

decision—makers in scotland, he is a member of the scottish party. there is very serious concern about what he said, serious allegations, they have got to be investigated and i think the proper procedure, which has been followed, is that he is suspended while these investigations ta ke suspended while these investigations take place. we take very seriously. it is about if you knew what when. yes. i wonder if it is not to the eternal shame of the party that this was not sorted out a long time ago. well, we thought it had been sorted out a long time ago. i do not know what these comments amount to, what the investigations are, and we have got to investigate it and we are doing and the scottish party has taken the right steps to suspend him, andi taken the right steps to suspend him, and i think they have acted quickly, properly and in the right way, i think it is quite impressive. and sir vince cable has announced he will step down in may to make way for a "new generation". he said that assuming there is not an early general election, the contest to succeed him will begin after forthcoming council elections. sir vince, who plans to remain mp for twickenham,

had previously said there would not be a leadership election until "brexit is resolved or stopped". the number of people cautioned or convicted for carrying a knife in england and wales has reached its highest level in ten years, with more than 21,000 offences dealt with by the courts last year. and in just over a fifth of those cases, the offender was aged between 10 and 17. tom symonds reports. this man was convicted but not jailed, until outrage led to his sentence being reviewed. it's notjust the police. the courts are also under pressure to reduce knife crime. when i saw people around me, a couple of friends who had died from being stabbed, i straight away put my knife down. omar once carried a knife for his own protection. he reckons personal experience makes people stop — losing friends, but also seeing them sent to prison. people need to see it affect them in their circle first,

so unless they see one of their friends go down for five years for carrying a knife, only then will they say, "do you know what? actually, they are keeping up to their word — i'm going to put my knife down now." nearly 50 people have been stabbed to death this year. the spot where one of the latest victims was attacked is here, covered by sheets. he's17. he's fighting for his life in hospital. and so another police investigation begins, but at the other end of the criminaljustice system, a growing proportion of knife offenders are being sent to prison. a recent law means a second knife offence normally results in a prison sentence, but the proportion of repeat offenders is now the highest it's been for ten years. the government yesterday earmarked £100 million to pay overtime for officers working on violent crime, but elsewhere there's a strong feeling that police and the courts can't solve the problem. this charity works in hospitals to divert from dangerous lives those

who've been shot or stabbed. if we are part of the community in which we live, then we need to be taking a part in the solutions, and this is where we know that youth services and police, community members and young people themselves all need to be working together to find solutions to tackle these problems. today in coventry, a sculpture formed from 100,000 knives taken off the streets. a memorial to lost lives, a reminder of the scale of the problem. tom symonds, bbc news. almost a quarter of people who were diagnosed with cancer in england at the end of last year had to wait more than two months for their treatment to begin, according to the latest figures, which show the worst performance on record. the health service target is for treatment to begin within 62 days of an urgent gp referral, but it has been repeatedly missed for three years now. here's our health editor, hugh pym.

lisa's at home for a few days. next week, she'll be back in hospitalfor another round of chemotherapy. she has advanced bowel cancer, which has spread. she experienced symptoms but it was more than a year before she was diagnosed, and then there were delays before treatment started. it came as a massive shock. you feel that there's no support there. you're given this huge, horrible diagnosis and then, you're almost left in limbo because you don't know what the next move is going to be. lisa's one of the increasing number whose treatment didn't start within two months of a gp referral, which is the nhs target in england. scotland and wales have also missed targets. cancer charities say there aren't enough staff. although staff are working harder than ever before, there just simply aren't enough people to do the tests that we need, so it's great that we're trying

to drive through early diagnosis, but unless we have the staff needed to keep up with that demand, we're not going to see the change we want. take a deep breath in. nhs england has funded schemes like this to try to catch lung cancer early. a spokesperson said more people than ever were coming forward for cancer checks, and there was new investment in treatment. i'm very angry. i would say anger is probably one of my most common emotions. lisa has worked most of her career in the nhs. her mum had bowel cancer as well. she feels her cancer should have been picked up much earlier. i feel like, you know, the nhs has let me down in some ways and that... i don't want to face death and i don't want to think about that, but it may be a reality for me in the next few years. and sometimes that fires me on to help other people, to make sure that this is something that we can diagnose much earlier and treat much earlier. hugh pym, bbc news.

now then, she is one of a new generation of female jockeys, and today 23—year—old bryony frost certainly made her mark in the sport, making history. she became the first woman to win a grade onejumps race at the cheltenham festival, and described her win as a "dream come true." andy swiss reports. applause a day when sporting magic was in the air. a rapturous reception for bryony frost after racing into the record books. no female jockey had ever won one of the big grade 1 jump races at the festival, but in the ryanair chase, frost and her horse, frodon, blazed an unstoppable trail. bryony frost, grade1 winner at the festival! for frost, triumph and tears ofjoy. atjust 23, she'd made history, without even realising it. i didn't even know, until i came back in and they said, "b, you know that was a grade 1er?"

isaid, "oh, god, yeah, it was!" i was still wrapped up in me and frodon, ithought, "we've had a great time." honestly, it was just bonkers. i was like, "oh, my god, yeah", and then they said, "well, that's the first time it's ever been done." you think, "hey, you know, that's a cool thing, isn't it?" and the next race brought another poignant moment. victory for paisley park. his owner andrew gemmell has been blind since birth, but listening to the commentary on the tannoy and the roars of the crowd, he shared the celebrations. it was, he later said, a dream come true. well, cheltenham is no stranger to raw emotion, but this was something very special. two remarkable winners in one unforgettable day. andy swiss, bbc news, cheltenham. and we'll be taking an in—depth look at the papers with our reviewers lucy fisher, defence correspondent at the times and anand menon, director of uk in a changing europe. that's coming up after the headlines at 11:30pm. now it's time for the weather with stav da naos.

we ending this working week on a very windy note, fide is looking windy and also into the start of the weekend we have got a deep area of low pressure expected on saturday to bring gales, vein and also some snow across northern areas. tonight is going to be a blustery, these winds feeding and lots of showers in western areas, to produce longer spells of rain because the west. —— rain. it will be quite chilly in scotla nd rain. it will be quite chilly in scotland but milder further south, temperatures of seven to 11 degrees. he remains unsettled into fide, windy again because we have low pressure nearby and again to the north of the uk, bringing the strong westerly winds off the atlantic. that will feed in showers. so a blustery day, lots of showers across the country, some sunny spells too. could see some persistent rain and clouds because the far south—west, showers will be wintry across scotland, where it will be feeling quite chilly. showers too across the

east of the pennines. much colder because the north of the uk. this is the area of low pressure i'm talking about into the start of the weekend, deepening area of low pressure, it will bring a swathe of gales on its southern flank of england and wales, where it will be milder. there will be some heavy rain pushing on as well but the rain will be turning to snow across parts of northern ireland, in particular across scotla nd ireland, in particular across scotland on sunday. we could see some disruption from settling snow, quite windy here, quite cold what we have the no further south. england and wales, gap, gusts of may be up to 60 miles an hour. flooding across parts of north—west england and in towards parts of wales. 13, 1a degrees with some sunshine, the rain will move into eastern areas during saturday night. that area of low pressure does clear through from most parts of the country for sunday. it will be to the east of the uk, so we will have a run of north, north—westerly winds across

the uk. slightly cooler i think across the board, including southern areas, there will be some showers around these again. lots of sunshine around, so the best day of the weekend, i suspect, around, so the best day of the weekend, isuspect, top around, so the best day of the weekend, i suspect, top temperatures only 10 degrees. into next week, it settles down thanks to a building area of high pressure, we will see lighter winds and it will turn warmer and more