hello. it's wednesday, it's 10 o'clock, i'm victoria derbyshire. mps get to show today if they can break the brexit deadlock you're watching bbc news at nine with me, annita mcveigh — the headlines: by taking control of house of commons business and voting on alternative brexit ideas. plan b for brexit... meanwhile, pressure is growing on the pm to name the day mps are taking control of the commons today when she will step down to vote on alternatives from herjob. to the prime minister's deal. it's an important opportunity for the house to show its voice and to say what it will accept, it's an important opportunity for rather than constantly saying the house to show its voice and to what it won't accept. say what it will accept, rather than so i think it will be co nsta ntly say what it will accept, rather than constantly saying what it won't an important moment. accept. it will be an important the prime minister will meet moment. conservative backbenchers we'll talk to one conservative in an effort to win their support mp who has changed his mind on mrs may's deal for her deal as she faces growing and will vote it for a third time, pressure to name a date to resign and one who certainly doesn't sound as against it as he has in the past. meanwhile, strong words at the european parliament brexit debate this morning, meanwhile, brexit means these as the president of the european people — from reading, commission suggested the uk's glasgow and norwich, are stockpiling everything from medical equipment position still remained unclear. translation: if i were to compare great britain to a sphinx, the

sphinx would be an open book by comparison. plans to fit all new cars with speed limiter devices have been approved by the european commission. counterterrorism officials say neo—nazis in britain have been studying methods of attack shared online by the so—called islamic state group. musicians pay tribute to singer roger charlery, known as ranking roger, who has died aged 56. prince charles and the duchess of cornwall have taken part in a classic car rally as they continue their official royal visit to cuba. and dealing with racism in football. calls for stadium and tournament bans as the sport wrestles with a familiar, ugly subject.

good morning and welcome to the bbc news at nine. mps will vote on a series of alternatives to theresa may's withdrawal deal today to try to end the brexit deadlock. they will mark their preferences on a ballot paper to gauge support for the different options. the so—called indicative votes are intended to give the government an idea of the different types of brexit a majority of mps might support if theresa may can't get her own deal through the commons. the prime minister is also due to meet with members of her own party as she continues to try to convince them to back her deal. so on yet another busy brexit day, here's what we're expecting in the commons. first up, what promises to be a lively prime minister's questions at midday as mps put questions to theresa may. we can expect a big brexit focus during that.

after pmqs, there will be a debate about the indicative vote motion itself. the speaker then selects which votes make it onto the ballot paper. that debate on those indicative votes should start at around 3pm and is likely to go on until about 7pm. and then mps will be given their ballot papers between 7 to 7.30pm, with the results announced after that. our political correspondent nick eardley has more. brexit means brexit, and we're going to make a success of it. remember this? well, it's not been simple. brexit is still being figured out. parliament doesn't like the government's plan, at least yet, and today it's taking control to test whether other ideas could, just maybe, win enough support. this evening, mps will be given a piece of paper with various ideas, and asked to choose which of them they would accept. it's up to the speaker to decide exactly what's voted on,

but we could see a greatest hits of the last couple of years. options could include a closer relationship through a customs union or the single market, a cleaner break and a free trade agreement, leaving without a deal, another referendum, or just cancelling the whole thing and staying in. reporter: what's the plan, prime minister? the government might try and ignore what mps decide, though, and the prime minister is still trying hard to get her deal through. some brexit supporters have suggested they might reluctantly back the government's plan next time. they're worried about ending up with no brexit at all. and what if the pm said she would allow someone else to take the top job? might that be enough? she is addressing her backbenchers before the votes tonight, but there are still minds to change. as things stand, the government just doesn't know if it will be successful. the uk was supposed to be leaving in a couple of days, but we still don't know exactly what brexit will look like. nick eardley, bbc news.

our assistant political editor norman smith is at westminster this morning. you can see why in the same breath, jean—claude juncker is speaking about sphinxes and the uk, but it is today the day when we are perhaps going to be slightly clearer on what direction the uk might go? slightly clearer, but don't expect today to result in a clear alternative strategy being set out by parliament. it is the start of a pi’ocess parliament. it is the start of a process and quite a convoluted and precarious process. there are 16 amendments that are being put down, covering every conceivable brexit option, and that gives you a sense of the diversity of opinion which has to be corralled into one clear position. that is unlikely to reach a conclusion until monday. meanwhile, we are engaged in a sort of wrestling match between the government and parliament to keep

control, with the leader of the, andrea leadsom, saying this morning that he hoped mrs may would be able to bring back a meaningful vote three this week, ie tomorrow or maybe even friday. and bear in mind that even if mps do manage to reach some sort of agreement by monday, they then face an extraordinarily difficult task in getting the government to do what they want when ministers have already said, we won't be bound by anything parliament decides, which means mps would have to consider trying to introduce their own legislation to force the government to act, albeit this morning the man behind the move, the oliver letwin, denied that he was usurping the role of government. every week, the government, and governments through many years and centuries, have brought to the house of commons pieces of legislation which the house of commons and house of lords have substantially amended, and that means that the government of the day has by law been directed

by parliament to take actions it didn't seek to take. that's how our parliamentary democracy works, and that's how this would work. there's nothing revolutionary about that, it's a perfectly ordinary proceeding. governments are just like you and me. they operate under the law. the courts will enforce the law against the government, just as they would against any private citizen, and quite rightly so. we live in a law—governed democracy. meanwhile, there are signs that tory brexiteers are beginning to wobble and may be coming around to backing mrs may's deal, borisjohnson writing the daily telegraph this morning, saying that there was a real threat that brexit could be lost u nless real threat that brexit could be lost unless they support mrs may's deal. iain duncan smith in the times said he thinks there is a reasonable chance that mrs may's deal could go through. and one jacob rees—mogg, in the daily mail, apologising in advance for mrs may's deal, open back its if the dup back it closed ts, back its if the dup back it closed ‘s, and acknowledging that he is

likely to be accused of treachery. this was what he said on the today programme. the deal is not a good deal and it doesn't seem to me to deliver fully on the referendum result or on the conservative party manifesto. but we are seeing a concerted attempt to stop brexit altogether. under the law of the land that was passed into law last june, we ought to leave at 11 o'clock on friday, with or without a deal. and the government has now stopped that, and the house of commons has joined in stopping that. and we are therefore faced with a very satisfactory choice, and we are therefore faced with a very unsatisfactory choice, which in my mind lets down the british people that we are even facing this choice between mrs may's deal, where we are at least legally out, or various other plans that may conceivably keep us in. meanwhile, on the other signed off the island, in labour circles, a bust—up is about to blow up after barry gardiner seem to annoy many labourfigures by barry gardiner seem to annoy many labour figures by an barry gardiner seem to annoy many labourfigures by an interview he gave on the today programme in which

he suggested that labour would rule out revoking article 50. and that it was not a remain party, but above all because he appeared to side against what is known as the carole walker amendment. this is an amendment tabled by two labour backbenchers to ensure there is a confirmatory referendum on any brexit deal agreed to ensure that there is the look of a public vote, if you like. the labour mps behind it believed they have the backing of mr corbyn. this morning barry gardiner said it is not party policy. listen to what he said on the today programme, an excuse the wonky webcam. he is tucked in the corner. it's not where our policy has been. our policy is clearly that we would support a public vote to stop no deal or to stop a bad deal, but not that we would allow a bad deal as long as the public had the opportunity to reject brexit altogether. that implies that you're a remain party. the labour party is not

a remain party now. we've accepted the result of the referendum and we are trying to get a good deal. that is why we've put forward our proposals today, as we have done consistently for the past year. jean—claude juncker said it is jean—claudejuncker said it is hard to know what any party is thinking at the moment. on the meeting that theresa may will be having with backbenchers again this morning, having another go at trying to get them to back her deal, speculation that she may possibly talk about a date that she will step down. is there any strength behind that speculation? it's very difficult to gauge. i was talking to one tory mp who has been involved in talks with mrs may to try and find a bridge between the brexiteers and the prime minister, and he said he doubted whether she would signal a departure date this afternoon. that said, it

is clear that a number of tory mps wa nt is clear that a number of tory mps want her in effect to say, if you vote for my deal, i will not be around for the second stage of the negotiations. borisjohnson has pretty much said that as his price for supporting the deal. there is a view that it could sway a number of brexiteers. the trouble is, i am not sure it will sway anywhere near enough. and that gets to the core of mrs may's difficulties. although there are signs that some of the big names of brexit land are coming around, there is a tight clutch of brexiteers who are not coming around andi brexiteers who are not coming around and i suspect are never going to come around and therefore, mrs may has to calculate, does she dare to bring her deal back in the knowledge that she probably has just got one last chance. she can give a meaningful vote three, but i think it's extremely unlikely that the speaker would allow meaningful vote

four. norman, thank you. there were some strong words from donald tusk at the european parliament brexit debate this morning as he defended the rights of european citizens in the uk. before the european council, i said that we should be open to a long extension if the uk wishes to rethink its brexit strategy, which would of course mean the uk's participation in the european parliament elections. and then there were voices saying that this would be harmful or inconvenient to some of you. let me be clear. such thinking is unacceptable. you cannot betray the 6 million people who signed a petition to revoke article 50, thei million people who marched for a people's vote, or the increasing majority of people who want to remain in the european union. applause.

they may feel that they are not sufficiently represented by their uk parliament, but they must feel that they are represented by you in this chamber, because they are europeans. thank you. well, our brussels reporter adam fleming joins us now from strasbourg. you get the feeling listening to donald tusk, aside from whatever practical considerations there are, that at heart, he wants the uk to remain part of the eu. are all the members of the eu 27 like—minded at this stage, as they try to figure out what the uk wants? it depends who you ask. there is a whole range of opinions here at the european parliament and in the eu institutions. but donald tusk has been seen as the person who most passionately wants the uk to stay. he was probably the last person to accept that there might not be an eu

referendum, a second referendum, in the uk, although it does now seem that the chances of that are creeping up again in his mind. one quite boring point to make about what he was saying — if you listen, he was speaking directly to meps and in particular, the meps in this place who were worried about the concept of british meps staying here and causing trouble during a long brexit extension. that was who he was speaking to directly. his message to the british government and british parliament and people in the uk who want to stay was a bit more indirect than that. and i think what he said will be controversial. that i what he said will be controversial. thati million figure what he said will be controversial. that i million figure about the number of people who were on that march for another referendum at the weekend is contested. the number of people who signed the petition is contested too and the government has just sent an e—mail to every single person who signed it asking to revoke article 50, saying, we ain't going to do it. and the idea that there is now an increasing number of people who want to remain in the eu after all, those opinion polls,

those there are questions about those there are questions about those as well. so plenty will listen to what donald tusk is saying and disagree with him and think that he should maybe butt out. we also heard from jean—claude juncker, the president of the european commission, who has a reputation for coming up with the odd catchphrase in the brexit process. today was no different. translation: if i were to compare great britain to a sphinx, the sphinx would be an open book by comparison. so adam, if this book reveals more here in the uk, what would be a cce pta ble here in the uk, what would be acceptable to the eu in terms of amending the withdrawal agreement or indeed the future relationship? the withdrawal agreement is pretty much untouchable as far as the eu is concerned. that is to do with the divorce. that is the winding down of the uk's membership. it is a huge

legal document we have all come to know and not necessarily love. it is non—negotiable, done and dusted. where there is room for manoeuvre is on the second document that sits alongside, known as the political declaration, which sketches out the shape of the future relationship and isa shape of the future relationship and is a road map for the next phase of negotiations, where that future relationship is going to be agreed. the eu is open to changes to that, and the changes they would be prepared to make art to make it a much closer future relationship. prepared to make art to make it a much closerfuture relationship. so yes, maybe a customs union on a more permanent basis, may be more participation in the single market for the uk participation in the single market forthe uk in participation in the single market for the uk in future, but those options would come with more strings attached for the uk. what is interesting about what eu officials are saying in private is that if the parliament votes for a closer future relationship and a different political declaration, they government accept that, comes to the eu with something that is acceptable to the eu, then that document can be

changed quickly. people are talking about a matter of hours or days, not about a matter of hours or days, not a big, drawn out process over weeks oi’ a big, drawn out process over weeks or months. so if parliament, the government and the eu can coalesce around something that is different from what they have got now, that could probably be delivered quickly. but just a could probably be delivered quickly. butjust a quick word about something else that has been happening in the chamber today. we had from nigel farage, the former leader of ukip. he is still a player here because he leads one of the political groups. he was talking very differently from the rest of the eu, as you would expect. he was pinning his hopes on this extension of brexit to the 12th of april if the deal doesn't go through. he says, let's reject that extension on the 12th of april and let the uk leave in the middle of april and then everyone can get on with their lives. adam fleming in strasbourg, thank you very much. we'll bring you all the updates from westminster throughout the day. you can also follow the latest developments online at bbc.co.uk/news.

we'll have full coverage of today's votes on the bbc news channel from 8pm this evening. the headlines on bbc news... mps are taking control of the commons today to vote on alternatives to the prime minister's deal. the prime minister will meet conservative backbenchers in an effort to win their support for her deal as she faces growing pressure to name a date to resign. strong words at the european parliament brexit debate this morning, as the president of the european commission suggested the uk's position still remained unclear. and in sport, how to deal with racist football fans. montenegro have been charged with racist behaviour by uefa after some england players were abused on monday night. lots of discussion about what punishment would stop the abuse, with suggestions of stadium bans, tournament bands or players walking off the pitch. strange scenes in

dublin last night as fans of the republic of ireland through tennis balls onto the pitch as part of a protest. it didn't put the players are. they beat georgia i—o protest. it didn't put the players are. they beat georgia 1—0 in euro 2020 qualifying. and there was drama for kyle edmund, who was knocked out of the miami open. he said he was distracted by a spectator, lost his rag and the umpire penalised him. not happy at all. more split in half an hour. —— more sport in half an hour. all new cars could be fitted with speed limiters from 2022 after new rules were provisionally agreed by the eu. the technology uses cameras to detect road signs, automatically slowing a car down if it exceeds the limit. the uk is expected to adopt the measures, regardless of the outcome of brexit. chi chi izundu reports. it's being billed as the biggest overhaul in road safety for more than 50 years. from 2022, cars, vans,

trucks and lorries sold in europe are to be fitted with devices to automatically stop drivers from travelling too fast. the speed limiter is one of 50 new safety features to be fitted to vehicles. other measures include technology that detects when drivers are distracted or falling asleep, a system that keeps vehicles in the centre of lanes, and accident black boxes that record vehicle movements. some of the safety measures are already available in some high—end cars, but the eu wants them to come as standard with all new vehicles sold in europe. according to the european commission, around 25,000 people a year are killed using european roads, and most of those are down to human error. the measures still need formal approval by meps and heads of government, but the european commission says these mandatory fitted safety technologies could have the same impact as the introduction of seat belts.

we can now speak to motoring journalist adam rayner. tell us more about your understanding of how the technology might work. actually, that is my master mind subject! my car has already got the technology to some degree. there was a brand of german ca i’s degree. there was a brand of german cars which, if you are on the right road in germany, will completely do the category five self driving thing. but these cameras read the road signs and they let you know how fast you should or shouldn't be going. they are already in use in products that can warn you about it, but turning that into a thing that then stops you from driving above thatis then stops you from driving above that is a bit of robotics keeping m, that is a bit of robotics keeping in, a bit of autonomy for the vehicle and not you as the driver. so how would this roll—out in terms of the logistics both from the point of the logistics both from the point of view of the car manufacturers and the roads? well, the roads have already got the signs on, with lovely reflective surfaces. and for

the class, is a simple technological flick switch. the tech is already there. there was a bit around the back of wembley stadium where it seems to think i should be doing 120 miles an hour because it read a road sign and the wife and i laugh at it. but the point is, it will recognise the rug you are on, either by gps or by reading the roadside. it will know the speed limit you are at through your navigation system and it will then literally, software will control how fast your car can go and will slow it down if need be. do you think this is a good idea? are there pros and cons? the simple truth is that in the not—too—distant future, people will look back and 90, future, people will look back and go, they used to let us drive our own cars and it was terrifying. we will be amazed at it. however, right now, people will see this as a terrible issue with autonomy. unlike the seat belt law, this is going to impacta the seat belt law, this is going to impact a lot of businesses. there are companies and police cars. there are companies and police cars. there are posh divisions at the top of two

oi’ are posh divisions at the top of two or three german makers. one of them has several brands above its own brand which want to go fast and go around corners a lot. they are all stuffed, although there will always be track days. and lastly, what one man can make, another man can unmake. right now, my car is a weird one. it's one of the last of the volvo is that goes awfully quick, and that also has a speed limiter upon it, just like certain audis do. you can get a gig in a back alley somewhere with a computer to turn that i have. it's about making the car last a bit longer. the point is that the technology is going to cut out the stupidest, most dangerous pa rt out the stupidest, most dangerous part of every motorcar, the nut behind the wheel. people who are concerned about road safety will say this is a good idea. others will say responsible drivers need to have the autonomy to be able to judge when

they drive a bit faster and when to drive slower. from the point of view of the car market, what is this going to do? there are lots of very good used cars out there. is it going to result in big drops in new car sales? that was the first thing i was talking about with my wife on the way to work. absolutely, yes. a lot of people will not buy new cars. new cars will still get purchased by companies. the value of the last of the old models will become things that will appreciate. there is going to bea that will appreciate. there is going to be a huge new underground industry of software hackers. cripple your car! i imagine that the penalties are going to get worse and there will be this hectic period of chaos while various businesses go under and others appear and everybody re—adjusts. there are two kinds of people, which are people who watch top gear and are car guys, and people who just aren't and don't. the majority of people just

wa nt to don't. the majority of people just want to get there in one piece, and thatis want to get there in one piece, and that is what this is about. it's an arguable, but of course, i am in the bracket of the petulant child who says, i don't like it, i want to be in charge! but it is a safety feature that even the most towering of safety conscious manufacturers have said that acceleration can be a safety feature. you spend less time on the wrong side of a small road than you would otherwise. top speed is one thing, acceleration will still remain. adam rayner, motoring journalist, thanks for your time. let's get more now on brexit and the series of indicative votes expected later today. theresa may will meet with backbench conservatives to try and gain support for her deal. one of those who'll be meeting with her is chris philp, he's the vice—char of the conservative party and joins me now from westminster. thanks for your time on this very busy day. do you have any idea of

how you think this they might turn out? it's hard to predict. we haven't had indicative vote since i haven't had indicative vote since i have been in parliament, which is the last four years. it is possible that none of the options presented will end up commending a majority. we voted on quite a few of these before. we have had votes on second referendums and customs unions previously, all of which have been defeated. so it may be that none of these options wins through. my view remains that despite its imperfections and weaknesses, which i freely recognise, the deal that has been negotiated remains in my view the best way of getting us out, delivering on the referendum result, while protecting jobs and protecting trade. all the alternatives which we will be debating today, whether that isa will be debating today, whether that is a second referendum, revoking article 50, entering a customs union, or living with no deal, those options are all worse than the deal is negotiated, which is why i voted for the deal twice already. i will vote for it again if it comes

forward. but that deal has been defeated twice. if it is defeated again tomorrow, is that it's for theresa may's deal? surely that is parliament saying that this is a bad deal. is that really the sort of deal. is that really the sort of deal that the uk deserves? we don't know that it is definitely going to come back tomorrow. in the last few days, we have seen a significant move from conservative members of parliament who had voted against it, people like jacob rees—mogg, but also others, who seem to be now coming around to the view that despite the fact that they don't like significant elements of the dealfor like significant elements of the deal for reasons that i understand, they are reaching the view that it is the best way of getting us out of the european union and if we don't pass this deal, something from their perspective worse will happen, like a customs union or even not leaving at all. so there is a significant sea at all. so there is a significant sea change in opinion. so the prospects for that they are not as

bad as the last two defeats would imply. you say there may not be a majority for any of the options that are being set out in the indicative votes, but we may see two or three favourites emerging. when theresa may's deal comes back for voting, whether that is tomorrow, friday or the beginning of next week, if it fails again, do you feel than that thatis fails again, do you feel than that that is the time to say, that is done, we can't go anywhere with that, there is no more road left to kick that can down, we now have to look at another option? parliament needs to decide, there are five or six different paths that can be followed, and parliament has for the last few months been basically voting against every option. there is no option that parliament has voted in favour of. would you consider another option if theresa may's deal is voted on again and falls again? you are treating her option like it is different to the others. you need to choose the best

option. just because that one has been defeated twice, doesn't mean it should be discounted prematurely. i think given the choice available, the deal is the best one because it delivers the referendum result while keeping trade flowing. and if you are coming at it from an erg perspective, it avoids the risk of either not leaving at all or getting stuck in a common market 2.0 relationship which i will be voting against today because it has all of the obligations of membership of the european union, so you have unlimited free movement, budget contributions that are nearly as high as being a member, they set all the rules for our economy, we are locked into european union trade deals but can't do any trade deals of our own, deals but can't do any trade deals of ourown, and deals but can't do any trade deals of our own, and yet we have no say over any of that. so when you consider all of those alternatives, i think the deal, despite its weaknesses, is the best way forward and increasing numbers of mps are coming to that view. and that may strengthen after we see the indicative votes today, when the

alternatives get explored properly. do we know yet whether conservative mps will have a free vote today, or whether they will be whipped to vote ina whether they will be whipped to vote in a particular direction?” whether they will be whipped to vote in a particular direction? i don't know. i haven't been told.|j in a particular direction? i don't know. i haven't been told. i guess that will become clear during the day. would you support a free vote? if the government's deal is one of the options tested, and i don't know if it will be, i would expect that to be whipped because it is government policy. there are some other policies which would flatly contradict manifesto commitments. for example, unilaterally revoking article 50 and counselling brexit, which is what the snp want to do —— counselling brexit. i would be astonished if that was a free vote. but i don't know. there is clearly a lot of opinions in the country on brexit, across parliament and within parties. so we will have to see what the arrangements are later today.- this stage, do you have confidence that the prime minister is the best person to continue to lead this process ? person to continue to lead this process? i don't think debating

personalities is helpful. i don't think it would change the story. she has had an incredibly difficultjob to do. frankly, had king solomon been handed the task of conducting this negotiation, even he would have struggled. so he has done a good job in what has been very difficult circumstances. but we need to focus on the national interest and focus on the national interest and focus on getting the referendum result implement it as quickly as we can, which i think the deal does in the best way, despite its faults. speculation about leadership, personalities and candid doesn't help. you can see whyjean—claudejuncker was saying the uk as most mysterious than a sphinx. winston churchill described russia as a sphinx wrapped inside a riddle wrapped inside an enigma. ican inside a riddle wrapped inside an enigma. i can see whyjean—claude

juncker is frustrated that the deal hasn't passed, and has so far been unable to express a positive view on any other course of action. one hopes that will change and parliament will express a positive view about how to proceed. it's all very well for people in opposition, the snp and labour in particular, to vote against everything but as parliamentarians we have a responsibility to positively vote for a particular outcome and that's what i hope happens. thank you. in a moment the weather but first let's hear what victoria has coming up at 10am. this morning on the programme, have you stockpiled because of brexit? brexit stockpiling case everything goes wrong. i do think maybe i should have got a bit more. it doesn't seem like enough. this morning we will be speaking to people across the country who are

stockpiling, in particular food and medicine supplies. now the weather. good morning. today we are looking ata good morning. today we are looking at a lengthy spell of sunshine across south—west england, somerset and south wales with cloud developing through the afternoon. for the rest of the uk, variable amounts of cloud with sunny spells but still some patchy rain and drizzle in north—west scotland. temperatures ranging from 9—10 to 14-15. temperatures ranging from 9—10 to 14—15. overnight we continue with the patchy rain and drizzle. the cloud clears and we are looking at patchy fog forming and cold enough for the odd pocket of frost with temperatures again between one and five. under the cloud in the north—west we are hanging on to higher temperatures. tomorrow, try than today with a bit of cloud at

times. gusty winds but for the rest of the uk, more sunshine than today. also looking at temperatures a bit higher. climbing up to 16, possibly even 17. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines. plan b for brexit. mps are taking control of the commons today to vote on alternatives to the prime minister's deal. the prime minister will meet conservative backbenchers in an effort to win their support for her deal as she faces growing pressure to name a date to resign. meanwhile, strong words at the european parliament brexit debate this morning, as the president of the european commission suggested the uk's position still remained unclear. plans to fit all new cars with speed limiter devices have been approved by the european commission. security officials say neo—nazis in britain have been studying methods of attack used

by the islamic state group. musicians pay tribute to singer roger charlery, known as ranking roger, who has died aged 56. museums in glasgow, birmingham and dorset have all seen their attendance records broken — and it's apparently all down to a plaster—cast dinosaur. time now for the morning briefing, where we bring you up to speed on the stories people are watching, reading and sharing. as we've been hearing — our main story today is that mps will try to help find a way forward over brexit with a highly unusual series of votes on alternative courses of action. speaking to reporters this morning, the work and pensions secretary, amber rudd, said it will be an important moment. are you confident indicative votes are the way to go today? it's an important opportunity for the house

to show its voice and say what it will accept rather than what it won't accept. i think it will be an important moment. will be prime minister on what is decided? and always listens to the house and we'll have to see what they come out with. one of the ideas under consideration later today in the commons would require a public vote before any deal could be ratified. labour's peter kyle — who helped draw up this option — told the today programme on radio 4 that he expected labour leaderjeremy corbyn to order his mps to back it, and said it had some support among tories too. what we're asking for is for parliament to withhold consent for theresa may's deal. but by doing so, allowing it to pass through parliament subject to a confirmatory ballot of the public. this means that we can get rid of the gridlock in parliament, put it to the public, but offer a definitive and final end to this. because what the public decide will be final and definitive and binding on parliament, so it doesn't need to come back to parliament afterwards. so, what we are essentially

trying to do is join two minorities up in parliament. the minority which is for some kind of public ballot, and the other minority which actually supports theresa may's deal. we can therefore bring this together in order to bring a compromise, a true compromise, which the public are crying out for. i'm interested you say "theresa may's deal", because the very reason jeremy corbyn didn't like your amendment at first was because it backed her deal. and your motion actually says something slightly different — it says, "any deal will have to be confirmed". do you rule out this being used if, for example, today what's called common market 2.0 gets through? that's right, because what we originally intended for the amendment was it to go against the meaningful vote. now, of course, because we know the political difficulties that theresa may is in, she keeps withholding the meaningful vote, so you have to adapt it to a motion which is going down before parliament today. so, any deal. the other key thing i wanted to check with you is, it says, "in this parliament". so, in other words, this is not a promise that would continue if a new prime minister came into place if there

was a general election? that's right. but all that's doing is trying to focus minds on the here and now. we have a deal — that deal is before parliament in one shape or another, because it is the deal that's negotiated by the eu and our government and signed off by both. no parliament can bind the hands of future parliaments, so we didn't want people to start thinking about right into the future. we want to focus minds on the here and now. so, a key question, then. hasjeremy corbyn changed his mind? is he going to order the labour party to vote for this? he will order mps to vote for this, but he hasn't changed his mind. what's happened is, we had a really constructive process of engaging with him. at no point was he instinctively against this. he was very, very curious about it. i met with him several times, i met withjohn mcdonnell many times, i met with keir starmer a huge amount of times, including all of these people yesterday. so, as well as labour support, that is significant, you will need some tories to vote for it if it is to have any chance of getting through. do you have many? we do have tory support. a lot of people will be looking

at how the debate unfolds today. what we'll be doing is putting forward our proposals in an open—hearted way, in the spirit of compromise. we'll make sure the tone is one that reflects the spirit of what we saw on the streets this weekend. what we really want to do is just break the gridlock in parliament, bring this to an end and offer an end to the nightmare that the public is desperate for right now. and, of course, brexit features heavily on today's front pages — and particularly the fate of theresa may. the daily telegraph's lead story — "tories tell may to set her exit date today". the paper claims conservative brexiteers will urge the prime minister to announce she'll be gone by the autumn, in return for "a lot" of them supporting her brexit deal. the i says supporters of the prime minister believe she's the victim of sexism and misogyny. a female minister has told the paper that she thinks a man would not be facing the same calls to quit. and the headline on the daily mail — "sorry, i will back may's deal" — the leading brexiteerjacob

rees—mogg says he's changed his mind and is now willing to support theresa may's withdrawal agreement — if the dup does too. and this morning, mr rees—mogg has been explaining his change of heart. why now? because i thought we were leaving on the 29th of march at 11pm and that's been taken off the table. so, as long as no deal was the default option i was in favour of that default option. but the government has backed away from that, in spite of the prime minister's commitments that we believe on the 29th, and parliament has made it clear it won't support that. it is a hierarchy of choices. leaving without a deal would be my top choice now, then you come to mrs may's deal then you come to not leaving at all. mrs may's deal is better than not leaving at all. let's take a look now at some of the other stories you're reading and watching online.

we are still not succeeding in getting that story up. the uk are set to adopt vehicle speed limiters. number two is the government trying to break the bread —— brexit deadlock. a severe outbreak of measles in the eu. vaccination rates are dropping in the us because of religious beliefs and conflicting information about vaccines. have a look at this on the most watched.

view wet spots mystery facing the clouds. go to the bbc website and see if you can spot the face in the clouds. one viewer thinks it looks like prince and is talking about predictions of purple rain. america hopes to take another "giant leap" by putting astronauts back on the moon — within five years. the us is speeding up its efforts to compete with china in a new space race. the announcement comes after nasa had to cancel its first ever all—female spacewalk — because they didn't have enough spacesuits in the right size to fit them. that's it for today's morning briefing. apologies for other technical difficulties. sport now, and for a full round up from the bbc sport centre, here's sally. good morning. how to deal with racist football fans? it's a question that keeps raising it's ugly head. montenegro have been charged by uefa after some england players were abused in their euro 2020 qualifier on monday night. lots of discussion today about what punishment

would stop the abuse — talk of stadium bans, tournament bans, players walking off the pitch too. but the former england forward john barnes says the problem is bigger than football. it happens in this country. and it's a little bit hypocritical of us in this country to look at montenegro and say how terrible it is, when this happens every week in this country. so, yes, something has to be done. unfortunately, people are looking at the wrong solution. they think the solution is to ban people and to close football grounds and to do whatever they do. however, i understand that laws have to be taken, but more from the point of view of changing perceptions of black people, women, homosexuals — once perceptions are changed, we'll then not see incidents like this. well, raheem sterling was on social media last night, thanking everyone for their support, with the hashtag "kick racism out of our stadiums". that story continues to dominate the back pages this morning.

the mirror says "shut them up, shut them down". "stamp it out now" is the headline in the sun. and the mail says the racist abuse was heard by the families of england players who were in the stands in montenegro. the republic of ireland beat georgia in their euro 2020 qualifier — but they could have done with some tennis racquets. fans threw tennis balls on the pitch in dublin as part of a planned protest. it didn't put the players off though. conor hourihane's brilliant free—kick was the only goal of the game. two wins from two for mick mccarthy and his team. there was drama for kyle edmund as he was knocked out of the miami open. he lost his fourth round match in straight sets to the defending champion john isner, and he had a big old row with the umpire too. the british number one stopped a point because he said someone in the crowd was shouting. but the umpire ruled that he'd lost the point as a result, and edmund was furious. there was a nasty crash for britain's chris froome at the tour of catalunya. he got tangled up with a couple

of other riders with more than 20 miles to go and ended up with some painful cuts and bruises. the team sky rider did finish the stage, but lost almost 1a minutes to the leaders. next, a question — does snooker have a problem with sexism? rebecca kenna is ranked third in women's world snooker, but she's had to give up on her local league because some clubs have a men—only policy. chris warburton's been to meet her. give us some background to this. i went to go and see rebecca in yorkshire. she is passionate about snooker and she's played the game from when she was seven. her dad used to take her down to her local liberal club. she could barely see over the table, but she got really, really good and became the captain of that club. she became the world number three. what an amazing achievement. she started playing in the league but then she ran into

problems that she told me about. i was told i will not be able to play in that fixture, i will have to stay home. what reasons did they give you? we don't let how wide sin, we don't have facilities for a lady. how did that make you feel? outraged, really. to be told you can't play the sport you love because of your gender is ridiculous. it's quite upsetting remembering, but... humiliating? yes. that is just rotten. what are they going to do about it? she took a principled stand to say if that's the case i'm not going to play in the case i'm not going to play in the league. the world number three not able to play in her local league, which is a crazy situation. she said, can we play these games at a neutral venue instead. it went to the agm, they had the vote and voted it down. they voted it down?! this

has happened in other parts of the country. the next step, people said to me can't believe say unless you let women come and play in these clu bs let women come and play in these clubs can't you pick the teams out? they said the league isn't a particularly big and if we get rid of those clubs it will be detrimental to the future of the league. one of those clubs got back to me and said they would consider the idea of neutral venues so rebecca will be able to take that to the agm. a cycling club in keighley have failed to get back to me at all. what?! it seems ridiculous that we are even having this conversation. it does. as part of the research, we spoke to seven of the research, we spoke to seven of the countries best women's snooker players and five of them came back to me and said they had faced similar discrimination. thank you. most watched on the bbc sport website is this.

conor mcgregor‘s 13 second knock out ofjose aldo back in 2015. mcgregor announced his retirement from ufc yesterday, this right up there as one of the iconic moments in the sport. look at that! watch this. don't forget sportsday. all the day's sports news on the bbc news channel at 6:30 tonight. is it going to be a bruising day for brexit? i wonder. the headlines on bbc news. mps are taking control of the commons today to vote on alternatives to the prime minister's deal the prime minister will meet conservative backbenchers in an effort to win their support for her deal as she faces growing pressure to name a date to resign.

strong words at the european parliament brexit debate this morning, as the president of the european commission suggested the uk's position still remained unclear. around 400,000 people in the uk live with type 1 diabetes. now it's hoped a new insulin pump will help transform the way patients manage the condition. the device uses artificial intelligence to monitor blood sugar levels and is being rolled out on the nhs. our health correspondent, dominic hughes has been to meet one of the first patients to use it. laura dunion is starting out on the journey to adulthood and independence. at 17, she's learning to drive... ..and then we'll go all the way around... ..and looking forward to university. but getting this far has not been without complications. all i remember is laying in a hospital bed. the first few months of doing injections, i hated it.

laura has type 1 diabetes. diagnosed at eight years old, she's grown up with the condition. it means her pancreas has trouble producing insulin, which regulates the amount of sugar in her blood. it's dangerous if those levels get too high or too low. so, together with mum lynn, for nine years she's had to really watch what she eats and when, and monitor her blood 2a hours a day. how important is it for you to stay on top of it to stay healthy? it's so important. if i don't stay on top of it, it means i could end up, i could end up in hospital. that's where i don't want to end up. and i feel like i've been her pancreas for nine years. and that's something that a lot of other parents feel. and overnight, that was the fear, that her blood sugar would drop in the night and it would be life—threatening. so i checked her blood every two hours in the night. but now technology is taking over.

a new type of insulin pump, armed with artificial intelligence, that is learning about laura's blood sugar levels all the time, avoiding both those dangerous highs and lows, delivering insulin when she needs it, even at night. i can sleep, and i feel that she's safe. you know, she's safe — and overnight is my biggest fear for laura, but that's given her that safety net and it'sjust been absolutely life—changing for us. it means i can be independent. it means i can have freedom of not testing my blood as much. itjust means that i can focus more on my life than i could focus on my type 1 life. it's been fantastically well— behaved this morning. insulin pumps have been around for some years, but doctors say this new technology marks a real leap forward. this automation allows the individual to keep their blood glucose in a range which we know is safe, will minimise complications of living with diabetes, both in the short term and the longer term.

laura is one of the first nhs patients to use this new pump. it's helping her achieve a level of independence that once seemed impossible. dominic hughes, bbc news, leeds. a southwest airlines boeing 737 max aircraft has made an emergency landing in florida, after experiencing an engine problem shortly after take—off. it was on its way to a storage site and there were no passengers on board. all 737 max 8 planes have been grounded since the ethiopian airlines crash, which killed 157 people earlier this month. a british man has been arrested in australia after allegedly trying to flee the country on a jet—ski. police say the 57—year—old is wanted on drug charges and was trying to make the 90—mile trip to papua new guinea. the man was thought to have been armed with a cross—bow and carrying enough fuel and supplies to make the journey.

tributes have been paid to the singer ranking roger, the vocalist with the two—tone band the beat — who has died aged 56. music he'd been diagnosed with two brain tumours and lung cancer following a stroke last year. ranking roger — whose real name was roger charlery — helped the beat secure a series of uk top ten hits, including this one — mirror in the bathroom and a cover of smokey robinson's tears of a clown. the tiny 9:53am. —— time. prince charles and the duchess of cornwall have taken part in a classic car rally

as they continue their official royal visit to cuba. it was part of a tour of the island's so—called "british corner". our royal correspondent, nicholas witchell has more. no, it's not the latest in luxury royal limousines. it's charles and camilla, arriving at a classic car rally in havana in a 1953 mg td. cuba is home to thousands of classic cars. the vast majority are american, but some are british, models from the 1950s or earlier, kept on the road because the american trade embargo has made the import of new cars very difficult. charles and camilla met the crowds, curious at the sight of members of the royal family. and from one spectator, another of cuba's specialities — a cigar, handled rather gingerly by charles, who is strongly anti—smoking, but accepted nonetheless. then to a recording studio, and something that always takes camilla's fancy — a bit of skilful footwork. all very cuban, but would the couple at the corner table be tempted to have a twirl? not on this occasion.

and finally, a destination that is more on charles‘s street, an organic farm, and a discussion about livestock husbandry, in this case cows. alongside all of that, of course, there is the question of whether this first royal visit to cuba has achieved anything tangible. it has been more symbolic than substantive, but that's the way royal visits are. britain, though, will be hoping that a more constructive relationship between london and havana will now emerge. the foundations have been laid. growth in the relationship is expected. nicholas witchell, bbc news, havana. museums across britain have been reporting record attendance levels — and it's apparently all down to a plaster—cast dinosaur. dippy the diplodocus, the famous replica skeleton, has been on tour from his usual home as our arts correspondent, david sillito explains. for 44 years, dippy, a 21 metre plaster cast

of a diplodocus skeleton, has greeted visitors to london's natural history museum. but over the last year or so, he's been on tour. birmingham museum saw its attendance rise by 38%. glasgow's kelvingrove has also broken records, with 300,000 people arriving in the first six weeks. and dorset county museum saw its income increase by 971%. overall, attendance at britain's biggest attractions has this year risen by around 9%, but while dippy has been breaking records, the biggest single increase was liverpool's world museum, which saw its visitor numbers more than double because of the exhibition of china's terracotta warriors. now it's time for a look at the weather with simon king. if you're in the south—west of england and south wales it would have been chilly first thing. there was some frost here. that's where you had the best of the sunshine. so

far, you had the best of the sunshine. so fa r, lots of you had the best of the sunshine. so far, lots of blue skies and sunny weather across the southwest. you can see from the satellite imagery where you've got that sunshine across parts of wales, the south—west of england. elsewhere, quite a bit of cloud breaking up in places. the north—east of scotland, you will get a bit of sunshine, some sunshine developing across many parts of england and wales. the blu est parts of england and wales. the bluest sky skies will always be across wales, the west midlands and the south—west of england during the afternoon. still some rain in the far north—west of scotland but for most of us it's a dry day with temperatures about 13—15. tonight, the cloud breaking up even more. a colder night than last night for more of us. temperatures could go close to freezing in the countryside. certainly a chance of frost first thing tomorrow morning with those clearer skies. for many more of us, we will see some sunshine. during their stay, that

high pressure is still with us. it's anchored across southern areas. with the light winds there could be patchy mist and fog first thing in the morning, clearing away with lots of sunshine across england and wales. still more cloud across the far north—west of scotland with more ofa far north—west of scotland with more of a breeze. it should be a warmer day on thursday. temperatures potentially getting up to 16—17. one oi’ potentially getting up to 16—17. one or two locations could reach 18. by friday, a bit of patchy mist and fog in the morning. mostly clearing away and mostly dry and sunny. more cloud across the north—west of scotland and some rain starting to move in. temperatures coming down in the far north—west, otherwise another fairly pleasa nt north—west, otherwise another fairly pleasant and warm day with temperatures in the mid to high teens. into the weekend, this cold front making slow progress. behind

it, we have got the blues returning with chilly air. that will make a difference to temperatures particularly at the end of the weekend. bye—bye.