tonight at 6:00pm, a new brexit vote. this time theresa may wants mps to sign off on just part of her deal. it could be theresa may‘s final today at 5pm — the government sets out plans for another chance to secure a brexit brexit vote tomorrow. legacy, but will mps back her? politicians of all political parties one option could be voting have a duty to put the national on the withdrawal agreement only — interest first so we can put this and not ourfuture relationship. controversy behind us its unclear whether mps will back and move on to a brighter future. it, labour says this would lead to the "blindest of blind brexits". but there‘s a stark warning that would mean leaving the eu from business leaders today. the damage has already been done. with absolutely no idea where we're to westminster we say, heading. we are frustrated, we are angry. that cannot be acceptable you have let british business down. and we wouldn't vote for that. the other main stories on bbc news at five... mrs may‘s plan to hold a vote toxic chemicals which could cause on just part of her deal pushes a decision on britain‘s future eu cancer and asthma have been found relations to another day. close to grenfell tower — those living nearby have complained of health problems. two weeks since cyclone idai swept

through south—east africa, communities in the town of beira warn of a public health crisis. the woman who doesn't feel pain — why this patient‘s genes could help scientists develop revolutionary new painkillers. and the masterpiece they thought was a fake — how a bit of a wash and brush up revealed it was the real deal. it's 5pm — our top story... the government says there will be another vote on the prime minister's brexit deal tomorrow. but this time the house may well be asked to vote purely on the divorce, the so called withdrawal agreement — and not on the document that goes with it, the political declaration, which defines the future relationship.

the eu has said the agreement must be passed by 11pm tomorrow night for the uk to be granted an extension until may 22nd. the mps are still struggling to find consensus on what sort of brexit they want. last night they rejected all eight options which the house had put forward. our political correspondent jonathan blake reports. not much clarity through the date about what will be voted on but andrea leadsom has just about what will be voted on but andrea leadsom hasjust taken about what will be voted on but andrea leadsom has just taken to about what will be voted on but andrea leadsom hasjust taken to her feet so let's go to that. to be of assistance to the house i can again confirm that should the house agree this motion it is intended that the sitting hours tomorrow will be the same as for a normal sitting friday with the house sitting from 9:30am at the moment of interruption at 2:30pm. should any urgent questions be allowed these would take place from 11am and the date would that make

the debate would resume following these urgent questions in the normal way. i alsojoined these urgent questions in the normal way. i also joined those who recognise the hard work and dedication of the staff of the house in the civil service. i thank them for their support of us in this place and i'm grateful for them in advance should this motion be agreed. as i said to the house earlier today the motion tabled by the government this afternoon has been prepared in order that it complies with your ruling, mr speaker, whilst also reflecting that the european union will only agree foran the european union will only agree for an extension to article 50 until the 22nd of may if the withdrawal agreement is approved by 11pm on the 29th of march. it's crucial therefore that we make every effort to give effect to the council's decision and tomorrow's motion gives parliament the opportunity to secure

that extension. i think we can all agree that we don't want to be on the situation of asking for another extension and facing the potential requirement of participating in european parliament elections. i will give way. could she just read out the motions so we know what we will be debating tomorrow? out the motions so we know what we will be debating tomorrow7|j out the motions so we know what we will be debating tomorrow? i can say to the honourable gentleman that the motion has been tabled and he will be able to receive it in the table office. i am be able to receive it in the table office. lam happening be able to receive it in the table office. i am happening to read out. it is quite lengthy. —— i am happy to read it out. this house notes the european council decision of the 22nd of march 2019 taken in agreement with the united kingdom expending the period under article 53 of the european union which provides for an extension on the article 50 period to the 22nd of may 2019 only of the house of commons approves the withdrawal agreement by the 29th of march 2019. note that if

that house does not do so by that date the article 50 period will only asa date the article 50 period will only as a matter of law be extended to the 12th of april 2019 and that any extension beyond the 22nd of may 2019 would require the uk to bring forward the necessary day of poll order to hold elections to the european parliament. notes that article 184 of the withdrawal agreement refers to the political declaration between the uk and the eu agreed on the 25th of november 2018 but that the uk remains open to negotiations. notes that the house is currently undertaking deliberations to identify whether there is a design for the future relationship sector commands its support. notes that even should changes be soared to the political declaration, leaving the european union with the deal still requires the withdrawal of agreements, declares that it wishes to leave the eu with an agreement as soon as possible and does not wish to have a

long extension. therefore approves the withdrawal agreements and the unilateral declaration laid before the house on the 11th of march 2019 so the house on the 11th of march 2019 so that the uk can leave the eu on the 22nd of may 2019. note that this approval does not by itself meet the requirements of section 13 one b of the european union withdrawal act and resolves that it is content to proceed to the next steps of this process including fulfilling section 13 of this act. i will give way to the honourable gentleman. i'm grateful and i note that the motion that the government intends to lay does solely talk about the withdrawal agreement and not the political declaration. has she had any thoughts or information as to whether an amendment which included the political declaration would be a cce pta ble the political declaration would be acceptable or in order? the honourable gentleman will be aware

that motions are amendable and a selection of amendments is a matter for the speaker. i have given way but i will give wayjust once. i'm really grateful for up to her for reading it out. as i understand it's the government, if the motion were carried tomorrow, would not be able to ratify the withdrawal agreement treaty. is that correct? no. what it would mean is that the withdrawal agreement bill would then be before this house. i think mr speaker that we can all agree that we don't want to be in the situation of asking for another extension and facing the potential requirement to participate in european parliament elections. i'm ata in european parliament elections. i'm at a loss to understand how this

house can enact a law and put into law through the eu withdrawal act section 13 of the eu withdrawal act and tell the government can come and offer us only one part of that act. can she say what legal advice she has had as to whether what she is doing is legal? the honourable lady will appreciate that mr speaker's ruling ensured that this would not bea ruling ensured that this would not be a meaningful vote and she will also appreciate that since it is for this parliament to decide on the laws and any amendments to the laws it would be a matter for the discussion tomorrow followed by the discussion tomorrow followed by the discussion during the withdrawal agreement bill should that be approved, to rectify any outstanding matters. i therefore really do encourage all honourable and right honourable members to support this motion of the house so that we can leave the eu in an orderly way that

gives businesses and people the certainty that they need. turning to the amendment that has been tabled by the shadow leader of the house and the opposition chief whip, it may help the house and provide reassurance to the honourable lady, ifi reassurance to the honourable lady, if i can confirm that we will be sitting tomorrow with a very clear purpose in mind so that the house has the time to debate the motion tabled by the government this afternoon. that is our only intention for tomorrow's sitting. article 184 of the withdrawal agreements, in itself refers to the political declaration, that they cannot be separated so that if the political declaration is later changed the withdrawal agreement would need to be re—approved. i acce pt would need to be re—approved. i accept the ruling of the speaker with regards to this question but on the substance to the question ijust make that point because it is going

to be very important for the debate tomorrow. what i can assure my honourable friend is that what this motion seeks to do is to ensure we can meet the requirements of the eu council for the extension that will enable us to consider these matters further. mr speaker, in conclusion, i very much hope that the house can support this motion and that it will agree to sit tomorrow so that we can make the important decisions the in country expects us to take in their interest. i commend this motion to the house. the leader of the house has moved the motion and i have selected amendment a in the name of valerie vaz to it. ijust thought i would get that on the record. point of order, mr ian murray. thank you,

mr speaker. of order, mr ian murray. thank you, mrspeaker. i of order, mr ian murray. thank you, mr speaker. i appreciate the leader of the house hasjust given mr speaker. i appreciate the leader of the house has just given the business for tomorrow and it was very helpful she has read out and circulated the motion. i wonder how if there has been any indication as to whether the legal advice on to what the government is doing tomorrow is actually legal could be placed in the house of commons library are published to members before the debate starts tomorrow at 9:30am. the attorney can offer assurances on that front. i know he is satisfied but it is for him to say. mr speaker, mayi is satisfied but it is for him to say. mr speaker, may i say that the proposal the government is making when the house listens to the rationale behind it and here's the full context of it i'm sure the house will accept it is not only perfectly lawful, perfectly sensible but is designed to give this house an opportunity of availing itself of an opportunity of availing itself of a right that the european union has given to us to avail ourselves of an

extension until may 22. the view of the governments is that we couldn't let the time limit expire at 11pm tomorrow without a lion this house the opportunity of availing itself of that right. it is perfectly reasonable and it is perfectly lawful. i will happily take points of order. people sought the judgment of order. people sought the judgment of the attorney and the attorney has provided it. iwouldn't of the attorney and the attorney has provided it. i wouldn't dream of pronouncing on the matter of law. that is not something that i need preoccupy myself that is not something that i need preoccu py myself nor with that is not something that i need preoccupy myself nor with the matter of desirability or otherwise of the motion. that is the matter for the house. my concern was solely with the propriety of the convention and the propriety of the convention and the importance of it being upheld and asserted. i am satisfied that the propriety of the convention has been upheld and asserted. colleagues must make their own judgment

been upheld and asserted. colleagues must make their ownjudgment on the political substance of the matter. i will take a point of order from sir john redwood. will take a point of order from sir john redwood. given that the government now says that if the motion we go straight onto the bill, we insist on the bill being part of the document for tomorrow's debate because it would be important to know what we were in full before being asked to vote for it.|j know what we were in full before being asked to vote for it. i say to the right honourable gentleman, whether he intends to tag, if one uses the term that is commonly used, the withdrawal bill to the motion, isa the withdrawal bill to the motion, is a matter for their determination for my understanding is that that bill was drafted some time ago. i don't think hot wet towels over officials heads will be required or any burning of the midnight oil. the

document exists. whether it is the government's intention to table it tomorrow for the benefit of colleagues conducting the debate, thatis colleagues conducting the debate, that is a matter for them. point of order, sir william cash. you kindly referred to the wood drawings and fermentation bill that i have raised ona numberof fermentation bill that i have raised on a number of occasions, the european scrutiny committee in its most recent reports have insisted that that bill be made available because it is quite unfair in the house to be making decisions about the bill which they have not seen. i understand other committees take a similar view. would you be good enough, mrspeaker, to similar view. would you be good enough, mr speaker, to perhaps give the government a firm nudge in order to produce that bill forthwith? yes is the short answer. it is a matter for theirjudgment. is the short answer. it is a matter for their judgment. it isn't is the short answer. it is a matter for theirjudgment. it isn't the matter of a ruling but in the light of the fact that colleagues are

expressing a desire to see the bill i think it would be out of keeping with the legendary exemplary courtesy of the attorney general for the debate that might well be opened by him to be staged without the benefit of that important document. knowing the honourable gentleman as well as i do and for as long as i have done i have a feeling that if the bill doesn't appear tomorrow in time for the debate this is not the la st we time for the debate this is not the last we will hear of the matter. so the speakerjohn barco is satisfied that the government's motion meets the test. the rout that ensued was about their withdrawal acts specifying that the agreement was pa rt specifying that the agreement was part of the deal and the future relationship political declaration must both be right to —— must both

be ratified. but can they be ratified this separately was the debate. let's cross inside the houses of parliament — and speak to our chief political correspondent, vicki young. the government is trying to use the ha rd post of the government is trying to use the hard post of tomorrow's deadline set by the european union to try and get half of the deal through. what they are trying to do is to make sure they get that automatic extension delay to brexit until the 22nd of may because the eu has made it very clear that if the withdrawal agreements can go through by 11pm tomorrow night then we get that automatically. they are putting huge pressure on everyone in the house of commons. don't forget what date it is tomorrow, the date we were going to be originally leaving the eu. putting pressure on them to vote for this and to make sure we get that extension and so setting that new date. it is fiendishly complicated

as you can tell from the exchanges there. the legalities of all of this, the speaker saying he is happy it is not the same vote they had before. what this isn't is the so—called meaningful vote three. we know there has been two votes already by theresa may has been defeated and this is just one part of that. the question at a still unresolved is what the government has to do to fulfil uk law which says you have to pass the meaningful vote which takes in both parts, the withdrawal agreement and the political declaration with talks about the future relationship. that is slightly unclear. they are suggesting it is not required and they could bring forward the withdrawal bill. that is an argument that will go on for a very long time here. the big question is still, do they have the numbers to get this through tomorrow? the dup, we were told by them that they haven't been any meaningful talks or negotiations today. are they onside with this? it is the government trying to say, "look, there is one last chance here to get this automatic extension to

article 50 otherwise we don't know what conditions the eu might put on a further extension." it could be a very long extension and there will be many, particularly in the conservative party, who don't want to risk brexit is not happening at all. it puts labour in a tricky position because they said all along they wanted to uphold the results of they wanted to uphold the results of the referendum. this debate would be specifically about the divorce. if they stand in the way of that might they stand in the way of that might they be accused of trying to block brexit? i'm sure that's what the government will try to frame it as because as you point out the dup do have a problem with the withdrawal agreement because that is where the backstop, the thing they hate, being keptin backstop, the thing they hate, being kept in that for ever, that's a bit they don't like. but when it comes to labour, a lot of labour mps were talking about the fact that you need a withdrawal agreement. this is the thing people have not talked about much but yesterday they did. remember all those votes they had yesterday about what the future

relationship would be like. the point was made that with almost all of those you still need withdrawal agreement. it sorts out the money, eu citizens‘ rights, all sorts of things. you still need those so the government will say to labour, there is no reason why you can‘t vote for this tomorrow. just have a listen to keir starmer. equally, we are hearing today that the prime minister might try to separate the withdrawal agreement from the political declaration and just put the withdrawal agreement up for a vote tomorrow. but that would mean leaving the eu with absolutely no idea where we're heading. that cannot be acceptable, and we wouldn't vote for that. the message from the government will be very strongly if you wanted to leave with a deal you have to vote for this tomorrow and if you don‘t we‘re looking at a long delay for brexit and taking part in those eu

elections. another important today tomorrow in the brexit story. vicki young at westminster, thank you very much indeed. let‘s cross live to brussels and our europe correspondent damian grammaticas. damien, ifand damien, if and it is a very big if, the withdrawal agreement was passed tomorrow that would reset the clock tomorrow that would reset the clock to may 22. here is a puzzlerfor you, with the uk get the standstill transition if it didn‘t pass in that interim period the next part of it, the future relationship bits? very question, christian. i think, this is my understanding and not the definitive answer, that it would because two documents that sit side by side that withdrawal agreement that will now be treated separately, that will now be treated separately, thatis

that will now be treated separately, that is the key bit for the eu. that is the bit as you were hearing vicky say was about the divorce. the political declaration sits alongside it and that talks about future ties but what the eu leaders decided last week is that the withdrawal agreement needs to be approved, they said, that was their conclusion last week, by the end of play tomorrow, friday, to get this extension and set the exit date at the may the 22nd. the political declaration which is negotiated was negotiated alongside is simply a road map for the future. that can be modified and changed and that can be dealt with later. the answer will be, yes, it would support that from the eu point of view and crucially it secures certainty about the exits, the exit date and the transition period. but

the tricky thing with this is clearly what the government is trying to do is hold out the importance of agreeing this tomorrow for some in the uk is that you get out on may the 22nd and you then don‘t have to take part in european elections which is what we heard andrea leadsom speak about in the house of commons. many in the uk don‘t want to take part in those elections but of the uk was to seek a longer extension it would have to ta ke a longer extension it would have to take part in those elections. that would be the european position. so if the uk decided it needed longer extension it has to make that decision to take part in the elections and that has to be made by april the 12th so there is still this complicated juggling period of uncertainty around that should things not work out on the uk side.

if it passes tomorrow and they need a longer extension and need to take pa rt a longer extension and need to take part in the european elections they may have missed the chance to do so. all sorts of tricky things to the jigsaw puzzle going on here. when you stand back and you look at this you stand back and you look at this you look at those arguments that are happening in the house of commons about the complex legalities and parliamentary procedures. this is exactly why the eu is so concerned about the uk getting trapped in some of these and tripping into and no deal exit with all of the ramifications that could have. it shows the eu how difficult this could be to resolve. that is very important detail. i didn‘t mean to put you on the spot but you have a nswered put you on the spot but you have answered it brilliantly. it is very important to business leaders as well who are meeting today around the corner. there‘s exasperation around the country at how westminster‘s political leaders have handled brexit — with business leaders feeling their concerns and warnings have been ignored. the british chamber of commerce has been holding its annual conference

just around the corner from here today and they are pleading with politicians to stop chasing rainbows. we can talk now to co—executive director of the british chambers of commerce, claire walker. i don‘t know if you could hear damien explaining that but this vote tomorrow is so crucial importance because although we don‘t know what sort of future we are going to there is an opportunity here to bank the transition. for business leaders who have been meeting here today, there is still very little to take to the bank. whatever may happen in westminster tomorrow we are still no clearer on the terms of a future trade. that is of real concern. we have been saying that this uncertainty is starting to bite and thatis uncertainty is starting to bite and that is what the director—general said in his speech. if damien is

right and the eu says you don‘t have to ta ke right and the eu says you don‘t have to take part in the eu elections but you can have a 19 month standstill transition where everything resets for a period to talk about that future relationship. would that unlock some of the problems for the business leaders you spoke to today? a transition period would unlock some of that uncertainty and would be welcomed but still we have some big questions unanswered about how we would engage with europe going forward and that is still a huge concern three years on from the referendum result. what are the biggest concerns? uncertainty is a biggest concerns? uncertainty is a big problem but what other things have people been talking about? the concern and frustration i cannot underestimate how high that is at the moment. people having to invest, stockpile and make business decisions that are the right thing for their business but may not be the right thing for the uk economy asa the right thing for the uk economy as a whole and that is of great concern because we‘re starting to see the economic impact on the uk economy of some of this delay.

obviously, they discussed eight alternative options last night, none of them got a majority but which of those options were you looking at and which do you like. business communities will have very mixed views about which of those options they would like to see forward but what they are united about is avoiding a disorderly brexit and they want to know which of these options will be taken forward and that‘s what we need to see from westminster. claire walker from the british chamber of commerce thank you very much. maddy thimontjack from the institute for government is here.... what is going on as a separation of uk domestic law and european law set done by the council last week. exactly. the eu said it would give the uka exactly. the eu said it would give the uk a longer extension of the

article 50 period the 22nd of may if mps approve the withdrawal agreement by the end of this week. so far what we have been having votes on is the divorce issues alongside the political declaration. what the government is trying to do and what it is doing tomorrow is holding a vote exclusively on withdrawal and hoping to try and settle their disputes over the relationship over the next couple of weeks. looking at that withdrawal act today there a line in it that says both parts of the deal have to be ratified. if they are not going to ratify a political declaration because they can‘t come to an agreement or coalesce around a future way forward they would have to change the law and reflect that in with the withdrawal act. you have to approve both to ratify the withdrawal agreement because it is a legal treaty. if mps cannot agree a political declaration they would have to change that law which they could do through the withdrawal

agreement bill the domestic legislation needed to implement the treaty. they could do it that way. basically you need to approve both before you can ratify. they may be hoping they can bank the longer extension now and try and get a political declaration approved in the next couple of weeks while they are starting the domestic process to get the legal treaty embedded in uk law. let's say for argument they could get the withdrawal bill through, the divorce and they could even get through some of that legislation you have been talking about. it still has to be in eu law meaningful, that will be disputed hotly. the challenge is we can agree what is in the divorce act backs but there is a problem bounce where we get to in the future relationship because even if you wrap it all up and say we don‘t need to approve a political declaration it‘s fine, we‘ve got the legal stuff wrapped

up, there is a big question about where we go next. once we got the withdrawal agreement sorted we are going to have to move on to the next phase of negotiations and without a political declaration that has the support of the house of commons i think it is extremely difficult for the government to try and make any sort of progress in the next phase of negotiations if the eu know they cannot bring parliament along with it. we are all feeling our way through the dark here because this is unprecedented and people are trying to get to grips with the law. damien had a good stab at explaining what might happen if there was no agreement on the future relation. if it is your understanding that if it was passed tomorrow we would at least get that 19 months transition? my least get that 19 months transition? my understanding is you would get the withdrawal agreement and that would allow you to have that transition. and we wouldn‘t have to ta ke transition. and we wouldn‘t have to take part in european elections? provided everything is wrapped up by the 22nd of may that is my understanding but i don‘t understand how you can progress to the next phaseif how you can progress to the next phase if you do not have agreement

from parliament about where were going andi from parliament about where were going and i think the eu will be quite concerned about the fact that parliament cannot agree on a future relationship and therefore there is a big question about what basis the government will be entering in the next question. good to have you. thank you very much indeed. big questions for those who want a confirmatory vote in any future deal because that would disappear if we we re because that would disappear if we were on our way out. plenty more to discuss here way out. plenty more to discuss here in westminster. les gets and whether a lovely day today and there is more sunshine, more blue skies to come as we head into tomorrow as well. we did have some cloud earlier on today across the south—east and east anglia, you can see that has cleared away, but for this cloud into the north—west of scotland, we have got sunshine and clear skies to end the day. but the wind has been quite strong with that cloud in the north—west was not that wind will ease down a bit overnight, the cloud shuffling further into scotland into northern ireland, ahead of it, clear skies. a bit more mist and fog,

particularly towards the south—west was not perhaps a pinch of frost as we have seen over recent nights. but with those skies, there is more sunshine, from the word go in south east. the fog should at last too long then sunny skies quite widely. there is more cloud in northern ireland tomorrow, into the north—west of scotland. some drizzle in the highlands of scotland. temperatures are going to be struggling to make double figures. towards the south—east, we are seeing the sunshine and 17 degrees. it may well be a decent weekend, but we are going to be turning a little bit colder by day from the north, most bit colder by day from the north, m ost pla ces bit colder by day from the north, most places still drive with some sunshine. now time for the sport. we‘re starting with manchester united where ole gunnar solskjaer has been made the club‘s permanent manager, three months after taking overfrom jose mourinho. let‘s go live to old trafford now where our correspondent david ornstein has been following the story. david, on paper this was a no—brainer with solksjaer‘s results since taking over, but this is manchester united. they could have most managers,

what has been his reaction and that of the fans there? the fans we have spoken to, every of them seems to have been delighted with this news. they feel he is the right manager, appointed at the right manager, appointed at the right time, which was a point of controversy because manchester united originally said it would make a decision at the end of the season. they hope that the he is man. they seem optimistic that he will help manchester united back to their former glories at some point in his three—year contract. as for the man himself, he was in particularly bubbly mood today, smiling throughout the news conference where he described this as his dream job. he said made people say that, but it doesn‘t apply to anybody more than it does for him. he spoke very confidently at a great length talking about the honour and the privilege that he is taking on. just three and a half months ago, he was sitting in norway wondering what he would be doing long term. he was

manager of molde and now he is manchester manager united on a permanent basis. i'm just going to be myself, as i have always been. i know the expectations and traditions of the club. the history we have got. of course, i want to be successful and want to lift trophies. but i can't wait to get onto the job, onto the challenge of improving this great bunch of players. it is a squad full of potential. i work now with them for three months, or we potential. i work now with them for three months, orwe have potential. i work now with them for three months, or we have worked for three months, or we have worked for three months, or we have worked for three months, as a staff, as a group, and the improvement is there to be seen. and we know there is so much more to come from them. we can see so much more improvement because we see them every single day in training, the attitude has been fantastic. but we know we have a way

to go. but lifting a trophy, i'm sure we will be successful. for all of the glitz and glamour, the hard work starts now because manchester united have lost their last two games, and they have a particularly tough period coming up. they face barcelona in the champions league quarterfinals, and they also have a battle to finish in the top four of the premier league this season. solskjaer said that was his main priority. then there is a crucial summer of investment ahead. how much money will united get to spend? how well will they spend that? so it is a particularly interesting time for ole gunnar solskjaer. he certainly has lifted the mood, he has a three—year contract as permanent manager. david at old trafford for us, thank you very much. we will have more for you later on. join us at 6:30pm. let‘s go back to christian fraser. let‘s go back to

the lobby because vicki is going to get some reaction to the announcement we have just had. just to recap on what has happened, the speaker has said that he will allow a vote tomorrow on the prime minister‘s brexit deal. it is not quite the same as the previous two votes where we know she was very heavily defeated. this is slightly different. there is a withdrawal agreement which is all about the divorce, things like the money and eu citizens‘ rights, the declaration which is what the future relationship. the last two votes have been on the combination of the two, the two together. tomorrow is going to bejust on two, the two together. tomorrow is going to be just on at the former. let‘s get some reaction. i‘m joined by rory stewart. explain to people watching this why the government has decided to do it like this and why somebody who has voted against it in the previous two occasions would possibly vote for it tomorrow. what we are trying to do is get a compromise. it is a negotiation. if you wrap the whole thing up, put the withdrawal agreement and political

declaration together, clearly people find it almost impossible to agree. so we break it up into separate parts and we say to labour, who support the withdrawal agreement, "let's concentrate support the withdrawal agreement, " let's concentrate on support the withdrawal agreement, "let's concentrate on what we agree on first, get the withdrawal agreement through, and then let's have the vote on the political declaration later." at least we will have got 80% of this done and we can begin to come straight on the next stage. and it means, because of what the eu said about the data brexit, the eu said about the data brexit, the extension, if you like, that he would then lock in that extension till may the 22nd, is that right? the condition that it is my extension is conditional about getting the withdrawal agreement through. that gives us the transition period which is really important for business, the certainty to know that you have got two years of transitions. it deals with citizens apostle he writes, deals with money. if we can get that done now, we can then go on to talk about the future and whether people wa nt about the future and whether people want to model themselves on canada

or norway or whatever the idea is. but let's get the withdrawal agreement square straightaway.“ but let's get the withdrawal agreement square straightaway. if it doesn‘t go through, if some of your collea g u es doesn‘t go through, if some of your colleagues who have resisted so far, labour saying they won‘t vote for it, if it doesn‘t go through, what does that mean? i think it is extremely sad. firstly, it doesn't mean we get the 22nd of may. it means that if we didn't have a node you're brexit which i think is still a risk in april, we could end up in a risk in april, we could end up in a world in which we had to sit in european parliament elections and continue for many more months within the european union. i really would beg labour colleagues on this that if they are sincere in saying that they accept the result of the referendum, they actually want a brexit deal of some sort, then let's just agree on the bare minimum, the bare bones of a brexit deal, get it across the line, get the transition period in place and then let's sit down and talk the details will stop any numberof down and talk the details will stop any number of future opportunities for them to talk and veto the other stuff because we will have to have a vote on the political declaration, a vote on the political declaration, a vote on the withdrawal agreement itself and the withdrawal agreement act. there is nothing that they need to oppose now. let's do this, and

then let me want to talk about other stuff. and what signs are you getting from colleagues in your own party and indeed the dup that they would be minded to vote for this when the dup probably won‘t because it doesn‘t include the backstop? when the dup probably won‘t because it doesn't include the backstop? the vast majority of the tory party is now going to vote for this, and more colleagues are coming across all the time. the dup are not conservative, they are a different party. in a sense, they are a different party. in a sense , we they are a different party. in a sense, we are negotiating with them but we are also negotiating with labour trying to find common ground. probably with the withdrawal agreement it will be easier with labour because the labour front benches have said repeatedly that they have no problem with it, they have a problem with something else. if they don't have a problem with it, let's vote for it and get that done, get a bit of certainty the business and eu citizens and british citizen in the eu, and then let's talk about the tricky stuff. thank you very much indeed. very clear there, the message particularly to labour mps. don‘t forget the significance of tomorrow, the date of course the original date when the

uk were supposed to be leaving the eu. yes, a perfect symmetry there. thank you very much. when it comes to the future relationship, it will be crucially important who is sitting in number ten. last night, the prime minister surprised even members of her own cabinet, announcing she would leave office in a few months‘ time in return for the safe passage of her brexit deal. of course it is far from guaranteed the deal will be passed — but whatever happens next, it seems unlikely now she would be in a position to stay. and you can bet that in the corridors of that building behind me the leadership contest is already under way. so who are the early favourites? let‘s take a look. starting with the environment secretary, michael gove. he stood for the leadership last time — he has been loyal to theresa may throughout the brexit negotiations — and as a prominent voice in the leave campaign, could he get the backing of the brexiteers in the party? or could they back another prominent leave campaigner?

boris johnson, the former foreign secretary, who pulled out of the last leadership contest when michael gove said he was standing. still popular with the tory membership. brexiteer dominic raab was the second brexit secretary, he resigned from the role afterjust four months saying he couldn‘t support the prime minister‘s brexit deal. and still opposes the deal. foreign secretary jeremy hunt a reluctant remainer now a brexiteer, there was a very public shift after the referendum. he chose not to run in the 2016 contest saying it was "not the right time" but he has the credentials. another remainer who has re—positioned himself as a firm leaver — the home secretary sajid javid. born in rochdale, son of a pakistani bus driver, who arrived with £1 in his pocket. that would be quite a story. andrea leadsom was in the final two of the last leadership contest, but withdrew after a row in which she claimed she would be a better pm than theresa may because she was a mother. impressed many as the leader of the house and of course as a prominent campaiger for leave

at the referendum she is popular in the conservative associations. and then from the other side, amber rudd, now the work and pensions secretary and former home secretary. she has said she would not rule out a second referendum. she has favoured staying in the european economic area. and some might say not entirely loyal to the current prime minister. so how would a tory leadership contest unfold ? candidates need to be nominated by two other mps. if there‘s only one candidate, they become the new leader immediately. if there is more than two candidates, there would be a series of votes among mps to whittle the field down to two. it then goes to a vote of all conservative party members. they are very keen for that contest because they thought it was a coronation last time out. joining me now to discuss those leadership candidates is the political commentator, jo—anne nadler and former special advisor to david

cameron, sean worth it isa it is a bit ofa it is a bit of a tricky one, isn‘t it? the leadership contest is under way, but it would look a little vulgar in the midst of all this crisis that we are in if you were out of the traps too early. crisis that we are in if you were out of the traps too earlylj crisis that we are in if you were out of the traps too early. i think thatis out of the traps too early. i think that is right. i think the conservative party has made a sport of leadership elections over the last 30 years or so. this is a particularly sensitive moment, quite frankly, they do need to step back, all of the potential runners and riders and consider how this is going to look to the country. it is the conservative party many people would argue, that has brought the country to this position. so to now become engaged in some sort of navel—gazing and introspection just when the country needs leadership the most could be very damaging for it. what it would be a safe bet, as i say, to think that they would then expect are already cruising the corridors here trying to mop up as much support as they can. it is already under way. at this stage, you would expect them to be talking to colleagues a lot, probably talking to journalists having

private dinners with businesses and that kind of activity. nobody, as you say, will want to put their head above the parapet and give a wide—ranging speech off their breach because that would be taken as a leadership tell. absolutely some activity going on. a lot of those names ijust activity going on. a lot of those names i just brought activity going on. a lot of those names ijust brought up were formally in david cameron‘s cabinet. which of those would you like to see? my organisation has done some polling to on this today which we released about an hour ago, the wpi polling, it shows, unfortunately, the most of the candidates there is a great deal of recognition for them. there isn't a lot of trust in them. there isn't a lot of trust in the candidates that you have just reeled off to unite the country after brexit or to take things forward. and theresa may is still out polling on all of those fronts. she is still out front? she is the most popular candidate of them all? borisjohnson has a high recognition

factor... borisjohnson has a high recognition factor. . . and borisjohnson has a high recognition factor... and popular among the associations? very divisive. the conservative party will elect this candidate, and you do sense that they want a convicted brexiteer to ta ke they want a convicted brexiteer to take the next stage of brexit forward. if you step out to the wider electorate in the country, it isa very wider electorate in the country, it is a very different set of demands that they have got. they want somebody much more united. that is the challenge. why couldn't it be someone out of the pack? what about somebody younger?” someone out of the pack? what about somebody younger? i think it may well be. i think we are going to hear a great deal of noise about borisjohnson. i hear a great deal of noise about boris johnson. i may hear a great deal of noise about borisjohnson. i may be prepared to have to eat my words in future weeks. i think it is extremely unlikely that boris johnson could win the leadership because he needs to get through the first round. he needs to get through the mps round before he would even go to a vote conservative party members. i think he is now seen, albeit he has a high recognition factor, he is seen as somebody who is very controversial, very marmite. and the appeal that he had when he was london mayor, that

is really quite a long time ago. i just don‘t see him getting through that first round. it is a very tactical game this. jeremy hunt gave as talk to the evening standard talking about compassionate conservatives. even before she made the announcement of the 1922 committee and flare is photographed with amber rudd having breakfast, tonnes of to wag. and will, as i say, the conservative party has made a sport of this. i can‘t remember how many leadership elections i have observed closely over the years. i think the reality, ultimately, the candidate most likely to win will have to be a brexiteer, not necessarily a hard brexiteer, but certainly someone who is able to articulate briton‘s place for the next round of negotiations. we talked about amber rudd, could she be, in effect, the king or queen maker? obviously there is going to have to be a remain candidate in the mix. he would have thought the country is leaning more towards a

brexiteer in the conservative leadership,. talking to mps, i would personally be surprised if she goes very far at the moment, there are such appetite, a convicted brexiteer to take the next stage forward. as i said, there are sensible people have half an eye on the forthcoming general election, whenever that will be. the fact is the conservative party is still in an electoral crisis in that many of the gains that have been made over the years to try to appeal beyond the core vote, because of this very divisive brexit debate, seem to have collapsed. the real challenge for the new person, whoever he or she is, won'tjust be about managing brexit, it will be about taking the conservative message to the country to the electorate that right now don't really know what the party stands for beyond wanting to get out of the eu. that is a big challenge. i want to pick up that thought in a second. stay with me, if you would. we have something here from jeremy

corbyn. all focus tomorrow on labour and which way they might vote on the withdrawal part of theresa may‘s deal. jeremy corbyn, the leader of the opposition, has been speaking. let‘s listen. the opposition, has been speaking. let's listen. the government is bringing back this new brexit motion tomorrow, would labour supported ? no. what the prime minister has tried to do is something she has denied she would do on the 14th of january and separate the withdrawal agreement from the political declaration for the future arrangement. you can't separate them because otherwise you move into a blindfold brexit on the basis of the withdrawal agreement. you have said in the past that you have no problem asa in the past that you have no problem as a party with the withdrawal agreement as such, why not get it over the line and talk about the political declaration later? because there is no way out of it once you have signed it and gone into it. we are not prepared to support the prime minister on this, we want to see a discussion about both the issues, and in particular, the crucial future arrangements. that is why we have proposed a customs

union, access to the market, and crucially, protection of consumer environmental and worker rights. crucially, protection of consumer environmental and worker rightsm is an amendable motion, why not tax something to a commitment to a customs union onto tomorrow‘s motion? we are not voting for the motion? we are not voting for the motion tomorrow, on monday, the house will return to the issues where there will be an opportunity to debate the issues once we have put forward our views of the future relationship with europe which is economic relationship which also gives us those guarantees and does not lead us in the direction of turning this country into some kind of low tax offshore deregulated economy opening ourselves up to american trade arrangement. there seems to have been a big division yesterday between mps with a conformity vote on any deal and those who support a customs union. do you think you need to be clearer about where you stand? obviously you back the idea of a second vote

yesterday. we backed a vote on the basis that there should be an opportunity for a vote on a deal, and on alternatives to it. but not a hobson's choice of her deal or no deal. can i briefly ask you, there has been talked or reports that you have been limbering up starting to runa have been limbering up starting to run a lot in preparation for an election campaign, is that true?” have been running for years. i love running and cycling and i enjoy being a fit and healthy person. i am absolutely ready for an election campaign. the energy levels are at the super max. is it 15 kilometres, your runs? or five or seven?” normally do between 5—7 kilometres when i do a run. i do a bit of cycling as well. i love being outside. it is enjoyable doing exercise, sometimes with other people, sometimes on my own. i am a lwa ys people, sometimes on my own. i am always very happy doing it. core, he

does more than me! you need stamina in this brexit game. what he was saying about tomorrow‘s vote, if he whips against the deal tomorrow, then without labour, without the dup because they will certainly vote against the backstop in the withdrawal agreement, you would think also quite a number of brexiteers will oppose it as well, it is very difficult to see how the government is going to get that one across the line. still with me are sean and joanne. we had a succession of labour mps appeared last night and we were talking about the indicative boats. they have already got their eyes on the leadership contest because they feel that u nless contest because they feel that unless they tie down the future relationship now, there will be someone else through the door at number ten who might take us on a different direction. that is exactly what the conservative party are hoping. my reading of whatjeremy corbyn has just been saying as he is trying to force a general election.

the other complicating factor as far as the tory leadership election is concerned is it hinges on getting the withdrawal deal through and then we understand what the timetable is going to be. we are not quite clear what happens if the withdrawal deal doesn‘t go through. what happens if the withdrawal deal doesn't go through. but some might say, let‘s get the divorce out of the way i have a general election because a new conservative prime minister would problem we need a mandate to do all of this anyway. let‘s face it, we are in gridlock across the road. why not have a general election with a very sprightlyjeremy corbyn and the new interim prime minister at number ten and have a debate about what it is we actually want? that is a logical, you are outlining very logical ideas there. the issue for the conservative party, if you look at the polling data, more will be coming out about this in the near future, the conservative party has a real problem with the electorate beyond its membership. the age factor is a very important thing. since 2017 election, the average

voting age of the party has gone up. the representative that it might represent stiffness of the party has gone down. it will be a real challenge for a new leader to come m, challenge for a new leader to come in, grip the process and tell people the party represents a united country after all of this. i don't detect, talking to people, that there is a great deal of appetite in there is a great deal of appetite in the conservative party at all for a general election unless one is practically forced upon you and you have to have one. it is actually a risky game to play. ok, thank you very much indeed for your thoughts. yes, the electoral map might look a lot different if there was a general election. you would have to throw everything up in the air, wouldn‘t you? brexit constituencies that might go conservative, remain constituencies that might go labour. in light of new candidate in the mist of all that, it would be quite something. maybe that is where we are heading. that is the news from westminster. i will hand you back to ben who is in the studio. christian, many thanks indeed.

tests conducted around the grenfell tower site in west london have revealed evidence of huge concentrations of toxic chemicals in the soil and dust. experts have warned they could put the community at risk of long—term health problems including asthma and cancer. here‘s our home affairs correspondent, tom symonds. alerted by a colleague working independently, this professor recovered three bin bags full of this stuff from the soil around grenfell tower. i would say this stuff is not good for touching or having their your mouth and nose. it is soil, scrapings from window blinds inside flats, and a lot of this, the burnt remnants of the foam insulation fixed to the outside of the tower during its refurbishment. in the soil, we found a high level of contaminants released from the fire within a close vicinity of the tower.

we found a number of chemicals that are categorised as for example respiratory sensitisers that might potentially lead to asthma, but also more focused on the carcinogens, the chemicals classified as carcinogens. she says there is a higher risk of cancer and asthma, but it will take further studies to determine how high a risk. the government believes it to be generally a low risk. residents living within a kilometre of the tower are furious and simply don‘t believe that, because they say they have seen the symptoms. respiratory problems, asthma, shortness of breath, passing out, people even coughing blood, vomiting blood, diagnosis of thyroid problems, of cancer. even motor neurone disease. the air around the tower has been sampled since the weeks after the fire, and there were no concerns. this is the first study of pollution in dust inside homes and in soil.

this may be the city, but there are still gardens, and they‘ve had to bring in bags of soil because of concerns about contamination. they've been brought in from buckinghamshire. you don‘t feel safe with your children having their hands in this soil? absolutely not. the problem is we don't have clear—cut answers. that's what the issue is. if, as we've been told again and again by public health england, there are no concerns, i say to you, to government and our local authority, prove it. in a statement, the government said... a new study has now been ordered, and more health screening.

a few years agojo cameron, a 71—year—old from inverness, had to undergo a serious operation on her hand. the surgeons were astonished to find that she didn‘t need painkillers. now researchers have discovered that the reason this particular patient feels virtually no pain, is because she has a mutation to a previously unidentified gene. here‘s our medical correspondent, fergus walsh. she‘s had her teeth knocked out, broken her arm, suffered serious burns, yetjo cameron didn‘t feel any of it. the 71—year—old retired lecturer has a complete lack of pain sensitivity. i put my arm on something and only realise it‘s burning when i can smell flesh burning. it‘s not clumsiness. the normal reaction is you cut yourself or burn yourself, once, maybe twice, then you avoid that because your brain says, "don‘t do that." my brain doesn‘t say, don‘t do that. jo and her husband have two children. she remembers being warned by friends that childbirth could be painful. not forjo. as soon as i feel pain, i‘ll ask for it, and before i realised it

i‘d had the children, so it wasn‘t a case of i‘m a martyr, i don‘t feel pain. it was, "i‘m prepared to take anything because they tell me it‘s going to be awful." i felt things, i felt my body stretching, i felt peculiar feelings, but nothing to make me... no pain. it felt a bit like someone stretching your mouth wide open. the chilli challenge. 0k? this isjo with her husband and doctor eating super hot chillies, a breeze for her. scientists have analysed her genes and found she has two dna mutations. one seems to silence the response to pain and boost mood receptors in the brain. it‘s hoped the discovery could help others. what we found actually is a new genetic mechanism that seems to be able to regulate pain thresholds, and what we hope to do in the future is exploit this knowledge to perhaps develop new treatments for the millions of people that suffer ongoing chronic pain. i can‘t stop being happy,

and i just forget things. jo‘s unusual gene mutations also boost her spirits, and she‘s never felt anxious, but it also affects memory. she has always been forgetful. but it‘s her inability to feel pain which most fascinates scientists and may ultimately help others. fergus walsh, bbc news. time for a look at the weather. here‘s darren with the forecast. it has been a very colourful day—to—day with the blue skies in many parts of the country. there is more sunshine to come tomorrow as well. this is what we had earlier on, a bit of cloud earlier on in east anglia and the south—east. apart from this club that we have in the north—west of scotland, we have clear skies to end the day. it is turning chilly out there. this cloud in the north—west topples down further into scotland and northern ireland later. the winds ease a bit. lighter winds further south will lead to more mist and fog patches, chiefly towards the south—west of the uk where it will get cold enough

for a pinch of frost in rural areas. it will be a cold night towards the south—east and east anglia where we have more sunshine from the word go tomorrow. sunny skies developer wa nts tomorrow. sunny skies developer wants the mist and fog has gone but a lwa ys wants the mist and fog has gone but always more cloudy for northern ireland and western and northern scotland. some drizzle towards the highlands where temperatures will struggle to make double figures. it will be another warm day for the time of year, 17 or 18 in the south—east. as we head to the weekend, it will change a little, most weekend, it will change a little, m ost pla ces weekend, it will change a little, most places will be dry. it will turn a bit colder from the north.