you're watching bbc newsroom live, live from westminster. i'm annita mcveigh and these are the main stories at eleven. the prime minister is expected to meetjeremy corbyn today to find a way through the brexit process. she is said to ask the eu for another extension. wales minister nigel adams has resigned over talks saying theresa may has made a grave error reaching out to the labour leader. i'm joanna gosling. the other main stories this morning scrapjail scrap jail sentences of under a year say mps. as a report claims that prisons are in crisis. the ministry of defence launches an investigation into a video which appears to show soldiers firing shots at a picture

ofjeremy corbyn, as target practice. sharia law comes into force in the small southeast asian nation of brunei. from now on people convicted of adultery or homosexuality could be stoned to death. and flybe cancelled dozens of flights this morning, blaming operational reasons. hello, welcome, once again, to westminster. a different sort of day, perhaps, because we know that theresa may is reaching out to hold talks with both the labour leader jeremy corbyn and the leader of the snp, nicola sturgeon, as she attem pts snp, nicola sturgeon, as she atte m pts to snp, nicola sturgeon, as she attempts to find a breakthrough for her brexit deal. in the last few

minutes she's written to all conservative mps appealing for unity. the prime minister says she'll also ask the eu for a short extension to article 50, beyond the current leaving date of 12, brexiteers in her own party reacted angrily to mr corbyn‘s involvement in the process. nigel adams has resigned this morning. he treated his resignation with a letter he wrote to theresa may, and in the letter he describes her decision to work with jeremy corbyn is letter he describes her decision to work withjeremy corbyn is a grave error, stating, it's clear we'll end up error, stating, it's clear we'll end up in the customs union. there are, however, limited to the alpha theresa may is making, such as no changes to the withdrawal agreement, she has a three—point plan to reach agreement on the uk's a future relationship with the eu. she says she hopes to reach a deal with jeremy corbyn which would be put to mps before next week's eu summit. if that fails, the government will put

a set of proposals to parliament, with the agreement of labour, crucially, number ten says it will accept the verdict of mps. if parliament endorses an option, legislation would be passed before may 22, to allow the uk to leave before european parliamentary elections. chris mason reports on another day of brexit deadlock. chris mason reports on another day of brexit deadlock. in a tribal place like westminster, asking the opposition to help is farfrom normal, and a transparent acknowledgement of weakness, but the prime minister has concluded she has run out of better ideas in her determination to deliver brexit. i am taking action to break the logjam. i'm offering to sit down with the leader of the opposition and to try to agree a plan that we would both stick to ensure that we leave the european union and that we do so with a deal. i'm very happy to meet her. we need to have a discussion with the prime minister. we need to ensure that parliament

has an opportunity to vote on proposals that prevent us crashing out of the eu at the end of next week. some chservatives think the prime minister's strategy is bizarre, reaching out to someone injeremy corbyn, who the tories have been attempting to portray as not fit to govern. but this is also a big moment for the labour leader. his manifesto committed him to delivering brexit, and now he has that chance, but there will also be the political temptation to leave the prime minister precisely where she is, running out of options and running out of time. chris mason, bbc news. well, let's cross now to our recent political editor who is in the central lobby of the houses of parliament. good morning, norman, time is tight indeed now for the prime minister to reach some sort of consensus with jeremy corbyn prime minister to reach some sort of consensus withjeremy corbyn and

with other parties as well in this process. is it doable? the short answer, we still don't know. we know number ten want this done and dusted by the weekend. i think we've learnt a number of things this morning, one is that theresa may's a conviction that the only way she can get a deal is who is on the back of labour votes, that means some sort of commendation with jeremy corbyn. theresa may seems prepared to countenance a much softer brexit, possibly, membership of a customs union. and we've learned of her readiness to confront her brexiteers by not delivering the sort of brexit they want. it has huge risks, number one is thatjeremy corbyn is not in a market to do any sort of agreement, risk number two is she faces a backlash from her own tory mps. we've already seen the resignation of the welsh office minister nigel adams. interesting

too, clear tensions, still, minister nigel adams. interesting too, cleartensions, still, despite yesterday's seven hour cabinet meeting, with penny mordaunt the international development secretary striking a straightly different tone to what was suggested, saying she hoped theresa may would be able to get her deals do not on the back of labour votes, but sticking to tory and dup votes. it's very clear that the prime minister does not wish to take us out of the eu without a deal. the only way to leave, therefore, is with the withdrawal agreement. she has tried to get that through on conservative votes and not been able to. she is trying to now do it on labour votes. i would say to colleagues that want a truer brexit that i still hope we can do this on conservative and dup votes but above all else, we now have to get on with this. the public are fed up of the limbo and business needs certainty. not a risk—free moment though, for jeremy corbyn, because were he to bail out theresa may there are many of his own supporters who would be

aghast. there are also ramblings of unease amongst his party, people because i a votes brigade who worry thatjeremy corbyn may not press theresa may to include a second referendum on any future deal. this morning they were keeping all options open about what they might ask theresa may for. this was the shadow business secretary, rebecca lum bailey. it's not a case of rescuing an individual, this is about getting a deal that respect the results of the referendum and protect the uk economically, going forward. i think all members of parliament want to secure all members of parliament want to secure such a deal, and i think we need to reach the conclusion that compromises need to be made. over the last two years the prime minister hasn't compromised, the labour party has been willing to compromise throughout indicative votes, we voted for options that weren't our votes, we voted for options that we ren't our policy votes, we voted for options that weren't our policy position to bring parliament together over one or two options. we need to realise that the

red lines we had need to be as flexible as possible. i'm joined now by iain duncan smith, the leading brexiteers, who backed theresa may's deal, are you happy with the idea of trying to get this agreement they were on the back of labour votes? no, i'm absolutely appalled, i have to tell you. i applaud for three reasons, firstly, listening to penny mordaunt, it's clear that the cabinet wasn't really in favour of this, no matter what the spin from the government is, they were deep misgivings on the cabinets. why? because we have council candidates and people in marginal seats of punched in the land, fighting against what is an extremely harsh labour party run by a marxist. his sole purpose in life is to do real damage to the country. now, the government, who have attacked him nonstop, they reach out to him, and give him the kind of legitimacy that governments can do by asking if they willjoin them and deliver

something. although you talked about risks to mr corbyn, the risk to the government is far greater, because evenif government is far greater, because even ifjeremy corbyn looks reasonable, goes and makes his presentation, government doesn't accept it, who looks unreasonable at that point? not mr corbyn, but the government. in the meantime they've legitimised him and that's a real there for many of us in the party. you made the argument at the last vote on theresa may's deal that grasping the brexit you were offered, rather than putting it at risk. if theresa may says to you, you can have brexit, but it's going to have to includejeremy corbyn's demands for a customs union, would that be acceptable because mark it's certainly not acceptable to me. i can't speak for my colleagues. when i voted to believe, and when 17.4 billion date, they didn't countenance the idea that we would leave it ourselves in a worse position by being locked back into

the european union with all the decisions being taken in the european union. that was never on the cards. so the government's job is to deliver brexit. in the outstanding point is, we have made all the preparations, they must now recognise that leaving with outdated i°y recognise that leaving with outdated joy ina recognise that leaving with outdated joy in a deal isn't leaving without a deal, they will be lots of other deals over aircraft, ports, and all of them have been done. the question is, is the government still in project there, or are they genuinely prepared to deliver and what17.4 million people said? it wasn't stay in the customs union, whilst we go through the tokenistic position of being out. if theresa may does decide to go down the route of agreement with jeremy corbyn, if that involves a customs union, so be it. how great is the risk to mrs may, and the danger of a split? a real split in the tory party?

i'd bend over backwards to try and help the prime minister to get an arrangement through, that gives us an opportunity to, at least, finally completely. i have to say that anything that goes on behind these closed doors, indicative votes are any additions to this, make it absolutely clear that this is no longer what i would call conservative government policy. this becomes policy dictated by what i think is a marxist and rather nasty labour party, out there. and i say that makes all of our lives are intolerable, out on the ground. people standing in mae... but what do you do about it? we have a vote here, and if that is what's on the table i don't see how the conservative party can possibly bring themselves to support a deal which has so reneged on what was originally in our manifesto, what we voted for when we overwhelmingly voted for when we overwhelmingly voted for when we overwhelmingly voted for the article 50 letter, and

keep what theresa may has said endlessly, sherwood not accept. this isa endlessly, sherwood not accept. this is a major moment, and i counsel my government and my party, and my prime minister, stopped. think very carefully what you are doing. if you give legitimacy to a man that i think it is generally not fit to run britain, and will do its damage, you damage the prospect of your own party, and most importantly, the prospects for our country. iain duncan smith, thank you very much indeed. indication of the difficulties ahead. signs that number ten want to move at pace, suggestions are they will have a meeting with jeremy suggestions are they will have a meeting withjeremy corbyn after prime ministers questions today to secure a deal. if that goes to plan the expectation is that theresa may could come back with her meaningful vote on this deal tomorrow. norman, thank you very much. with me now is labourmp ben thank you very much. with me now is labour mp ben bradshaw to get more thoughts on everything going on. ben

bradshaw, labour mp for exeter, thank you forjoining us unusual life. iain duncan smith wasjust saying that theresa may come in inviting jeremy corbyn to take part in talks, is given, in his words, legitimacy to a man who isn't fit to run britain, damaging the prospect of the conservative party in the country, how do you react to that? that's absolutely ridiculous. what theresa may is doing, if this is genuine, is to one half years too late, reaching out across parliament to find a consensus on brexit. she should have done that a long time ago. my worry is that she's doing it at the last minute, in a desperate attempt to get her deal through, with no guarantees, and no backstops at all. that's whyjeremy corbyn needs to be very, very careful in terms of how he approaches these talks. we haven't got very far without interview, let me pause for a moment, as we follow brexit developments here from westminster,

for you, as ever, we are about to say goodbye to viewers on bbc two, thank you very much for watching, much more coverage continuing here on the bbc news channel. with me here, at westminster, labour mp ben bradshaw, the talks between theresa may and jeremy corbyn today, as a an opportunity forjeremy corbyn? or a risk? or perhaps both? possibly both, they are certainly an opportunity to get some kind of consensus. they are also a potential trap. the thing that matters most at the moment as we take the idea of a crash out, no—deal brexit, off the table. that will mean a long extension. if theresa may is offering, just to change the political declaration, not the legally binding withdrawal agreement. if we do that, the deal after the daily is done, and she succeeded by a different leader,

they could tear this up. -- if we do that, there day after the deal is done. jeremy corbyn must ensure that this process is subject to the lack ofa this process is subject to the lack of a confirmatory vote, otherwise it's worth nothing. is he going to insist on that? i'm sure that he will that are unanimously agreed conference policy. 90% of party members want a referendum on what emerges from this. they want to remain. i cannot imagine thatjeremy corbyn, as the leader of a party would betray that promise. he's been lu kewa rm would betray that promise. he's been lukewarm on the idea of a confirmatory vote, it's not his preferred option, clearly. if he doesn't do that, what does that mean for him? to be fair to jeremy, in his last two appearances at the dispatch box he's been absolutely clear that the labour party supports a confirmatory vote on any brexit deal that emerges in this

parliament. that's our clear policy. i can't parliament. that's our clear policy. ican't imagine parliament. that's our clear policy. i can't imagine him reneging from this at this critical stage. given that theresa may has been opposed to the idea of another vote, given the huge differences that exist between the two parties on the customs union, and given the very short amount of time there is to come together, somehow, do you think that's possible? it would be an theresa may own interests to bring the deal back to parliament and make it conditional ona parliament and make it conditional on a public vote are sad. i was encouraged to hear reports from cabinet yesterday of ministers, including philip hammond, not ruling that out, admitting that might be the only way out and getting theresa may's deal through parliament. before we went on here, you think it's going to be necessary to have a long extension to achieve all this? not only is it going to be necessary , not only is it going to be necessary, i think the european union will insist on a long extension, because why would they offer us another short extension

with no guarantee that the outcome is going to be any different, and simply move the cliff edge from the edge of next week to may 22? that would represent a huge shift, wouldn't it in theresa may's position? i wonder what your thoughts out on whether she and the conservative party as we know it could survive, politically, through all of that? i'm sure part of it would survive, this could be the moment for theresa may, finally, to put the national interest before the party interest. all the way along, and the reason we are in this terrible mess and she's a lwa ys are in this terrible mess and she's always tried to put the party first. this is her opportunity to put national interest first. it might mean some hard brexiteers breaking off and joining mean some hard brexiteers breaking off andjoining ukip, mean some hard brexiteers breaking off and joining ukip, but it would be in the long—term interests of her own party. what compromises is jeremy own party. what compromises isjeremy corbyn failed to make, do you think? that remains to be seen, we've already compromised significantly. i voted for barack repeatedly this

week, 40 customs union singles market brexit, whatever emerges from this process must receive the consent of the british people, it will be so different from the brexit sold to voters three years ago that it has to have that endorsement from the public at large. ben bradshaw, thank you very much for your time today. so what has been the reaction from the eu to the developments over the last 12 hours orso? adam developments over the last 12 hours or so? adam fleming gave us an update from brussels a little earlier. the eu has been saying to theresa may for months now that if she doesn't have the votes on her own side, she has to reach out to the other side to get the deal through. they are pretty please that she's adopting that strategy now, the european parliament ‘s brexit coordinator tweeted last night better late than never. people in brussels have exactly the same questions that people have in westminster, what does the end product of this cross—party discussion going to be? can both

political parties, the conservatives and the labour party, survive their leaders working together? with this go down the route, the plan be sketched out of more indicative votes in parliament? what will that lead to? and will there be more deadlock at the end of it? one of the first eu leaders who suggested this approach was the danish prime minister, he tweeted last night that he was welcoming this, and then asked,isit he was welcoming this, and then asked, is it too good to be true? we got a cryptic tweet from donald tusk, president of the european council, the first part saying this didn't amount to the clarity needed from london, and isn't enough to move a way forward for theresa may to say she is going to speak to jeremy corbyn. the eu wants to see an end result. and he called on other eu leaders, the 27 primus is, presidents and chancellors, were meeting here for a summit on

wednesday, to be patient. he said to some leaders who aren't keen on extension to wait and see what the end product is before they make a decision. that was adam fleming, with me now is the snp‘s europe spokesperson. your party leader, nicola sturgeon, will be meeting theresa may today, what do you expect to be discussed? i wonder what's going to be discussed, i suspect brexit. i meant specifically. i think she will discuss the compromise we offered. we put together an expert panel of members from political parties, and such agreement with colleagues in the scottish parliament almost three yea rs scottish parliament almost three years ago, that was agreed to two and a half years ago, we've been sitting there offering a compromise for yea rs sitting there offering a compromise for years now. so let's see what comes out of it, we've set out where we'd like to see this, fundamentally, we want to remain in the eu, but we recognise there has to be compromise on some areas. we've been very clear about that would look like. how compromise, as

set out, would be to remain in the single market and customs union, which we don't like into leaving the european union, but it must respect the four freedoms, movement of labour, goods and services and capital. nicola sturgeon said she wants to avoid a stitch up come in her words, between the conservative party and the labour party, what are your pa rty‘s the labour party, what are your party's chief the labour party, what are your pa rty‘s chief fears? you've got a pair of brexiteers sitting down to discuss what happens next. we know that no brexit deal is good, we know that any brexit costs jobs, costs the economy, the best deal is the one we already have. we would hate to see the labour party and tory leader stitch us up and not reach out further afield. you've got the snp who are the biggest party in scotland, scotland voted to remain. northern ireland voted to remain, and there are welsh interests as

well. this has to be representative, five each and everyone of us. you were waiting to come on and talk to me as you were listening to me chatting to ben bradshaw about jeremy corbyn asking for the lack of a public confirmatory referendum on any agreement that is reached with theresa may, i'm presuming that something you very much support as well? absolutely. would that be an absolute demand ? we wa nt absolute demand ? we want a peoples vote, and i absolutely agreed with pretty much everything ben bradshaw was saying. it was good to listen to that, because we are in the same place. people from different parties, different parts of the uk, ben is from exeter, i'm from st andrews, and we agree on so many things. i think there a way to take this forward. this has been going on for far too long, it is far too damaging. it's worth stepping back for a second, you had the prime minister who, they have been some attempts to reach out, but this is a much more

serious attempt to reach out to other parties. and she's been trying to work with her own party, with the dup, in the confidence and supply arrangement, and now she's turning to labour, to the snp and others, to get this deal through. the fundamental problem is this, she has only reached out to hardline brexiteers in the dup so far and it's gotten nowhere. we set out a compromise to end a half years ago and the government hasn't even engage with that. to what extent does the snp trust theresa may at the moment? i don't trust the tory government very much at all, their track record isn't great. but we are where we are. we have the opportunity of a hung parliament, i know people don't like it down here, but we have a minority government in scotland, we passed legislation, budgets, in the scottish parliament, but that's when parties and governments reach out and talk to all the other parties.

it's something the snp does in government, and something any government, and something any government in westminster will have to get used to. with the failure to reach an agreement so far, do you think it's doable ina agreement so far, do you think it's doable in a couple of days? c today. thank you very much for your time. we'll be back here soon, but that's all for westminster, now back to joanna in but that's all for westminster, now back tojoanna in the studio. video footage has emerged on social media of soldiers using a photograph of jeremy corbyn for target practice. the ministry of defence called it totally u na cce pta ble. the ministry of defence called it totally unacceptable. our news correspondent is here. how has this emerged? it emerged on social media, initially it was posted on snapchat, and then got a wider audience on twitter. we think this is soldiers from the 3rd battalion of the parachute regiment, they are normally based in colchester. this was a firing range in afghanistan.

we've had some reaction from the ministry of defence, they said, we are aware of a video circulating on social media, this behaviour is totally u na cce pta ble, social media, this behaviour is totally unacceptable, and social media, this behaviour is totally u na cce pta ble, a nd falls social media, this behaviour is totally unacceptable, and falls well below the high standards the army expects full investigation has been launched. the army also out that these were paintball runs, not live ammunition. has there been any further political reaction? the labour party have said that this is alarming, and unacceptable. you have to remember, of course, less than three years ago you had a labourmp than three years ago you had a labour mp shot than three years ago you had a labourmp shotand than three years ago you had a labour mp shot and killed. we also heard earlier on from the prisons minister, rory stewart, who served in the armed forces. i think this is completely wrong, but i'm afraid it's so important that the army is independent of politics. our soldiers defend the nation and the queen, and should not be party political. i disagree with

this and they've made a mistake. what should happen? that's a matter for the disciplinary process, i really believe this is outrageous behaviour, and at the very least they should be a firm conversation with the soldiers. they should not be political. they defend the country, the queen, not get involved in politics. so what will happen with soldiers who have been getting involved in this? they are clearly identifiable. what we don't know is whether they were following orders, whether they was a more senior officer, clearly, the ministry of defence is seeing a full investigation is being carried out, it isn't a particularly good luck. what is the potential punishment? presumably they could be court—martialed, dismissed from the army, it's pretty early to get into all that stuff, but it's something the army is going to take pretty seriously. one can imagine if this was another figure as target practice, if it was the prime

minister, it would be treated equally seriously, i imagine. thank you, john. a report by mps says ministers should consider abolishing jail sentences of under one year, in england and wales, to help bees what they or the enduring safety crisis in prisons. a fresh and decisive response is needed to deal with the problem. tom simon's reports. we are in hmp birmingham... overcrowded and underfunded and increasingly unsafe. mps on the justice select committee say something must be done about our prisons. there has been a string of riots behind bars. the pressure is so great, building more prisons is no longer a sustainable solution according to today's report. the number of inmates has fallen slightly in recent years but only after growing steadily for 25 years, from 44,000 in 1993 to 82,000 in 2018. because more criminals

are being jailed for longer. in the last five years, budgets have been cut by 15% and the ministry ofjustice estimates that closing the funding gap would mean cutting the prison population by 20,000. it is a fifth. we are failing on all of those measures and that's basically because we don't have a strategy for managing the size of our prison population and we've got more people in the institutions than we can realistically and constructively deal with. the report says prison sentences of less than 12 months should be replaced with community service. the government is looking at scrapping six—month prison sentences and making community service more stringent. meanwhile it's also planning to deliver 10,000 more prison places. tom symonds, bbc news.

brunei is introducing new laws that make adultery and homosexuality punishable by death. the law has been condemned by human rights groups. other crimes, such as theft, are punishable by amputation. celebrities have called for a boycott of the country ‘s ‘s overseas investments, which include luxury hotels like the dorchester in london. we can speak to rebecca who works for bbc asia. tell us more about what is being brought in, and why, it's a swathe of changes. it isa why, it's a swathe of changes. it is a further phase in islamic shari a law that's been brought in since 2014, this is the most significant and harshest law, as you said, stoning to death, by people who are found to have had gay sex, they need to be witnesses, or you can admit to it. it also affects adultery, the death penalty for

that, sex outside of marriage, as well as the cutting off of limbs of robbers who are found guilty. the premise needs to be witness, these are very private acts so there is concern about that could mean in terms of vigilantism. that has the community there, the gay community, very fearful, understandably. presumably, it's not a very openly 93v presumably, it's not a very openly gay community there? how much of a community is there, and what has the reaction been? it is not an open community because it has been illegal to be gay in brunei for many years, punishable by time injail, so the community have said they often felt stigmatised and kept their sexuality to themselves but through social apps and dating apps have been able to meet people. but now they are frightened those dating apps or communities could be infiltrated by someone in order to

catch them. we are hearing from some members of the gay community they are looking at leaving the country because it is too dangerous for them now. thank you very much. now it's time for a look at the weather. some of us look up to some snow, that was the scene in cumbria but we had snow across northumberland, across scotland and the hills of north wales. it has been more of a hill and mountain feature and down at low levels we have had rain and showers building up across the south—east of england. throughout the rest of today we are continuing with showers and the snow will tend to disappear through this afternoon but we have got rain spreading its way into northern ireland. still showery conditions in wales and strong dusty winds —— gusty winds. that might make it feel cold but the

showers this evening will turn heavy with thunder and sleet mixed in and through tonight it is rotating around this area. on thursday my showers in the forecast, especially towards wales and south—western areas of england. and another chilly feeling day. good bite for now. hello this is bbc newsroom live. the headlines: the prime minister is expected to meetjeremy corbyn today to find a way through the brexit process. she is set to ask the eu for another extension. wales minister nigel adams has resigned over talks saying theresa may has made a grave error reaching out to the labour leader. scrap jail sentences of under a year say mps. as a report claims that prisons are in crisis. the ministry of defence launches an investigation into a video which appears to show soldiers

firing shots at a picture of jeremy corbyn, as target practice. time for a sports update. fulham owner says he is fully committed to the club and is disappointed that he has let them down. after a 4—1 defeat at watford fulham have been relegated they spent over £100 million on new players following last seasons promotion through the championship play—off final, the most by a newly promoted club. they have sacked 2 managers through the season and former player scott parker, is currently in a caretaker role. i think we all realise and understand when you get relegated from this division there is some serious problems in the football clu b serious problems in the football club or issues. i am sure it would be right time and in the right moment we will sit down and work out

where mistakes were made. manchester united could have moved back into the top four last night but lost 2—1 at wolves. ole gunnar solksjaer says his team must win 5 of their remaining 6 league games if they're to qualify for next season's champions league. the wolves winner came via this bizarre own goal from chris smalling. united also had ashley young sent off. spurs finally get to play in their new home tonight, six months after it was due to open. the e1 new home tonight, six months after it was due to open. the £1 billion statement is going to open its doors as they face crystal palace in the premier league. the new ground's capacity is 62 thousand, which is almost double that of the old white hart lane and the second largest club ground in england behind old trafford. chairman daniel levy says the new home will benefit the surrounding area as well as the club. i think as far as the community is concerned it is a massive left for totte n ha m concerned it is a massive left for tottenham and london and it cannot come at a better time if you of all

the political situation we have at the political situation we have at the moment in brexit. we are open for business. i think the players are excited and i have every confidence they will finish the season strongly. moise kean, who had beenjeered throughout the game, struck from close range with five minutes left and then stood in front of the cagliari fans behind the goal and opened his arms. play was halted and a warning was broadcast to the crowd. the game resumed amid more booing and the referee blew the final whistle shortly afterwards. incredibly, one of teamates leonardo bonucci suggested ken was partly to blame for the incident.

ken posted a picture of his celebration on social media and is clear he was racially abused. he said the best way to respond to racism. the midfielder protested to the referee and at one point simply threatened to walk off. afterwards he tweeted no to racism. it is 100 days to the netball world cup. the england head coach tracey neville visted the bbc this morning where a special event was staged just outside on in the piazza here, 100 days, 100 goals, 100 girls. england won commonwealth gold this time last year and though their form has dipped after that they will be looking to peak in time for the world cup. i think one of the areas you can do

straight afterwards is to expect these athletes to get back on that momentum. you talk about picking and troughing and i think that was a huge traffic for our girls after that commonwealth games but we have got them in a great place. we took different girls to different tenements, we selected different squads and i think that has put us in good stead and hopefully we will keep everyone injury free and playing well as they work through that international season, and carry their performances forward. that's all the sport for now. i'll have more for you in the next hour. some breaking news to bring you about some arrests over allegations of mistreatment and neglect at black full victoria hospital. for health ca re full victoria hospital. for health care officials have been arrested today and police are put out a statement saying they were contacted by blackpool teaching hospital nhs foundation trust after concerns were raised about the care provided to some patients back in november.

three individuals, all health care professionals, were arrested previously as a result of that. they have now all been released under investigation, pending further enquiries. but today another four people had been arrested by police in relation to those allegations of mistreatment. police say one man in three women have been arrested on suspicion of administering poison or noxious thing with intention for ill—treatment or neglect. they are currently in custody. the chief detective said, i understand further arrests could be concerning but i would like to show people we had a dedicated team of detectives working on this case. our priority and priority of team at the nhs foundation trust is to ensure the safety of patients. due to the number of arrests it remains a complex and sensitive enquiry. previously people have been released

but another four arrested today are currently in custody. regional airline flybe has cancelled dozens of flights this morning, blaming the time of year and a shortage of pilots. most of the flights affected are within the uk. the airline has apologised for the inconvenience. the independent‘s travel editor is simon calder, he explained to my colleague annita mcveigh how passengers are being disrupted. there is an awful lot of passengers, into the thousands who are airports such as belfast city, edinburgh, manchester, birmingham, southampton, arsenal cardiff has cancellations, got a message last night saying sorry, your flight has got a message last night saying sorry, yourflight has been cancelled. there has been more translations today which were not originally planned last night. whenever an airline says operational reasons or difficulties, that is just a catch all for it circumstances the airline does not

wa nt to circumstances the airline does not want to go into too much. the big problem i am hearing from the industry is that flybe does not have enough pilots to operate its scheduled flights. as a result of that you are getting ad hoc cancellations. we saw a lot last week and the airline actually launched new flights just this weekend from newquay to heathrow, but in other parts of the uk people are curious we have seen these cancellations. dozens of passengers are affected. what can be do what address is there for the inconvenience? initially, the european passenger light said strictly flybe has to provide a alternative flight and if it cannot get one on its own services effectively today or tomorrow, they have to buy a ticket on another airline. flybe is used very often for people on short business trips

so if it is within the mainland gb they will just cancel, so if it is within the mainland gb they willjust cancel, get so if it is within the mainland gb they will just cancel, get a so if it is within the mainland gb they willjust cancel, get a full refu nd they willjust cancel, get a full refund and go by road or rail. northern ireland is badly hit, at least ten translations in belfast city. —— at least ten translations. everybody should be entitled to 250 euros in cancellation, which i reckon with the lost revenue for it today alone, will cost flybe around half £1 million. now let's go back to annita in westminster we know the prime minister has written to every mp today calling for unity. we have had a government

whip, nigel adams resign as a result. could there be more? i am joined by our political —— a political correspondent for the guardian and a white top respond by the ft. good to see you both. i think it is worth looking at the fa ct think it is worth looking at the fact that all the way through this process , fact that all the way through this process, the prime minister has almost exclusively looked to her party, the conservatives and dup to try and get this deal through. now she is reaching out to others, chiefly to labour. do you see that there is any recipe for success there? prime minister has been a bit like a shopping trolley in a supermarket in her brexit strategy, banging into the shelves and knocking off the script and says she is trying to get to the aisle. she was for it no deal and are not, trying to get through to her party and out not. there is a lack of coherence in her strategy. if she

was trying to reach out to me about two years ago or two months ago, she might have had success. the fact she is doing it almost a week before we are due to leave, i am not sure how much success she is going to have. i think it is good she is trying to form a cross—party coalition but i do not have any sense they are expecting labour to engage with this because jeremy corbyn expecting labour to engage with this becausejeremy corbyn does not want to put his hands in this deal. do you agree with that? what is your assessment of the chances of something tangible coming out of these talks? i think what theresa may wrote in her letter to tory mps when she had helped to pass it on tory and dup votes and came to the conclusion this was not possible. i think she is probably right and has reached the end of the road as to help her deal can reach out to those people. i think labour want to engage with this process. but i think the main reason they want to engage is not to agree a deal with bpm, we're not going to seat leaders emerge hand in hand saying they had

struck a deal and both parties are going to vote for it. we are more likely to see something where they agree on a process for next week to eliminate brexit options that come up eliminate brexit options that come up witha eliminate brexit options that come up with a binding deal. how do you think that might go? at the cabinet meeting yesterday we know they discussed having some kind of run—off where mps would have to wrap —— ranked the options. run—off where mps would have to wrap -- ranked the options. different to the indicative votes? exactly because the indicative votes were yes, no, or don't vote on it at all but the problem is you sell loads of conservatives not engage with that process and nothing produced a clear majority so they have to have some kind of system. ever use a single tra nsfera ble vote kind of system. ever use a single transferable vote options would get knocked out at each different points throughout this process. that might bea throughout this process. that might be a way to break out the majority but both leaders will have to agree

to be bound by that decision in the comments. if they do not do that there is no real point. that is going to be crucial, getting all mps to agree with this and not simply abstain as we have seen with the indicative votes. do you think it is going to be possible to do all of this before the 12th of april, let alone any later date? some mps are trying to take control of the order paper at this afternoon and part of that will be about paving another day next week, on monday, to hold more votes. that could be the date the government adopts to do this process. it is possible to do it by the 12th but the timing is incredibly tight for the prime minister. if a longer extension is needed, is up until maybe 22nd enough? that is enough time she cabinet support for but do you think it will take a longer extension to work this through? potentially, it

depends what parliament comes up with. if this process leads to an inconclusive result, and that is possible, if labour mps only vote for the labour option and reject the other options on the ballot paper, if tory mps decides they do not want to back any option if they are against prime minister's deal, you could see it leading to an inconclusive outcome which means you will go beyond meet the 22nd. the issue on the length will be the next hot potato because in the cabinet meeting there was a big split on how long it should be. people like philip hammond were saying it could be until the end of the year but other people like the communities secretary were saying they would only countenance a short extension. that has to go to the eu council meeting and they have to decide. they might say, there is no short extension, it will have to be a long

extension, it will have to be a long extension and you have to have european parliament elections and it could go for a year or two years which will create another headache for mrs may. fundamentally, you can see the lack of trust. ben bradshaw, the labour mp saying to me earlier today, there was to be an —— if there was to be any support for prime minister that would have to be with the lot of a public referendum. they do not just with the lot of a public referendum. they do notjust tear up whatever deal was done. they do notjust tear up whatever dealwas done. if they do notjust tear up whatever deal was done. if the system goes as i think it might be agreed, it doesn't impose some problems would be people thought. i could see why a lot of people would want jeremy corbyn to go into the meeting and make that condition of labour support. ijust make that condition of labour support. i just can't make that condition of labour support. ijust can't see how that happens at this stage. i'm just going to pass for a moment and bring ina clip going to pass for a moment and bring in a clip we have got now from nicola sturgeon, the snp leader, who

will also be meeting theresa may today. jeremy corbyn not the only one meeting the prime minister and when this was announced she said she wa nted when this was announced she said she wanted to ensure there was not some kind of conservative labour stitch up, to use her terminology, in anything that might be going on in westminster today. time is out on this process and i think there is a danger as the clock runs down over the next 48 a was or so, if anything can come of this process, what it will be is a cobbled together, least bad option rather than the best option for the country. an option that satisfies nobody, makes the country poorer and potentially, could be unpicked by a new prime minister such as borisjohnson. i think what really needs to happen is a pause, a request for a long

extension, the eu will ask two things. will the uk fight the european elections and i think the emphatic and that should be yes? and secondly, what is the extension for? in my view, the house of commons should put together a compromised option but put it to the people in another referendum is that after almost three years people can decide if they want some second best compromise or actually, all things considered, is it to go for the best option which is to remain in the eu? nicola sturgeon talking about a confirmatory referendum of some sort. she is talking about the theory she has that whatever becomes of these talks will be a cobbled together at least worst option which will satisfy nobody that could be unpicked by a new conservative leader. picking up on the last point we we re leader. picking up on the last point we were discussing, how far do you think the two leaders, jeremy corbyn and theresa may can actually get

with any deal, which any agreement between them actually survive very long because of the disagreements in the two respective parties? the fact is the withdrawal agreement is the withdrawal agreement. that is not changing, it has been agreed between the uk government and the 27 nations. whatever brexit you want, it all has to go through the withdrawal agreement. the real question is the non—binding political declaration, that is the difference between the two leaders. prime minister wants to have her facilitated customs partnership which i do not think anyone especially understands, jeremy corbyn wants a customs union. that is where the difference is. you could see some kind of outcome where the withdrawal agreement gets to the house of commons and the house of commons is deciding on what the political declaration would be. that is what mrs may tried to do last week but failed. to see the potential for an even greater fracturing of labour and indeed, the

conservatives over all of this?” think one of the things in terms of a fracture with the labour party is that the thing that is holding back a lot of labour mps that come from voting seats are sceptical about a second referendum and said they want to deliver brexit, is if we vote for the best deal, even if we vote for changes in the declaration, are resigning it like check to a new prime minister like borisjohnson to rip it up and start again? they do not want to be handmaidens to that and that is a difficult thing for any negotiation to get around. thank you both for your time today. it is going to be fascinating to hear later on today what comes out of those meetings, the meeting between prime minister and jeremy corbyn. the meeting between prime minister and nicola sturgeon. they will be

taking shots at each other across the lectins in the chamber and then later on meeting to try and reach some kind of agreement. we will have much more a bit later. in a moment we'll have all the business news, but first the headlines on bbc news... the prime minister is expected to meetjeremy corbyn today to try and find a way through the brexit process. one tory minister has resigned through detox. the ministry of defence has launched an investigation into a video that appears to show soldiers firing shots at a picture ofjeremy corbyn as target practice. and scrap jail sentences of under a year, says mps asa sentences of under a year, says mps as a report claims prisons in england and wales are in crisis. hello, these are the top business stories. regional airline flybe has cancelled dozens of flights today,

for what it describes as "operational reasons" including a shortage of pilots, and holiday allowances. most of the flights are within the uk. the airline says it "sincerely apologises for any inconvenience caused". pharmacy chain boots has warned that it could close stores as it takes ‘decisive steps' to cut costs. the move comes after the chain, which has 2,485 stores across the uk and employs about 56,000 staff, said it had suffered its "most difficult quarter" since the firm's formation. like—for—like sales in the uk are down 2.3%. the uk's dominant services sector has shrunk for the first time in nearly three years, according to the latest figures. the index came in much weaker than forecast. it is the first time the sector has shrunk since july 2016, immediately after the uk voted to leave the european union. good morning, let's start with news

about crossrail. the overspend on the rail line could hit £2.8 billion but it still may not be enough to finish the project. that's according to the public accounts committee which says that "key warning signs were missed or ignored" by officials working on europe's biggest infrastructure project. it's also warned that it is "not convinced" that it will open in 2020 — after the original opening date was pushed back from december 2018. let's speak to the chair of the public accounts committee have been looking into it. how is it possible that a project of this scale with so much planning and work, can be so far behind schedule and above costs? that is a good question. one of the challenges what engineering projects and a railway only works if you can integrate the engineering with the

running of the trains and passenger experience. there was warning signs in 2016 that the governance of it was not geared up with dealing with that integration. this is something we have raised as a committee number of times. it has not been good at some of that integration and we have seen some of the chaos on our ra i lwa ys seen some of the chaos on our railways which underlined the same issue. you talked about this warning signs that were ignored or missed, who is to blame? we were looking at the department for transport‘s rule and we were concerned that despite those warnings, it did not escalate enough and if it did it with snot picked up properly. it is inconceivable that they do not know what was going on. because mailing as always talking about real problems in the house of commons, this is one of the biggest. when there were issues and challenges they should have been escalated so

they should have been escalated so the right questions were being asked a political and senior level to make sure the government issues were resolved. it was an unusual government structure, partly because of the train to let things go to lengths so having professional upon it rather than what you might term political interference. but the warning signs were there in question should have been asked sooner. people are finding it so staggering because we are talking about a line across london with an overspend of £2.8 billion, at least. others looking around the country will say you cannot even talk about manchester, leeds and liverpool joined up, you cannot get buses running on time. why is it the capital always get this money? this was a long—standing project that was a lwa ys was a long—standing project that was always planned to deal with a huge capacity issues in london with loads more people meeting in and around the city so there will be huge and effects to london but to the wider southeast economy. idealfor

effects to london but to the wider southeast economy. ideal for people. when i think of cities like sheffield when you cannot get buses ata sheffield when you cannot get buses at a certain time of night from a village outside of south yorkshire into sheffield city centre. there are real inequalities in our transport system and this 2.8 billion is only part of the problem. i think we still do not know the true cost of sorting it out but you cannot cancel it now, you have to get over the line and the deal that was done between government and transport for london and crossrail last year was the right thing to do. there's a lot of issues about who will pay that bill but to have stopped it then would be costly and catastrophic for the project. let's hope lessons were learned. thank you. more from the later, see you then. time to get the thoughts of our political editor norman smith.

they're going to be antagonising each other in the comments talking later? in a statement of the year, it will be more than interesting. it is all about the move, notjust between jeremy corbyn is all about the move, notjust betweenjeremy corbyn and mrs may, i real powers ahead of the meeting? —— i the friends ahead of the meeting? but the mood on the backbenches and that tory mps are incandescent with rage against the prime minister. but your tin hat rage against the prime minister. but yourtin hat on, rage against the prime minister. but your tin hat on, it is going to be a lively one. full cupboard in a moment, but let's catch up with the weather with simon. we could see showers across the country. this morning in scotland and north cumbria we had quite a lot of snow and rain in low levels. that meanwhile with towards northern ireland and still showery outbreaks of rain across wales and the south

west with hill still continuing. elsewhere sunny spells with their thundery showers. gusty winds a northern and western areas of scotland. it is going to make it feel quite chilly, maximum temperatures getting up to about 6-10d. do temperatures getting up to about 6—10d. do this evening heavy showers continuing across england and wales with snow coming across parts of wales, even across the south—west by the time we get to thursday. otherwise there as they should be largely right which i was contained to as the south—west of the uk and it will feel pretty chilly.

this you're watching bbc newsroom live from westminster — i'm annita mcveigh and these are the main stories at midday. trying to break the deadlock, theresa may is expected to meet with jeremy corbyn later to find a way through the brexit process. talks come after the prime minister said she will seek an extension past the 12th of april deadline to allow britain to leave the eu in a timely and orderly way. wales minister nigel adams has resigned over talks saying theresa may has made a grave error reaching out to the labour leader. we go straight to the house of commons for prime ministers question time. the beginning of our continuous at

sea deterrence. i am sure that all members, from all sides of the house, we want to join me members, from all sides of the house, we want tojoin me in paying tribute to all the generations of royal navy submariners, their families, their families who sacrificed so much, and all those involved in protecting our nation. mr speaker, tomorrow marks 70 years since the founding of nato. let me assure the house that under this government, the united kingdom will continue to play our leading role in nato, as it continues its mission of keeping nearly 1 nato, as it continues its mission of keeping nearly1 billion people say. mr speaker, this morning i had meetings with ministerial colleagues, and others, and in addition to my meetings in this house i have further such meetings later today. jim cunningham. can i assure the prime minister that i'm not going to raise brexit. i want to raise another very important issue, co nsulta nts raise another very important issue, consultants and doctors in my

constituency, at the university hospital her, have raised the issue regarding the nhs pension scheme, tapered annual allowance for doctors and consultants. the consequences are, doctors retiring early, turning down additional shifts, pay higher tax bills to the government, resulting in longer waiting times for patients, shortage of doctors and consultants, where she raise this with the chancellor as soon as possible, and inform me, regarding her answer? prime minister. i am aware of the issue he has raised, in fact, the chancellor of the treasury are already in discussions with the department of health and social care on this issue. he will have noticed the chancellor is on the bench and has heard the point, i will make sure what comes out of those discussions is... that we confirm that to the honourable gentleman. party loyalty has been severely

tested, is my right honourable friend away that as the country, and the world ponders, if brexit means brexit, and if we are going to make a su ccess brexit, and if we are going to make a success of it, southend—on—sea has been welcoming ambassadors from all over the world to work in partnership, and investment, looking at our pier, and building a new marina. will my right honourable friend consider bringing forward a meaningful vote, for which i believe there is a majority in the house, that southend—on—sea, be declared a city? prime minister. cani...i prime minister. can i... i think i should just say congratulations to my animal friend for so cleverly working in their claim of southend to become a city __ my claim of southend to become a city —— my right honourable friend. it is important that we see that investment coming into our country, and the benefits and opportunities, when we have delivered brexit to

deliver a better britain. including in southend—on—sea. it's for all of us in southend—on—sea. it's for all of us to ensure that we get over this stage, get a deal through, get to brexit, deliver on brexit, built a lot better future, of which i'm sure southend will be a leading part. jeremy corbyn. thank you, mr speaker, i wish the people of southend well, i hope it does become a city. mr speaker, i welcome the prime minister's offer for talks following the meetings i've held with members across this house, and look forward to meeting her later today. i welcome her willingness to compromise to resolve the brexit deadlock. mr speaker, when the prime minister began her premiership, she promised to resolve the burning injustices facing this country. can she explain why, by the government's own official figures, poverty has risen for all ages under

her administration? no one in government wants to see poverty rising, we take this very seriously indeed. as i have said previously to the right honourable gentleman, the only sustainable way to tackle poverty is with a strong economy and a welfare system that has people into work. that's why it's important that we have the lowest unemployment since the 19705, that we have the number of homes, where no one works, at a record low, but we also need to make sure that work pays. ifi sure that work pays. if iju5t give the right honourable gentleman some figures, in 2010, under the labour government, 5omeone working full—time on the national minimum wage would have taken home £9,200 after tax and national insurance. now, thanks to our tax cut5 insurance. now, thanks to our tax cuts and the biggest increa5e insurance. now, thanks to our tax cuts and the biggest increase in the national living wage, they will take home over 13,000, £700. that's £4500 more under a conservative

government. jeremy corbyn. mr speaker, official figures show that since 2010 child poverty has increased by half a million. working age poverty by 200,000, and pensioner poverty by 400,000. while she is right to mention the national living wage, something her party strongly opposed the introduction of, i think we should just be aware of what the national minimum wage actually means. it's £8.21 for over 25 i5, 21 to 24—year—olds i5 means. it's £8.21 for over 25 i5, 21 to 24—year—olds is only £7 70, and for apprentices it is just £3.90 an hour, the5e for apprentices it is just £3.90 an hour, these are poverty wage5. there are now 8 million people in this country, in work, and in poverty. many come on middle income5 country, in work, and in poverty. many come on middle incomes are struggling to make ends meet. universal credit is failing, where the prime minister, at the least, halt the roll—out of universal credit, and agree to a thorough review of it?

prime minister. a5 review of it? prime minister. as the right honourable gentleman know5, prime minister. as the right honourable gentleman knows, we have been making changes to universal credit. we changed one of the early measures when i became prime minister, to change the taper rate. we have since abolished the seven—day waiting, we have ensured that we have taken action to make it ea5ierfor that we have taken action to make it easier for those who are transferring onto universal credit in relation to housing benefit. but, crucially, can i say to the right honourable gentleman, there is only one way to ensure that we see a sustainable... sustainably deal with theissue sustainable... sustainably deal with the issue of poverty, i will come u nto the issue of poverty, i will come unto that, as i am being shouted at. that is to ensure we have a strong economy that delivers job5 that is to ensure we have a strong economy that delivers jobs and better job5 economy that delivers jobs and betterjobs for economy that delivers jobs and better jobs for people, economy that delivers jobs and betterjobs for people, and that they keep more of the money they earn. what do we know what happened, well, from a sedentary position one of his friend says the answer is a labour government, a labour government that would spend £1

billion more than this, than has been proposed. a labour government that would put up taxe5, a labour government that oppo5ed tax cuts after tax cuts. that's how you help working people, tax cuts keep people in work, betterjobs, high employment. that's under the conservatives. for a government that rolled out austerity and has caused such poverty acro55 austerity and has caused such poverty across the country 5he really ought to think for a moment about what just sad. the last really ought to think for a moment about whatju5t sad. the last labour government have child poverty, they brought in children's centres, 5he i5 brought in children's centres, 5he is just brought in children's centres, 5he isju5t sad. the brought in children's centres, 5he is just sad. the last labour government have child poverty, they brought in children's centres, 5how a start, they ignoring the true impact of says that in areas where universal credit has been rolled out, food bank u5e universal credit has been rolled out, food bank use has increased by over 50%. this week we also learned that another 400,000 people are in

poverty, compared to 2010. so why is the prime minister pressing ahead with cuts to pension credit, for couples where one is a pension age, and the other is not? prime minister. may i say to the right gent—macro, it is under a conservative government that we've 5een conservative government that we've seen the triple lock on pen5ions, that has provided increa5e5, good increa5e5 that has provided increa5e5, good increases for pensioners year after year. it's under this conservative government that we have seen the introduction of the new pension arrangements for individuals who are pensioners. and let'sjust remember, let's remember what we saw under a labour government. it wasn't under a conservative government that we saw a 75p ri5e conservative government that we saw a 75p rise in pen5ions, it was under labour. the labour government lifted 2 million pensioners out of poverty. thi5 government put 400,000 more into poverty. age uk, who know a

thing or two about this, says that this proposal by the government is a substantial stealth cat. this year, 15,000 pensioner households could be up 15,000 pensioner households could be up to 7000 per year worse off as a result of this cut. i'm pleased the prime minister mention the triple lock, in the last general election the government alarmed older people by pledging to scrap the triple lock, and the means tested winter fuel allowance. can the prime minister gave an unequivocal commitment this is no longer policy, and won't be in the next tory ma nifesto ? prime minister. cani prime minister. can i say to the right honourable gentleman, we have given our commitments to pensioners under clear we are keeping those commitments. what we've seen under conservatives in government is the basic state pension rise by over £1400 a year, that is in direct contrast to what a labour government

did for our pensioners. we want people to be able to live in dignity, in their old age, and that's what this conservative government is delivering. jeremy corbyn. mr speaker, i'm sure the generation of wasabi women will be pretty alarmed by the lack of justice for them. additionally, over 1 million over 75 is currently receive a free tv licence, a scheme established by the last labour government. this government transferred the scheme to the bbc, without guaranteeing its funding. further government take responsibility, and guarantee free tv licences for the over 75 is? we've been clear what we want the bbc to do and the bbc is in a position to be able to do that with the income that they receive. gerry corbyn. mr speaker, the last government guaranteed free tv licences for the over 75, this

government is outsourcing that the bbc. it should be an item of public policy, not sent to someone else to administer on behalf of the government. the last labour government. the last labour government lifted 2 million pensioners out of poverty. 2 million children were lifted out of absolute poverty, and homelessness was cut in half. contrast that with this government, which has put half a million more children into poverty. 400,000 more pensioners into poverty, and dabbled homelessness. by poverty, and dabbled homelessness. by this government, is a political choice. there is nothing inevitable about rising poverty, homelessness, and soaring food bank use in the fifth richest country on earth. so, yes, let's work to try and resolve the brexit deadlock, but, mr speaker, unless this government, u nless speaker, unless this government, unless this government tackles insecure work, low pay, rising

pensioner poverty, here government, her government will be marked down for what it is, a failure in the eyes of the people of this country. prime minister. may i say, he quoted the last labour government, i didn't realise he was such a government, i didn't realise he was suchafan! government, i didn't realise he was such a fan! he seemed to spend his entire time voting against it when he had a labour government. let's just talk about what is happening under this government. record rates of employment, wages growing at their fastest for a decade. debt falling. a long—term plan for the nhs, the biggest cash boost in nhs history. skills —based immigration, money for police, local councils and schools. jeering. the biggest raising workers' rights for over 20 yea rs, raising workers' rights for over 20 years, freeing councils to build more homes. world —class more homes. world—class public services.

more homes. world-class public services. order! you are behaving in a truly delinquent fashion, calm yourself. i had words with you yesterday. you are overeager. that's not the sort of thing i would have done as a backbencher. prime minister. world-class public services. better jobs, prime minister. world-class public services. betterjobs, more homes, a stronger economy, conservatives delivering on the things that matter. dame cheryl gillan. mr speaker, this week is world autism awareness week, can i ask my right honourable friend to encourage all government departments to follow the example is being set by the ministry ofjustice, dwp and department of health, who are taking initiatives to improve engagement with people who have autism and theirfamilies. with people who have autism and their families. can i with people who have autism and theirfamilies. can i also ask her to endorse the autism awareness training course, for members of parliament, being offered through the all—party parliamentary group and the national autistic society which will be held in this house on

the 1st of may. as we celebrate the tenth anniversary of the autism act, it would be good to see every mp go through this training course to better help constituents. first of all, can i pay tribute to my right honourable friend, for the work that she did to bring in the autism act, it was very important, it was ground—breaking. the first piece of parliamentary legislation linked to autism. i'd also like to thank my under friends and members of the appg for they work on this issue, including highlighting awareness week, and ensuring that awesome training is available to members of parliament. i hope that members of parliament. i hope that members of parliament. i hope that members of the house to take that up. we are reviewing our strategy to ensure it remains fit for purpose, because we want to know what's working and where we need to push harder to transform our approach. we will be continuing to look at this issue. my right honourable friend rightly highlighted it in the autism act and rightly highlighted it in the autism actandi rightly highlighted it in the autism act and i welcome and congratulate

her on the work she continue to do on this issue. mr ian blackford. thank you, mr speaker. it's well—known that the snp supports a peoples vote, and has supported me vocation. all the way through this process, back to 2016, the snp and scottish government have sought compromise. jeering. we have published document after document, michelle barney has read it and said it's an interesting document. why does the prime minister continue to ignore scotland's‘s vice? why has she restricted herself to inviting the leader of the opposition, why has she not invited the scottish government and welsh government into formal talks? why is it that scotland's voices are being ignored by this prime minister and her government? prime minister. i am eating the first minister of scotland later today, and we'll be talking...

meeting the first minister of scotla nd meeting the first minister of scotland later today. the right honourable gentleman asked a question and the prime minister is asking delete answering, let us hear the answer. thank you, mr speaker. i am meeting the first minister of scotla nd am meeting the first minister of scotland and wales later today. the right honourable gentleman says why had i offered to meet with the leader of the opposition. i will meet with members across this house to discuss the brexit issue, but i think i'm right in saying that the leader of the opposition and i want to ensure we leave the european union with a deal, whereas the right honourable gentleman has a policy of invoking article 50, which means not leaving the european union at all. what i did ask about was formal talks, i'm well aware that my friend and colleague is meeting... jeering. order! members are becoming very

overexcited. very overexcited. the right honourable gentleman has a right honourable gentleman has a right to be heard. and he will be heard. mr ian blackford. thank you, mr speaker, let me make it clear that the vices of scotland will not be shouted down by conservatives in this house. the important factor here is having formal talks with the leader of the opposition, scotland will not accept a tory or labour brexit. scotland voted to remain in the european union, and we will not be dragged out against our will. with the prime minister engage in formal talks with the scottish government, the scottish national party, and other opposition parties, to make sure our voices are heard. and the desire to stay in the european union, the best dealfor all of us, is listened to and respected? i've just respected? i'vejust said to respected? i've just said to the honourable gentleman, as he knows, because we

have talked about this before. i'm a lwa ys have talked about this before. i'm always happy to meet party leaders across this house, but i want to find a way forward. i want to find a way that delivers on the referendum, delivers brexit, as soon as possible, in a way that means we don't have to fight to the european parliamentary elections. and desert in an orderly way for the country. he talks about voices from scotland, there are indeed strong voices for scotla nd there are indeed strong voices for scotland in this house and they sit on conservative benches. nigel adams, on conservative benches. nigeladams, mr on conservative benches. nigel adams, mr nigel adams. jeering. thank you, mr speaker, can i urge my right honourable friend the prime minister, can i urge her, and behalf of all the people of selebi, to put her weight behind the campaign for access for the railway station. i'm

sorry to disappoint colleagues, but this is very important mr speaker. it is totally unacceptable that in this day and age, those that are unable to walk up stairs, people with disabilities, are denied access to public transport. the people of selby demands action. prime minister. first of all, can i thank my honourable friend, for his services asa honourable friend, for his services as a government minister since 2017. he's worked extremely hard serving as wales office minister and government whip simultaneously. i'm sorry that he has resigned. can i also thank him for raising the important issue of access to public transport, particularly at stations for people with disabilities. he asked me to have my weight, his considerable weight has been behind

this campaign for a long time. jeering. asa jeering. as a campaigner, he has been promoting order! was the prime minister referring to the honourable gentleman 's good qualities as a campaigner, she wasn't looking at him as he said it. she was saying it on a basis of her knowledge of the honourable gentleman. my gentleman. my honourable friend has buying campaigning on this issue for some time. can! campaigning on this issue for some time. can i just campaigning on this issue for some time. can ijust say campaigning on this issue for some time. can i just say that campaigning on this issue for some time. can ijust say that i understand that the department for transport will be announcing the stations that are going to benefit from this funding tomorrow. if he could just have a little patience and wait for that announcement. owen smith. mr speaker, when the prime minister sits down this afternoon with my right honourable friend the leader of the opposition, and the shadow brexit secretary, she will hear, no doubt that labour's

policy on brexit is to secure membership of the customs union, single market, and get a peoples vote on any deal. if she... we are interacting premises questions to bring you breaking news from preston crown court, where the jury from preston crown court, where the jury who have been following and hearing the hillsborough case have returned to court, they have failed to reach a verdict on one of the charges they were looking at. that was the case against the former chief superintendent, who was facing gross negligence, manslaughter of 95 liverpool fans, that julia's hang gross negligence, manslaughter of 95 liverpool fans, thatjulia's hang on that and there is no verdict. in a separate case, the ex sheffield wednesday club secretary has been found guilty, by majority verdict. we go straight to our correspondent, fiona, tell us what has happened. well, the family here at preston

crown court will be disappointed, that there has been no outcome for this gross negligence, manslaughter charge, because, of course, this has already been a long journey for them, over the past 30 years. they have been two inquests, a private prosecution against dukinfield, where the jury failed to return a verdict, there has been an independent enquiry and now the crown court prosecution here at preston crown court two has been unable to reach a verdict for that gross negligence, manslaughter charge. we're just getting those details and at the moment. as for 69—year—old graham mackrell, we hear from my colleagues who is in court, thejury from my colleagues who is in court, the jury has returned a guilty verdict on that charge, you will remember he was charged with breaching the health and safety act. that is effectively, he was charged with failing to make sure they enough turnstiles for fans that day.

we heard they were seven for some 10,000 fans in the area, with a fatal crashing occurring. theyjuni, sitting for 11 weeks, have returned a guilty verdict. let's go back, and remind ourselves, watch thejury a guilty verdict. let's go back, and remind ourselves, watch the jury had to consider. for david duckenfield, the prosecution said that a police expert said a lack of leadership, poor decision—making by him led to overcrowding outside, inside, he twice refused requests to open the gates to relieve the crash, the court heard he agreed after a final appeal, but didn't consider the consequences of that. that is why, 2000 fans flooded through those gates, went through a tunnel into pens that were already crowded. the prosecution said that he didn't take

any action to prevent that crashing. he didn't close the tan laugh, for example. they also heard that david duckenfield told the inquest in 2015, probably, iwasn't duckenfield told the inquest in 2015, probably, i wasn't the best man for thejob 2015, probably, i wasn't the best man for the job on the day. he himself didn't give evidence during this trial, but his defence lawyer said this, he has not been treated asa said this, he has not been treated as a normal person, but as a target of blame. he said the failings at hillsborough, included faulty police radios, a reduction in police manpower, none of which was mr duckenfield's fault. he also referred to evidence from 2015 and said it should be dismissed, it was relentless questioning of a man struggling to recall what he knows, what he doesn't, until it seems he ends up accepting some of it. as for graham mackrell, as i say, thejulie here at preston crown court say that on that day, as the stadium disaster

he failed to make sure they were enough turnstiles to deal with the crowds outside. we heard they were seven for some 10,000 fans in the area where the fatal crashing occurred. to get people in safely they should have been 30% more going through those turnstiles every hour than they were that day. you will also remember that the court heard from for environmental health officer david moore, he told the jury officer david moore, he told the jury that he asked mackrell if he was prepared to carry out the activities of a safety officer, particularly on match days, and he told the court i was surprised by his response. he told me he would be too busy entertaining corporate clients. graham mackrell or did not give evidence, his lawyer said that there was little, or any, of what happened that day that related to graham mackrell, but by returning

this guilty verdict preston crown court, thejulie, this guilty verdict preston crown court, the julie, did this guilty verdict preston crown court, thejulie, did not agree with that. they found him guilty of that health and safety breach, on the day of the hillsborough stadium disaster. i'm just looking to see if there are any more colleagues, any more updates. they aren't at this moment, but we are expecting the families to be coming out of court, and no doubt they will give their reaction on these verdicts, particularly the fact that they have been unable to reach a verdict on gross negligence, manslaughter, in relation to david duckenfield, match commander on the day of the hillsborough disaster. thank you, fiona, we will be back at court for reaction. just to say the prosecution have already said they will be seeking a retrial after the julie was unable to reach a verdict on that manslaughter charge against david duckenfield. we will keep you updated. right now let's go back to

the house of commons and rejoin prime ministers questions. the house of commons and rejoin prime ministers questionsm the house of commons and rejoin prime ministers questions. it hasn't to see any target for over a decade. doctor philip lee. polling that has just been published, over 58% of the british public expressed a wish to have a final say on the brexit process. does the prime minister acknowledge that, with the ongoing impasse here at westminster around brexit, and despite her best endeavours to pass a deal, and indeed the ongoing endeavours of this house to find a compromise, that the british public are right to increasingly think that they should have a final say before proceeding with brexit? cani proceeding with brexit? can i say to my honourable friend, i know how passionately he has campaigned on this issue, he has referred to the deal the government has pushed forward having been resurrected, the leader of the opposition ‘s goody has been rejected by this house, a second

referendum has been rejected by this house. we should honour the first referendum that took place, that's why i will sit down with the leader of the opposition later today. my of the opposition later today. my constituent has two children with autism who have been unable to get the support they need, and aren't at school because of incorrect diagnosis. every child with autism is unique, and that is why education is unique, and that is why education is vital. 34% of children on the spectrum say the worst thing about being at school is being picked on. this world autism awareness week, with the prime minister commit to speeding up the time between referral for autism diagnosis, and where she promised to find mandatory training for health care professional so that parents like georgia and left to fend for themselves? the honourable lady has again raised this important issue, i'm sure that as constituency mps we'll see cases where parents find it very difficult to get the support for their in

relation to, for children who are on the autism spectrum. there is important that there is an awareness of this, we raise an important issue. in response to my right arm orfriend the issue. in response to my right arm or friend the member for cheshire and amersham, we are looking again at our autism strategy, because we wa nt to at our autism strategy, because we want to ensure that we've got all we need to ensure support is there for those with autism. last week the prime minister said the biggest threat to our standing in the world, defence and economy as leader of the opposition. in her judgment defence and economy as leader of the opposition. in herjudgment what now qualifies him for involvement in brexit? can ijust say qualifies him for involvement in brexit? can i just say to qualifies him for involvement in brexit? can ijust say to my honourable friend, every member of this house is involved in brexit. i wa nt to this house is involved in brexit. i want to deliver brexit in an orderly way, i want to do it as soon as

possible, i want to do it without us having to fight european parliamentary elections. to do that we need to get an agreement to this house for the withdrawal agreement and the deal, and it is important the house has rejected every proposal that has gone before it so far, as! proposal that has gone before it so far, as i had just indicated, in terms of various proposals and a second referendum, and revoking article 50. i believe what the public want is for us to work across this house to find a solution that delivers on brexit, delivers on the referendum and gives people the faith that the politicians had done what they had asked and delivered for them. after two years of brexit deadlock, intransigence and a seven—hour cabinet meeting, the best the prime minister can do is invite the prime minister can do is invite the leader of the british labour party to become the co—owner of her brexit failure? let me ask, if had

she been the leader of the opposition invited into a trap like this, which she had been foolish enough to accept? across this house i believe we all have a responsibility to ensure we deliver brexit. across this house we all have a responsibility to ensure we do that as soon as possible and we deliver brexit in an orderly way and i think it is entirely right, i think members of the public expect us to reach out across this house to find a way through this. they want a solution, the country needs a solution, the country needs a solution, the country deserves a solution, the country deserves a solution and that is what i am working to find. in the past fortnight there have been two incidents involving knife crime in my city of chelmsford and my constituents are extremely concerned. can my right honourable friend, the prime minister, give us an update on this week's knife crime

summit? she raises an important issue and i thoughts are with the family and friends of her constituents. it was an important summit that we held on monday. i was pleased to bring people from police, government, across government departments, community groups, justice and health care, whole wide range of activities together to recognise the importance of taking this holistic, collective approach to dealing with knife crime. we will be consulting on a public health statuary duty to deal with this as a public health issue, i think this is the important way to do it to ensure everybody is playing their part in dealing with knife crime. after the summiti dealing with knife crime. after the summit i was able to meet with the families, a number of families, who had lost children and i say children because these were teenagers, as a result of serious violence, knife

crime and eight shooting. —— eight shooting. and b horror and devastation of these attacks is brought down when you sit down to listen to the families who have seen a young life, promising young life, cut short in this tragic way. we are committed as a government, across government, to work notjust across government, to work notjust across government but with society as a whole to deal with the scourge of serious violence that is taking so many young lives. back in june last yeari many young lives. back in june last year i asked the prime minister to help refund the recycling of the 20 old nuclear submarines tied up and rotting in devonport and rosyth. today's report shows it has no funded plan to do this work and no submarines had been dismantled since 1980, the year i was born. we'll be prime minister now extend the clean—up to make sure it includes all the royal navy submarines so we can deal with this and make in spite

of her legacy in office? we remain committed to the safe, secure and cost—effective dismantling of our nuclear submarines as soon as is practically possible and our mod continues to act by containing the submarines to meet security standards. its commitment is illustrated by the initial success of the recent dismantling of the submarine which has been followed by the dismantling of resolution. the mod will continue to work with the authority to achieve this as soon as possible. we are working on this. the labour government had 13 years as well and what work did it do on this decommissioning issue? conservative prime minister repeatedly told us no deal is better than a bad deal and is now

approaching labour mps to block a wto brexit, when most conservative mps want us to leave the european union with a clean break in nine days' time! can i say to my honourable friend i was right, no deal is better than a bad deal but we have got a good deal. we had a chance last friday to ensure we would leave the european union on the 22nd of may and i'm grateful to all the colleagues who supported that motion, some of them i know did it with a heavy heart, but i want to ensure we deliver brexit, do it in an orderly way, as soon as possible without fighting european elections, but to do that we need to find a way of this house agreeing it withdrawal agreement and agreeing the way

forward. it is on that basis i have been sitting down with members across the house and will continue to do so in order to ensure we can find a way forward that this house can support. grace warnock is a young east lothian constituent of mine who has crohn's disease. using accessible toilets she has faced negative comments and abuse from adults but this inspired her to create grace's sign to remind eve ryo ne create grace's sign to remind everyone there are people with invisible as abilities who have every right to use accessible toilet facilities and society should have a heart. while the prime minister joined me in endorsing her claim to standardise best to make sure eve ryo ne standardise best to make sure everyone can use accessible toilets without abuse? can i commend grace for the work she has dealing with this issue? sadly coming out of her

own personal experience. he has raised an important issue and we wa nt to raised an important issue and we want to make sure people with invisible disabilities are able to access the accessible toilets and without the abuse that grace suffered. i think the campaign she is fighting is an excellent campaign andi is fighting is an excellent campaign and i recognise it. people in my constituency, like myself, like the country, voted for brexit. i understand the prime minister said we need to look at the balance of risk and i looked at it to and supported her deal, and i urge others to do so. but prime minister, it comes to balance the risk of a no—deal brexit versus the risk of letting down the country and ushering in a marxist anti—semite government, would she think is the lowest risk? can i thank you to the

support she has shown for the government's deal and the encouragement she is giving to others to support that deal? what i wa nt to others to support that deal? what i want to see is we are able to deliver for want to see is we are able to deliverfor her want to see is we are able to deliver for her constituents and others across the country, that we deliver brexit and do it as soon as possible, and in delivering brexit we need to ensure we are delivering on the result of the referendum. that is what i said yesterday and thatis that is what i said yesterday and that is what we will be looking to do. the prime minister stated last night she will meet the leader of the opposition. can the prime minister indicate for the benefit of my party, the democratic unionist party but for all members of this house, which of the opposition leaders exit policy does she think she could accept? i am going to be in discussion with the leader of the opposition but i think, as i indicated earlier, i think we both wa nt to indicated earlier, i think we both want to deliver leaving the eu, both wa nt to want to deliver leaving the eu, both want to deliver leaving the eu, both want to deliver that with a deal. i think we both agree the withdrawal

agreement is a part of any deal. i think we both agree we want to protect jobs, ensure we think we both agree we want to protectjobs, ensure we have high standards of workers' rights in doing that. i think there are a number of areas on which we agree, the question is can we come to an agreement that we can both support that would command the support of this house, and that is what this talks will be about. 70 years after the finding of nato, will she find time today to look at the situation regarding northern ireland veterans? some who are being arrested and charged with murder after nearly 50 yea rs charged with murder after nearly 50 years after the alleged events and when there is no new evidence. what signal does to youngsters looking join the armed forces? can i say to my honourable friend i recognise the issue he has raised and the concern has been shared by honourable members and others across the house.

the current system for dealing with legacy in northern ireland's past is not working well for anyone. as i have said previously in this chamber, around 3500 people were killed in the troubles and the vast majority were killed by terrorists. many of these cases require investigation including the deaths of hundreds of members of the security forces. the system to investigate the past does need to change to provide better outcomes for victims and survivors of the troubles and ensure armed forces and police officers are not unfairly treated. the ministry of defence are looking at what more can be done to make sure military personnel are not treated unfairly in the courts, including legislation overseas, and we continue to look at what can be done to move forward. south wales police are doing a brilliantjob in spite of precious, dealing with knife crime, domestic violence and so more, but they do not get capital city funding which makes the

pressure worse. when the prime minister look at the surgery again and agree —— will be prime minister look at this urgently again and agree we're better to spend money on agree we're better to spend money on a rather than brexit? i understand they have been given extra funding in relation to dealing with knife crime. i think it is important we deal with this issue. i think it is important we deliver on the result of the referendum and do what is necessary to ensure we are prepared for leaving the european union which is what the government is doing, but we are putting a focus on the issue of serious violence, as witnessed by the knife crime summit to be held earlier this week. in agreeing with the 14 members of the cabinet who are happy for the united kingdom to leave the european union next week, cani leave the european union next week, can i ask my right honourable friend if she will set out her vision for the benefits that will come to the

united kingdom of no deal? can i say to my right honourable friend, he should not believe everything he reads in the newspapers. the cabinet came toa reads in the newspapers. the cabinet came to a collective decision yesterday and secondly, i have been clear that the opportunities for the united kingdom outside the european union are bright. i believe we can build great britain, that great britain, that brighter future for everybody and i believe we will do that better by living with a good deal. i think we have a good deal thatis deal. i think we have a good deal that is why i have been working to ensure we can't leave, as soon as possible, in an orderly way and build that brighter future. —— possible, in an orderly way and build that brighterfuture. —— can leave. despite the repeated efforts of my honourable friends, the prime minister refuses to look at the definition of islamophobia, despite enquiries into islamophobia in the

tory party... the prime minister refuses. the london mayorjust a few days ago said he has never received an explanation, let alone an apology, for the openly islamophobic campaign the party ran against me in london, 2016, and the attacks on me still continue. can i are to ask the prime minister directly today, where she showed some leadership at the very minimum and apologise to the london mayorfor the very minimum and apologise to the london mayor for the islamophobic campaign led by her party? any allegations that are made in relation to the conservative party are investigated carefully by the conservative party and action is taken. it is this government that has actually been doing more to ensure the police can deal with issues around hate crime that has required, when i was home secretary

i required the police to actually ensure they were recording properly incidents of hate crime that took place according, so that we could better identify islamophobia taking place and i am pleased to say my right honourable friend, the community secretary and home secretary shared a table on anti—muslim hate crime. it is being taken seriously by the conservative party and the government.” taken seriously by the conservative party and the government. i think it is worth everyone in this place remembering that the people outside there is far, far more to life than brexit. in loughborough we are proud of loughborough university being the best university in the world for sports related subjects. for one of the group of athletes that been under sung is our team gb athletes who took part in the special olympics in abu dhabi. hundred and 27 athletes returned with hundred and 69 medals, over 60 gold. we'll

be prime minister congratulate them and does she think it might be time forgb and does she think it might be time for gb devils the neck special olympics? i will look carefully at the suggestion of my right honourable friend had made in relation to the special olympics but iam happy relation to the special olympics but i am happy tojoin her, relation to the special olympics but iam happy tojoin her, and i'm sure eve ryo ne a cross iam happy tojoin her, and i'm sure everyone across this whole house well, in congratulating out gb team on the significant haul of medals they bought back from the special olympics and can i say how much we value loughborough university and the work it does in sports related matters. head teachers and governors in my constituency is cut school budgets to the bones and are desperately concerned about the impact on children. the prime minister's advisors have been sent into schools and is supported by schools, their ideas are shocking. reducing lunch portions were the most disadvantaged, holding back money for charities and employing unqualified teachers. does the prime minister agree with me that these suggestions belong in the day of the workhouse not 21st century england?

we are increasingly finding that is made available to schools, 1.3 billion extra being made to schools. iam sure billion extra being made to schools. i am sure the honourable lady would wa nt to i am sure the honourable lady would want to welcome, as i do, there are 22,500 more children in the bristol local authority good in outstanding schools since 2010. further to the question from my honourable friend, the memberfor question from my honourable friend, the member for chelmsford, i question from my honourable friend, the memberfor chelmsford, i thank the memberfor chelmsford, i thank the invitation the prime minister extended to meet her knife crime summit on monday, but which you agree with me that was number of police officers are important, we also need to send a message to people that would never wear a t—shirt made in a sweatshop, look carefully at the air miles of the food they buy, yet seem not to make the connection between the drug use they have in their personal lives and the damage that has been done to young people in our streets? when young people in our streets? when you send a message it is not

acceptable. my honourable friend raises an important point. if we look at the knife crime, the extent to which is gang—related and drug—related, many people to which is gang—related and drug-related, many people across to which is gang—related and drug—related, many people across our society need to ask themselves what they are doing to ensure we can deal with this issue of knife crime and what they are doing to ensure we do not see these drug—related gangs committing these crimes, and that we are able to read our society of what i believe to be a curse of drugs. i believe it has these impacts, it is bad and that is why it is important asa bad and that is why it is important as a government we have a clear drug strategy to take people off drugs and ensure we are dealing with this issue. he makes an important point. it is not just issue. he makes an important point. it is notjust a matter for government, it is notjust a matter for police, it is for all of us across society to deal with these issues. freedom of movement is a good thing, it is good economically. eu citizens exercising their free

movement rights contribute to our gdp. it is good socially, our community is a more diverse and successful as a result, and it is good for young people to go to europe to study and work. can the prime minister be honest about the benefits of freedom of movement and ensure we retain those benefits? what we want to ensure is that we have a migration system that enables us to welcome people into this country on the basis of the skills they will bring, the contribution they will bring, the contribution they will bring, the contribution they will make, not on the country they will make, not on the country they happen to come from. when people voted to leave the european union in 2010 they sent a clear message they wanted things to change, one of the things they wa nted change, one of the things they wanted to change was to bring an end to free movement and ensure it was the uk government that can make decisions in this country. as the prime minister seeks to get short extension upon the short extension, will she make it absolutely clear to the european union that if they turn around and say no, it has to be a

long extension, and you have to fight the european elections, that she will say no, no, no? we had the opportunity on friday to ensure that we cemented that extension to the 22nd of may and we left on the 22nd of may. as i said earlier i am grateful to those who supported the motion. some did that with some difficulty and with a heavy heart. what i want to see now is thus able to find a position where we can come across this house, support the withdrawal agreement and a deal which enables us to leave on the 22nd of may, which enables us not to have to hold those european parliament elections, but we can only do that if we come together and find a way forward that this house is willing to support. given that the prime minister and i are both fa ns the prime minister and i are both fans of geoffrey by quite ——

geoffrey boycott, was perhaps not known for a compromise in his prime but has mellowed over the years, with the prime minister find time but has mellowed over the years, with the prime ministerfind time in her busy diary to look at the compromise proposals of the important subject of yorkshire devolution is advanced by the mayor of south yorkshire? we are looking seriously at issues around yorkshire devolution. i know this has caused some concern and there have been different opinions as to how that should be taken forward. he references geoffrey boycott, can i say one of the things i've always admired about him was that he ensured he stayed on the grease, he kept going any got his century in the end? further to the last question, once the prime minister has dealt with the tricky issue that is brexit, which i'm sure she will, was to move on to the more difficult problem which is devolution in

yorkshire? another secretary of state has ruled out the devolution to the whole of yorkshire, she consider a deletion deal to the yorkshire region to include the city of york and county of yorkshire? we recognise there is an enthusiasm and dedication in yorkshire to the concept of devolution and to the ability and potential devolution has to release and harness local people's sense of identity with yorkshire, and to be of ongoing benefit to people of yorkshire. we do need to find the right proposals that will suit the area. the communities secretary has not met the leaders and discussions are continuing about the different localised approach to the one that did not meet our criteria. reports

from the cabinet yesterday suggest that there were two proposals put forward for a cruise party —— cross— party forward for a cruise party —— cross—party co—operation to stop the brexit crisis. when was to work with the leader of opposition to deliver a labour brexit. the other was to work with the 280 mp5 across the house that will support her deal subject to a confirmatory referendum. why does she trust the leader of the opposition more than the people? what i want to do is ensure we find a resolution that the house can support, such that we can deliver brexit and deliver it in a timely fashion. i believe it is important to do that as soon as possible and i want to do it without us having to fight those european elections. i believe it is right and the public would expect us to be willing to work across this chamber to find a resolution to this issue. thank you mr speaker. conservative led greenwich by ranch —— greenwich

borough council has business omitted their bid for a high street fund. where the prime minister and her support because the people of greenwich deserve it? does she agree with me it is only with conservatives in our town hall that we can continue to unlock greenwich after yea rs of we can continue to unlock greenwich after years of labour neglect? can i commend conservative led redditch council for the work they are doing to unlock the town and high street. my to unlock the town and high street. my honourable friend tempts me to support one bit of red others —— support one bit of red others —— support one bit over others but there will be others who wish me to support the bids on their towns. it is important we make that money available and can i congratulate the council for available and can i congratulate the councilfor all available and can i congratulate the council for all they are doing to ensure the future of their town.” am sandwiched between the liberal

democrats and welsh nationalists, andi democrats and welsh nationalists, and i would like to reassure my constituents in honourable members that i remain a progressive conservative well sadly an independent in this house. the prime minister's late conversion to compromise is welcome but i am sure she will understand the scepticism of those of us who have been working ona of those of us who have been working on a cross—party compromise for many months. can she reassure me she will be entering this discussions with the leader of the opposition and other parties without the bad lines that have bedevilled the brexit negotiations so far? —— red lines. cani negotiations so far? —— red lines. can i say to the honourable gentleman, and i welcome the fact he has indicated that he remains progressive conservative in his thinking on various issues. i approach this in a constructive spirit because i want to find a resolution and ensure we can do what people told us to do, deliver brexit

in an orderly way and in a way that is good for this country. order. the liaison committee about the select committee chairs is the only committee chairs is the only committee that can called the prime minister. she had said on several occasions this afternoon she is willing to sit down with members across the house but i regret to say despite repeated requests the liaison committee has been unable to secure a date for a hearing with the prime minister? could i please seek your advice? the honourable lady can do and has done. studio: prime minister's questions have come to an end and the next date in the diary now for theresa may theresa may as talks with jeremy corbyn. she chose to focus on policy

rather than answer questions about brexit. at the end of theresa may's questions nick bowles was trying to broker some sort of compromise deal in the house of commons and resigned the tory party whip as a result of his frustration over failing in those efforts, and asked the prime minister if she goes into those talks with her red lines dropped. she says she approaches them in a constructive way. we will have full coverage of those talks later and on all the latest brexit developments right now let's catch up with the weather with simon. it is a messy complicated picture across the uk this morning. we had an area of low pressure in the north sea throwing weather fronts westwards and bringing snow across scotland and northern england, as much as 5—8 centimetres of a higher ground and that will continue for a time before

gradually easing out during the afternoon. rain down at low levels that will push westwards into western scotland, northern ireland, showery rain in wales and the south—west of england continuing showers in the south—east of england which could be heavy, and the spells. quite strong winds so while the temperatures on the thermometer might say around six — 9 degrees it will feel chillier than that across scotla nd will feel chillier than that across scotland and northern ireland. through tonight the area of low pressure deficits way —— drifts its way and you can see it rotating around that bringing persistent rain into the north and east of scotland. there will be lengthy clear spells and temperatures could drop down to around freezing if not below. during thursday that area of low pressure is down to is south wales, south—west england and you can see those weather fronts wrapped around it so giving more rain across

northern scotland, some hill snow associated with that. further south and west you can see most of the showers during those it rotating around the area of low pressure. elsewhere, for central, eastern and northern parts of england it will be largely dry on thursday and maximum temperatures will be typically around about 7—9d. by the end of the week those temperatures will come up a bit so not as cold, it will be largely dry and there will also be a bit of sunshine. that area of low pressure is going to drift its ways further during friday but it was start to draw up in a south or south easterly wind which is different to a northerly wind we have got today so temperatures will come up. there will still be some showers to a south—west of england, wales and northern ireland, to a central, eastern and northern parts, it should be largely dry. this will be some sunshine and temperatures will come up a little bit, 12—14d during

friday. the weekend is looking largely settled but the eastern coast could still be a little bit chilly. goodbye. are a. it's a high—risk strategy for the prime minister. mr corbyn says he wants a customs union and workers' rights to be priorities. i welcome the prime minister's offer for talks following the meetings that i've held with members across this house and look forward to meeting her later today. i'm always happy to meet party leaders across this house. i want to find a way forward. i want to find a way forward that delivers on the referendum, that delivers brexit, and does it as soon as possible. her move has sparked fury from tory brexiteers and a ministerial resignation. we'll get the latest from westminster — and brussels. also on the programme this lunchtime.... the jury in the trial of the hillsborough match commander david duckenfield returns a hung

verdict on the manslaughter