you're watching bbc news at 9:003m with me, annita mcveigh. the headlines... in a letter released this morning, theresa may urges jeremy corbyn to back her brexit deal as opposition hardens to her amended plan. i think the sensible thing would be for her to admit defeat and not actually put it to a vote. she is making a statement to parliament this afternoon and she could use that to make it clear because this is going absolutely nowhere. i hope that colleagues will, over the course of the next day or so, ta ke the course of the next day or so, take an opportunity to reflect on the choices in front of us, and in particular to reflect on some of the aspects the prime minister has put forward , aspects the prime minister has put forward, such as specific proposals to avoid away going into the

backstop, which deserve analysis and consideration. theresa may will make the case for her new brexit plan in parliament at lunchtime — we'll bring you that live. the future of 5,000 british steel workers remains uncertain as its owners continue to lobby for government backing. i think that the government need to be looking at all options available to them, including nationalisation. the steel industry is a cornerstone of the uk's manufacturing industry, and as such, if nationalisation is good enough for the banks when they are in crisis, then it's good enough for the people and families in scunthorpe. marks & spencer reports a fall in both sales and profits as it continues to implement a major turnaround programme. and lyon striker ada hegerberg is voted the bbc women's footballer of the year 2019.

good morning, and welcome to the bbc news at 9:00am. theresa may will give more details of her amended brexit plan to the commons today. she's described it as a "new deal" but for many mps it's not new enough and it's already been heavily criticised from all sides, putting the prime minister's political future in furtherjeopardy. this afternoon, senior conservative nigel evans will urge tory backbenchers to change the party's rules to force an immediate vote of confidence in mrs may. the prime minister has warned that mps have "one last chance" to deliver a negotiated exit from the eu. in an effort to win support, she promised mps that if it passes they'll get a vote on whether to hold a referendum on the final deal. there was also the promise of a vote on future customs arrangements.

and new guarantees on workers‘ rights. some conservatives are unhappy because they believe mrs may's gone too far in making concessions. and jeremy corbyn says labour won't support the bill because it doesn't go far enough. theresa may has written to the labour leader, urging him to back her amended deal. in the three—page letter, mrs may says she believes her deal should be able to command cross—party support. she says it will put an end to the "corrosive brexit debate that is damaging our politics" and she tells mr corbyn that if she is willing to compromise, then he should too. 0ur assistant political editor, norman smith, is at westminster. it looks like an incredibly busy day in politics. it feels as though no matter what theresa may was going to offer in this new deal, as she puts it, that mps across the house have hunkered down to wait for the post

theresa may era, so she has an uphill battle to sell this. there is even a question now over whether mrs may is able to put her deal to a vote, because there is a growing body of opinion on the tory benches that there is just no point trying to push this through the commons because it will suffer an even bigger defeat than last time. there are also moves beginning to gain momentum to try to force mrs may out before that first week in june when she was planning to put her build to the commons, because the backlash, frankly, has been ferocious. 0n the tory side we have seen brexiteers are still up tory side we have seen brexiteers are stillup in tory side we have seen brexiteers are still up in arms over the fact the backstop is still there and mrs may seems to be offering some sort of customs union. more centrist tories up in arms over the fact she has paved the way possibly for a referendum. yet none of that has won over labour mps, it seems, with labour remaina

over labour mps, it seems, with labour remain a types saying the offer of a referendum doesn't really go far enough. the front bench saying she hasn't really moved on from the failed talks in the negotiations. those labour mps in leave seats are not convinced there is enough movement for them. looking at the conservative supporting papers this morning, a devastating series of headlines. desperate, deluded and doomed, the verdict of one tory mp. in the daily mail, to reza's gamble too far. i think there is now a question over whether this bill sees daylight. when michael gove was asked on this morning's today programme, did not unequivocally confirm the bill would be brought to the commons in that first week in june. we will reflect over the course of the next few days on how people look at the proposition that's been put forward. so it might not happen? no, but i think there has to be a vote on the withdrawal agreement

implementation bill... not necessarily in that week? one thing that we know is that without a withdrawal agreement implementation bill, you can't leave the european union without a deal. i think that rather than saying anything precipitous, that everyone should take an opportunity to reflect on what the prime minister will say later today and to look at the bill. i hope that people will support a negotiated settlement that takes us out of the european union, and i also think... and i was reflecting on alternative arrangements earlier, i think that one of the things we can do over the next few days is point out that this government is determined to ensure that we put time, money and resource behind making sure there are practical approaches necessarily, meaning we may never go into the backstop. interesting because michael gove has been loyal to mrs may throughout this whole process. but even he is not saying she is definitely going to go for the bill. if you listen to the brexiteers, well, they are sounding even more cautious in cabinet. this was andrea leadsom

leaving home this morning. i'm looking carefully at the legislation today, as leader of the commons, that's my job, legislation today, as leader of the commons, that's myjob, and making sure it delivers brexit. not n ot exa ctly not exactly a ringing endorsement from andrea leadsom. some brexiteer backbenchers are now suggesting monday may be d—day for mrs may, because that will be the day of the european election results. this morning, some were privately saying that if our results are as bad as seems likely, then the 1922 committee of backbench representatives may decide then and there, never mind having another leadership contest or changing the rules, there might be a delegation of grey suits to see mrs may to say, you can't go on and you have to step aside. if you listen to labour as well, number ten seems to be clinging to the hope that corbyn can be tempted to come on board. i don't detect any sign of that whatsoever.

shadow brexit secretary keir starmer said this morning that unless there we re said this morning that unless there were fundamental changes in what theresa may was offering, there was no chance of them getting support. this package isjust too weak to get through. i think the prime minister's going to lose and probably lose heavily. i think the sensible thing would be for her to admit defeat and not actually put it to a vote. she is making a statement to parliament this afternoon and she could use that to make it clear because this is going absolutely nowhere. and therefore she should not now put it to a vote. tea m team theresa may says this morning that they will now sell what they have done. but you sense it would be an almighty difficult sell, starting with pm queues, but then we will have the statement from the prime minister, and you can't help but feel that will be a fairly bruising experience at the hands of her

backbenchers, and then we also expect the formal publication of the withdrawal agreement bill. when the more legally minded brexiteers get their teeth into that, we might see more uproar. the next 2a hours look like being extraordinarily difficult for mrs may, with a big? —— make a big question mark over whether she will be able to put her deal before the commons for a fourth time. and today we are continuing our series of interviews with the main parties standing in the european elections in a special bbc ask this. at 11:30 it's the turn of labour — we'll be speaking to the mp john healey. if you have a question, send it in via text on 611211, tweet using the hashtag bbc ask this, or email askthis@bbc.co.uk.

it's feared british steel could go into administration today, unless it receives emergency funding from the treasury. almost 5000 people's jobs are under threat at the company, which is the country's second biggest steel maker. in addition to those, the future of another 20,000 jobs in the supply line are also in doubt. the company had asked the government for £75 million of "emergency financial support" to help it cope with what it called "brexit—related issues". but it's understood this amount has been reduced from to about £30 million. 0ur correspondent sarah corker is at the british steel plant in scu nthorpe. so much hanging in the balance and of course on teesside as well, the other big british steel site. what are you hearing about discussions to try to save those jobs? for the thousands of workers here, it's a very, very worrying time. it's a bit

ofa very, very worrying time. it's a bit of a waiting game for them. they don't know what's going on. there's also a sense of, here we go again. workers have been through all this before and there are question marks over whether the uk is on the brink of another steel crisis. british steel say they need an emergency loa n steel say they need an emergency loan from the government of £30 millionjust to keep loan from the government of £30 million just to keep trading and avert collapse. they need that cash injection to keep the blast furnaces form. they blame brexit uncertainty form. they blame brexit uncertainty for some issues. they say they are worried about a no—deal brexit and the tariffs for the future. today we heard from the environment minister michael gove, who said, this is a very difficult situation and we

can't pre—empt what the business minister will say later on. we are waiting for the announcement to see if there is from british steel. it's hard to plan even for the immediate future if you don't know if you are coming to work tomorrow. when you start a career on the steelworks you wanted to be a job for life. they provide good training opportunities, it's a decent wage and you can build yourself and build your career. when that is thrown into flux, it'sjust your career. when that is thrown into flux, it's just devastating. the government has three options. it's in a very tricky situation it could use taxpayers money to bail out this private firm but there are tight rules about state aid, so that could be an issue. it could nationalise british steel, something labour and the unions are pushing for. 0r labour and the unions are pushing for. or it could do nothing and let the company fail. that could have a devastating impact across this area.

4000 people worked here but it also supports 20,000 jobs in the wider supply chain. almost everyone you speak to here has some connection to the steelworks. so problems here have a ripple effect throughout the local economy. talks are continuing between british steel and the government, and we are waiting to find out what the resolution will be. sarah corker, thank you. our business presenter, dominic o'connell is here. things at a very delicate stage. will we hear one way or the other today what the future will be for british steel and all those workers? we expect to. the company and the government have both gone very quiet, normally a sign things are happening behind the scene will stop talking to people in the city, there is the expectation it could happen evenin is the expectation it could happen even in the next couple of hours. how it will happen is quite interesting. normally when a company goes into administration, a firm of

a ccou nta nts goes into administration, a firm of accou nta nts a re goes into administration, a firm of accountants are appointed to look after the company, normally appointed by the most senior lender. in this case it seems like the government will get the official receiver, a court—appointed organisation that normally handles companies when they go into liquidation. the official receiver will take british steel, and an accountancy firm called ey, the old ernst & young, looking for a new owner. this should keep the plant running over the european election period and perhaps into the brexit period and perhaps into the brexit period as well, while a new buyer is sought. having said that, it's hard to think who a buyer would be for the plant. they only had one by three years ago when it was put up for sale by tata. potential markets for sale by tata. potential markets for the steel, how has that changed in the last three years? u nfortu nately

in the last three years? unfortunately it is working against the scunthorpe unfortunately it is working against the scu nthorpe plant. unfortunately it is working against the scunthorpe plant. world prices are being suppressed because of us ta riffs are being suppressed because of us tariffs on china. world steel prices down about 20% and a lot of chinese imports are coming to europe. the scunthorpe imports are coming to europe. the scu nthorpe plant has imports are coming to europe. the scunthorpe plant has always been marginal, certainly in the last ten or 15 years. tata couldn't make a go of it. and energy costs in the uk are quite high, and input costs on iron orand are quite high, and input costs on iron or and coke are also high. it's facing a really difficult sale and a really difficult quest to find a new buyer. but having said that, these businesses are very cyclical. if world oil prices recover then it could be a very profitable plant but it's a big ask. you keep a close eye on that story this morning will stop moving to marks & spencer, who reported a fall in sales and profits. it's in the middle of a turnaround programme. how are they painting it, is it to be expected at this stage in the programme? that's exactly what they are saying to stop

this is only the start of a turnaround plan so you can't expect too much too soon. the market reaction has been interesting, down quite sharply on what hasn't been too bad a statement. they are talking about store closures and food sales have bottomed out, down less tha n food sales have bottomed out, down less than 1%. clothing sales down less than 1%. clothing sales down less tha n less than 1%. clothing sales down less than 3%. they might have stopped the really dramatic slide in clothing sales. if they are similar results in six months, but if they can turn to positive numbers on both of those, then people will say the turnaround has finally begun, after all these years. dominic o'connell, thank you. the headlines on bbc news... theresa may will make the case today for her amended brexit plan in parliament, amid signs that conservative opposition to her leadership is hardening.

the future of 5,000 british steel workers remains uncertain as its owners continue to lobby for government backing. marks & spencer reports a fall in both sales and profits as it continues to implement a major turnaround programme. in sport, ada heger berg has been voted the bbc women's footballer of the year for voted the bbc women's footballer of the yearfor 2019. it voted the bbc women's footballer of the year for 2019. it comes four days after she scored a hat—trick for her side, lyon, days after she scored a hat—trick for herside, lyon, in days after she scored a hat—trick for her side, lyon, in the champions league final. arsenal plan to meet u efa league final. arsenal plan to meet uefa to express anger over the choice of venue for next week's europa league final. forward henrikh mkhitaryan will not travel to azerbaijan to play chelsea because of fears for his safety. and michael vaughan says england have the best opportunity in his time to win the cricket world cup. the hosts are favourite for the tournament, beginning a week tomorrow. more on all of those stories that 9:40am. see you then.

it's believed some british expats living in france might not get a vote in the european elections because their ballot papers have arrived late or not at all. the bbc found some councils sent them using a cheaper alternative postal service. this report from leigh milner. this envelope arrived at ann bones' house in france two days ago. she's been told her postal vote won't make it back to the uk in time for thursday. the post over here in france told me that there was no chance of them arriving in time. for tony in south—western france, well, he's still waiting for his. we feel disappointed and let down by not receiving our ballots for the european elections, and wonder whether this isjust pure malfunction of the system or maybe even skulduggery. the reason? well, the clue is on the envelope. "post nl" means the ballot papers were sent from the uk to france via the netherlands. adare is the postal service which a number of local councils in the uk use to send the ballot papers rather than royal mail

because it was more cost—effective. well, in a statement, adare told the bbc the ballots had been released in line with the elections and council timetables. they insisted that they had used reputable mail handlers whose job it was to assess the best route through other european countries. in a statement, the electoral commission said it had... with voting due to take place tomorrow, it's believed thousands of expats will miss out on the chance to have their say in the european elections. leigh milner, bbc news. a partial ban on single—use plastics — including straws, drinks stirrers and cotton buds — will come into effect in england next year. the government says urgent action is needed to tackle plastic pollution but environmental groups say the measures, which will come into force in april next year,

don't go far enough. the pharmaceutical giant johnson and johnson has been ordered to pay at least £20 million to a woman who alleges that she developed cancer through using its talcum powder on a daily basis. the company, which faces thousands of similar claims, has insisted its products are safe. yesterday, we reported that police across the uk had arrested more than 500 people as part of a coordinated effort to disrupt so—called county lines drugs operations — which involve gangs from cities moving into rural areas and using vulnerable people to help them deal. one of the forces involved was bedfordshire, where police chiefs have published unique analysis of how the drugs market operates there. our home editor mark easton has been to find out more. police! police in bedfordshire conduct a raid on a suspected drugs den once or twice every week. we're executing a drugs warrant. all three of you are under

arrest for possession with intent to supply. in a small flat in a scruffy social housing block, they find three men and a significant quantity of what officers suspect is cocaine and heroin. for pc james "westie" west it's a good morning's work. do you think you make a difference in the fight against drugs? yes. what difference is that? for now, we're taking this gentleman off the streets. there are two drug users up there. 0bviously we'll now be able to bring in safeguarding measures with them. this is the second county line we've had a massive impact on in bedford in the space of the last couple of months so i think we're making a difference. but how much of a difference? local police, working with other agencies, have put together a unique picture of what the drugs market looks like across the county. and they reckon that in bedfordshire people spend £1 million on cocaine every week. and they spent more than £1 million a week on cannabis. almost one in ten of working age adults are buying illicit drugs.

detective chief superintendent mark lay will present the findings of the research later today — a troubling picture of the scale of the county's criminal drug network. prices are down, quality is up, delivery is quicker than amazon prime. you're losing the war the drug gangs, aren't you? i don't think we're losing the war. i think that when people say there's a war on drugs i would actually say, well, have we actually put enough resource into applying the war against drugs? so have we got enough resource targeting the supply of drugs? but is itjust a question of money and improved focus? the government is conducting an independent review of drugs policy, including whether harms would be reduced if drugs were decriminalised or legalised. i'm trying to deliberately sit on the fence, because, actually, i am not a lawmaker, i am law enforcer. we, as the national crime agency, will produce intelligence into that review and that will enable the views of experts in this field, particularly those with a health background, to make their views

understood and known. after the morning raid in bedford, a man was charged with intent to supply class a drugs. but police suspect the distribution network will only be marginally inconvenienced. within a matter of hours it'll be business as usual. mark easton, bbc news, bedford. a memorial service will be held this afternoon to mark the second anniversary of the manchester arena bombing. 22 people were killed and hundreds more were injured in the attack at the end of an ariana grande concert. families of the victims and members of the emergency services are expected to attend. a united nations backed report says public spending cuts over the last eight years have led to high levels of poverty in many parts of britain. this is the conclusion of professor philip alston — an investigator on extreme poverty who toured the uk last november. he warns that unless policies change, people on low incomes seem

destined to lead lives that are "solitary and short". the comments have infuriated ministers. here's our social affairs correspondent, michael buchanan. for nearly a fortnight last november, philip alston toured the uk, listening and talking to some of the country's poorest residents. what he found appalled him — a nationwide network of food banks, rising levels of child poverty and homelessness, as well as huge cuts to benefits, policing and legal aid. in a blistering report today, he says the changes since 2010 are the consequences of a deliberate choice. politicians, he says, chose to target the poor, and continue to do so. the chancellor has consistently used any excess funds for other purposes, whether it's tax cuts, whether it's to bring down the debt even further, while all this misery is going on around. professor alston describes the department for work and pensions as being asked to produce a digital version of the 19th century workhouse,

saying that a harsh and uncaring ethos has emerged. ministers have described the report as a barely believable documentation of britain, saying they spend £95 billion annually on working age benefits. privately, they are understood to be furious and are exploring ways of complaining to the un. michael buchanan, bbc news. in uganda, young women desperate for work are leaving their homes to try and find jobs as domestic workers in kenya. but sometimes their new lives don't live up to their promise. nancy kacungira has been to both countries to investigate. along the ugandan border with kenya, young women are leaving their villages in search of better opportunities. many girls are trying to find work in kenya's capital nairobi as housemaids. 21—year—old esther is one of them.

the strength of the kenyan shilling against the ugandan currency means money made in nairobi can go a long way in uganda. but kenyan domestic workers are unhappy about the ugandan competition. the abundance of desperate workers can also lead to abuse. edith runs a shelter for young can also lead to abuse. edith runs a shelterfor young women can also lead to abuse. edith runs a shelter for young women who say they have been mistreated. ic domestic workers as a unique group of workers because of the conditions under which they work. many of them do not even have the permission to leave the employer ‘s household. so they work in slavery —like conditions.

esther has arrived in nairobi and found a job esther has arrived in nairobi and found ajob in esther has arrived in nairobi and found a job in a restaurant. but she works from dawn till dusk for very little pay. the factors that brought esther to this city mean she will not be the last young woman to make this journey. severe storms, tornadoes and flash floods have hit southern and central parts of the united states. in 0klahoma, dozens of people had to be rescued from rising floodwaters, as andy beatt reports. after the storm, the floods. at least 50 people rescued as the country's worst weather since 2012 left homes, farms and roads up

to a metre underwater. it's probably about knee deep in our garage, and you go into the house and it comes up to about our ankles. i text brendan. i said, "brendan, i'm going to have to swim into the house." he's like, "what do you mean?" i opened the front door, it was already up to our porch. hardest hit, parts of oklahoma and texas, swamped by 20 centimetres of rain in less than 24 hours. with missouri declaring a state of emergency. touching down across the southern and central states, at least 20 tornadoes. anybody on the west side of mangum, in mangum, take shelter. this is a large tornado. there is the storm chasers right there. oh my god! officials say 4 million people in the region could be at risk. but as yet, there are few reports of injuries. and despite fears of widescale damage, only a handful of homes have taken a direct hit. couldn't believe it.

left it half an hour earlier and it was all there. you come back and it was completely demolished. to blame for this recent spike in tornadoes — the jet stream. it's following a more southerly route than normal, bringing heat to the south, but cold conditions to the west. the temperature contrasts driving violent storms, torrential rain and heavy hail. although the worst may have passed for some, forecasters warn millions more are in the path of this severe weather system as it tracks north and east, while a second is expected later this week. andy beatt, bbc news. we expect the latest inflation figures due to be released in the next couple of minutes. we will bring that to you shortly. now it's time for a look at the weather with simon king. good morning. we have sunshine again for many parts of the uk this

morning, and into this afternoon it will feel quite warm again with temperatures up to 21, 20 two celsius. largely dry but some rain in the forecast mainly affecting northern parts of scotland where it will be quite heavy in the far north. a bit of cloud and rain also for north wales, southern portions of northern england and into the southern parts of the pennines. but even that will tend to clear away and there will be sunshine through here. temperatures in the north, only 12 or 13 in the cloud and rain, but 21, 22 in the south and east. tonight, continuing with rain in the far north—east of scotland with a strong westerly wind. clear spells elsewhere with temperatures at 7—10. 0n elsewhere with temperatures at 7—10. on thursday, more drier weather with sunny spells and highs in the mid to high teens and low 20s.

hello this is bbc news. the headlines: theresa may will make the case for her amended brexit plan in parliament, as opposition hardens to her proposals. i think the sensible thing would be for her to admit defeat and not put it to for her to admit defeat and not put ittoa for her to admit defeat and not put it to a vote. she is making a statement to parliament this afternoon and she could use that to make it clear. because this is going absolutely nowhere. everyone should ta ke absolutely nowhere. everyone should take an opportunity to reflect on what the prime minister will say later today and the bill. i hope that people will support a settlement that takes is out the european union. the future of 5,000 british steel workers remains uncertain, as its owners continue to lobby for government backing. marks & spencer reports a fall in both sales and profits, as it continues to implement a major turnaround programme. and coming up — lyon striker

ada hegerberg is voted the bbc women's footballer of the year 2019. the latest inflation figures have just been released. 0ur economics correspondent andy verity is here. so, what is the detail? well, inflation is 2.1% for the year to april and that is slightly higher than we had previously, 1.9%. the reason is because of airfares driving it up. easterfell reason is because of airfares driving it up. easter fell in april this time and that meant higher airfares that go with easter fell in april. the other thing that happened was energy prices. we had 0fgem reviving, revising its price cap, which meant a 10% hike in april. so the effect has been a 2.1% rise in inflation, very slightly above the 296 inflation, very slightly above the 2% target, but probably not enough to change the expectation for raising interest rates and that is

very significantly. inflation now too much under control. we heard from recreational and cultural items, computer packages and holiday slightly cheaper. so probably unlikely to impact on an interest rate decision at this point, but when you have incremental changes like this, if they build up over a period of time, that can lead to big decisions like interest rates for example, but in the short term, what impact might that have on us as consumers? if the outlook for interest rate changes, if we have a rise in interest rates and you have a variable rate mortgage, it means more expensive mortgage repayments. but the number of people with a variable rate mortgage is a small minority and only a minority of us have a mortgage, only 60% of us own house. so for anybody renting or more interested in savings rates and mortgage rates, it could be good if interest rates went up. but the

expectation before these numbers was we would get 2.2%, we have got 2.1%, so it is unlikely to move the market that much. 0k, thank you, andy. time now for the morning briefing, where we bring you up to speed on the stories people are watching, reading and sharing. we'll start with more on our main story, as theresa may is set to give a speech in the house of commons today giving more details on her new brexit plan. but her deal has already been heavily criticised from both sides — many conservatives dislike her proposal to allow mps to vote on a further referendum, whilst labour say it's a "rehash" of old plans. so far, mps have rejected the prime minister's agreement three times, and attempts to find a compromise with labour have also failed. shadow brexit secretary sir keir starmer told bbc breakfast he thought the amended deal would "lose heavily", if put to a vote in parliament. i think the sensible thing would be for her to admit defeat and not actually put it to a vote.

she's making a statement to parliament this afternoon and she could use that to make it clear. because this is going absolutely nowhere and, therefore, she should not now put it to a vote. because she is claiming... i'd like to get some clarity on this. she is saying she has compromised on a number of issues. i'll mention what she says they are. about the choice regarding the customs union, which i know you've spoken to us... yeah. and others about in many sort of weeks and months. the vote on another referendum, and talking about workers' rights as well. if she says she's shifted, are you saying she's not moved her position at all, or is it that you are unwilling to move yours? no, no, no. let's just take those three issues. 0n the customs arrangement, what she's doing is offering the option of a vote between her own policy and a temporary customs union. so, it's an offer of an option of a vote. she's not even including labour's option, which is a permanent customs union, within that suite of possible votes. so, to simply say you can have a vote on it doesn't really take us very far because i think

most people in parliament say, well, we could vote on it anyway. we could certainly put down an amendment. so that doesn't really get you anywhere, that's not a compromise. 0n the public vote, again, all the prime minister is really saying is, you can have a vote on it. well, again, i think the strong feeling in parliament is, we've reached the stage now where we're perfectly capable of putting amendments down and voting on them, so that's not a compromise. 0n workers' rights, i do accept the government has tried to put something on the table, a workers‘ rights bill, that wasn't previously there. it's not as strong as we think it should be, but i would be wrong in suggesting that they haven't put something on the table in that regard. the trade unions don't think it's strong enough, but that's the idea. but that's what i mean... in a sense, if the government had said, right, we've compromised, here's the new policy position on customs, or here's the new policy position on a public vote, that would be one thing, but simply to say, well, we'll give parliament the chance to vote on it, well, that doesn't take you anywhere at all.

keir starmer. and responding to the fact that many conservative mps have said they won't back the brexit deal, environment secretary michael gove told the today programme that he hoped mps would carefully consider the prime minister's plan. ultimately, we have three choices. we can either choose to leave the european union with a deal. we can leave without a deal. or we can stay in the european union, either by revoking article 50 or by having a second referendum, the principal advocates of which want us to stay in the european union. so, in order to leave the eu with a deal — which is what i think the majority of people in the house of commons and in the country want to do, then there needs to be a withdrawal agreement implementation bill. and that bill hasn't yet been published, it will be published later today. there'll be an opportunity for people to cross—examine the prime minister in the house of commons, and an opportunity for people to reflect not just on the legislation, but on the broader picture. but we definitely don't have a vote on gene the third of this bill? we

will reflect on the proposition that has been put forward. so it might not happen? there has to be it vote on the withdrawal agreement implementation bill. 0ne on the withdrawal agreement implementation bill. one thing that we know is without withdrawal agreement implementation bill, you can't leave the european union without a deal. rather than saying anything precipitate, everyone should take the opportunity to reflect on what the prime minister will say later today and to look at the bill. i hope that people support a negotiated settlement to take is out of the european union and i also think, and i was reflecting on alternative relations earlier, one of the things we can do over the next few days is point out that this government is determined to that we put time and money and resource behind making sure there are practical approach is necessary, which would mean that we never go into a backstop because we have dealt with the undoubted issues. so the possibility that all of this is delayed and you continue to try to convince people remains open and does the prime minister stain post in order to keep trying to convince

people again and again and again?|j think people again and again and again?” think the most important think we should do is reflect on all of the options in front of us. i can understand the strong feelings, i have strong feelings on leaving the european union that have been aired and articulated over the last 24 hours, but i think it is also important that there is a period of reflection and a period of analysis as we look at what the prime minister has put forward and we recognise that there is a responsibility notjust recognise that there is a responsibility not just on the prime minister, but on every member of the house of commons. if we want to leave the european union, we've got to vote for a means of doing so. michael gove. it's feared british steel could go into administration today, unless it receives an emergency government bailout. charlotte childs, a former steel worker who now works for the gmb union, spoke to our news correspondent sarah corker about how the five thousand people whose jobs are at risk will be feeling. it's hard to plan even the immediate future. if you don't know whether you're going to be able to come to work tomorrow.

when you start a career on the steelworks, you want it to be a job for life. they provide good training opportunities, it's a decent wage, and it's somewhere that you can really build yourself and build a career. so, when that's all thrown into flux, it's just devastating. there's been a lack of communication, but i think that's due to uncertainty. i think that british steel and greybull are doing what they can to secure a future for scunthorpe, but we just don't know at this stage. and this is a town really built on steel, they've been making steel here for the last 150 years, so it has a huge, huge impact on everyone. notjust those who work here. yes, absolutely, scunthorpe is a steel town. 0ur football team is called the iron. my brother—in—law is a mechanic down the road. he's worried because most of his customers are still workers. it's notjust the 4,000 people employed here. it's the 20,000 people in the supply chain. but even wider than that, it's the cafes, it's the ppe suppliers, it's all that sort of stuff that if this isn't here,

then their future is thrown into uncertainty too. ok, so british steel have said brexit—related issues are causing them serious problems. they want the government to bail them out, essentially. what do you think is the best way forward? i think that the government need to be looking at all options available to them, including nationalisation. the steel industry is the cornerstone of the uk's manufacturing industry and, as such, if nationalisation is good enough for the banks when they're in crisis, then it's good enough for the people and the families of scunthorpe. let's look at what you are watching and reading, the prime minister underfire over the and reading, the prime minister under fire over the new brexit plan and we will bring you the developments life today. at number six a story about a man who woke from a coma to find that his arms and legs had been amputated after he contracted blood poisoning, sepsis, the most serious form of infection that you can get from blood poisoning. and now he spends a lot

of his time campaigning for greater awareness of the condition. he is speaking at the royal college of nursing's annual conference today and he is calling for it to be made mandatory for all nhs staff to have training on sepsis and to know what to look out for. if you go down to the bottom of this article, you will see details on what to look out for both in adults and children. sepsis, the warning signs. that story is number six the warning signs. that story is numbersix in the warning signs. that story is number six in the most read. looking ahead to the most watched, number two, this is a funny treaty involving the us housing secretary ben carson, he was asked at a committee hearing about reos, which is real estate owned, but he got confused and thought this type of cookie was being talked about, 0reos. he saw the funny side when he posted a picture of himself with a

box of cookies later. you want to know what you are talking about in front of house of representatives hearing! that's it for today's morning briefing. a big feature today on women's football and let's talk about ada hegerberg. here's sally nugent. good morning. the lyon striker ada hegerberg has been voted the bbc women's footballer of the year 2019. she scored a hat—trick on saturday, as lyon beat barcelona to win the women's champions league. it's the second time she has won the award. she beat four other nominees in the public vote — but she won't be playing for her country at this summer's world cup because of a row over pay. here's the moment she was given the award by our reporter, sarah mulkerrins. hello! hi! hello!

it is as again, from the bbc! ada hegerberg, you have won the bbc women's footballer of the yearfor 2019. this is hard for me to find the words, winning a second time is unbelievable. i would like to thank you all for voting, it is a big honour, i must say. and bbc footballer of the year, it speaks for itself. so thank you, thank you so much. i will stay hungary, motivated, i will give it all as long as i can. the brilliant ada hegerberg. arsenal say they're furious with uefa, after forward henrikh mkhitaryan said he won't play in next wednesday's europa league final against chelsea because of the location. (00v)mkhitaryan

mkhitaryan is armenian, and there is a long history of political tensions between his country and azerbaijan — where the final is being held. he's not travelling to baku because of fears over his safety. uefa say that a "comprehensive security plan" was in place for mkhitaryan, but he's spoken to his family and won't go. arsenal now plan to meet uefa to express their anger. that story dominating the back pages of this morning's newspapers. arsenal rage is the headline in the mail. the express says mkhitaryan has been "forced out of the final". and the mirror carry‘s quotes from the forward who says it hurts to miss the final. the cricket world cup starts a week tomorrow, england are playing at home, they're the favourites and one former captain says the tournament is theirs to lose. michael vaughan says england have never had a better chance to win the world cup. they've made some tough decisions in their 15—man squad, bringing in the exciting fast bowler joffra archer ahead of others with more experience.

they start against south africa at the oval. and i'm delighted to say that i'm joined by the former england captain andrew strauss. we will talk about the cricket in a moment, but you have set up the ruth strauss mac foundation in honour of your wife, ruth. you have been away from the spotlight dealing with the aftermath of losing ruth, but in the last few months, you have set up this foundation in her memory, what is it for? yes, so, ruth strauss foundation had a year—long battle with a rare form of lung cancer —— ruth had. it is contracted by people who tend to be younger, more likely to bea who tend to be younger, more likely to be a woman and people who have never smoked. so we had to deal with that, she was diagnosed at stage four, so we knew that she was only

with us for a certain length of time and we had to get our self prepared for that. and also in the aftermath of her death, ijust felt really strongly that we had to use our experience as a force for good. and the ruth strauss foundation, the focuses to do research into these rare forms of lung cancer, no one knows why people get them. and so often, they are diagnosed in late stage. secondly, to offer the right to psychological and emotional support for patients and their families as they go through the journey, including the bereavement stuff for family members and children in particular, which we have been very lucky to have great supporting but it is not easy, it is a tough thing. the interesting thing is you are now basically, you seem to me like you are acting out something that she planted the seed for, i guess. 10096, yes, we had conversations about what foundation might do and what it should focus

on. ruth talked about, she did not wa nt on. ruth talked about, she did not want death to be a tibia, she wanted to do death well, which is not easy to do death well, which is not easy to do death well, which is not easy to do and it took incredible bravery and courage to take that on until it in the face and go, i need to prepare my family for this. but in order to do that, you do need help, and if it is professional help, that can really smooth the path for you. so we wanted to provide that for other people going through the same thing. provide research into these rare forms of lung cancer. and hopefully, by doing that, we will get something positive out of what has been a very harrowing experience for us as a family. i'm sure even talking about it, people watching at home will gain something from even being able to talk about your experiences. through this really terribly difficult time. but of course, your whole career was put on hold, wasn't it, while this was

happening? we are now looking forward to a cricket world cup, i know you are still working a bit with the ecb and england are the favourites. we heard yesterday about jofra archer making it into the team had of others. what is your take on that? he is in the top 15 players in the country, no doubt about that, he is an incredibly exciting young guy and we are a better team for having him on it so it is a no—brainer. i am really excited about seeing him in action. he has done it in the ipl and big events before and now he has and big events before and now he has a chance to do it in the world cup. it is so exciting for england to go into a world cup as favourites. the two i played on, i don't know what the opposite of a favourite is, but we we re the opposite of a favourite is, but we were that! so we go on home soil with home advantage and hopefully, the guys can do it, and if they do, it will create such an incredible moment for the sport in this country and momentum and interest. i don't wa nt to and momentum and interest. i don't want to put him under pressure, but we will never have a better chance.

when you look at the team, it is an interesting and diverse mix of people from different places, that must give you real hope for the future of cricket in this country. yes, and not just future of cricket in this country. yes, and notjust that, playing a brand of cricket bat is genuinely exciting, taking the game to the opposition. not very english, have a go and put the opposition under pressure. that resonates with people, people like to see teams that have a go and eoin morgan has done a greatjob and trevor baylis. and as you say, some really fantastic characters, who i think bring out the great thing about cricket which is that you have these different people coming together, different people coming together, different talents and personalities, and hopefully do something incredibly special together. and you, it is lovely to see you, andrew strauss. thank you forjoining us. that's all the sport for now. more from the bbc sport centre at 11:15. sally, thank you very much.

the energy regulator 0fgem has imposed its biggest ever penalty on one of the country's leading gas transmission companies over failings to customers. cadent, which is part—owned by the national grid, was fined £24 million and ordered to invest another £20 million in a community fund. the company's shortcomings included losing the records of customers in 775 high—rise buildings. a group of mps say funding for bus services in england should be overhauled. the report from the transport select committee points out that buses are the most—used form of public transport, and calls it ‘strange' that there's no long—term funding plan for them. the government says they've increased funding to local councils, to help them meet people's transport needs. best known for her lead part in ‘bridgetjones‘s diary‘, renee zellweger‘s latest role is about as far away from that as you can get. she stars as a ruthless and powerful investor in the new netflix thriller series ‘what if?‘. 0ur correspondent sophie long went to meet her in los angeles ahead of the premiere.

music plays i‘d have brought it over to you. i don't like to drink alone. she‘s kept an ultra—low profile for the past few years, but now the oscar—winning actress is steaming back onto our screens with her own streaming series. i won't tell if you won't. i‘ve never gotten to do a project like this before, you know. itjust looked like a lot of fun to do something that‘s set in this tone, that‘s heightened reality, and where this character is so audacious and outrageous. itjust seemed like a treat. are you two planning on having children? someday. it‘s a gender—stereotype—busting take on indecent proposal. to obtain elite success, her character tells us in the opening scenes, you must be willing to make the hard choices, do unpleasant things — just the kind of thing the me too movement in hollywood has sought to stamp out. you‘re an elite performer

and at the top of your game, how much did you think along the way about difficult choices and indecent proposals? not at all. not even a little bit. no, it‘sjust, you know... you try and make the best decision in the moment. and see what feels true. i mean, i have no interest in compromising myself ethically for a job. it‘s a big year for renee zellweger. i hear you‘ve just celebrated a big birthday. congratulations. thank you very much. woohoo! still here. things are going according to plan! # somewhere over the rainbow... she‘s just turned 50 and there‘s already a growing buzz around her powerful performance asjudy garland in the biopic that charts the final tragic year of the troubled hollywood legend‘s life. it was a very, very special experience, going to work every day with magnificent crew and everyone motivated by the same things,

this love forjudy garland and what she meant to them, and it sort of became this love letter. how different would you say that the hollywood you‘ve risen up through was to the one that she operated in? big changes happening now. which were inevitable, i suppose, as younger generations of women are coming up. and it was normal for them to assume that they could rise to the top of their games and to ask questions that, i don‘t know, didn‘t seem obvious to maybe my generation, or maybe we were beginning to ask the question, but it didn‘t occur to us to sort of bust through and just point at the thing that was wrong and say, "why are we accepting these things? this is ridiculous." and ifeel like it‘s changing at an accelerated pace now, and i‘m glad. it‘s time. the character you are

playing in what if? is a super—sexy, dark, ice—cool, kind of the opposite, really, to the character that people will forever hold you in their hearts across the united kingdom — bridgetjones. will we ever see bridgetjones again? oh, i hope so. i don‘t know. i‘m not being cagey, i promise. i don‘t know. i know that helen‘s written a book, so maybe, i guess there is a possibility. but nobody tells me, i‘m the last to know. i don‘t know. but i hope so. let‘s check up the weather now with simon king. a lot of sunshine now and spectacular cloud. this is a mock son, atmospheric uptick going on widely across england and where is at the moment.

this is the satellite imagery, cloud across north wales through the southern portions of non—thin england towards lincolnshire and cloud across the far north of scotland, bringing heavy rain. it will stay quite wet across the north of scotla nd will stay quite wet across the north of scotland during this afternoon, quite breezy conditions as well. still some cloud and showers in north wales and parts of northern england and showers to the south east later into the evening, but for most, it is dry and sunny and warm. temperatures up to 21, 20 2 degrees, but chilly in the far north of scotland. tonight, that rain will continue in the north east. accompanied by a strong north—westerly wind. elsewhere, some clear spells, temperatures down to seven, nine, maybe 10 celsius. 0n thursday, a little dry across scotland, but still showers feeding into the far north east of scotland. elsewhere, a bit more cloud in northern ireland. perhaps more cloud

across england and wales compared to today. but still warm sunshine to be found throughout thursday. temperatures up to 23 degrees in the south east. but again, 11 or 12 degrees in the far north of scotland where it is breezy and pretty wet. into friday, this area of low pressure is the culprit for the wet weather in the far north east. a number of weak weather systems moving into the uk, bringing more cloud on friday. a few showers developing across england and wales. but the rain gradually clears a north east scotland so it will be drier here, but generally a cloudy day for many others on friday and those temperatures still round the mid—to—high teens and into the low 20s. into the bank holiday weekend, defend, where you notice we start to see a few weather systems from the west. that brings unsettled conditions into the weekend, particularly during sunday. it is not a wash—out, plenty of beautiful weather over the bank holiday

weekend. some sunshine, but also rain, particularly in northern areas. temperatures generally in the high teens, low 20s, but it cools down a little into the bank holiday monday. but overall, it is not too bad, goodbye.

hello, it‘s wednesday, it‘s 10 o‘clock, i‘m victoria derbyshire. it was an attempt to please everyone that seems to be pleasing no—one. theresa may will make the case for her new brexit deal in parliament later today but mps already say it‘s heading for defeat. i think the sensible thing would be for her to admit defeat and not actually put it to a vote. she is making a statement to parliament this afternoon and she could use that to make it clear because this is going absolutely nowhere. protests by some parents and religious groups who object to school lessons about gay and lesbian relationships continue,