this is bbc news. the headlines: president trump says he finds it ha rd to president trump says he finds it hard to believe that iran would have deliberately shut down an american surveillance drone. he says it was a bad mistake. iran claims it was targeted after violating iranians airspace. xijinping has been warmly welcomed and north korea. it is a first time a leader from beijing welcomed and north korea. it is a first time a leaderfrom beijing has visited north korea for 14 years. on the agenda nuclear weapons, sanctions and trade. the race to become britain's new prime minister is down to two men after drama in westminster. borisjohnson will go head—to—head with jeremy hunt with mrjohnson a favourite to win next month. those are the headlines.

now on bbc, thursday in parliament. hello, and welcome to thursday in parliament, where the government says it will appeal against a court ruling on arms sales to saudi arabia. labour says the government didn't check properly whether saudi led forces were ta rgetting civilians in yemen. that the government has failed to carry out such assessments is a matter i think of national shame. mps condemn the delay in bringing in a scheme designed to stop under 18s viewing pornographic websites. does not inspire confidence, which is externally serious, given that this is a matter about protecting children from harmful content. also on this programme: peers attempt to find out what's behind a recent increase in thefts of catalytic converters from cars.

and an mp reckons there's no need to walk by ahead of brexit. will my honourable friend confirm that my constituents in litchfield do not need to stock up with tins of spam or apricots in syrup? but first, the court of appeal has ordered the government to review the way it grants export licences for arms sales to saudi arabia after ruling the current procedures were unlawful. ministers are legally obliged to assess allegations of serious human rights violations before letting sales go ahead. in the case of saudi arabia's war in yemen, the judges said the government had "made no attempt to do so". in a commons statement, the international trade secretary, liam fox said the court had not ruled that the decisions were right or wrong only that the decision making process was flawed. we disagree with the judgment, and will seek permission to appeal. alongside this, we are carefully considering the implications

of the judgment for decision—making. while we do this, we will not grant any new licenses for export to saudi arabia and its coalition partners, which might be used in the conflict in yemen. as the court of appeal makes clear, different people may or may not approve the sale of arms to saudi arabia. the judicial review is not an appeal against the government's decisions on their merits. once again, madame deputy speaker, i would stress that this judgment is not about whether the government made the right or wrong decisions, but whether the decision—making process was rational. and the judgment emphasizes that there would not be only one answer on future risk, if historic violations were found to have taken place. in other words, changing the process set out by the court does not necessarily mean any of the decisions would be different. we are supposed to be the guardians of international humanitarian law. not the people found in breach of it.

the court of appeal's ruling today is a damning indictment of this government's handling of export licenses to the kingdom of saudi arabia. finding that they did not lawfully do so will stop indeed, the court found, and i quote, "the government made no concluded assessments of whether the saudi led coalition had committed violations of international humanitarian law in the past, during the yemen conflict, and made no attempt to do so". the secretary of state has tried to excuse himself by pleading that thisjudgment is not about whether the government has made the right or wrong decision, but whether the decision—making process was rational. surely even he must understand that if the decision process was not rational, then the government could have no confidence that it was correct. that the government has failed to carry out such assessments as a matter,

i think, of national shame. and the secretary of state's suggestion that there has been anxious scrutiny over these decisions, i'm afraid looks threadbare. that anxiety and anguish is as nothing compared to the civilians who have been on the receiving end of saudi armaments. since the war in yemen began. can i also note that that war, or since that war started, the uk has licensed some 4.7 billion worth of arms sales to saudi arabia. a conflict of course, which sees a death toll now approaching 100,000 people. the argument has been that all these investigations of breaches of international humanitarian law, it is wrong for britain on one side of the conflict to mark their own homework. it's essential that these breaches are looked at internationally

by an accepted, and impartial force, like the un. and if the government had heeded those warnings from of the house of commons, they would not be in the position they are in today. we all get e—mails from our constituents expressing concerns about the global arms trade. can my right honourable friend therefore assure me and my constituents that the uk does indeed have one of the most robust export regimes in the world, and does he share my wish that other countries shared that robust regime? i do indeed, madame deputy speaker, wish that more shared the criteria that we and our european partners operate in this particular field. the uk's significant levels of arms production and export is often justified by the need to protect jobs, and today, we have been told that there is a risk of terrorism if we don't export arms to this appalling regime. so rather than being complicit in killing almost 100,000 yemenis, if the government really wants

to protect jobs, reduce the risk of terrorism, and enhance the uk's reputation around the world, why not stop brexit? what an idiot. i've heard some really quite idiotic questions in my time in the house, madame deputy speaker, i think that one takes the biscuit. liam fox there. now an age check scheme designed to stop under 18s viewing pornographic websites has been delayed for a second time. it was supposed to introduced in april last year and is being be put off again for around six months. the new rules would require porn sites to verify the age of uk internet users who could face being blocked if they fail to comply. but questions remain over how the system will be enforced with concerns it could be circumvented. in a statement, the culture secretary admitted this fresh delay was due to a error by his department. the guidance on age verification arrangements sets out standards that companies need to comply with.

this should have been notified to the european union commission in line with the technical standards and regulations directive. and it was not. upon learning of this administrative oversight, i've instructed my department to notify this guidance to the eu, and the guidance in parliament, as soon as possible. however, i expect that this will result in a delay in the region of six months. he apologized for the delay, inside an investigation would be conducted to try to ensure such a mistake did not happen again. although my statement is an apology for delay, it is not a change of policy, or a lessening of this government's determination to bring these changes about. age verification for online pornography needs to happen, and i believe it is the clear will of the house, and those we represent that it should, and in the clear interests of our children, that it must. age verification was supposed to be introduced last april,

and it was delayed. then it was going to be introduced next month. today we hear it's going to be delayed again. the minister says he's regrets this, we do too, very much, because it's not good enough, it's not acceptable, and it is letting children down. she described the situation as being in shambles, and questioned whether the system would ever come into force or be effective. when this legislation was going through this place, labour raised serious concerns about whether the verification process was viable, whether it could work with very personal data being given over to commercial pornography sites. this delay shows we were right to be concerned. is he confident that this extremely sensitive personal data will be safe from leaks or hacks? media reports from earlier this year also show serious flaws in the system, with journalists able to create fake profiles that circumvented

age checks in minutes. is the secretary of state sure, when, if, this is finally introduced, it will actually work? i do not believe it is impossible to reconcile the important requirement that people's data and privacy is protected, along with equally important requirement that children are protected from material that they should not see. i believe it is perfectly feasible to do those two things in parallel, and that is what the approach we have taken seeks to do. will my right friend use this extra time to ensure that we get this measure right, because there are still concerns, both on grounds of freedom of speech, and privacy, and also the ease of which they can be circumvented by the use of vpns, and would he also raised similar concerns with the information commissioner to ensure that the age—appropriate design code is also got right, because it is much more important that it is properly designed then that it is dropped, rushed into place. does not inspire competence, which is extremely serious, given that this is a matter about protecting children from harmful content.

and another six to eight month delay is not acceptable. can he guarantee there will be no further slippage? we will do everything we can to ensure that there is no further slippage, and both my honourable friend and i will spend a good deal of time making sure that we have put in place the necessary measures to make sure that mistakes like this do not happen again. typing in a year of birth is not an acceptable form of security to attack children's innocence. parents demand, my constituents demand, that there must be greater verification, what does the minister's department believe can be done to enhance the verification process? what companies will need to do is more than that, and they will need to be aware of demonstrating, so they can be sure that someone is over 18 before having access to this material, and so that we as legislators can be sure that we are indeed taking every measure we can to keep young people away from material which will be harmful to them. jeremy wright. you're watching thursday in

parliament with me, alicia mccarthy. mps have again pressed the case of nazanin zaghari ratcliffe, the british iranian womanjailed in iran after being convicted of spying, which she denies. her husband, richard, has joined her on hunger strike in protest at her detainment. the conservative leadership frontrunner, boris johnson, has come under renewed pressure in recent days, over comments he made about the case when he was foreign secretary, when he wrongly said she was in iran teaching journalists. during the bbc leadership debate, he denied those remarks had an impact on her case. but the shadow leader of the commons disagreed. he has been careless with his words, he said they made no difference when he used them, when he spoke about zaghari ratcliffe, but they were used at her trial. he has put a woman's life at risk, and separated a family. nazanin, for the record, was on holiday visiting her parents. she's been injailfor three years. i met richard ratcliffe yesterday,

and other colleagues have visited him as well. and i would say this to the leader, could he raise this with the former foreign secretary, and the current foreign secretary about nazanin‘s case, and to send this message to the iranian government, that they should show the international community their seriousness, and free nazanin and reunite this family now. she made various very important points about mrs zaghari ratcliffe, who has now spent three years injail in iran, and i can assure her, whatever it may or may not have been said by others in the past, this government is working extremely hard to do whatever it possibly can to ensure her imminent release. richard ratcliffe, her husband is now on hunger strike outside the iranian embassy here in london to show solidarity with his wife, and the appalling conditions she's being held in.

mr ratcliffe's sister lives in newport west, my constituency, and is extreme concerned about the physical and mental health of both richard and nazanin. given that the previous foreign secretary made a bad situation worse with his comments on her detention, can the current foreign secretary come to the house to update us on the efforts being made to get nazanin back home as quickly as possible, to be reunited with her daughter and husband? well, mr speaker, i have already touched on the issue of mrs zaghari ratcliffe. and just repeat that it is totally unacceptable, that she should be held at the moment. we are engaged with the iranian government, i also respect the fact that her husband has entered into us, i think she has at the same time, a hungerstrike, and for that reason, and all the others of her detainment, we wish to see her released as quickly as possible. the prime minister, my right honourable friend, the prime minister, has raised mrs zaghari ratcliffe's case with president rouhani,

and we will continue to push diplomatically on this matter. mel stride. in the lords, peers have been trying to find out what's behind a recent increase in thefts of catalytic converters from vehicles. catalytic converters are part of a car's exhaust system that convert some of the pollutants into less harmful substances. they're relatively easy to remove from a vehicle and contain precious metals which means they can be expensive to replace. as one peer discovered to his cost. i should declare, my lords, at this point, that my interest was peaked when i was catalytically bereaved. laughter. actually, it is no laughing matter. it costs £2000 to replace a converter. some motorists have lost two, even three, and there is a gang going around armed with a metal bar to deter would—be people and stop them from their malfeasance. does the noble lady have any idea, perhaps from speaking

to the motoring manufacturers, how motorists can best protect their converters, mechanically, both now with present vehicles and ones in the future? i regret the noble lord's catalytic bereavement. it sounds unpleasant. lady barran offered some practical advice. installing what is known as a thatch on an approved alarm, which goes off if a vehicle is lifted or tilted. one can also buy protection devices for catalytic converters as a form of guard. there are marker systems and the police obviously advise parking in a well lit garage. does the minister agree that this is not a technical policing issue, at its root, it is a social one, and in particular with our prison system, which is not configured or resourced, to reprogram, educate and train our errant youngsters in order they can engage exclusively in the economic activity?

my noble friend speaks with great knowledge of the prison system and... laughter. can i clarify, not as i understand, from personal experience. and he makes a fair point, there are many reasons, many of them social reasons, behind crime, but i think of crime types, this is one where a technical solution is relevant. until probably three years ago, generally crime is coming down, one of the principal reasons was because of design. two things have happened, which is car design has not kept up with the thieves' ability to steal them, and neither has the ability of the car manufacturers to maintain the ability to stop catalytic

converters being removed and still be useful as converters or perhaps scrap metal, and surely that is where the government ought to aim its attention. lady barran said a vehicle crime task force would look at the issue. staying in the lords, peers also turned their attention to the tory leadership contest. and the brexit policies of the frontrunner, boris johnson. the liberal democrat spokesperson pointed out that backers of the former foreign secretary were supporting him on the basis of "we must leave the eu on october the 31st", but... during the debate on monday, the putitive future prime minister, borisjohnson, refused to give such an absolute guarantee. he thought that leaving on october 31 was only eminently feasible. could the noble lord the minister tell us the precisely what is the brexit policy of the person who looks likely to be the next prime minister? laughter. no.

laughter. i wish it was that funny. could the noble lord the minister undertake to explain to mrjohnson that if there is no deal, there will be no transition period? if he does nothing else, he will have earned his place here as a minister to take this message back because mrjohnson doesn't seem to understand. i'm fascinated by the degree to which the opposition want to comment on chservative leadership elections. i noticed the liberal democrats leadership election nobody is commenting on at the moment. laughter. i have had discussions, as have other ministerial colleagues, with a number of the candidates and we have had some fascinating discourse on the possible options for the new prime minister to take forward. but what about the option

theresa may wanted to take forward? can my noble friend tell us when the eu will take responsibility for half of this deal, which has been turned down by gigantic majorities in the house of commons? my noble friend is well aware that it was a deal that was agreed to jointly by the uk government and the eu, and of course any solution will also need to be agreed jointly. the noble lord in an early answer expressed some surprise at the interest that was being shown in the conservative party leadership. he will not be surprised, i am sure, to learn that the interest is because this is notjust an election for the conservative party leadership. it is an election to be the next prime minister. and could he therefore perhaps give a slightly better answer about what he anticipates in the policy of the upcoming prime minister to be? ok, i take the noble lady's point. i was being slightly facetious with my answer. of course there will be interest

of what the policy of the next prime minister is going to be, but i don't know who that person will be yet and therefore i don't know exactly what that policy will be. since however this house, even this house seems to be exhausted with this issue, and since discussions appear to be in limbo, what is the minister doing with his day? laughter. of course, answering questions from the noble lord this morning. my time is gainfully occupied. i was in portugal last week to sign a treaty on reciprocal voting rights to make sure the uk citizens in portugal and portuguese citizens in the uk are able to participate in local elections and we are pursuing a number of such

treaties, of course we are getting on with no deal preparation because as i have repeated many times, that remains the legal default. back in the commons, mps also had their eyes on the conservative leadership contest ahead of a final round of voting whittling down the contenders to the final two names which will be put to tory party members. michael gove, 75. jeremy hunt, 77. gasps. borisjohnson, 160. we therefore declare that jeremy hunt and borisjohnson are going forward to a vote of the qualifying membership of the conservative and unionist party. thank you very much. well, before that result came through, the snp‘s pete wishart was relieved the first phase of the contest the voting by conservative mps

was coming to an end. small mercies, mr speaker. at last, this is the last day of the contest to see who will be gobbed by the right honourable memberfor uxbridge. this has become like a sort of grotesque love island — without the love, without the entertainment, without the island. maybe it is just boris island. seriously i do not get the issue of racist rantings of the right honourable member for uxbridge being raised. if you say racist and unacceptable things, you have to be expected to be held account for them. i represent the most marginal snp tory constituency in the country, my leaflets are set to go. all it is is a picture of the right honourable gentleman for uxbridge with all his choice comments, with added quotes from ruth davison. scotland just will not take to this appalling buffoonery and reasonable scot tory voters in scotland will be deserting them in droves. the leader of the commons didn't reply to that. a lib dem turned to brexit. he cited a recent yougov survey which suggested around 60% said they'd be willing to pay for brexit with the break—up of

the united kingdom. he will know that a majority of conservative party members are willing to see their party destroyed and the uk broken up in order to secure brexit. it also seems that defaulting on our debts, like argentina did, is also the preferred course of action, so can we have that debate and can we also debate at the same time the damage that no deal would do to the uk economy and the damage that a default on our debt would do to our international credibility? the leader of the commons, mel stride, replied simply that he was sure there'd be plenty of opportunities to debate brexit and he looked forward to tom brake‘s contributions. finally, there's no need for consumers to stock up on spam or tinned fruit in readiness for the uk leaving the eu without a deal, that's according to the environment minister. the minister said the government had been getting ready for no deal. and had a high level of "food security". the government has been taking extensive work to prepare for a no deal scenario for the last two years, to ensure that trade

continues to operate smoothly from the day we leave. we have long established relationships with industry, and we are working closely with key stakeholders to prepare for all scenarios. the uk has a high level of food security built on diverse resources and this will continually be the case when we leave the eu. in reality, onlyjust over half of the food we eat is made in britain, with over a third coming from the eu. why then when the food and drink federation have predicted after a no—deal brexit, fresh fruit and veg will run after two weeks, are the remaining contenders in the tory leadership battle continuing to entertain this damaging prospect? isn't scurvy back on our streets more important than the whims of fundamentalist party members? i think she has ruined a perfectly reasonable question by exaggerating. of course, we have been preparing for every eventuality. as we said already, a deal is the best outcome. we all have a responsibility

to deliver that. we are preparing for all outcomes. will my honourable friend confirm that my constituents in litchfield do not need to stock up with tins of spam, or apricots in syrup? laughter. we are not going to endorse any particular brand here i have to say. but it is important to note that we have a rich and diverse source of food and that will continue when we leave the eu. david rutley, not off to the wholesaler any time soon. and that's it for now but do join me on bbc parliament on friday night at 11 for our round up of the week whenjohn bercow marked a decade as commons speaker. i'll be talking to two experts about his time in the chair. but for now from me, alicia mccarthy, goodbye.

hello there. well, you may have already heard that temperatures are on the rise this weekend. certainly to next week, it could be that some areas become quite hot indeed, but we'll see an increase of thundery downpours too. more on that in just a moment. the here and now, friday is looking like being another one of sunny spells and scattered showers, although most of the showers will be across the northern half of the country, closer to low pressure anchored to the north of scotland. so we start early friday with a few showers across scotland, northern ireland and the far north of england. further south mainly dry with some early sunshine around. it'll be quite nippy out there first thing. high pressure is going to be building up from the south as we head through the course of today. there's that low pressure system. this weather front affecting mainly scotland and the isobars a bit closer together here. so more of a breeze blowing in from the west or the north—west. some of the showers fairly heavy and frequent through the morning. but they will tend to become fewer as we head on into the afternoon, and that goes for northern ireland and the far north of england.

but further south, actually a dry day in store. some good sunny spells around. lighter winds too so it will feel a little bit warmer — 20 or 21 degrees in the south—east. still in the midteens for the north. as we head on into friday night, early saturday, that area of high—pressure continues to exert its force across the country. kills off most of the showers and the winds turning lighter. there'll be clear skies. one or two mist and fog patches, otherwise for most, a fine start to saturday but again fairly nippy. as we head on into the weekend, we start to draw up some very warm air from the near continent thanks to high pressure and we should see a lot of dry weather so actually quite a good—looking weekend on the whole. saturday, here it is then, lots of sunshine up and down the country. south or south—easterly winds. a bit of fairweather cloud tend to build up through the day. but most places should stay dry. it will feel a bit warmer — those temperatures into the low 20s celsius across the south, maybe a degree or so warmer further north. so i'll show you the pressure charts as we head through the weekend: high—pressure dominates for most,

bringing this warm south—easterly across the country. but we've got low pressure to the south—west trying to move into western areas and all that will do is destabilise the atmosphere here so we will see increasing chance of showers or maybe even some thundery rain. but for much of the country, on sunday it looks fine again, with some lengthy spells of sunshine drawing up some really warm and humid air from the near continent. temperatures might reach the mid 20s celsius across the south. but across the board you can see, it going to be warmer temperatures. central scotland, for example, in the low 20s. but like i mentioned, with that area of low pressure trying to move in the chance of thundery downpours increases from sunday onwards so stay tuned to the forecast.

welcome to bbc news. i'm reged ahmad. our top stories: president trump says iran made a big mistake in shooting down a us drone but also appears to dial down tensions too. protest in the georgian capital after the visit from a russian mp. then there were two — boris johnson wil face jeremy hunt in the battle to be britain's new prime minister. and a study on money and morality. hello, and welcome.