president trump has stepped up his furious attacks on the democrats running the impeachment inquiry. he lashed out at adam schiff — chairman of the house intelligence committee — calling him a low—life who should be investigated for treason. mr schiff said the trump administration was trying to frustrate the investigation. there's been a cautious response from the eu, after the british government delivered its new brexit proposals. prime minister boris johnson insisted they were the only alternative to no deal. the european commission president, jean—claude juncker, said there were positive elements, but also problematic ones. at least seven people have been killed after a vintage world war ii bomber crashed in the us state of connecticut. the boeing b17, dubbed the "flying fortress", was trying to make an emergency landing at bradley international airport, between boston and new york.

you are up—to—date on the headlines. now on bbc news: wednesday in parliament. hello again, and welcome to wednesday in parliament. in this programme: prime minister's questions — with a difference. isn't this a government letting women down? i would say to the honourable lady on the side of the house, we are proud to be on our second female prime minister. an mp shares her own experience of domestic abuse. being yelled at in the car with the windows that, no attempts to hide behaviour during constituency engagements, humiliation and embarrassment now added to permanent trepidation and constant hurt and pain. and a familiar face makes

a commons comeback. i am pleased that my first speech on my return to the backbenches should be on this topic, a topic on which i have worked both in opposition and in government. more from her later. but first: wednesday means prime minister's questions. but this week without the prime minister. the foreign secretary, dominic raab, stood in for him, wearing his "first secretary of state" hat — and explained why. thank you, mr speaker. i have been asked to reply — my right honourable friend, the prime minister, is in manchester for the conservative party conference. he is making, as we speak, the keynote speech setting up how we will leave the eu on the 31st of october so that we can get on with our dynamic domestic agenda. standing in forjeremy corbyn, diane abbott. last week, my honourable friend, the member for dewsbury, raised the very specific issue of how many, after hundreds of abusive and violent messages she receives, used the prime minister's own words. the prime minister dismissed these

concerns as simply humbug. since that exchange, my honourable friend has received four further death threats. some again quoting the prime minister's words. death threats and abuse is something that women across this house experience. will the foreign secretary take the time out to apologise on behalf of the prime minister for his initial dismissive response? she raises the increasing level of online and wider abuse that politicians get on all sides of this house and i think we should come together to be clear, there must be zero tolerance for any abuse or any threat and can i also say i found the level of abuse that the honourable lady has received online to be totally disgusting and totally unacceptable. at the same time, and i'm sure as a passionate champion of free speech, she will defend our right in this house to defend the issues of substance.

the remarks that the prime minister made were aimed at in the suggestion that he couldn't describe the surrender act in such terms. it is absolutely clear... it is absolutely clear, given the substance of the legislation, that it would achieve that and undermine the ability of the government to go and get a deal in the eu which on all sides we want to achieve. so we can take it there is no apology from the foreign secretary. i raised a very specific point that the member of dewsbury raised about the abuse she gets using the prime minister's own language. mr speaker, deliberately disturbing billboards showing unborn foetuses have been put up in the london borough. they are upsetting the women walking past, but particularly upsetting for the member for waltham stowe because these billboards are targeted at her in response to her work to decriminalise abortion in northern ireland.

abortion in northern ireland should be decriminalised on the 21st of october. what will the foreign secretary do to ensure that from later on this month, women in northern ireland will have the same human rights to legal and safe abortion as women in england, wales and scotland 7 can i say to the honourable lady, she has referred to the other honourable member and the abuse she received, that i and all members of the house believe it is totally unacceptable. there is a place for free speech but we should never allow that to cross over into abuse or intimidation or harassment. while all honourable members on all sides of the house going about their business. the most important thing we can do on a specific issue she addresses is get the institutions in northern ireland back up and running so they can exercise their prerogatives on behalf of the people of northern ireland.

diane abbott went on to ask about the impact of benefit changes on women and accuse ministers of not doing enough to help those affected by the collapse of thomas cook. whether it is women members in this house, women claiming benefits, women's reproductive rights in northern ireland, and the failure to support women workers at thomas cook, isn't this government letting women down? i would say to the honourable lady on this side of the house, we are proud to be on our second female prime minister. labour mps pointed out that the conservatives had now moved on from theresa may. the labour front bench are pointing to my honourable friend. i would like to take the opportunity to pay tribute to the honourable member. for her accomplishments in tackling human trafficking, for her accomplishments and drive in tackling violence against women and for the domestic violence bill

that we'll be introducing in this house today for further debates. it seems to me that tory members of parliament may on occasion make women their leaders, but they need to learn... they need to learn how to treat them less cruelly. the snp leader returned to brexit — and appealed to other opposition mps to help topple borisjohnson. other parties need to step up at this moment of national crisis. prepare a vote of no—confidence. ensure a brexit extension. prevent a no—deal. and call a general election. doing nothing is not an option. we must act. so i ask the foreign secretary, will he give the prime minister a message from the scottish national party? it is not a case of if, but when. we will bring this dangerous government down!

i have to say to the honourable gentleman, he is at risk of sounding like he's all mouth and no trousers. laughter. because he had the chance to vote for a general election and he turned it down. he had the chance to avoid no deal and the best chance now is to back this government in securing a good deal, good for the united kingdom and good for all corners of the united kingdom, including the people of scotland. the longest—serving mp criticised the prime minister's speech — and wanted to see the details of his brexit plan. can the foreign secretary reassure me that, because it seems to me obvious otherwise, this is notjust a party political campaigning ploy to blame the european union for the lack of agreement, and to arouse fury between people and parliament so as to escape from the responsibility which seems to me to lie with the spartans in the far right of the party with whom he and the prime minister

used to be close allies. dominic raab said they'd be published later that afternoon. another former conservative minister asked about borisjohnson‘s controversial adviser, dominic cummings and a newspaper report that suggested anti—brexit mps had received foreign funding. how is it that the government is allowing special advisers at number 10 downing st, speaking on behalf of government, to tell outright lies? in this new government, advisers advise and ministers decide. in relation to the legislation, which we have rightly dubbed up the surrender act, it is right that it gets the kind of scrutiny that a government would get. whether it is the scrutiny from the executive, parliamentary select committees in this house or indeed the declaration's own interest that should come forward in a normal way. dominic raab. a labour mp has made a powerful and emotional speech

about her experience of domestic abuse. rosie duffield spoke out during the first debate on the domestic abuse bill, which provides the first legal definition of domestic abuse. she said it had "many faces" and sometimes there were no bruises. and at the start of the relationship — she said — abusers didn't present their rage. they don't threaten, criticise, control, or exert their physical activity in frightening ways. not yet. not at the start. not when they think you are sweet, funny and gorgeous. not when they want to impress you. not when they turn up to the third date with chocolate, then jewellery. not when they meet your friends, your parents, or the leader of your political party. they don't do any of that then. it is only later when the door to your home is locked. only then do you really start to learn what power and control looks and feels like. it is when the ring is on your finger that the mask starts to slip

and the promises sound increasingly like threats. it is then you can spend all day after 12 or more hours at work longing to see the person you love, then only to find that on the walk orjourney home they refuse to speak a single solitary word to you. eventually, at home, they will find a way to let you know which particular sin you have apparently committed. your dress was too short. the top you wore in the chamber was too low. or you didn't respond to a message immediately. she talked about the slow disappearance of any kindness, respect or loving behaviour. every day is emotionally exhausting. working in a job that you love, but putting on a brave face and pretending all is good, fine, wonderful in fact. then the pretence and the public face start to drop completely. being yelled at in the car with the windows down. no attempts to hide behaviour during constituency engagements.

humiliation and embarrassment now added to permanent trepidation and constant hurt and pain. impossible to comprehend this is the person who tells his family how much he loves you and longs to make you his wife. eventually, she took his keys and changed the locks. the next few days and weeks were a total hell. text and calls yelling that, "you have locked me out like a dog. nobody treats me that way. this is the last thing you will ever do." you cry, you grieve for your destroyed dreams, you try to heal, you ignore the e—mails from wedding companies. but it is like withdrawal. and it takes six months. but one day, you notice that you are smiling, that it is ok to laugh, and it is a week or two since the daily sobbing stopped. so if anybody is watching and needs a friend, please reach out if it is safe to do so and please talk to any of us because we are here and will hold your hand.

the domestic abuse bill introduces domestic abuse protection orders, which would allow police and courts to intervene earlier where abuse is suspected. and the legislation will also stop abusers cross—examining their victim in court. this bill puts victims and the needs of victims front and centre, by providing additional protections, strengthening the response of agencies, and amplifying the voice of victims. because we are determined to ensure that victims feel safe, and supported, both in seeking help and in the rebuilding of their life. the bill is supported by all parties. we must all commit to making the changes, finding the services, and reducing the tragic consequences we are currently witnessing. we desperately need this legislation

to be comprehensive, robust, and fully funded so that we can start punishing the perpetrators and prioritising the victims. this bill will go down in history as a landmark piece of legislation. let's make it a bill that we can all be proud of. making her first speech since returning to the backbenches was theresa may, who initiated the legislation. she said it would change lives. i remember as home secretary initiating a campaign of advertisements about what a good relationship was. and the saddest thing was reading some of the comments that the young people, particularly young women, made when they had seen those adverts in cinemas and elsewhere. comments like, "i didn't know it was wrong for him to hit me." this is the sadness in our society, of so many people who don't know what a good relationship is, and who suffer from that bad

relationship, and who suffer in silence, for too many as we have heard for many years suffer in silence before any action is taken. theresa may. you're watching wednesday in parliament with me, david cornock. still to come — mps mark black history month. details of the prime minister's "final offer" to the eu on brexit came too late for mps to assess them during prime minister's questions. but they were published just in time for peers to consider them during a scheduled debate on brexit. under the plan, northern ireland would essentially stay in the european single market for goods, and be subject to some eu rules, but leave the customs union. the northern ireland assembly — which has been suspended since 2017 — would have to approve the arrangements first and be able to vote every four years on whether to keep them.

together these proposals respect the decision taken by the people of the uk to leave the eu while dealing pragmatically with decision‘s consequences in northern ireland and in ireland. together we believe that they will allow us to reach agreement with the eu under article 50 and deal the eu with a deal that both respects the referendum results and provides a strong platform for our future relationship. it is telling that this statement is released just as the conservative party conference comes to an end. the result of that no doubt was the prime minister did not have to debate its contents or merits with the conference itself which might have been a difficult job for him but it means that we and the other place have less time to deal with it. if one looks for the suggestion that it provides for the potential creation of an all island regulatory elite zone on the island of ireland, and it might appear that the government is attempting to get around the water problem by giving to borders and maybe that is why the prime minister seems to want to have an idea

of a bridge between scotland and northern ireland and a regulatory checkpoint halfway across. one whitehall veteran — a former cabinet secretary — questioned whether the government would meet its deadline to leave by the end of the month. the prospects of reaching an agreement on all the necessary details by october the 31st let alone october the 17th are so remote as to be impracticable. lord butler. as we saw earlier during prime minister's questions, a labour mp has been targeted by anti—abortion campaigners in her constituency. stella creasy, who has played a key role in liberalising northern ireland's abortion laws, told the speaker she'd suffered abuse because of her views. from turning up in our town centre

with a 20 foot banner of my head next to the image of a dead baby or about the age of the baby i'm currently carrying myself proclaiming i am working hard to achieve such an outcome and buying clear channel billboards advertising in my constituency showing graphic and incorrect pictures of foetuses and labelling me on national radio, and any campaign designed to target me as being a hypocrite for being pregnant. she said the campaigners had made their point — and she'd asked them not to continue. despite this they have already stated they will keep returning and targeting me until i stopped campaigning. already i have received numerous threats and abusive messages with directly quote their material. as you expect mr speaker i have sought police assistant against harassment, but none has been given including from the parliamentary authorities although khan and others have been fantastic i have eyes. i hope ministers will look on kindly

to recognise this form of abuse. as i have said to believe it is not my time you're going to rip waste, but this type of campaigning into our politics, they say they are going to extend their protest to other mps and are clearly debating mac influencing debate in this place because some in this chamber had said that i wish to kill babies. stella creasy looked directly at the democratic unionist benches when she said she'd been accused of "wishing to kill babies". there was no reaction from dup mps. john bercow said the question of the organisation's funding was not a matterfor him. but he had strong words on what was happening to the mp. there is a major difference and it is important that we should be clear about this, between putting a point of view with considerable force and insistence on the matter of abortion or any other

matter of public dispute, on the one hand and putting it in a extreme and provocative terms and in doing so we will go on doing so until you stop exercising your right as a member of parliament to campaign for what you want. get into our intimidation and our threats and our bullying or it will be the worse for you. that, to mean colleagues, i hope i carry the support of the majority of the house and saying this, is unacceptable. having discussed this matterjust this morning with the honourable lady the government is similarly concerned about the nature of the campaign against her and indeed my honourable friend on the treasury bench who the treasury minister has already communicated her concerns

to her department but my right arm over in the home secretary has already offered to meet the honourable lady and we take the allegations very seriously. as someone who sits on the opposite side of the debate in the divorce and debate, can i express my solidarity with her that the abuse and billboards did nothing to further the abortion debate, it is a personal issue and we should use this place as a forum for debate they do it in a constructive and collaborative manner and i want to echo that they do not speak to all of us who may have a differing view on the abortion debate. many community pharmacies are facing "unbearable financial pressure" because of cuts to government funding and medicine shortages. that was the view of a labour mp, who worked in a pharmacy as a teenager. a health minister admitted

that the last three years had been "challenging" but hoped a new contract with pharmacies, agreed this week, would benefit the sector. between the ages of 14 and 18 at work and a local chemist shop two evenings a week and some saturday mornings and was the first job responsibilities of restocking shelves, meeting and greeting customers and patients were not always well for a variety of different reasons. i loved it because it was never a bill moment in a pharmacy. i remember a frantic mother handed me something and someone asking me to run up pregnancy test on eight cough medicine bottle before discreetly telling me it was year—end. but it was exactly what it said on the ten, a community pharmacy and the whole community will walk through the door is for advice, medication and reassurance. but she said pharmacies had been hit

by cuts starting in 2016. they are absorbing the cost of, it is a fatal blow to the service nationwide. and, she said, nationwide drug shortages were causing problems too. like many of my colleagues they are incredibly concerned about the impact of medicine shortages on both the nhs and patients themselves but is contributing to the mix of factors which are piling and unbearable financial pressure on to our local chemist shops and i hope this government has a plan to respond and keep effective community pharmacy is open. the government has talked about having people in this sector have talked about having 3000 fewer pharmacies and on half of local pharmacists and their patients i say this would be unacceptable and so we want clarity from government. a new five—year deal for pharmacies came into force on tuesday. the past three years and have been challenging

but there is a new pharmacy centre and i am continually inspired as everyone has been from the right honourable members experience of work experience by the passion and dedication and by the commitment from those who work in the nhs family. a new five—year deal for pharmacies came into force on tuesday. and there'd be an enhanced role for pharmacists. we are seeking to ensure there is a fairer system for reimbursement for pharmacy contractors and value for money for the nhs because i am sure all of us would agree that is the challenge that faces us the whole time, when people are suffering from minor conditions such as ear aches or sewer threats they need help advice and we want them to think pharmacy first. —— sore throats. as for drugs shortages, she said the department of health worked constantly to ensure a proper supply of medicine. now, this week's prime minister's questions was notable —

and notjust for the absence of the prime minister. diane abbott made history as the first black person to represent their party during pmqs. mr speaker, yesterday marked the start of black history month, so i will begin by paying tribute to a young woman already making history this month, dina asher—smith became the first british woman and 36 years to win a sprint metal, when she won silver at the 100 metres in delhi or. can i think the right honourable lady and my eagerness to get rights to the despatch box was only because it is fitting and black history month at the right honourable lady becomes the first black mp to take to the despatch box for pmds. to say that she has blazed a trail, she made it easier for others

to follow in her footsteps and that is something that i and every member can take pride and contribute to. may ijoin in the tributes paid to the right honourable lady on her historic achievement today. mr speaker, today marks the 150th birthday anniversary of mahatma ghandi and may my friend agree with me that his views are as applicable today as they were in his lifetime my honourable friend is absolutely right and i would go when forward and and martin luther king, i think on all sides of the house believe in a society that judges on the content of your character and not the colour of your skin. and that's the end of this wednesday in parliament. thank you for watching. i do hope you canjoin me again at the same time tomorrow when mps will have had their chance to assess the government's brexit proposals.

hello there. what a changeable week of weather it's been so far. if we look back to tuesday, a typical weather watcher looked somewhat like this — threatening—looking cloud, lots of heavy rain, a disappointing day. by wednesday, it was all change. gin—clear skies across much of the country, but a noticeable chill in the air. now, if we take a look at the satellite picture from wednesday, you can see how widespread the dry, sunny weather was. but you can also see the threatening—looking cloud behind me, a sign of what's to come into thursday. but clear skies by day at this time of year, well, they lead to chilly nights. so we're going to start off thursday morning with, yes, a chilly story. low single figures in a few places, and there could be a light frost. maybe some early morning mist and fog patches, as well. so we're in this cold air with this northerly flow, but not for long, because this deep area of low pressure sitting out in the atlantic drags up southerly winds and milder air as it moves across the country.

so storm lorenzo is going to continue to drift its way north, sitting to the west of the uk. it's still going to primarily interact with ireland, and yes, it is going to bring a spell of very heavy rain. orange warnings remain in force, with gusts of winds expected in excess of 80 mph here, and we're looking at huge storm surge too. but for northern ireland, western fringes of england and wales, we're looking at gale—force gusts of winds, 50—60 mph, and there will be some rain through northern ireland, wales and south—west england as we go through the day. elsewhere, the cloud thickening up. a little more in the way of hazy sunshine, highs of 11—17 degrees. now, that area of low pressure will continue to move its way steadily south and east across the country during friday, still bringing gale—force gusts of winds in excess of 50 mph, and it will bring with it a spell of wet weather for a time, before it gradually eases. top temperatures on friday of 10—17 celsius. now, as we move out of friday and into the weekend, things will stay relatively mild, but there's still further rain to come.

not too bad a start, however, to saturday morning. we've got this brief, transient ridge of high pressure continuing to build from the west, but it won't be long before this low starts to move in from the atlantic. again, plenty of isobars circulating around that area of low pressure. the strongest of the winds up into the north—west of the uk. so there will be a spell of wet weather around during saturday. heavy rain clearing its way east to showers on sunday. take care.

welcome to bbc news. i'm mike embley. our top stories: donald trump hits out at the democrats leading the impeachment inquiry, and has angry words for reporters at the white house. it is a whole hoax and you know who is playing into the hoax? people like you and the fake news media that we have in this country and i say, in many cases, the corrupt media. the british government publishes its new brexit plan. borisjohnson claims a deal could be done in days, but the early unofficial response from eu negotiators is not positive. at least seven people die as a vintage world war ii bomber crashes in connecticut. and, as the royal tour of southern africa ends, a row over media intrusion escalates. the duke and duchess of sussex sue a british newspaper.