the white house has officially refused to co—operate with the impeachment inquiry against president donald trump. in a letter sent to democratic party leaders, it rejected the inquiry as "baseless" and "constitutionally invalid". the "constitutionally invalid". trump administration har refused the trump administration has already refused a key figure to appear as a witness, three democratic house committees are investigating the president. as the eu accuses britain of playing a blame game over brexit, ireland's prime minister leo varadkar says he'll work until the very last moment to try to secure a deal by next week, but not at any cost. turkey has boosted its military positions on the border with syria after saying it's ready for a long—threatened operation that could target kurdish forces long allied to the us. the us has begun withdrawing troops from the region.

you are up—to—date with the headlines. now it's time for a look back at the day in parliament. hello, and welcome to tuesday in parliament. the main news from westminster. the government insists it's still trying to reach a deal with the eu and accuses the labour party of holding things up. faced with a delaying, disruptive and denying tactics of the opposition, we say on behalf of the 17.4 million, enough, enough, enough we need to leave. there's irritation over the disruption at westminster caused by the climate change protests. it seems to me that the demonstrators are already in control of the police.

and when is that going to change we are going to have sensible methods of getting into our work and carrying on the democratic process in this building? and as parliament is suspended, one mp hopes there won't be a repeat of the angry scenes at the last prorogation ceremony. i sat here and in the end, walked out so disgusted to have members opposite on their feet screaming shame at members, pointing, jabbing their fingers, some awful hand gestures in the direction of... but first, during the course of the day, it looked as if the chances of the uk reaching a brexit deal with the european union were fading away. after borisjohnson had a phone call with the german chancellor, angela merkel, an unnamed source at number 10 downing street reported that a deal was "essentially impossible". it so happened that the government also released a report on preparations for leaving the eu without a deal. in a statement to mps, michael gove explained that it set out the government's top priority — maintaining the smooth and efficient flow of goods and people from the uk

into the eu and vice versa. in the meantime, mr gove insisted a deal was still possible. it is the strong desire of this government to leave the eu with a deal, and our proposals to replace the backstop were published last week. i commend the prime minister and the expert secretary —— exit secretary for the continued efforts to ensure that we can leave the eu with a withdrawal agreement in place. we have put forward a fair and reasonable compromise for all sides that respects the result and we hope that you will engage with us seriously. in setting out these proposals we have moved and it's time for the eu to move as well. if it does, there is still every chance that we can leave with a new deal. however, if the eu does not move, this government is prepared to leave without a deal on the 31st. of course, no deal will bring challenges. i have been open about that today

as i have been in the past. it's not my preferred outcome, nor the government's. we want a good deal, but whatever challenges no deal may create in the short term, and their significance, these can and will be overcome. the prime minister should be here. talks with the eu are collapsing as we speak, the proposals the government put forward last week were never going to work and instead of reacting to challenge by adapting the proposals, the government is intent are collapsing talks and engaging in a reckless blame game, and working people will play the price. the prime minister should be here to account for his actions. mr speaker, it's no good pretending that the pros proposals put forward would work. that simply is not going to wash. you cannot take the uk and northern ireland out of the customs union and avoid customs checks. and you cannot have checks without infrastructure and northern ireland. the government knows that.

michael gove stuck to his guns. we, in this government have compromised, we in this government are showing flexibility, we in this government seek not to leave without a deal, but faced with a delaying, disruptive and denying tactics of the opposition we say on behalf of the 17.4 million, enough, enough, enough, we need to leave it. to be in the middle of this political crisis, what we have is a pathetic masquerade of this government pretending they are arranging our departure from the european union when everyone knows that there is no agreement as to how that departure will take place, and without an agreement there is simply not possible to plan in a proper way how it would take place. and the responsibility of that is entirely of this government's own making. a mixture of its bellicose intransigence in negotiations and arrogant contempt to try to establish a political

majority in this chamber and using the brexit vote for its own narrow political ends. i know the honourable gentlemen used to be the provider of a comedy club in scotland which is why i thought he was trying his hand at some dadaist and surrealist comedy when he accused his party of trying to establish a majority for political purposes in the house of commons. that's scottish national party policy — trying to establish a batch majority for blatantly political purposes. it's been reported that an adviser to the prime minister said the uk could threaten to withdraw security cooperation. yvette cooper was appalled. will he and the prime minister take some responsibility for removing anyone who pursues that course and argument from number 10 downing street, because frankly when national security is at stake we desperately need some advisers, some ministers and a prime minister who are capable of behaving like grown—ups.

hear, hear! the prime minister and his government will never be forgotten orforgiven for undermining the belfast good friday agreement which has guaranteed peace and stability for all of us, for the 21 years since it was signed. that agreement was endorsed in two referendums, one in northern ireland in one of the republic of ireland. thousands upon thousands and thousands of people voted for those in those two referendums for the agreement. when is the prime minister going to feel honour—bound to respect these referendums? there was a short, sharp question from a former conservative cabinet minister. is he proud of the tone and character of quasi—official briefings and language coming out of number 10, does he think that it's helpful? mr gove replied that it was important for everyone in public life to use language that showed

respect for different points of view. her majesty's revenue and customs has also released a report about the impact of a no—deal brexit on british businesses. the shadow chancellor, john mcdonnell, thought it contained some worrying figures. the government's own assessment shows that a no—deal brexit policy will introduce, and i quote from the assessment, "significant ongoing administrative costs impacting on the uk and eu businesses of all sectors." it's — mr speaker, it's an avalanche of paperwork descending on british businesses in the form of import, export safety and security declarations. the burden will cost our business sector an annual £15 billion in administrative costs. but the minister said the cost would be half that amount. it is a long document, it's some 45 pages or so but i would hope the right honourable gentleman could have made it to page five of the document because he claims that the cost to produce distance

will be £15 billion, as it says perfectly clearly at the bottom, actually i'm sorry, page nine as i have it printed out, it says the latest estimate for annual administrative burden is £7.5 billion to reflect the 2019 data. i am in no sense happy about that. i am just correcting the record, mr speaker. he said £15 billion and the answer is £7.5 billion. it's of course prior to any mitigations that might be put in place by the government. the tariff system whereby 60% of our exports will now incur tariffs and that is going to be a real problem for our exporters and for our particularly ceramics,

in my own area, but for many other areas. what does he say to that? i think my friend is right to raise the concern that he does on behalf of his constituents. there's also a very substantial for services surplus to be run with the rest of the world and that will be unaffected by these declarations. in terms of the concerns that he has, that's true and that's what i hope very much the house will come together to support the government in procuring a deal to leave the eu. it was the second day of demonstrations around central london by extinction rebellion. the protestors, who are demanding urgent action to tackle climate change, have set up camp in westminster. several roads in the area were blocked, making it difficult for many people to get to work. at the start of each session of parliament, an order is passed stating that the police should ensure parliamentarians can get into the building to do theirjobs. it's usuallyjust a formality, but a conservative peer suggested that that requirement had not been met and criticised the metropolitan police. the failure of the commissioner to comply with that motion resulted in a number of disabled colleagues being unable to leave the house

yesterday because taxis and other vehicles were not able to come here and they were not able to walk the considerable distances in the rain. it resulted in a huge disruption to business, i ate in the restaurant last night where there was only one table at all the other tables had been cancelled. it resulted in congestion throughout the city adding to pollution. surely my noble friend needs to intervene, or is thisjust another example of the commissioner of the metropolitan police, cressida dick, doing her best and it not being good enough? can i say i empathize with most of what my noble friend has just said? in terms of the pollution he is absolutely right. the city of london is now gridlocked with nobody being able to get in or out. the effect on businesses, i think it's quite disgraceful.

particularly small businesses like restaurants, this morning going to the home office and i had to step over people to get in there. and i absolutely take his point about disabled members of this house and the other place, and it has been difficult enough when you are able—bodied to getting here, but never mind being disabled. there's something else i observed this morning which is that i took the bus in, and it was apparent that the bus could only get me to piccadilly circus, which is fine for me, because i can walk up but for people who cannot afford to take the tube they could actually be forced to take the two of this morning would not have gotten in. and that stands for disabled people. so i completely accept the point that he is taking or that he is making,

i know the police are in discussion and that half the sites have now been cleared, but we are endeavouring to clear out the other half. a former commons speaker, lady boothroyd — who was celebrating her 90th birthday — added her voice to the criticism. 0ver many years, i read out the session of orders which were accepted by the house at the beginning of every session. later that day it was always confirmed to me that they had been received by the police and they were understood and they were being carried out. i am not an anti—demonstrator, i can confess to you, my lordships, with pride as a young person i carried the banner at many demonstrations in central london. but in those days, the police were in control of me as a demonstrator. now it seems to me that the demonstrators are in control of the police. and when is that going to change or we have some sensible methods of getting into our work and carrying out the democratic process in this building? we are all glad this

is a peaceful demonstration. but it does make life very difficult for those of us who are disabled. but particularly, those members of this house who find walking very hard. at least we have wheels. could i ask the minister what advice she has for us for next week, particularly starting on monday, how are we going to get to the house to take part in debates on the queen's speech? the weather may turn very bad and if there are no cars to bring us here it may makes life very, very difficult. i understand that the protesters are not going to disrupt the queen's speech, it would be quite ironic if they did. given that she's arriving in a horse and cart and they're driving trucks to london. laughter

but she's getting here but a very green method indeed, of that we can be sure. she clarified that the queen, of course, doesn't turn up to parliament in a horse and cart, but in a horse—drawn carriage. we knew what she meant, though! you're watching tuesday in parliament with me, kristiina cooper. now, mps have accused donald trump of betraying the kurds after he decided to pull us forces out of north—eastern syria. it's feared that the president's move could open the way for turkey to launch an attack on kurdish fighters across the border. kurdish forces were key allies of the us in defeating so—called islamic state in syria. but turkey regards the militias as terrorists. the us position, including any movement of us troops, is of course a matter

for the us government. however, the us department of defense said in a statement yesterday that the us does not endorse a turkish operation in north—east syria. we have been consistently clear with turkey that unilateral military action must be avoided as it would destabilise the region and threaten efforts to secure the lasting defeat of daesh. daesh is another name for the so—called islamic state. mps reacted angrily to president trump's plan. the president's decision to remove us troops from northern syria goes against official and congressional advice, and will leave the syrian democratic forces exposed to the expected turkish offensive to establish a 30km safe zone in northern syria. these are the same kurdish forces who worked with us to defeat daesh. essentially, they were our boots on the ground. and now it seems we're turning our backs on them.

in answer to critics of his decision, donald trump said yesterday, and i quote, that "many people agree with it very strongly." and specifically, he said, "the uk is very thrilled at this decision." will the minister of state make it clear today that that is a lie? and can he explain what, if anything, the foreign secretary said yesterday to mike pompeo that might've given donald trump that impression? there is an old rule of middle east conflicts, mr speaker — that one way or another, the kurds will always get sold out. donald trump may be following that rule in the most brutal of fashions, but we must unite today, both here and at the united nations, and say that this time, we will not let it happen. in terms of the tweet, no idea where that came from. it certainly isn't based on the conversation that my right honourable friend had with secretary pompeo last night.

let me be quite clear — we would be opposed to any incursion by turkey into syria. one of my concerns, mr speaker, is what does this say about our commitment to allies in the future on uk foreign policy, when we are seeking those boots on the ground? donald trump's policy is ill—thought out, as one official described as a blatant betrayal. will the minister please assure me that our other allies in the region are being assured that the uk will not make a pattern of being fairweather friends, but will actually commit to our allies seriously and properly? i'm afraid the kurds are being stabbed in the back once again, as they have so many times in the past. to it —— and we do have a responsibility and we should stand up to it and we need to know what is going on day by day. we cannot wait for the queen's speech and all of that. we need to know what is happening today

and what the minister will be doing today. because otherwise, the kurds will be left to die, as they have so often in the past. i understand the right honourable lady's frustration, i really do. i think we need to be clear that we cannot act alone, we have to act with our partners — that is the reality. the kurds are not being stabbed in the back by the united kingdom. us actions obviously are a matter for the us. i hope in my remarks i have given my understanding of the extent and scope of what is in the president's head so far as i can. and it seems to me that some of the more exaggerated claims probably have been a little bit overdone. but she's right to say this is highly kinetic, and things change from moment to moment. and i rather suspect if things do change further, i'm going to be back in this place before too very long, mr speaker. the minister, andrew murrison. now, thejustice secretary has said

he'll take whatever steps he deems necessary to uphold the rule of law. robert buckland's vow followed reports that the attorney—general, geoffrey cox, has threatened to resign unless the prime minister seeks a brexit extension in accordance with a law — the benn act — designed to stop the uk leaving the eu without a deal. mr speaker, an independent judiciary is the cornerstone of our constitution and our democracy, and we are rightly proud of our world—class judiciary. and as lord chancellor, i've sworn an oath to defend their independence, and i take that extremely seriously. i will continue to defend their independence vigorously. mr speaker, i'm encouraged to hear that answer. that is why, thank god, we're not a totalitarian estate. could i ask the minister to share his thoughts — rather a scary bit of advice, this — with number ten, and perhaps mr dominic cummings? well, i think everybody, whichever part of government or indeed our country

they might come from, will probably be aware of my public pronouncements about this, and i will keep saying it again and again and again, as long as it is necessary to do so. what the deputy president of the supreme court and lord president of the court of sessions has pointed out that in the prorogation case, the supreme court justices were careful to explain in theirjudgement that they weren't pronouncing on political questions, and the issues with which they were dealing were issues of law. will he explain that to those in his party demanding a politicised appointment process for the judiciary? i'm grateful to the honourable and learned lady, and my remarks to the noble lord is one that i take with extreme gravity, bearing in mind his experience and knowledge. i think it always bears repeating that the judiciary are not motivated by political beliefs or motivations, and that case was no exception. and, frankly, i think the matter needs to have no further debate.

and if we ended up, mr speaker, in an american—style approval system, then i think we would all be the poorer for it. we've seen the justice secretary forced to take to twitter to defend the independent judiciary and the rule of law after recent briefings from number ten downing street. he may well have to do that again later today after this morning's headlines. the attorney—general has briefed the press that he will resign if the government refuses to adhere to the law, demanding an extension to rule out a no deal. would the justice secretary do the same? well, mr speaker, i hope that people — members in this house and elsewhere feel that i have done my duty and discharge the duties under my oath. and i will continue to do that, and i will take whatever step i deem necessary in order to make sure that i have

been true to that oath and true to the rule of law. and finally, it was prorogation day for parliament! you might remember the drama and chaos of the prorogation ceremony last month, when 0pposition mps heckled conservatives and tried to stop the speaker leaving his chair. there was even some singing! in the end, the supreme court ruled that the whole thing wasn't a proper prorogation at all. 0ne mp hoped there wouldn't be similar scenes on this occasion. we've just agreed to a prorogation, which will take place later this evening. ijust wonder if you could give us some guidance and assurance that this time, when we prorogue, members on this side will not be subjected to the sort of abuse we were subjected to at the last prorogation ceremony? i sat here and, in the end, walked out, so disgusted to have members opposite on their feet, screaming "shame" at members, pointing, jabbing theirfingers — some awful hand gestures, i assume, at the direction of black rod as she approached, and foul language besides.

now, perhaps people haven't had so much to drink this time, and it won't be at 1am in the morning. but we were offered no protection on that day from the chair. so, can you assure us, if we see the same sort of bullying and hectering behaviour this evening, we will be protected by the chair this time? the previous prorogation was unlawful. this prorogation is not unlawful. well, i thank the honourable lady for that point of order, the right honourable lady for that point of order. could ijust say that i hope that in this house, we will all respect each other. and that we can conduct proceedings in a polite and respectful manner. and it turned out that this prorogation ceremony was conducted in the usual way. all the traditions were duly observed, with mps being summoned to the lords to hear the declaration of prorogation. altogether, a much more low—key affair than last time.

let the commons know that the lord commissioners desire their immediate attendance in this house to hear the commission read. mr speaker, the lords, who are authorised by virtue of her majesty's commission to declare her royal assent to acts passed by both houses, and also to clear the prorogation of parliament, desire the presence of this honourable house... ..in the house of peers. my lords and members of the house of commons,

her majesty, not thinking fit to be personally present here at this time, has been pleased to cause a commission to be issue —— issued under the great seal. my lords and members of the house of commons, by virtue of her majesty's commission, which has now been read, we do, in her majesty's name, and in obedience to her majesty's command, prorogue this parliament to monday the 14th day 0ctober. and that means that the longest parliamentary session since the english civil war is now over, and parliament has been formally suspended. prorogation is taking place to pave the way for a queen's speech next monday, setting out the government's agenda for the coming year. so we'll be back on monday with the highlights. but that's it from tuesday in parliament. so, from me, kristiina cooper, goodbye.

hello there. lots more showers to come as we head through wednesday. some of them could be heavy and thundery. it will stay pretty windy and that goes for the next few days with low pressure continuing to dominate. it will be to the north of the uk on wednesday, bands of showers spreading from west to east. we could see heavy and thundery ones across southern england and south wales through the morning perhaps lasting into the afternoon. plenty of showers in western scotland. drier interludes through central and eastern areas but temperatures will be a notch down what we had on tuesday with a low to mid teens at best. lots of showers, blustery and rattling through the country on wednesday night and lengthy clear spells though across eastern areas as temperatures dipped down to seven to 10 degrees for many. through

thursday and friday it stays u nsettled, thursday and friday it stays unsettled, longer spells of rain in places and that will remain very windy. temperatures on the mild side.

of that we can be sure. welcome to bbc news, i'm mike embley. our top stories: the white house refuses, officially, to co—operate in the trump impeachment inquiry, claiming it is unconstitutional. as the eu accuses the uk of a brexit blame—game, ireland's prime minister warns that finding any agreement won't be easy. i think it's going to be very difficult to secure an agreement by next week, quite frankly. we very much want there to be a deal and i'll certainly work until the very last moment to secure that. but not at any cost. clashes between security forces and protesters force ecuador‘s government out of the capital. we'll meet a very special penguin who found itself on an unexpected and very long adventure.