the latest headlines for you from bbc news. president trump tries to calm fears of the coronavirus, telling people the risk remains very low. he has put american vice president mike pence in charge. he says of the 15 people there diagnosed with the infection, only one is still in hospital. international efforts to contain the coronavirus outbreak intensify. more new cases are reported outside of china than inside. the virus has been detected in almost a0 countries, the world health organization says it is deeply concerned. india's prime minister calls for calm as at least 27 people were killed in clashes over the citizenship law in delhi. the violence first broke out between people for and against the controversial new citizenship law. muslim residents have been falling their homes and businesses —— fleeing.

you are up—to—date on the headlines. time for wednesday in parliament. hello again, and welcome to wednesday in parliament — as jeremy corbyn attacks boris johnson over his response to flooding. the mp for calder valley, another of his colleagues, said, "it's not good enough". how can the country trust a prime minister — a part—time prime minister? sajid javid explains why he quit as chancellor rather than accept a job with strings attached. so while i was grateful for the continued trust of the prime minister in wanting to reappoint me, i'm afraid that these were conditions that i could not accept in good conscience. and mps' confusion over coronavirus

— what you need to know. if you are coming back from certain parts of north italy, you must self—isolate even if asymptomatic. but if you are coming back from china, you don't need to self—isolate. all that to come, and more. but first: jeremy corbyn has accused borisjohnson of going absent without leave during the floods that have hit large areas of england and wales. the labour leader said even conservative council leaders and mps had criticised the government's response. the two men clashed during prime minister's questions, as an emergency evacuation took place when rising waters on the river severn "overwhelmed" the flood defences of ironbridge in shropshire. residents were earlier evacuated from their homes in bewdley, worcestershire. severe flood warnings for the river severn had been issued for both ironbridge and shrewsbury following days of heavy rain. borisjohnson said he was very proud of his government's response, butjeremy corbyn suggested the prime minister should visit flood—hit areas —

as he himself had done. when i visited pontypridd last week, i saw first—hand the damage and destruction that these floods have caused to people's lives, homes, and businesses. but the prime minister was silent, sulking in his grace and favour mansion... after two weeks of flooding — after two weeks of flooding, mr speaker, there are now even memes being produced not asking "where's wally", but saying "where's boris? " when is the government going to stop hiding and show people that he actually cares, or is he too busy going about some other business? maybe if he's too busy, he could send his chief adviser, dominic cummings — i'm sure he'd be very well—received in all the flooded areas. mr speaker, i'm very proud of the response the government has mounted over the last few days, and we convened the national flood response centre on the 14th.

and since the flooding has began, there has been a constant stream of ministerial activity, led by my right honourable friends the secretary of state for the environment, the secretary of state for communities, and the local government. and never forget that, in spite of the flooding — and no one should underestimate the anguish that flooding causes, and of course it is an absolute shock to the households that are affected — but it is thanks to the measures this government has put in that 200,000 households have been protected from flooding. and we don't hear that from the honourable member! jeremy corbyn accused borisjohnson of pretending to care only when votes were at stake, while his government invested less than half what the environment agency said was needed for flood protection in england. he said the prime minister should try visiting flood victims who couldn't afford to insure their homes. recent studies have shown that 20,000 homes are not protected by the government's insurance scheme, or are also not protected by flood defences — that's 20,000 homes with no insurance and in danger of being flooded imminently.

isn't it time the prime minister found a very urgent solution to this problem? just imagine what it's like to live at a home that's in danger of being flooded, you can't get it insured, and if you own it, you can't sell it or can't move — you are totally stuck. they are looking for the government to help them out in their time of crisis. well, mr speaker, he's perfectly right in the sense that there are particular problems to do with the insurance. i think anyone who has visited a flood—affected household will know. floodray, on the other hand, have provided for over 164,000 households since 2018—19. we are now looking since last december's events, we are now looking at what we can do to protect households that do not have proper insurance. but he also knows there are measures in place to ensure that a household gets £500 and £5,000 to compensate themselves from the worst damage that flooding can do. and that is cash that we can put

in thanks to the investments that we have made in flood defences, which believe me were beyond the capacities of any government led by a corbyn — by a government led by the right honourable member. jeremy corbyn! the welsh government have done their best to step up to the crisis, despite the underfunding from westminster. the prime minister was keen to pose for cameras when there is a crisis on during the election. but he often goes awol. he was late to respond to the london riots because he was on holiday. he was on a private island when the iranian general was assassinated. and last week, he was with his head in the sand in a mansion in kent. the mp for calder valley, another of his colleagues, said, "it's not good enough". how can the country trust a prime minister — a part—time prime minister? last night — last night, schmoozing tory party donors

at a very expensive black—tie ball, instead of getting out there and supporting the people who are suffering because of the floods. this government needs to step up to the plate and invest in defences, and ensure there is real insurance for people whose homes are being ruined by these floods as we speak! mr speaker, the right honourable gentleman asks what this government has been doing in the last few days. well, let me tell you, not only have we been investing in flood defences and compensating those who suffered from flooding, but we've been stopping terrorists, we've restored the nurses' bursary, we are beginning work on 40 new hospitals, recruiting 20,000 more police officers. and we can do that, mr speaker, because we have a strong and dynamic economy! and the prime minister accused labour of engaging in narcissistic

debate about its own future. borisjohnson stayed in his place to watch sajid javid — who resigned as chancellor in the cabinet reshuffle earlier this month — make a personal statement about his reasons for stepping down. mrjavid resigned after borisjohnson told him to sack his advisers to make way for a joint team of advisers for the prime minister and the chancellor. in a measured but pointed speech, mrjavid said he couldn't accept the arrangements as they weren't "in the national interest". advisers advise. ministers decide. and ministers decide on their advisers. i couldn't see why the treasury, with the vital role that it plays, should be the exception to that. a chancellor, like all cabinet members, has to be able to give candid advice to a prime minister so he is speaking truth to power. i believe that the arrangement proposed would significantly inhibit that, and it would not have been in the national interest.

so, while i was grateful for the continued trust of the prime minister in wanting to reappoint me, i'm afraid that these were conditions that i could not accept in good conscience. now i don't intend to dwell further on all the details and the personalities... jeering. the cummings and goings, if you will. much of... laughter. mr speaker, much of this commentary was just gossip and distraction. and now, it is in the past. i very much hope that the new chancellor will be given the space to do his job without fear or favour. laughter. there were also reports of a clash between mrjavid and downing street

over next month's budget. you see, i'm a proud low—tax conservative, and i always will be. already, our tax burden is the highest it's been in 50 years. it is fair to say that not everyone at the centre of government always feels the pressure to balance the books. it was ever thus. but the treasury has a job to do. it is the only — the only tax—cutting ministry. every other department has an in—built incentive to seek and to spend evermore money. not that i did that when i ran departments, of course. laughter. but trade—offs have to be made somewhere. i see my right honourable friend for maidenhead is agreeing with that. laughter. at a time when we need to do much more to level up across generations, it would not be right to pass the bill for our day—to—day consumption to our children

and grandchildren. he said the conservatives had a shot at achieving "wholescale renewal". a chance to put people, place, and socialjustice at the heart of a more human capitalism, and to bring our country together as one nation. mr speaker, i know that this is a shared vision, and i firmly believe that my right honourable friend the prime minister has the tenacity, the energy, and the skill to see it through. i want to leave the house in no doubt that he has my full confidence, and the government my full support to get it done. cheering. jeering. point of... just sit down. point of order, prime minister.

would it be in order for me to thank my right honourable friend for the grace with which he hasjust spoken, for his immense service to his country in several departments, and to remind my right honourable friend that he has friends and admirers on all sides of this house of commons? the prime minister. you're watching wednesday in parliament with me, david cornock. still to come: why are more pupils being excluded from school? several european countries had announced their first coronavirus cases, all apparently linked to the growing outbreak in italy. about 700 people at the hotel and the island of tenerife they've been confined to their rooms and will remain in isolation for 1a days. the hotel was placed in lockdown on tuesday. after an italian doctor staying there, tested positive for the virus. in the commons, the health secretary, matt hancock, said more than 7,000 people have

been tested for coronavirus, and 13 cases have proved positive. he was questioned about the government's plans and advice and whether the outbreak could become a pandemic. the world health organization has warned that countries are "simply not ready" for a pandemic. there has now been significant spread of the virus across the european continent, italy in particular, but other cases have been identified in austria, croatia, and switzerland. this is clearly very, very serious. he moved on to the situation in schools. we have several schools in england and northern ireland shut completely at the moment, for a deep clean after students and teachers have returned from skiing trips. i understand his point about schools should check the relevant websites and get local advice, but is he expecting any advice to be sent to schools from the department for education? and if schools have to start shutting is the government looking at putting in place arrangements for alternative schooling provisions

for those affected? we have issued, repeatedly issued, advice to schools from the department for education. i'm glad to see the minister of schools in his place. and we issued revised advice to schools this morning. our goal here is to try to keep schools open wherever we can. so long as that protects the public. in fact, our wider goal is to have a minimum disruption, social and economic, and indeed to the nhs, subject to keeping the public safe. the message that we do not have a blanket policy of school closures is a really important one. unless there is specific professional advice, or unless, and until there is certainly a positive test, schools should stay open, should follow the advice on the gov.uk website and if they have queries should contact their regional school's commissioner. as for the question of a possible pandemic... there are of course plans in place, in case of this virus

becoming a pandemic. but pandemic it is not yet certain that it will become a pandemic, and so we are still in the face of the plan which is contained. when we aim to contain the virus both abroad and here at home. to prevent it from becoming a pandemic whilst of course, ensuring that plans are in place should that happen. does he recognise the confusion there is now back if you are coming back from certain parts of north italy, you must self—isolate even if you are asymptomatic? but if you are coming from china, he do not need to self—isolate if you are asymptomatic? i think that is really causing confusion and we may end up behind the curve, when if containment is going to work you have to be ahead of the curve. as the house knows, i was in self isolation last week, harry horton itv, alerted to me to the fact that there had been a confirmed case in the uk

meeting, which i attended. when i rang 111, at the advice was if i had been in contact with the person who had coronavirus, i should self—isolate and if i did not have contact i wouldn't. but no agency could confirm or deny whether i had been in contact or not. some more work on tracking needs to be done. the situation where parents are self isolating while waiting on testing, should the children be going to school until we know the outcome of that test? because schools being what they are, there is downed to cause some degree of alarm in that school. shouldn't the children be kept away until such time as the all clear is given? i think it is best here that we follow the clinical advice, which is as i set out. one of the good things compared to other, similar illnesses, about this covid—19, coronavirus is that it seems much, much less impactful in terms of symptoms on children. that is good news, because for a flu is not only the other way around. so that observation outlines the clinical advice and we need to listen to the scientists.

matt hancock. back to prime minister's questions now which, although it was dominated by flooding, also saw the prime minister challenged about andrew sabisky, the downing street adviser who resigned after alleged past remarks on race and eugenics. he was born with cerebral palsy and was unable to talk, walk or feed himself. he broughtjoy and love to all who knew him. and last week one of the prime minister's advisers resigned when a basic check of their internet history revealed that they had promoted eugenicists policy. the sort that would have ended my brother's life before it began. so can i ask the prime minister of the united kingdom, to advise the house, and every disabled person in this island, why andrew sabisky, remained part of his government, and was not removed from deposition immediately, when abhorrent views became apparent? mr speaker, let's be absolutely

clear that i certainly do not share these views nor are they the views of anybody in this government, and that individual no longer works for the government. borisjohnson. again. mps have held theirfirst big debate on the environment bill. the government says the ambitious plan aims to improve air and water quality, tackle plastic pollution, restore wildlife and protect the climate. but opposition and some government mps called for tougher measures. the environment secretary, set out the principles behind the bill. the polluters should pay. that harm should be prevented. but if it cannot be prevented but it should be rectified at the source. that the environment should be taken into consideration across government policymaking. and a precautionary approach should be taken. but many mps thought the legislation needed to be strengthened. one of the issues i think for so many of our communities, is actually appreciating just how severe this crisis is. particularly on air quality as we have heard from many interventions. does he agree with me that we need to put the power with the people,

and actually increase the investment in monetary stations and even use refuse lorries, have monitors fitted to refuse lorries to go down every street across the land that would give real—time data to all of us? the minister said the bill made a commitment to set a legally binding target to drive down pollution, and he turned to the section dealing with waste. it will encourage manufacturers to develop different packaging and strong sustainability policies making them responsible for the entire net cost of disposing of used packaging. and it will stimulate the creation of alternatives to the single use plastics that wreak havoc on the marine environment. the bill sets up a watchdog, the office for environmental protection, the oep, but many argue they didn't have enough powers. it is still lacking in ambition, the office of environmental protection, still lacks teeth. the mod is still exempt, the armed forces can still cause environmental havoc, national security is still off—limits for environmental consideration, renewable energy still doesn't get the big licks it should be getting.

and this bill is still, in my view, insipid and weak. back to brexit now remember that? although the uk left the european union at the end of last month, we still don't know for sure what will happen at the end of the year, when the transition period concludes. negotiations with the eu are due to begin next month and a minister has warned they could be "fractious" with things getting "a lot hotter" in the next nine months. a former leader of the sdlp was among those trying to find out whether there'd be a customs border between britain and northern ireland. given the statement from the secretary of state for northern ireland this week, that there won't be a regulatory border on the irish sea and that the eu ministers have warned the uk government yesterday, that the chance of reaching a trade deal will be damaged as preparations begin for checks on goods coming into northern ireland ports from great britain. could the noble lord, the minister, clear up the confusion in an unequivocal manner?

northern ireland will continue to be part of the uk customs territory and practical information will be required for goods moving from the rest of the uk to northern ireland. this will be provided electronically and the government will work with the eu can analyse the impact to traders. given the fact that the noble lord, the minister, has indicated that there will be an effective regulatory border in the north irish sea, there is confusion over that. the prime minister is saying there won't be. so it either is or there isn't. will he confirm that any additional costs attributed to administering that will in fact will be met by her majesties government? negotiation is a dynamic process. we are getting what will be a very fractious negotiation over the next nine months. and for those noble lords with a gentle stomach

what you are seeing today, the opening remarks from the eu it's going to get a lot hotter over the next nine months. you will know more clearly by the middle of december. lord agnew. a labour mp has said that there's been a 70% rise in the number of children being expelled from school since 201a. sarahjones was speaking in a debate about pupil exclusions. she began by describing the experience of the mother of an autistic child in her constituency. her son had been doing well at school, come back after half term, lots of changes had been made to the classroom, and he was very unsettled by that. he ended up in a series of demonstrations and behavioural issues over a period of a week. he was permanently excluded from school as a result. he was five years old. which i found to be utterly extraordinary. and she said this wasn't uncommon. she drew a link between exclusion and crime. in croydon, there was a review of 60

cases of serious violence, 60 young people who were either victims or perpetrators of crime. of those 60 children, every single child who was convicted of a crime had been excluded from school. one in three had been excluded in primary school. another labour mp described a case of a child with attention deficit disorder. when he arrived in his secondary school, his parents were told that he risked being permanently excluded if he failed to sit up straight or turn around in his seat. these behaviours are unavoidable if you have adhd. and jacob was forced into a reflection room where he was forced to sit in silence for large chunks of the day. the refusal to make any reasonable adjustments for jacob's behaviour in school has resulted in extreme anxiety for both jacob and for his parents. how is that acceptable?

exclusion is clearly linked with a horrifying rise in violence. the death of so many of my children on the streets. and when i talked with the mums of the children, who have been groomed and caught up and the drug dealing, the carrying knives, the violence they tell you loud and clear, and will tell anyone who wants to listen that their son being excluded from school was a tipping point. one conservative was a secondary school teacher before becoming an mp. i feel a little uneasy in this debate today. because intentionally or not, our worry undermines the first—class work of teachers and pastoral staff of the vast majority of our schools to keep students in school. whilst placing little to no emphasis on the parents or carers. there isn't some excluding spree going on, it is not a decision that is taken lightly, when a child is removed

from the classroom and placed into an isolation or is excluded is because the young person's behaviour is damaging the learning of their peers or posing a risk to the other students and staff. i feel that we have created a culture in schools which means we must try to find an excuse for the poor behaviour of young people. it is time we started backing up our teachers and not run them down. another conservative carried out a review for the cabinet last year on school exclusions. a large part of the solution must be to better identify at an earlier stage does children at risk of entering a revolving door of exclusions. so that we can reduce unavoidable and unnecessary use of such a sanction. i know that is what teachers want as well. that is why i recommended and the government endorsed, a practice improvement fund of sufficient value and longevity and reach to support local authorities, mainstream special and alternative provision schools to work together to establish systems to identify children in need of support and deliver good effective interventions for them.

for one child in a thousand there is permanent excluded. exclusion is a sign that is gone seriously wrong but that would be right support vulnerable children and young people can be left at risk of harm, including being involved in serious violence. what we need to offer these children is a fresh start, a school which can re—engage them with their education. for many excluded pupils this will mean alternative provision. a good alternative provision offers excluded peoples a second chance to develop those core skills and a readiness for adult life. the schools minister, nick gibb. that's it for this wednesday in parliament. thank you for watching. i do hope you canjoin me at the same time tomorrow for the imaginatively titled thursday in parliament. until then, bye for now.

hello there. the next area of low pressure moving in will push into the south of the uk bringing a mixture of rain sleet and snow to parts of england and wales, some of this snow will be settling over the higher ground but may be sleet and wet snow down to low levels. likely to produce tricky driving conditions for the morning commute, crossing england and wales as i mentioned, the high ground which will see the settling snow so stay tuned to the weather forecast in your local radio if you head out. this is the culprit in this area of low pressure moving to the south of the uk on its northern flank will encounter cold air. the ma southwards generally should be rain but we will see snow on higher grounds of wales and towards the malvern hills and, for example, into the cotswolds. further north, clear and cold, a couple of wintry showers and an early risk of ice. through the morning then that area of rain sleet and snow will push

eastwards through the morning seeing some slushy deposits or some sleepiness across parts of the midlands, the northern home counties, over the chilterns and into east anglia but the whole thing clear away by about lunchtime in the skies will brighten up with plenty of sunshine around so any light snow will be short lived. wintry showers across the north and it will be breezy and another chilly day temperatures ranging 6—9 degrees in the south. through thursday night, a few wintry showers continuing across scotland but a ridge of high pressure builds in and for many of us it should be dry with clear skies and turning cold with frost and some ice in places. you will see the temperature is beginning to rise across the south—west. that is because we have the next weather system moving in for friday and that will produce mild air to southern areas, quite a bit of rain and strengthening wind. starting cold and bright across the north and the east and then that rain will spell up from the south—west and some snow on its leading edge across northern england to scotland and some settling snow on the hills but further south mainly rain and the temperature 10—11 degrees. any more rain here is very unwelcome.

moving out of friday and into the weekend it looks like it remains unsettled. next front will spread a band of rain across the country and we could see a swathe of gales or severe gales, northern ireland, northern england and scotland late on saturday into sunday this next feature moves up from the south—west bringing more rain. it looks unsettled this weekend, quite windy at times particularly on saturday and we will see further rain in areas where we really don't need it so stay tuned to the forecast and head online to see all the latest weather warnings.

a very warm welcome to bbc news. my name is mike embley, our top stories: president trump tries to calm fears over the spread of coronavirus, telling people the risk remains very low. we are very, very ready for anything, whether it is going to be a breakout of larger proportions or whether or not, you know, we're at that very low level. international efforts to contain the coronavirus outbreak intensify. more new cases are reported outside of china than inside. india's prime minister calls for calm as at least 27 people were killed in clashes over the citizenship law

in delhi.