our political correspondent alex forsyth is at westminster. alex, was this expected?ement for about a week, because it was delayed, and this is the context. for the past eight years or so, councils have had a mud of money they get from government cut back, and at the same time the demand for their essential services, particularly children's and adult social care, has been increasing, so this announcement was telling councils how much money they will get the next financial year, which sta rts get the next financial year, which starts in april. and the secretary of state said, overall, there would bea 2.8% of state said, overall, there would be a 2.8% increase in core funding. councils will also be able to increase council tax to help cover the cost of services by a maximum of 396, the cost of services by a maximum of 3%, and 15 council areas would try out a new scheme where they get to keep more business rates to help cover the cost of services too. the secretary of state james brokenshire said he understood the challenge councils faced, he wanted them to get the resou

alex forsyth, bbc news, north yorkshire. one of the greatest concerns among police in stoke—on—trent, a drug which is very cheap, and can lead to paranoia and violent behaviour. police across the uk are increasingly worried about the impact of new synthetic drugs, but monkey dust is emerging as one of the most dangerous. our correspondentjeremy cooke has this extended report. when you're on monkey dust, anything can happen. that man, oh, my god, that man. get out of the way! kevin eagles is up on the roof, out of control. after a few hours, he is talked down into safety and into police custody. he is starting a prison sentence. he was on the roof, chucking tiles. his mum is back at his flat, counting the cost. it's fair to call this a mess. yeah. a mess? it's just devastation. i mean, what's happened here? i've not got a clue. he's just lost his head somewhere, hasn't he? you know, i've invited you here to come and see what a destruction it can do because it is so dangerous. hard to believe the rage and fury that has caused

alex forsyth, bbc news, market harborough. you are watching bbc news. stay with us.you soon. and at 11:30 we'll be taking an in—depth look at the papers with our reviewers. stay with us for that. now it's time for the weather with louise lear. hello there. it has been a quieter, but colder week so far. that is also translating into less rain, more in the way of sunshine and noticed a beautiful sunset pictures we have had sent in. one of the reasons, down to the jet stream, a weaker, undulating jet at the moment which is actually splitting into two, one moving off to iberia, the next wrapping its way all around scandinavia and here there is an area of high pressure and it is this high pressure that is influencing the story across the uk. it is blocking these were the funds from moving in from the atlantique, killing them off and producing cloud and showery bits of rain. that'll be the story to thursday, some drizzle into the south—west and northern ireland and western scotland, elsewhere, cloud broken, sunny spells and risk south—easterly wind and at this time of year

alex forsyth, bbc news, market harborough. that's the view from market harborough.o sarah smith in edinburgh and sian lloyd in cardiff — but first let's go to belfast and our ireland correspondent emma va rdy. the search for some reassurances around the backstop deal, that search continues. absolutely. it is the unhappiness over the backstop, the unhappiness over the backstop, the guaranteed to avoid a hard border that has been at the heart of this whole political crisis. tonight we know the irish leo varadkar spoke to the president of the european commission, jean—claude juncker. they agreed there can be reassu ra nces they agreed there can be reassurances that the uk but that the withdrawal agreement cannot be reopened and it cannot be contradicted. as things stand without legal guarantee northern ireland's democratic unionist party who theresa may may need for a majority will remain opposed. it does feel like to get the dup on board there needs to be some sort of radical filmlike board there needs to be some sort of radicalfilmlike love board there needs to be so

our political correspondent alex forsyth has been to market harborough in leicestershire, where 51% ofr reaction to what's been going on. six and three, 63. it wasn't just the bingo numbers being watched at market harborough's conservative club tonight. all eyes were on the figures dictating theresa may's fate too. applause i'm really pleased for her, because i think she really deserves to be given a chance. i think she's had some real hard press. i am disappointed. i think that she's got us into an awful mess. is when members gathered for their christmas dinner before the vote, talk was of how the tory party has handled brexit so far. jim's a long—term conservative supporter. he voted remain, but accepts the referendum result. just not what's happened since. for the last two and a half years, they've done nothing but back bite, and argue with one another. brexit—backing mick said the prime minister has been part of the problem. i thought she'd be a maggie, a bit stronger, but she ain't. do you still think brexit‘s going to happen? i don't know, i don't know. but for sylvia, who suppor

alex forsyth, bbc news, north yorkshire.ng to a new study. researchers at the university of east anglia and the global carbon project say a projected rise of more than 2% has been driven by a growth in coal use for the second year in a row. a booming global market for cars has also helped drive co2 emissions to a new high. the head of hs2 and crossrail, sir terry morgan, has announced he's resigning. sir terry has been at the head of crossrail — a new east—west rail link across london — for almost a decade. concerns were raised recently about his dual role with hs2 after crossrail‘s opening was delayed from this month until autumn next year. the home office failed to act on repeated warnings about how its immigration measures would hit the windrush generation and has still not established the full scale of the scandal — that's the conclusion of a new report by the government's spending watchdog. the national audit office accuses the home office of failing to protect the rights of people who were in the uk legally. our commun

alex forsyth, bbc news, market harborough.p in a very long—running internal conservative party conflict over europe. the opposition labour party also has its divisions on the issue, but it is conservative prime ministers — from edward heath to margaret thatcher, tojohn major to david cameron — who've been most fiercely buffeted by the europe question. james robbins has retraced the troubled path that's got us here. britain, and in particular conservative prime ministers, have agonised over europe for more than 60 years. agonised over going in, then over being in, now over getting out. but the divisions this time look unprecedented in scale, and to some, they're doing britain real damage. certainly the mess is in the spotlight and the whole world is looking on pretty appalled, with good reason because, you know, there are points when a country looks ungovernable and this looks to the rest of the world, i think, like one of those. so, how did we get here? when the original six members of the european community signed their found

alex forsyth is in westminster for us.pecially the backstop, that any assurances that theresa may appears to have got from brussels so far, any assurances she was likely to get may not go far enough to convince them. no significant changes between now and when mps are due to vote on the deal, which will now be in the new year, but i think theresa may is going to struggle to get enough mps to back her to get this through parliament. what happens then is of course the big question. there are some mps who think the uk should get on and prepare for leaving the eu without a deal, others want a new relationship with the eu that isn't currently on the table, something a bit closer. other mps wanted to go back to the public for another vote, labour will push for a general election but the issue is, push for a general election but the issueis,in push for a general election but the issue is, in parliament, there is no majority for any of those options, there is deadlock and currently there is deadlock and currently there is deadlock

alex forsyth our political correspondent.you and your viewers at home because there are a million people of polish origin living in the united kingdom, so i guess there is an interest? it's a huge story since two years. an interest? it's a huge story since two yea rs. every an interest? it's a huge story since two years. every time there is a big summit connected to brexit of course we are reporting on it all the time. and we always also take a look at the angle of the poles who are leaving to go to the uk. all the eu countries, apart from britain the next country in europe which is concerned about brexit is poland because we have 1 concerned about brexit is poland because we have! million concerned about brexit is poland because we have 1 million citizens living in the united citizens. the kingdom. and they have relatives who are worried about what the future holds? and some of them came in 2004 when wejoined the holds? and some of them came in 2004 when we joined the eu, holds? and some of them came in 2004 when wejoined th

alex forsyth at the home office.st lothian. six other men are in hospital with serious injuries. opposition parties in bangladesh say they will reject the outcome of today‘s election, which has been marred by accusations of vote rigging, and violence which has left 18 people dead. early results suggest the prime minister, sheikh hasina, will win a third successive term. her supporters praise her for turning the country into one of asia‘s fastest growing economies but critics say her government is corrupt and repressive. our correspondent yogita limaye is in the capital, dhaka. her report does contain some flashing images. clashes outside a polling centre in dhaka. they spot a report and try to stop him from filming. it was just one of the many violent incidents in bangladesh on election day. others were more deadly. but in large parts polling did go off peacefully. bangladesh‘s prime minister sheikh hasina has been in powerfor ten yea rs hasina has been in powerfor ten years but she is confident she will be back. she

our political correspondent alex forsyth is at westminster. good morning, alex.e vote this week that it does not look like she is going to come back from brussels with anything that will satisfy the sternest critics of her deal. what is next for theresa may?” sternest critics of her deal. what is next for theresa may? i think you are right, at this stage, what we are right, at this stage, what we are hearing from brussels, will not convince the brexiteers or the dup, and other mps, including labour, who have expressed a strong opposition to what is on the table. the real issueis to what is on the table. the real issue is the northern ireland backstop, the guarantee that there will be no hard border on the island of ireland, and while theresa may has extracted some reassurance from eu leaders, it isn't what they want or what she hoped. as things stand, u nless or what she hoped. as things stand, unless something significantly changes between now and when we expect parliament to vote on the deal, which is looking to be early in the new year, there is going to be an

our political correspondent, alex forsyth, is there. alex, tell us what happened.n had tried to gain access to the houses of parliament and then images and some video footage appeared on social media of a man a p pa re ntly appeared on social media of a man apparently being detained by police just inside carriage gates, here. while later, the metropolitan police issued a statement in which they said a man been arrested at this location on suspicion of trespassing ona location on suspicion of trespassing on a protected site. that was around 11:55am. he was inside the palace of westminster and a taser was this ploy -- westminster and a taser was this ploy —— was deployed. security at this location was significantly stepped up after the westminster bridge attacks last year, but scotla nd bridge attacks last year, but scotland yard says that this incident today is not being investigated by the metropolitan police counterterrorism branch. alex, thank you very much. wages are rising at their fastest pace for nearly a decade. official figures show average weekly earnings,

our political correspondent alex forsyth is here. cut short his holiday to deal with this, and how much pressure is he under? there has been criticism of how the home office has handled this, including within the conservative party. that is why sajid javid has come back to try and show he has a grip. today he had a phone call with the french interior minister, i'm told it was significant and productive. there will be increased patrols and extra surveillance. tomorrow he will chair a meeting of whitehall officials. he has declared this a major incident already. there are some people who have pointed out that in the context of the global refugee crisis, the number of migrants trying to reach the uk is still relatively small. some say that sajid javid, who is tipped as a potential future conservative leader, should use this to brandish his own political credentials. he has given an interview to the daily telegraph in which he says there are no easy answers, but he will take action, and as the number of migrants increases so does the pre

our political correspondent alex forsyth spoke to us from outside the home office. "has got a grip" on the situation. there has been criticism, not least from within the conservative party about how the home office has handled this. claims it hasn't enough to deter people from making the crossing, and that is why the home secretary is travelling back to the uk early. he's had that phone call with the french interior minister today which i'm told was significant and productive. talk about stepping up patrols and surveillance. and i understand tomorrow he will chair a meeting of officials here at the home office to try and work out an action plan. he's trying to prove he has got a grip. but some have pointed out that while the home secretary has declared this a major incident, in the context of the global refugee crisis, the numbers coming to the uk are relatively small, so some are warning sajid javid not to be tough in proving he's on top of things. the labour leaderjeremy corbyn tweeted this evening saying "we have a duty to reach out the hand of humanity, support

alex forsyth went to test reactions there. six and three, 63.rborough's conservative club tonight. all eyes were on the figures dictating theresa may's fate too. i'm really pleased for her because i think she really deserves to be given a chance. i think she's had some real hard press. i'm disappointed. i think she's got us into an awful mess. when members gathered for their christmas dinner before the vote, talk was of how the tory party has handled brexit so far. jim's a long—term conservative supporter. he voted remain but accepts the referendum result. just not what's happened since. for the last two and a half years, they've done nothing but back bite, argue with one another. brexit—backing mick said the prime minister has been part of the problem. i thought she'd be a maggie, a bit stronger, but she ain't. do you still think brexit‘s going to happen? i don't know, i don't know. but for sylvia, who supported the tories for almost 60 years, it's time the party rallied around the leadership. it's going to be tough and all we can do is accept

alex forsyth, bbc news, north yorkshire.e—filled rooms and down the corridor is corralling conservative mps to back the prime minister, said tonight we are looking at all options to secure support in next week‘s vote and always working to make sure we get the maximum votes. that could mean there is a government backed an amendment coming in the next few days which they hope will pull more of them over. we will see. for the first time ever, a healthy baby has been born after being carried in a womb that came from a dead woman. the transplant operation took place in brazil in 2016 and just over a year later a baby girl was born. it‘s a world first as although transplants from deceased donors have been tried before, they have all either failed or miscarried. it gives hope to millions of women who are struggling with infertility. joining us now is dr liza johannesson, a uterus transplant surgeon who was part of the swedish team that worked on the first womb transplant in the world. how significant is this? how excited are you th

let's talk to our political correspondent alex forsyth — she's in westminster.n that what has been going on in brussels? you can imagine. theresa may had been trying to get reassurances to convince those mps who had concerns about this brexit agreement, and the tone from the eu so far is that they are not going to go far enough to cut it with all of those worried voices. we heard arlene foster from with all of those worried voices. we heard arlene fosterfrom dup suggesting that theresa may now needs to stand up to the eu. some of the brexiteers say theresa may has been boxed in. she has nowhere to go from here. we are expecting the prime minister to give press conference in brussels any minute now. and it will be eyes on that to see what she chooses to do. we heard from the defector deputy david leading ten this morning, who said this is the start of a process they had not expected to get any legal reassu ra nces had not expected to get any legal reassurances from the eu at this point, —— we had from the de facto leader. so will the prime minister continue to pl

alex forsyth is left with us. help me out. prime minister and suggesting not just me out. this is the prime minister and suggesting notjust the prime minister at the time the parliament did have some say as to whether the uk triggers that backstop option. yes. in the current agreement and has been negotiated with the eu. there is a choice and it works like this. the uk we've the eu on march 29 2019 and singles into a transition or implementation period, where nothing really changes. the idea being that during that time the eu and the uk will sort out a future trade deal. the hope is from the government's perspective that the trade deal could be resolved within that transition period. so there's only one change for businesses. however it's that doesn't happen what the eu demanded was this backstop. that would mean that if a trade deal isn't in place at the end of the transition, there would not be hard border on the island of ireland because the uk would then be ina single ireland because the uk would then be in a single custom

our political correspondent alex forsyth has been to north yorkshire, where increasing demand for adultexpensive and they've had to be squeezed. life was really active... when andrew was diagnosed with ms ten years ago, it drastically relying on long—term support where possible so it goes to those in need it most. support where possible, so it goes to those who need it most. so, when michelle had a fall in the summer, the council helped settle her back home with her husband. they came in, had a look at the house, got it all prepared for us and that enabled me to go back to work. and michelle got her independence from that. i don't think i'd be like i am now if it wasn't for them. the council here's like many across england, struggling to balance budget cuts with growing demand, notjust for adult care, but children's too. the government gave councils an extra £1 billion in this year's budget, and says there will be further support when it announces funding plans for next year. councils like north yorkshire will now have to wait longerfor that detail, after the planned announcement was de

and what they need to provide all the services they currently offer. 0ur political correspondent alex forsythrkshire — a mix of historic towns and sweeping countryside. with miles of rural road and a large elderly population, running services here is expensive and they've had to be squeezed. life was really active... when andrew was diagnosed with ms ten years ago, it drastically changed his active life. now in a wheelchair, he needs support for the most basic tasks and is having to pay more for his care. you don't ever want to think about how you're going to get up in the morning, how you're going to get dressed, whether you're going to get dressed on time. it's a hugely different way of life. hugely different way. so, you don't want the worry of how you're going to get your care and you don't want that question mark over your head. this charity run accommodation helps older people live independently. they work with north yorkshire county council, which tries to prevent people of all ages relying on long—term support where possible, so it goes to those who need it most. so, when michelle had

westminster now where we can get the latest on today's events from our political correspondent, alex forsythn the house of commons as mps have been chewing over the details of that brexit deal. while some have been supporters of the prime minister, it is important to say that there are forces on the tory benches who are advocating this deal. there are also a series of voices from both sides of the house for people who just say they're not going to go for it. he does not seem so far that despite all the effort the prime minister has put into this process that she has managed to my managed to shift the dial. liam fox closed the debate in the house of commons today. and he echoed what the prime minister has been saying drought. this might not be the best deal but is the best deal the uk is going to get. it is a compromise that gave delivers on the referendum result. this is what liam fox to say. do i think that the agreement is perfect? no, i don't. did i think it would be perfect? no, i did it. but does it do enough to get us out of the european union? this it does. and for those who want anot

our political correspondent alex forsyth has been following the story.re funding. councils would be able to increase council tax to cover the cost of services by a maximum of 3% and some areas will try new scheme where the use business rates. the secretary of state said he understood the challenge that councils face that he wanted them to get the resources they need. there will be a review of the way councils are funded but labour said the announcement falls short and is shifting the burden from the government on to council taxpayers. the local government association said next year is going to be challenging. they were disappointed the government did not give councils more of the desperately needed resources and there would be tough challenges when it comes to next year with councils deciding what they can afford to provide. the government has announced extra funding for police forces in england and wales, worth around £300 million to help fund changes to police pensions. police and crime commissioners — and in london the mayor — will also be allowed to