our business correspondent, simon gompertz is here. lot of this with her before and interesting it has come out on the day the prime minister has said for the first time that i no—deal brexit can be taken off the table by mps at thatis can be taken off the table by mps at that is what they want. yes however i odile brexit is still possibility so i odile brexit is still possibility so it is still very relevant in the history of this is that this briefing paper on the consequences ofa briefing paper on the consequences of a no—deal brexit, the shock effect if you like, was prepared for the cabinet and it was just for them. others got wind of it and then anna soubry petitioned for it to be released and under pressure the government agreed and said earlier today they would do that. it did not come out untiljust about an hour ago. but looking at that, a lot of the information is gathered together as it would be for cabinet members to see so those things about trade being slowed down badly, if there was a no—deal brexit, about food supplies

our business correspondent simon gompertz reports. see the problem with this giant merger. here is the sainsbury‘s, and not far off, competing with it at the moment, a big asda. joined together, would they charge us more? nearby, there is also the market leader, tesco. these three companies control 60% of uk grocery sales would go down to two. i don't think it will be an advantage to the shopper. it is more for them than for us. as lover standards don't drop, i don't mind. they will need to do it on the long term. the big supermarkets are pushing little be polite. the competition authority has identified 629 areas where there would be substantial lessening of competition. the petrol forecourt is overlapping 132 places, so there is concern about fuel competition, plus hundreds of spots where online shopping might be affected. essentially we are concerned that this may not be a good dealfor shoppers, because we think it is likely that prices will rise, service levels will deteriorate on both, and the reason we believe that is because of

simon gompertz, bbc news, manchester.arity contribute to the death of a 19—year—old woman. sophie bennett who had identified 16 failures by the charity which ran lancaster lodge in surrey. an 80—year—old man with motor neurone disease, who took his own life at the swiss clinic dignitas this morning, has left an open letter to mps calling for a change in the law. in his final days, geoff whaley spoke of his devastation after his wife ann was questioned by police and told she could be prosecuted for helping him travel to switzerland. the couple had been married for more than 50 years. before they set off yesterday morning, they spoke to our home editor mark easton. assisting the suicide of another person is a crime, punishable by up to 1a years in prison. 80—year—old geoff whaley‘s advanced motor neurone disease made it impossible for him to make the final arrangements for his long planned journey to the swiss clinic dignitas. and so his wife ann has helped him take his own life. if he said, ring this hotel, ring this airli

thank you, simon gompertz. each year in the uk, more than 50,000 people die from sepsis.ltiple organ failure. now a team at the university of strathclyde is hoping that a new test it's developed could help speed up diagnosis, potentially saving thousands of lives a year. tim muffett reports. twice my heart stopped, i had two cardiac arrests in hospital, and i was in an induced coma for eight days. what started as a sore throat nearly ended ryan's life. i went to the doctor and was sent home. i was gradually feeling more unwell and i really couldn't recognise what was happening to me. my whole body ached, really confused. ryan was sent home again by a different gp. the next morning, i collapsed in the house. my wife phoned an ambulance. and the paramedics came out and the first thing they said was it could be sepsis. it was really scary, i couldn't believe somebody could go from having a sore throat to almost dying. a quicker diagnosis could have got ryan on antibiotics faster. he has made a full recovery, but a quarter of sepsis survivors suffer permanent, life—changing a

simon gompertz, bbc news.travelled to a clinic in switzerland with his wife ann and this morning took his own life. the clinic says he's now one of over 400 british people in the last 20 years to have made thatjourney. assisted suicide is illegal in the uk, and ann whaley says geoff's final weeks were marred by police inquiries into her involvement in his plans. geoff whaley spoke to our home editor, mark easton. this is one of the illnesses that really you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. particularly the final weeks, or possibly months, which are, or can be, particularly gruesome. and i decided that i didn't really want to go through that. suicide, not so long ago, certainly in your lifetime, was illegal. exactly, yes. now it's not against the law but anyone who assists you is. yes. but we're quite reconciled to that and i know ann has reconciled to the fact that she may be interviewed when she came back. before you even went, though, you've already been interviewed a number of times under caution by the p

simon gompertz reports. 11 million people like jackie from south manchester on the expensive standardno sense to the on gas and electricity costs can be raised. in my mind, if somebody just says to me we are your price, i would think well, that is great, i do not have to about, i do not have to think about it what it is not, is it? is not true. 0fgem will reset the everything is much, causing worry in stockport nearby about coping with higher bills. we could not even afford it, could be, because of that? but no, i do not think they should put up. is ridiculous, theyjust think they should put up. is ridiculous, they just keep think they should put up. is ridiculous, theyjust keep on on with this. it is crazy, you know... and this change in the supply all the time, we should not have to be doing that. gas and electricity issues, it is a massive issue for us here in stock or... steve from citizens advice except the explanation that world energy prices have gone up explanation that world energy prices have gone up warns explanation that world energy prices have gone up warns about the imp

at ten to seven, we'll be getting analysis from our business correspondent simon gompertz on the internalg paper which hasjust been released by the government on the impact of a no—deal brexit. we will speak about what tensions in kashmir mean for the broader relationship between india and pakistan. and we'll be taking review with anand menon, director of uk in a changing europe and caroline wheeler, deputy political editor for the sunday times. thats at ten thirty and eleven forty tonight. now on bbc news it's time for sportsday. hello and welcome to sportsday. brendan rodgers returns to the pl — as he prepares to take over at former champions leicester city. fined, but will he play? sarri says he could drop his keeper kepa. and england's women continue the countdown to this summer's world cup. the remarkable recovery of the cyclist victoria williamson. you don't realise what you've got until it has gone so yes, just super grateful to be here and have another crack at it. hello and welcome to sportsday. bendan rodgers has agreed to take over at leicester city. he leaves celtic midway thr

here is our personal finance correspondence, simon gompertz. tariffs, would protect herfrom increases. now she finds it doesn‘t. in my mind if somebodyjust says to me, we are capping your price, i would think that‘s great, i don‘t have to worry about it and think about it, but it isn‘t, is it? it isn‘t true. the result of the cap being movable is that the maximum bill for the average home will go up to £1254 a year for those on standard rate, an increase of £117, although that will depend on how much you use because the cap is actually on each unit. the blame is being put on higher world energy prices but in stockport nearby there is worry about being able to cope it's ridiculous, theyjust keep on and on with this. it's just crazy. this changing your supplier all the time, we shouldn't have to be doing that. we spend a ridiculous amount, we were struggling at one point, we couldn‘t afford it, could we, because of that, but i don‘t think they should put it up. if there was no cap we have a lot of evidence to show consumers would have been paying

simon gompertz, bbc news.sts of energy. what i can assure to all your listeners and all your viewers is that the price that is changing is only a fair and efficient price. it reflects the true and underlying costs of supplying energy which, unfortunately, have increased. but i can absolutely promise that there will be no profiteering by any company in this, and people will feel that they are paying a fair price for their energy. our business presenter, dominic o'connell, is here. interesting that he is saying consumers shouldn't think that energy companies will be profiteering around this. and it is true, isn't it, the big energy suppliers have tended to group their pricing around that cap that has been set? it is a bit too early to say that for sure, but which the consumer group did look at that. the price cap has only been in place since january and has already been changed and it will be changed every six months, or it could be. which? said it looks like the big energy companies were groping in and around t

simon gompertz, bbc news, manchester.this week, when the italian deputy prime minister, luigi di maio, met members of france's anti—government "yellow vest" movement near paris. france is now accusing italy's populist government of making outrageous statements and interfering in the country's politics. the two governments have previously clashed on a number of issues, including immigration. an 80 year old man with motor neurone disease, who took his own life at the swiss clinic dignitas this morning, has left an open letter to mps calling for a change in the law. in his final days, geoff whaley spoke of his devastation after his wife ann was questioned by police and told she could be prosecuted for helping him travel to switzerland. the couple had been married for more than 50 years. before they set off yesterday morning, they spoke to our home editor mark easton. mind your head. assisting the suicide of another person is a crime, punishable by up to 1a years in prison. 80—year—old geoff whaley‘s advanced motor neurone di

simon gompertz. let‘s have a look at the weather.p tonight. patchy rain and drizzle, particularly through central and western parts of the uk. away from that corner of scotland, a mild night. on thursday, fairly cloudy, new morning commute could be damp. parts of northern ireland, for scotland. most of that will fade away. a good part of scotland will see some hazy sunshine with our air coming all the way from the topics, temperatures will peak at 13 quite widely. parts of the country could hit 17 degrees. 0n widely. parts of the country could hit 17 degrees. on friday, increased amount of sunshine after early fog. that drive fine weather contains the most into the weekend. he this is bbc news. the headlines: three conservative mps quit the party over the government‘s handling of brexit. today theyjoined the new independent group on the other side of the commons. at a news conference, they urged like—minded mps to join the new grouping. during the day, theresa may left to go to brussels to seek more concessions from the eu on the bre

thank you very much, simon gompertz. say they re suing the president to protect their residents, natural resources and economic interests. our north america correspondent peter bowes reports. another legal showdown over a policy at the heart of donald trump a's agenda. the 16 states including california, new mexico and new york arguing that the president doesn't have the authority to use funds already allocated to other projects to build a wall. it follows congress's rejection of mr trump's demand for $5.7 billion. he got 1.3 billion for an election promise that he originally said mexico would pay for. but on the wall, they skimped, so for. but on the wall, they skimped, soi for. but on the wall, they skimped, so i was successful in that sense. but i want to do it faster. the states are arguing it is congress's role to allocate funding and that the president has no right to invoke a state of emergency to get what he wa nts. a state of emergency to get what he wants. president trump got it right when he said he didn't hav

our personal finance correspondent simon gompertz reports.nd lower costs. and they achieve that by keeping their carriers are self—employed. now, in reaction to demand for more rights, a new deal offering some of the advantages of being employed. we have to make sure that they are maintaining reflected a little but also giving them the security of minimum earnings, holiday pay, and a strong voice represented by the gmb union. time off from relentless working are seen as key. hermes will promise 28 days of paid holiday, including bank holidays, and most —— more financial security, minimum wage of £8.55. it comes after nearly 200 careers delivered a blow to hermes by winning the right to be recognised by workers with some workplace rights at a tribunal backed by their union. in the tribunal went forward, it was only for 194 of them. it was only those who would have workers' rights. the gmb sat down with hermes and have got holiday pay, guaranteed national minimum wage for all of the couriers, should they accept it. but a big attraction of keepi

our personal finance correspondent simon gompertz is here. many tsb customers will remember why.d. last april, they moved to customer details from an old system to a new when the mac one, and it went wrong, meaning 2 million current account holders did not have access to their current account four weeks, and it affected branches as well. we are hearing today that the cost so far is around £330 million for dealing with that, a number which will scare other banks witless, and here is a breakdown of how they arrived at this. £125 million for compensation, nearly £50 million for frauds that we re nearly £50 million for frauds that were perpetrated during the chaos on customers, £122 million for the cost of recovering the systems, and then £34 million for charges that were waived during the period. now, set against that, they have said they are going to gain £150 million from the subsidiary looking after technology of their parent spanish bank, sub adele, and it is interesting they will get that money, because it suggest that this technology operation from spain, which was behind the

simon gompertz, bbc news. nightclub in the city last thursday night. police says finding ms squire remains their top priority. our correspondent sarah corker is in hull. bring us up to date with the latest. this is raglan street in hull where the 24—year—old was arrested last night. there is a heavy police presence here. in the last ten minutes we saw crime scene investigators entering a property here. humberside police either continue to question that 24—year—old on suspicion of abduction. over the last week there have been extensive searches for libby squire but police say they have still not found her and that remains their top priority. this is a residential area of hull popular with students, it is close to the university. earlier i spoke to neighbours who said they saw a car being towed away like last night and they say there is a growing sense of anxiety and worry. it hasjust affected everybody. such a young girl. when you have got kids of their own. ijust girl. when you have got kids of their own. i ju

our business correspondent simon gompertz is here.xt for that? the context is the worry we have today about jobs particularly in the car industry and yet we have here very positive set of figures, considerthese yet we have here very positive set of figures, consider these numbers, 80,000 more self—employed people in that three month period, 80,000, two, full—time employed people, in fa ct a two, full—time employed people, in fact a very high proportion of the number of people getting jobs is full—time rather than pa rt—time jobs. that is good news. now you have to point out that this is a period from christmas time looking back over a few months last year. when the situation did look pretty good. and it does not reflect perhaps the nervousness that has crept into the jobs market in january and friday. alongside those jobs figures of course it is important to remember —— to look at what wages are doing out there on the up according to these figures. yes you set plus 3.4% year—on—year, not is getting that, it is average but it means tha

couriers the option of holiday pay and guaranteed earnings. 0ur personal finance correspondent simon gompertzuriers self—employed. now, in reaction to demand for more rights, a new deal offering some of the advantages of being employed. we want to make sure that couriers are maintaining flexibility, but also giving them the security of minimum earnings, holiday pay, and a strong voice represented by the gmb union. time off from relentless working are seen as key. so hermes will promise 28 days of paid holiday, including bank holidays, and more financial security with a minimum wage of £8.55. it comes after nearly 200 couriers delivered a blow to hermes by winning the right to be recognised by workers with some workplace rights at a tribunal backed by their union. in the tribunal, it was only for 194 of them. it was only those who would have workers' rights. the gmb then sat down with hermes and have got holiday pay, guaranteed national minimum wage for all of the couriers, should they accept it. but a big attraction of keeping couriers self—employed is that the company doesn't have to pay emp

earlier, i spoke to our business correspondent, simon gompertz explained the detail of that paper lookingtion is gathered together as it would be for cabinet members to see, so those things you've heard about trade being slowed down very badly, if there was a no—deal brexit about food supplies, and prices being affected, about the economy being as much as 9% smaller than it otherwise would be, after 15 years. if we started brexit off with a no deal exit, those things are in there, but there is some aspects that a lot of viewers wouldn't have seen it before, for instance, they pinpoint the fact that businesses would have to get a special number, a new number to put in their paperwork if they were exporting to the eu, once there had been the rupture, and 40,000 have got that, but 240,000 need to get it, so you can see the potential for trouble there. also, just the cost of that, that hmrc, the tax office has estimated the impact on businesses would be a cost of £13 billion, just sorting out the customs administration, so some measure there, and you can see why this concentrated minds in the

simon gompertz, bbc news.aken to hospital after a gas explosion and fire in a flat in batley in west yorkshire. police said a number of people suffered burns, but their injuries are not thought to be life—threatening. emergency services were called just before 7pm after reports of a loud noise. people from the immediate area have been evacuated as a precaution. immigration detention powers used by the home office should be pared back in the wake of the windrush scandal, according to a parliamentary report. thejoint committee on human rights has called for a 28—day time limit for detention for most cases to end the trauma of being held. the home office said it is committed to using detention sparingly and only when necessary. fife council has become the latest authority in scotland to announce it will compensate families affected by the baby ashes scandal. payments of up to £4,000 will be made to parents who were told there were no ashes from their infants' cremations when, in fact, they had been disposed as wa

our business correspondent simon gompertz is here. more people working, and people being paid more.but in the recession which followed the financial crisis, it was over 8%. the recessions of the 1980s and 1990s, it was nearly 1296 the 1980s and 1990s, it was nearly 12% at one point. historically, it's a very low level of unemployment, in fa ct a very low level of unemployment, in fact it's the lowest since 1975. in the past, critics of the conservative party have said, it's all very well, but these jobs are zero—hour contracts and are not real jobs. but that other figure would suggest that's not entirely true. behind the scenes, what's going on? there are a lot of people on zero—hour contracts. people might only work a few hours, but 844,000 people are on zero—hour contracts, which is down 57,000 since the last figures. employment has gone up and thatis figures. employment has gone up and that is partly because older women who are not reaching pension age until later, 65 at the moment and will be 66, are staying in the workforce so more people are employed. this is for the last thre

here's our personal finance correspondent, simon gompertz.ect herfrom increases. now she finds it doesn't. in my mind if somebodyjust says to me, we are capping your price, i would think that's great, i don't have to worry about it and think about it, but it isn't, is it? it isn't true. the result of the cap being movable is that the maximum bill for the average home will go up to £1254 a year for those on standard rate, an increase of £117, although that will depend on how much you use because the cap is actually on each unit. the blame is being put on higher world energy prices but in stockport nearby there is worry about being able to cope it's ridiculous, theyjust keep on and on with this. it's just crazy. this changing your supplier all the time, we shouldn't have to be doing that. we spend a ridiculous amount, we were struggling at one point, we couldn't afford it, could we, because of that, but i don't think they should put it up. if there was no cap we have a lot of evidence to show consumers would have been paying a higher price, £75

our personal finance correspondent simon gompertz reports.lity and lower costs. and they achieve that by keeping their couriers self—employed. now, in reaction to demand for more rights, a new deal offering some of the advantages of being employed. we have to make sure that they are maintaining flexibility, but also giving them the security of minimum earnings, holiday pay, and a strong voice represented by the gmb union. time off from relentless working is seen as key. hermes will promise 28 days of paid holiday, including bank holidays, and more financial security with a minimum wage of £8.55. it comes after nearly 200 couriers delivered a blow to hermes by winning the right to be recognised by workers with some workplace rights at a tribunal backed by their union. in the tribunal, it was only for 194 of them. it was only those who would have workers' rights. the gmb sat down with hermes and have got holiday pay, guaranteed national minimum wage for all of the couriers, should they accept it. but a big attraction of keeping couriers self—em

our business correspondent simon gompertz reports.f uk grocery sales and would go down to two. i don't think it will be an advantage to the shopper. it is more for them than for us. as long as their standards don't drop, i don't mind. long term, they will need to do it, long term. the big supermarkets are pushing little be polite. —— the big supermarkets are pushing little people out. the competition authority has identified 629 areas where there would be substantial lessening of competition. the petrol forecourt is overlapping in 132 places, so, there is concern about fuel competition, plus hundreds of spots where online shopping might be affected. essentially, we are concerned that this may not be a good dealfor shoppers or motorists because we think it is likely that prices will rise, service levels will deteriorate on both, and the reason we believe that is because of the reduced competition in grocery shopping in supermarkets, grocery shopping online, and purchases of fuel at the petrol filling stations. the competition authority