The week in parliament. And its been a week in which one argument has dominated when exactly will parliament be able to vote on the deal to leave the European Union . It will be after march 2019 . It could be, yes. Ill be talking to a professor about the how brexit is affecting this parliament. Also on this programme theres no universal credit for universal credit. 0ur localfood bank is looking to collect 15 tonnes of extra food to deal with the demand. And theres no shortage of advice for the chancellor on the possibility of a no deal outcome to the brexit talks. You cannot agree a price until you know what you are paying for, and only a fool would write out a blank cheque of taxpayers money. It was in february that ministers pledged to give parliament a meaningful vote on the deal to leave the European Union before it was finalised. The concession was made to thwart an opposition attempt to add conditions to the bill triggering brexit. But little did theresa may realise it would be that vote which would dominate the week when she stood up in the commons on monday to update mps on her latest meetings in brussels. I am ambitious and positive about britains future and these negotiations. If were going to take a step forward together, it must be on the basis ofjoint effort and endeavour between the uk and the eu. But i believe that by approaching these negotiations in a constructive way, in a spirit of friendship and cooperation, we can and will deliver the best possible outcomes that works for all our people. And that belief was shared by other european leaders. I am now beginning to have a. Feel a very worrying sense of groundhog day here. Here we are again, after another round of talks, and we are still no clearer as to when negotiations on britains future with our largest trading partner will actually begin. But it was on wednesday that the brexit secretary put the cat among the pigeons in an appearance before the brexit committee. Its no secret that the way the union makes its decisions tends to be at the 11th minute, sorry, the 59th minute of the 11th hour of the 11th day and so on. That is precisely what i will expect to happen here. Labour mps asked when the Uk Parliament would get to vote on the deal. It could be after march 2019 . It could be, yes. It could be. It depends when it concludes. Mr barnier, remember. Sorry, the vote of our parliament, the Uk Parliament, could be after march 2019 . Yes, it could be, could be. And it was that statement which dominated the debate for the next two days. In march 2019, the Prime Minister told this house that parliament would be given a meaningful vote on the terms of the article 50 withdrawal bill. This morning, in the brexit select committee, the secretary of state told us that that vote may not take place until after march 2019. Can the Prime Minister please explain how it is possible to have a meaningful vote on something that has already taken place . As the honourable gentleman knows, we are in negotiations with the European Union, but i am confident the timetable under the lisbon treaty does give time until march 2019 for the negotiations to take place, but i am confident, because it is in the interests of both sides, and it is notjust this parliament that wants to have a vote on this deal, but actually there will be ratification by other parliaments that we will be able to achieve that agreement and negotiation in time for this parliament to have the vote that we committed to. And the matter didnt rest there. After pmqs, a labour mp took it up with the speaker. It seems to me this house on behalf of the people we represent cannot take that control unless we have that vote. Can he advise on what we as a house of commons do about that, at best, contradiction, and, at worst, false impression, given to the house during that debate . Later there was a clarification it was expected and intended there should be a vote before. The next day, labour put down an urgent question. What a mess. One thing one day, another thing the next. Yesterday the secretary of state was asked in the brexit committee, could the vote in our parliament now be after march 2019 . The answer, yes, it could be. Later in the day the Prime Minister had a go at correcting him, then his own spokesperson had to clarify his remarks. Today, he says the vote will be before the deal is concluded. Thats not good enough. The issue that i raised yesterday, because i take it as a responsibility always to be as forthright as i can with the select committee, was to go through what has happened in the past in treaty negotiations with the eu. This time there is an expectation by the commission, there is an incentive on the part of the various countries to get this done as quickly as possible. There is an expectation and intention by ourselves. So none of the undertakings given at the dispatch box have in any sense been undermined. The issue here is one of practicality on what we control. What we control, we will run and we will give parliament a proper and meaningful vote. On thursday, we finally found out when detailed consideration of the eu withdrawal bill would start november iath, actually, if you want to make a note in yourdiary. Mps had expected the process to begin much sooner, and, while theyve been waiting for it, very few substantial bills have been discussed on the green benches. Ive been speaking to anand menon, professor of european politics at kings college, london, about whats going on here. I began by asking him what parliament had been doing with itself. Well, the fact is that, since the election, parliament has not had a lot to do, and that is partly a deliberate government strategy. There are not many bills to be discussed, it is in the interest of the conservatives not to have too many debates and votes in the house, as we have seen. Whats interesting is you have two Political Parties acting on the basis of different timetables. Labour are on an election footing. They are all revved up. The tories on the other hand are playing a very slow waiting game. They want as little to happen as possible, they are focused on brexit, and so you have this weird sense in parliament that no one is quite sure what is going on. Do labour really want to have an election now . I think, yes, they genuinely do, but above and beyond that it suits the leadership to be on an election footing, because it keeps the troops disciplined. It means there is no infighting and the divisions that we know exist do not come out into the open because the potential rebels do not want to be seen as rocking the boat. But it is notjust the conservatives who dont want an election, is it . No, the dup do not want an election, they are where they want to be. They have a degree of influence over the government, despite having very few mps. The last thing they want is a Jeremy Corbyn government. I dont, to be honest, think that, even though the snp have said they will vote against the government in the vote of confidence, i dont think they are in any great hurry to go to the polls again. Do you think the governments problems with brexit being delayed and these opposition debates that saw conservatives abstaining, how much is that a problem of their own making . In a sense, it is all a problem of their own making. They called an election they didnt need to call, so in that sense it is. But given the arithmetic and the fact that there are all sorts of divisions within as well as between the Political Parties, it is a very difficult situation for the government to deal with, hence why we are getting these weird situations. But couldnt they foresee, with the opposition day debates, that the labour party might force a vote and then you have to do something, and they have had to abstain . Which causes another problem, these statements that they are now going to have to have. It does, indeed, and it gives Jeremy Corbyn so much ammunition for Prime Ministers questions, and it is almost as if the opposition are setting the policy agenda in the country at the moment. Whilst i dont think the conservatives have played this particularly well, it is very hard to see how they would manage a situation like this where they are at in danger of losing votes if they turn out and actually vote on things. Are we overlooking the problems that labour are having, because there are quite a lot of problems with the government side . Yes, i think labour have the luxury of not being in power. If you take the brexit issue for instance, the labour party in parliament is profoundly divided. They can hide it because they dont have to make decisions and can continue fudging the issue by trying, as they did so effectively in the election, to appeal to both leavers and remainers by being profoundly ambiguous. The government does not have that luxury because they are negotiating with the eu, and they have to take decisions. Who is really holding the power in this parliament . I think power is quite disbursed. At one level you can see the select committee having quite a degree of influence. They have got big personalities chairing them, it is a chance to make their mark. It is a chance to come out with bold statements on policy. They will be very influential. Backbenchers also, they are absolutely fundamental. There is an awful lot of horse trading going on and that is why the whips are trying keep them in line. Every parliament has a sort of unique or distinct complexion. Is this one much different to the others . Have there been other parliaments like this . Above and beyond the question of numbers, what makes this parliament unique is brexit. It is fair to say that brexit is an unparalleled challenge. It haunts everything. It means that in the queens speech there was very little legislation that was not brexit legislation. All eyes are focused on this process. We all know that it will determine the nature of our country for a while to come, depending on how it goes. That adds to the mix. We have had minority governments before, but never in this context of such a big issue going through parliament and being negotiated at the same time. Thank you very much. Now, you may remember the recent highly unusual spectacle of a government defeat in the commons by 299 votes to zero. The vote was on an opposition motion proposing a pause in the roll out of universal credit, which combines a handful of benefits into a new payment. Conservative mps were ordered to abstain. The opposition parties condemned the government, saying parliament was being ignored. So the speaker granted an emergency debate. The decision on whether or not to vote is a matter for members and their parties. As you, mr speaker, noted last week, it is a legitimate one to take. Universal credit was fully legislated for in the welfare reform act 2012, and its subsequent si and it was extensively debated by parliament. The honourable lady. Ijust want to ask the minister, if he thought we had such a good debate last week, why did his party abstain from voting . Mr speaker, i am going to come to many of the things that came out of the debate, and as ijust said, it is legitimate decision to vote or otherwise in such debates, but it is much that you take from a debate like that, and i thought, as i said, it was a very high quality session of this house. Strong leadership would have seen action last week. Strong leadership would have accepted the parliamentary arithmetic, would have accepted the mood of the house and our constituents. It would have accepted it needed to act. Several mps were angry about the continued roll out of universal credit. The roll out will begin halfway through november. Six weeks later, it is christmas. The dwp will not be open on christmas day, which means many of my constituents will have to wait until the new year for any assistance. That is why our local food bank is looking to collect 15 tonnes of extra food to deal with demand. It doesnt take a mathematician to work out that if you transfer 12 days before christmas and the payments take between 35 and 42 days to appear in your bank account, there are going to be a lot of swansea residents in dire straits at the worst possible time. If the labour party truly believe what they were saying, that they do indeed support the principle of universal credit, they would be working with government to make sure the roll out is a success. Rather than scaremongering and trying to block the good reform to our benefits system. So i think the government is demonstrating it is listening and a key part of that has been the introduction of the free telephone service, so i dont want the roll out to be stopped, but for it to go on, i think it needs reform. Now, we heard in the week the European Council president , donald tusk, telling meps that the uks departure from the eu was the toughest stress test, and if the eu failed that test, it would be a defeat for brussels. The possibility of a no deal outcome to the talks has been exercising mps, and in the commons, some attempted to pin down the chancellor. The chancellor knows the economic perils our country faces if there is no deal. He described it rightly as a worst case scenario. Can i urge him, in the interests of our country, to have the courage of his convictions, stand up and face down his opponents in cabinet and confirm today that like us, he will not support or vote for a no deal in brexit. Mr speaker, as the honourable gentlemen very well knows, our clear objective, our priority is to achieve a deal with the European Union. 0ur preference would be for a deal that gives a comprehensive trade, investment, and Security Partnership between the uk and the European Union in the future. Can i urge the chancellor to reject the representation weve heard from the shadowed chancellor. Would he not agree with me that you cannot pay a price until you know what you are paying for. Only a fool would write out a blank cheques from taxpayers money. My honourable friend is absolutely right. We shouldnt be giving away our negotiating position when were going into one of the most important negotiations is that this country has ever been involved in. And that is why we need to make sure we are prepared for all eventualities. The chancellor, in his efforts to secure a good brexit deal and a transition period, has the confidence and support not only of members on this side of the house but across the whole of British Business. Unlike the Party Opposite which inspired complete fear with their marxist mayhem which they would put upon us if they were elected. Mr speaker, British Business has made clear that it wants the earliest possible certainty about the interim implementation arrangements. And it has also made very clear that it doesnt want any marxist mayhem. And now for a round up of some of the other news from parliament in brief. Mps have called on ministers to do more to ensure people traffickers face prosecution. During a debate on tackling modern slavery, mps heard some distressing testimony about the victims. It is not sex work. These people were slaves. Her daily routine involves getting up at 5am to get the children ready for school, to collect them, to do the shopping, to do the cleaning, to do the cooking. If she went out on an errand, the woman who was holding her would spit on the floor and tell her that she had to be back before the spit had dried or she would be beaten. She ran everywhere because she was frightened of being late. Peers were concerned about reports that the nhs in essex may discharge people from hospital into rooms rented locally. The service would be based on air bnb the popular website which helps people rent out their spare rooms on a temporary basis. Vulnerable patients will be allocated to homes where the hosts have no medical expertise and for which they will be paid £1000 per month. Will the government not listen. This is my final question. Will the government not listen to the medical opinion and drop this preposterous scheme. That is, i should stress, a local pilot, that is being explored. I dont think it is even underway. It has been proposed by a local doctor, an emergency registrar. And for it to go ahead, it is clearly the case that any such pilot would have to abide by the very strict rules that exist in terms of safety, safeguarding, quality, and so on, in any care setting. The so called Islamic State group, or daesh, has been forced out of raqqa in syria. It was in january 2014 that the group took control, declaring the city its capital. Later that year, america launched air strikes. The uk followed suit once parliament had approved military intervention, after a fierce debate in the commons. The liberation of raqqa of this month follows significant daesh territorial losses in iraq, including mosul injuly. Daesh has now lost over 90 of the territory it once occupied in iraq and syria. The defence secretary has urged mps to stop attacking saudi arabia over its human rights record, because it might jeopardise a military deal. Sir Michael Fallon is in the middle of negotiations to sell a second batch of typhoon fighter jets to the country. The deal hadnt yet been signed. I have to repeat, sadly, to this committee, obviously other criticism of saudi arabia in this parliament is not helpful. Executives from one of the uks largest supermarket chicken suppliers have apologised to a committee of mps after an investigation allegedly exposed food safety breaches. But the company, the two sisters food group, rejected any suggestion that it operated low standards. The labour party announced the suspension of one of its mps while it investigates misogynistic and homophobic comments hes alleged to have made. Jared 0mara beat the former liberal democrat leader nick clegg in the constituency of sheffield hallam. Hes apologised for remarks made online in 2002 and 2004, but he denies a more recent allegation. The Prime Minister had this message all of us in this house should have due care and attention to the way in which we refer to other people, and should show women in public life the respect that they deserve. On friday in the lords, a conservative peer called for unpaid internships lasting more than four weeks to be banned. Lord holmes reminded peers that theresa may had said she wanted to build a nation that worked for everyone. But that nation will in no sense be working for everybody why we still have the perpetuation of pathways of privilege having nothing to do with merit, having nothing to do with talent, pathways of the village where people are able to to get unpaid Work Opportunities on the basis of being fortunate enough to have family funding or indeed the family black book. The minister supported the intention of the bill but argued that protections were already in place. The heart of this issue is enforcement. It is enforcing existing legislation. So, to be clear, it is against the law to non pay at least the minimum wage to workers. We want work to pay and have zero tolerance for employers opting out of their legal responsibilities. This is part of the reason why we increased hmrcs enforcement budget to a record level of £25 million in 2017 to 2018. And, at the age of 95, the conservative Lady Trumpington has finally retired from westminster. In a long and varied career, she worked at the Bletchley Park code breaking centre during the second world war, served as mayor of cambridge, and was a minister in margaret thatchers governments of the 1980s. She made a final appearance in the lords in order to take her oath. I swear to almighty god that i will give true and faithful allegiance to her majesty the queen and the government. Amen. A minority government cutting deals with Northern Irish mps to survive . Sounds familiar . Im talking about the late 1970s of course, and the challenges faced byjim callaghans labour administration. When playwright james graham was researching his drama about that era this house he watched bbc pa rliaments coverage of the wheeling and dealing at westminster. So we asked him whether the current political situation might inspire a future play. Claire gould reports. The british people have spoken and the answer is, we are out. Bell tolls. And what we are saying is that conservatives are the largest party. No, they dont have an overall majority at this stage. But what about the challenges facing the current conservative government . Could they inspire a future drama . It has the most extraordinary task ahead of it. The most nation changing piece of legislation to pass in the next few months in the form of the eu withdrawal bill. Thats not going to be easy and if we know from the 1970s, to pass even the smallest and most incidental piece of legislation means you are subject to the whims and desires and flaws of your backbenchers. So, it is going to be very interesting. And i suppose with a distance of perspective, this house was often quite fun and quite farcical. It might not be like that in the coming weeks and months because this legislation is so serious task ahead of the government and the country is so huge. The games and the tricks and the politics that people play might not feel quite as Light Entertainment as it did previously. Yes, possibly, in ten years time, we will look back on the parliament of 2017 to whenever this finishes and have good fun with it. And you can see more from james graham on Bbc Parliament on sunday, october the 29th from 8pm. Now, lets take a look at some of the other stories of the week. Heres Patrick Cowling with our countdown. Should they stay or should they go . Mps and peers have recommended an exodus from the palace of westminster during essential restorations. But the government suggested further advice should be sought before parliamentarians pack their bags and say goodbye to the circus. Jeremy corbyn is in the pop culture limelight this week, as Tracey Ullman revealed her new impression of the labour leader. It was also announced that mr corbyn would appear on channel 4s gogglebox. Remember to switch over to the week in parliament, jezza. The bbcs former head of Political Research put in an good word to a Lords Committee for his former colleagues integrity. It wasnt that they sat there in the morning with a can of lager in one hand and a fag in the other, thinking what can we make up now . It tended to be much more practical stuff. Patrick cowling opens can and drinks. Cheers, dave. Conservative mp sir Desmond Swayne slithered in a counter to a claim by labour that there was a nest of vipers sitting behind the minister on thursday. How can i get it onto the record that i am in fact the parliamentary species champion for the smooth snake and not the viper . Thanks for shedding some light on that, desmond. Parliament has always been the place where the really Big Questions are asked. This week, that question was, whos a good boy . The hotly contested westminster dog of the year contest was won by rocky this week. Much to the joy of its friend, labour mp tracey braeburn. Finally, in the lords, peers were once again considering a matter very dear to their hearts themselves. When a hereditary peer dies or retires, an election is held for a replacement. 0ne labour member bemoaned the lack of women and ethnic minority people who were eligible candidates. He beseeched the minister can ijust ask him a very simple question, which, if he could just give a yes to, we can move onto next question. And it is this. Will the government do something that will hurt no one and cost nothing and back my bill which would scrap this whole ludicrous system . Im grateful to the noble lord for that question. Moving onto the next question would not help me at all as i have to answer that one as well. And lord young added that his line manager, the deputy chief whip, was also a hereditary peer. And thats it from me for now. But do join Keith Macdougall on Bbc Parliament on monday night at 11 for a full round up of the day here at westminster. But for now, from me, mandy baker, goodbye. Hello again, good morning. A cold night. These are the temperatures in towns and cities. Grass frost. Air frost in some places. A cold start to monday. Showers along the north sea. They should fade away. Changes in the north west. Weak weather front is. A little bit of rain here and there. Cloud limiting temperature rise. Still the risk of a frost in south eastern parts of england with mild airtaking the south eastern parts of england with mild air taking the longest to arrive. Turning mild on tuesday. Strengthening winds. The rain in scotla nd strengthening winds. The rain in scotland could be heavy in western scotland. Temperatures back up to 13 oi scotland. Temperatures back up to 13 orfor the. Welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. Im gavin grey. These are our top stories saying no to independence. Supporters of a united spain stage a huge protest in barcelona, calling for catalonias sacked leader to be jailed. Britains Prime Minister says she wants a new code of conduct to protect politicians and their staff from sexual harassment. Puerto rico cancels a controversial multimillion dollar deal to rebuild the islands power grid, destroyed by hurricane maria. The president of iraqs autonomous kurdish region resigns after his bid for independence backfires. And Lewis Hamilton races into the record books, clinching his fourth formula one title at the mexican grand prix