Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC Newsroom Live 20240714

At the appropriate moment, when we can secure it, have a general election. Im lukwesa burak. The other stories this hour Hurricane Dorian claims at least five lives in the bahamas and causes widespread damage. The Prime Minister calls it an historic tragedy. After coming under fire over summer for shis use of private jets, prince harry announces a new eco Friendly Travel scheme. Coming up 80 years on since the outbreak of world war ii, we look at the contribution Radio Broadcasts made to the war effort. Theres a momentous day ahead in westminster as tory rebels join forces with Opposition Mps to try to block a no deal brexit at the end of october. If defeated, downing street officials have warned of a third general election in four years, which could come as soon as the middle of next month. Lets take a look at where we are. Tory rebels are expected to join with labour mps in seeking to seize control of the commons agenda and bring forward a bill designed to stop that no deal exit at the end of next month. If they succeed, Prime Minister borisjohnson could call a snap general election on 14th october. That would need to be agreed by Parliament Labour want to block a no deal before a general election is called. Mrjohnson has insisted the uk must leave the eu on 31st october with or without a deal and he will not under any circumstances request a further delay from brussels. The uncertainty has caused the pound to touch a three year low against the dollar on the currency markets. Heres our political correspondent, jonathan blake. Protester boris, boris, boris chanting out, out, out welcome back to westminster. Mps return from their summer break today to a raging debate about brexit. Yesterday evening, the Prime Minister raised the stakes with a warning to those trying to block a no deal exit, they could force him to go to the polls. Lets let our negotiators get on with their work without that sword of damocles over their necks and without an election, without an election. I dont want an election, you dont want an election. Tory mps entertained in the garden of number ten now know that if theyjoin with opposition parties this week in attempts to take control of what happens in the house of commons, the government will push for an early election. Two thirds of mps would need to back that, meaning labours position is crucial. Their leader sounds keen. When the election comes, im ready for it, youre ready for it, were ready for it. Well take that message out there, and above all, we will win for the people of this country we will defeat this lot we will bring about that sense of justice and equality that is what our movement was founded to achieve but last night, another senior labour figure said the party would not support an election before the brexit deadline of october the 31st. What the conversations ive had in Parliament Today means is that we would not support the vote, the two thirds majority that borisjohnson needs, the 434 mp5 that he needs to vote for a general election to dissolve parliament, under the fixed Term Parliaments act, he will not get that majority. The summer is officially over here now and time is short for all sides to make their next move, and perhaps just days for Big Decisions to be made. Jonathan blake, bbc news, westminster. In a moment, well talk to our assistant Political Editor, norman smith, but lets go over again in a bit more detail whats expected to happen today. Mps return to the commons this afternoon after summer recess theyll request an urgent debate on taking control of the agenda in order to stop a no deal brexit. A vote on that is expected probably late tonight. If it passes, the bill would be able to be put forward for debate, but the Prime Minister is expected pretty quickly to table a motion to hold a snap general election, which can only happen if its backed by at least two thirds of mps in a commons vote. If they vote in favour of the motion, the country would be expected to go to the polls on monday, 14th october. With me now is our Political Editor, norman smith. At the start of this chain of events is this vote to block a no deal brexit. Is there enough support to get that through . It may be very close, but most people think the rebels will win, they have the numbers, and the attempts by Boris Johnson to try and count the rebels by threatening to deselect them, that has had the effect ofjust hardening their resolve. It looks as though that gamble by borisjohnson has backfired, more ominously perhaps is it is beginning to look like mps could also thwart his effo rts like mps could also thwart his efforts to trigger an early general election if labour decide they will not vote for him, and all that after we had this searing intervention from the former chancellor this morning. He used to be known as a spreadsheet fill, now it is more like hammond the hammer i have never heard him give an interview like that. He said the government was disingenuous, saying progress was disingenuous, saying progress was not being made. He accused Dominic Cummings of being an income and who was not interested in the tory party, and he was scathing about the weight borisjohnson had handled these negotiations. I am going to defend my party against incomers, entryists who are trying to turn it from a broad church into a narrow faction. People who are at the heart of this government who are probably not even members of the conservative party, who care nothing about the future of the conservative party. Youre referring there to Dominic Cummings . I intend to defend my party against them. Do you believe that Dominic Cummings is not a member of the conservative party, as we were hearing yesterday . I think david gauke suggested he didnt think that he was. My colleague, david gauke, suggested yesterday that he is not a member of the conservative party. Its my understanding he is not and never has been a member of the conservative party. As if to underline the way the deselection threat has backfired spectacularly, Justine Greening, former cabinet minister, saying, i have had enough, the tory party has become the brexit party, i will not stand at the next election. The job of an mp is, for me, is to be putneys voice in parliament, and that is certainly what i have sought to do and i will do that today in making sure that we pass this bill, hopefully, through parliament on wednesday. But it is very clear to me that my concerns about the conservative party becoming the brexit party in effect have come to pass and therefore my decision is, if i want to continue to make a difference on the ground on opportunity and social mobility, i need to do that outside parliament, and that is what i am prepared to do. The government saying it is the rebels causing all the difficulty because they are undermining the governments negotiating strategy and jeopardising the whole prospect of getting a brexit deal, but we saw a glimmer ofa of getting a brexit deal, but we saw a glimmer of a crack in the cabinet from amber rudd, who is clearly uneasy about what is going on. We have some very valued colleagues who have some very valued colleagues who have made a difficult choice, and we should consider carefully the consequences of should consider carefully the consequences of dividing the party, but i do support the Prime Minister and his commitment to getting a deal with the eu. And sometimes what is getting lost is the focus we do have to government to get that deal and the progress we are making. Jeremy corbyn will hold another of those meetings with opposition leaders. We need to know what will labour do about that vote to trigger a general election. Mr corbyn last night was sounding like you wanted an election, but i think there is a growing move in the party to say, hold on a set, we will not fall into that elephant trap. We will only give borisjohnson the go ahead for a general election if he agrees to rule out no deal. Shami was not saying, oh, yes, of course we will give the go ahead to a general election. It depends whether we have managed to secure this legislative lockdown to prevent any kind of accidental crashing out and indeed to prevent borisjohnson and his thugs from agreeing one thing, saying, we wont crash out before a general election, and then delaying the general election, for example, so it happens after october sist, the reason why this is a little confused is because we are not dealing with normal people with normal respect for parliament or the law. And so we have to be nimble in response and we are trying to do that, working across parties in the house of commons. Where we are now at the moment is that Boris Johnson where we are now at the moment is that borisjohnson it where we are now at the moment is that Boris Johnson it seems where we are now at the moment is that borisjohnson it seems to me could be on the cusp of a devastating double defeat. He could lose tonights vote on the no deal legislation which he has framed as a confidence vote, but also lose tomorrow his attempt to trigger a general election. What has happened i think frankly as parliament is back, it is as simple as that. Throughout the summer, borisjohnson has been able to set the agenda, dominate proceedings, but now parliament is back a different ball game altogether, much tougher than mrjohnson. Thank you very much. I am sure you have lots of questions at home. Well be answering your questions about what could happen this week and what it could mean for the brexit process. At 12 30pm, ill be joined by Bronwyn Maddox from the institute for government. If you want to send in your questions, you can details are on the screen. Joining me now isjoe moor, former director of legislative affairs at numberio. Just left downing street at the same time as theresa may. Shami saying we are not dealing with normal people who respect the normal rules of law. What is your view on watching how things are unfolding in what you anticipate . It is very difficult to anticipate . It is very difficult to anticipate anything at the moment. The whole movement of parliament will move quickly over the next few days. No one really knows how it will pan out. What we do know today is that Parliament Comes back at 2 30pm, first of all, before that, there will be a speakers conference, where he will assess urgent question requests and be notified of any statements the government wants to do, and shortly after that we expect the labour whips official twitter feed to outline that. We are expecting to state m e nts outline that. We are expecting to statements today. One of the g7 and one on no deal planning. It will be interesting to see if the government tries to put any more of that in, there are other things going on around the world at the moment that would justify a statement in normal times, and they could try and seek to move business further forward to date they wanted to buy putting in more than two statements. The speaker may announce other things he will grant. Business will start at 2 30pm, Foreign Office questions that an hour, dominic ruggs first go as foreign secretary, then the ten minute rule bill is normal and then a request for an emergency debate. And all indications are that john bercow would agree to that . The signs are incredibly clear that he will, and if he didnt, it would cause uproar here and surprise us all. But it still requires that process to happen, so whoever the nominated person is who will request the emergency debate has three minutes to make their case to the house. Then essentially a0 mps have to stand up to shows that they want that to go ahead, then the speaker will immediately rule as to when it will immediately rule as to when it will happen. And there starts the process by Opposition Mps to try to tie the governments hands and stop no deal brexit, and the governments position to thwart that is to threaten a general election, but a two thirds majority in the house of commons is needed for that to go through. Norman was just saying borisjohnson could potentially look down the barrel of a double defeat here, losing the vote today on the no deal brexit, and theyre not getting the support of the comments for a general election. For that to be the case and he also stands good on his threat to take away the whip of any on his threat to take away the whip ofany mps on his threat to take away the whip of any mps that vote against no deal brexit, it is a majority government by some way, so what happens then . If norman is right and there is this double whammy defeat, that prorogation thing still exists, that has happened, it is between monday and wednesday next week. And that will happen. So that minority would not be a day issue . No, because parliament would not sit during that process , parliament would not sit during that process, but it is constitutionally wrong for a government to parliament at the time of what is national and political constitutional crisis. What do you think will unfold . dont know. It is very difficult to comment specifically until we see the motion that they will have the emergency debate this afternoon. There are a number of things they could do without. The intention is to ta ke could do without. The intention is to take over the order paper and use it to legislate, we might see attem pts it to legislate, we might see atte m pts to it to legislate, we might see attempts to see a humble address woven into it. To her majesty . That would be enormous, if that were to happen. That is basically the house asking the queen to intervene and asking the queen to intervene and ask for an extension to article 50 . This procedure was used durings thes time during government to request papers on no deal forecasts and the legal advice of the attorney general. But it can be used for other things. Do you think that could be used . Other things. Do you think that could be used . I really dont know. It isa could be used . I really dont know. It is a possibility. All options are open to everybody at the moment. This week, if we can predict one thing, it would be that every possible Convention Rule will be stretched to the limit. We will see things that have probably never happen before. Are you close to theresa may . Do know how she will vote today . I have spoken to her recently, i dont speak for her any more, i have no idea how she will approach this afternoon. Lets see how the pound is reacting to all this. What is the latest, jamie . The pound is not reacting well. It has fallen. Not a huge amount. You have to see this in the contests of the last few weeks. The pound has been steadily moving south. It is now 1. 19 to the dollar, and thats pretty bad. It is the worst in three years. But three yea rs the worst in three years. But three years ago, the reason why it was down was because there was a technicalfault, a flash down was because there was a technical fault, a flash crash, down was because there was a technicalfault, a flash crash, that is why it was so low then. If you wa nt to is why it was so low then. If you want to find a period when it was this low before then, you have got to go back 35 years. Take out that flash crash, look at the graph, we have not been this low against the dollarfor have not been this low against the dollar for 35 have not been this low against the dollarfor 35 years. 3a have not been this low against the dollar for 35 years. 3a years. Against the euro, not so bad. We have been lower. There is an element ofa have been lower. There is an element of a strong dollar in this, but still the pound is looking pretty weak. Jamie, thank you very much. I wa nt to weak. Jamie, thank you very much. I want to run through events today because one other aspect of todays events we have not covered yet is that hearing at the court of session in edinburgh. It is a legal step that was started by the snp mp joanna. Joanna cherry at the start of the summer. It is gathered in significance because it is all about prorogation and whether the courts might step into block prorogation of parliament. That is another aspect of what is unfolding today. Away from westminster, it is significant and pertinent to what is happening here, and there are other legal moves later in the week, so lots of strands to get across today, and we will keep you updated throughout the rest of the day here in westminster. For now, i will hand you back to the studio for other news. At least 5 people are known to have died as Hurricane Dorian continues to cause catastrophic damage across the bahamas. Some 13,000 houses are feared damaged or destroyed. Dorian is expected to hit the eastern seaboard of america next as our north america correspondent, aleem maqbool, reports. Overnight, life was changed in abaco in the bahamas by the strongest storm ever recorded there. Large areas of these low lying islands were totally submerged. Winds reached more than 160 miles an hour with ocean surges recorded up to 23 feet high. The scraps of footage painted a terrifying picture. Please, pray for us. Pray for abaco, please, im begging you. My babys only four months old, please pray for us. The roof of the apartment block of the mother who took this video had been ripped off. She was clinging to the side of the building with her baby as she broadcast this. Some people, the water just took them. There has as yet been no update on her safety. It is extremely high. Plus i am already completely flooded out. That is my kitchen window. That has to be a minimum of 20 feet off the ground. Among those helplessly watching the waters rise the minister of agriculture, michael pintard, who filmed this. Aid agencies estimate that up to 13,000 homes could have been destroyed as the storm moves painfully slowly through the bahamas, at some points atjust a mile an hour. For long periods, the eye of the hurricane stayed in a single spot. It could be days until help reaches many and, as well as fears about lives lost and those injured, there are concerns that food and clean Drinking Water will be hard to come by. This is the fourth year in a row in which theres been a category five hurricane in the atlantic experts attributing this to climate change. And dorian now heads towards florida with projections the storm could remain hurricane strength for much of the week. Hurricane dorian is just 100 miles away from here, and states of emergency have been declared notjust in this state but in four others as well, as the us mainland now braces itself for the impact of this record breaking storm. Hopes are fading that any more survivors will be found after boat carrying scuba divers caught fire and sank off the coast of southern california. 25 bodies are now confirmed to have been found, leaving nine unaccounted for. Officials have warned relatives to prepare for the worst. Five members of the crew survived. Prince harry has spoken about his impact on the environment after the furore that followed his use of private jets over the summer, saying no one is perfect. The prince was speaking at the launch of an ambitious Global Project to encourage the Tourism Industry to become more sustainable. The duke of sussex said what is important is what we do to balance out negative effects. Harry and wife meghan have faced mounting criticism after reportedly taking four private jetjourneys in 11 days during the summer. Experts are warning about the dangers of so called fussy eating after a 17 year old from bristol, who lived on a diet of chips, crisps and processed meat, suffered irreparable sight loss. Eye doctors in bristol cared for the young man after his vision had deteriorated to the point of blindness. Tests revealed he had severe vitamin deficiencies and damage linked to malnutrition. Lets cross back to westminster Joanna Gosling is there. It will be a monumental day here at westminster. Mps are here at the moment but are not sitting yet in the commons because it resumes at 2 30pm, and the attempt in the commons later will be Opposition Mps trying to come together to block a no deal brexit. Lets go to get the view from brussels. With me now is adam fleming our brussels correspondent. What is the reaction that what is going on here . What is happening in brussels is quite different from what is happening at westminster. Here in brussels, talk of a potential election or whether Boris Johnsons hands will be tied to prevent no deal. That is not seen as irreleva nt prevent no deal. That is not seen as irrelevant but it is not what the action heroes. But they are interested in here is whether the government will come forward to proposals for changing the Withdrawal Agreement because tomorrow the Prime Ministers chief europe adviser and negotiator is meant to be here, talking about what those proposals could be, and it is only then that we will get a sense about what is happening with this process because all we have got at the moment is the outlines of the process , the moment is the outlines of the process, twice weekly meetings between the uk and the eu. There is no substance to that yet. In terms of what the eu thinks about all of this that is going on, we will get a better idea later today, that is because right now theres a meeting of the article 50 working party which is Civil Servants from all the 27 member governments who work on brexit being briefed by the eus negotiating team from the commission and the council about the latest state of play, what the eu feels about what is going on, and that is about what is going on, and that is a meeting with 35 people in it, and you know what happens with meetings of 35 people, stop leaks out, so this afternoon we will get a better sense of what the eu feels about what is happening. And separately, the eu is continuing with its preparations for a no deal brexit. A spokesperson for the commission has just described that as a very distinct possibility, so we can interpret it as the eu thinking the chances of a no till bricks are increasing. They have said that while the chances of a no deal brexit are increasing. Tomorrow we will get a slew of documents from the commission. They will update their communication to people, businesses, organisations and european governments but what they need to do to prepare for a no deal brexit. There will be updates and twea ks to brexit. There will be updates and tweaks to that. We will get new pieces of contingency legislation from the eu as well. There will be one about opening up the eus Solidarity Fund to countries who are affected by brexit. Normally, that is reserved for countries that have been affected by Natural Disaster like a flood or volcanic eruption, and we will see a new measure about the 2020 eu budget, which would involve allowing the uk to choose to pay into the 2020 budget and receive money from the 2020 eu budget, even after it has left. That is a similar proposal to what the eu had established for this years budget. Also tomorrow there will be a meeting of eu member state ambassadors who will talk about brexit. A lot of activity going on, but slightly different activity from the activity you are experiencing where you are. We have had some use through thatjohn major will be the former tory Prime Minister speaking in court against the prorogation of parliament because he will has been given legal permission to join the court case that has been launched by the campaigna court case that has been launched by the campaign a gina miller, which is being heard in london. John major had previously indicated he wanted to be able to join that Court Hearing. It is obviously a dramatic step because it is a former Prime Minister going through the courts to ta ke minister going through the courts to take on the current Prime Minister, but he had said previously he would be prepared to seek a judicial review if borisjohnson tried to suspend parliament, and at that stage gina miller launched her own legal challenge sojohn major said he wanted to join forces with it, and has now been given permission for that. The first preliminary hearing at the high court will happen on thursday and potentially a full hearing following the day after that. John major and gina miller believe they can legally challenge the advice the Prime Minister gives her, so it is all about constitutional issues coming through the courts, another attempt to try to stop the process that the government is following, and it is the prorogation of parliament in that particular aspect. Joining me now is james johnson, former pollster to theresa may. That sets up a sensational prospect ofa that sets up a sensational prospect of a former tory Prime Minister taking on the current tory Prime Minister. Give us your Quick Reaction to that. Thisjust shows how we are in the battle of the heart of the conservative party, whether in court, in parliament or on the airwaves, the conservative party is fighting over its future. It certainly seems the only way that could end is a general election. And obviously, those on the different sides within the tory party believe they are representing what the tory party should be. You are a pollster. What is the internal messaging in that . The messaging that number 10 are gearing up for as this message about, get brexit done so we can get onto these other issues, Public Services. That message of getting brexit done is very powerful in the country. The question is, how many other people does it put off that are part of the conservatives . This isa are part of the conservatives . This is a big issue they have to think about. What other boaters they can win in the north and midlands but who can they defend . That also sums up who can they defend . That also sums up the problem the conservatives are in as up the problem the conservatives are inasa up the problem the conservatives are in as a party, the electorate and mps are split, it is very different. David cork says he believes the strategy for number 10 is to try to get out the no deal. The anti no deal mps from the party in order to have a much more Hardline Party to fightan have a much more Hardline Party to fight an election, and justin greening has said she is leaving politics, she said she will leave, she said the tory party is lee turning into the brexit party. Has tribalism changed because a brexit, there will be this fundamental change . I think the conservative party went a realignment and want to get the in the photos and make inroads into labour territory. The difficulty is, looking at these voters, in the north and midlands, they have to wind working class lever photos, they are loyal to the labour party, despite voting for brexit, they worry about Public Services as well. Can they break them out of their Party Loyalty . The strength of loyalty means it will be difficult, but one point on the no deal rebels, the equation that number 10 will be working out is if they go into the election and get a majority of 20 or 30, they have to be mps that backed the party line. You can understand what they are doing, because they forget that majority and the mps are against them, it is not the set firm ground they would wonder. Jamesjohnson, ground they would wonder. James johnson, thank you ground they would wonder. Jamesjohnson, thank you very much. We will be back here shortly the more live from westminster. Now its time for a look at the weather. Outbreaks of rain in North Western areas. It is drier and brighter the further south and east you are. The rain across northern scotland will push northwards and eastwards. Grizzly out towards the western coastal areas, rain later in the day, but brightness and spells of sunshine and tense parts of southern england, and the southeast with 22 celsius. Overnight, the band of rain gets more organised, will push south eastwards, heavy in places. Cool air behind so a chilly start for Northern England and scotland. A wet start today by the south eastern quarter. Tomorrow, the rainbow clear away, windy to coastal areas of scotland, up to 60 mph, coastal gales, heavy showers, blustery across the whole country, a chilly north westerly wind tomorrow. There will also be sunshine, temperatures up will also be sunshine, temperatures up to the high teens. Hello, this is bbc newsroom live. The headlines. A momentous day as westminster prepares for a showdown. The Prime Minister says nothing will make him delay brexit and he could trigger a snap election. Tory rebels are working with Opposition Mps to bring forward a bill designed to stop a no deal brexit. I think we will have the numbers. Many colleagues have been incensed by some of the actions over the last week or so. Jeremy corbyn says labour is ready for a general election, but the party may block going to the polls before october 31st to stop a no deal brexit. Please pray for us Hurricane Dorian claims at least five lives in the bahamas and causes widespread damage. The Prime Minister calls it an historic tragedy. After coming under fire over summer for his use of private jets, prince harry announces a new eco Friendly Travel scheme. Coming up, 80 years on since the outbreak of world war two, we look at the contribution bbc Radio Broadcasts made to the war effort. Returning to the story concerning prince harry, speaking out about his impact on the environment after the four are of his use of private jets are saying, saying no one is perfect. The prince was speaking at the launch of an ambitious Global Project to encourage the Tourism Industry to become more sustainable. The duke of sussex said what is important is what we do to balance out negative effects. Harry and wife meghan have faced mounting criticism after reportedly taking four private jetjourneys in 11 days during the summer. Our royal correspondent, nicholas witchell, is with us in the studio. Good morning. Firstly, what do we know about this initiative . He travels to amsterdam, i think by scheduled flight. I suppose is the first thing that people will notice. We caught a glimpse of it there. This is about Sustainable Tourism, it is something he is taking and interesting. Quoting from the press release, it is a Global Partnership to promote preservation and encouraging Sustainable Tourism. He has pointed out in a speech that the trips people make has more than doubled in recent years and he has highlighted the environmental damage that the adventurous tourism is making in the world. He had children coming up to him in the caribbean saying that the visits at destroying our coral reefs, that sort of thing, quite emotive. People are going to remark upon the fact that in recent weeks and months, he and his wife and his baby have made any number of trips on private jets. And his baby have made any number of trips on privatejets. So and his baby have made any number of trips on private jets. So there will be those who will suggest that there is an element of hypocrisy in all of this. It is all very well telling people that they must take trips which are sustainable and Sustainable Tourism is a wonderful thing and this is a partnership with some of the biggest travel booking companies, some based in the netherlands, and they are going to attempt to create, reorientate the entire travel industry towards sustainability and equity into mainstream rather than niche. Great objective, undoubtedly. You follow the royal family, prince harry has been talking about his excitement about introducing meghan and baby archie on an Upcoming Trip to south africa. Will they be travelling commercial and what does that mean when you have got a while on board . I think it was rather a lot of nonsense spouted by some alleged friends of them that they needed to fly by private jet for their own protection. All palpable nonsense, quite frankly. There is a trip to south africa and he will be going to some of the neighbouring countries, some of the neighbouring countries, some of the neighbouring countries, some of it will be done by private charter because of small airstrips, but as far as we are all aware, and iam quite but as far as we are all aware, and i am quite sure they will travel to south africa by scheduled flight, thatis south africa by scheduled flight, that is entirely normal of the members of the royal family and they would without doubt absolutely gutted in the neck if that wasnt the case, particularly after what they would hope would be regarded as a significant speech by him on Sustainable Tourism today. Thank you very indeed. We will cross back to westminster now third Joanna Gosling. Hello, there is lots of noise and protesters, Parliament Still not sitting, not until 2 30pm, that is when the Political Action kicks off. There are lots of mps around and the Opposition Mps who are trying to find ways to stop no deal brexit, trying to get legislation through in the commons later, start the process later. They have just started meeting and there is lots happening. There are also moves in the courts, at the court of session in edinburgh, which gets under way later to try to stop the prorogation of parliament, pamela meant to being suspended from next week through until mid october. Also an effort in london to the same effect and john major, sirjohn major, the former tory Prime Minister is going to be pa rt tory Prime Minister is going to be part of that legal action, so that sets up an interesting prospect, a former tory Prime Minister arguing against the current tory Prime Minister in terms of what should be donein minister in terms of what should be done in the courts. Clive, tell us what will be happening with the Court Hearing involving john major. This is the challenge but by the business woman gina miller and she is seeking a ruling that the advice given by Boris Johnson is seeking a ruling that the advice given by borisjohnson to the queen to Prorogue Parliament was unlawful because it curtails the amount of time that mps would have to scrutinise the various brexit options and it is seeking to stop the proroguing, the suspension of parliament. This morning, from the high court, it is said thatjohn major, he has been given leave to intervene in the case. Intervene in writing, meaning he can make a written contribution to those proceedings. The court will consider in due course whether his counsel, barrister should be able to make oral submissions during the course of the proceeding. This is a shot in the arm to gina miller because the essence of her cases to show that Boris Johnsons intent in essence of her cases to show that borisjohnsons intent in giving the advice to queen was unlawful. Intent isa advice to queen was unlawful. Intent is a difficult thing to prove, we haveitin is a difficult thing to prove, we have it in criminal cases, it is difficult because people never write down these things. You have to infer intent from various other pieces of evidence and information you have and sirjohn majors intervention in this case could be very powerful because as a former Prime Minister he has gone through the process of proroguing, advising the queen, taking into account the constitutional law. Interestingly, john major himself in 1997 was accused of political proroguing in relation to the so called burying of a report into what was known as the cash for questions issues, scandal at the time. John major will be powerful in this, but with no question to what happened to 1997 and the steps he went through in proroguing parliament back then. I mentioned there is separately legal action starting this afternoon at the court of session in edinburgh. There is also legal moves in Northern Ireland against the prorogation. How do these three separate legal cases meshed together . Are they the same arguments . Could they go different ways . The case in scotland has got under way and is under way now and we expect that to last the day and we are expecting a ruling on that tomorrow. The case in Northern Ireland is set down for a saving on friday. They are not all identical arguments, but essentially they want the same thing, a ruling, in the way that Boris Johnson the same thing, a ruling, in the way that borisjohnson has advised the queen, is essentially unlawful, they are seeking to stop the suspension of parliament, which all of them essentially say has been done in order to curtail debate and scrutiny of the various brexit options. What is fascinating is that they are all happening sort of simultaneously. They could all end up at the uks supreme court. That could happen as early as next monday and depending on when they arrive at that card, the reason i say they could end up there is it is likely anyone who loses these legal challenges will appeal and the appeal process ends at the supreme court. That could happen in the early part of next week and those three challenges could be rolled up and heard as one. We could have an absolutely huge constitutional case wrapping those challenges together. Clive, thank you very much. Just hearing that the opposition application for an emergency debate has gone in, the speaker will now consider that this afternoon. It is down to the speaker to decide whether that is heard later in parliament, that effort by the Opposition Mps to try and block no deal brexit. The indications are that itjohn no deal brexit. The indications are that it john bercow no deal brexit. The indications are that itjohn bercow will say yes. He co ntroversially that itjohn bercow will say yes. He controversially intervened in the row over prorogation in the summer when he said it is a constitutional outrage. Thats about anger from brexiteers. He is now the person that gets to decide whether that application for the emergency debate is heard later. Nowjoined by a chris morris. I remember we have been here before, so much as an charter, but over the course of the year, we have seen these efforts by Opposition Mps to block. Lots of people asking, why is it not resolved, how did we get here . It is worth remembering that the deal that was on the table, negotiated over more than a year by theresa mays government was rejected three times in the house of commons. It contained the Withdrawal Agreement setting out all the detail about how the uk leaves the eu, including the irish backstop and also the shorter political declaration, not legally binding, but setting our aspirations for the future and the eu said on the second document, yeah, we can look at that and if you want to move towards a specific free trade agreement, we could potentially write that in, but it is what is in the Withdrawal Agreement which is an issue. Borisjohnson the Withdrawal Agreement which is an issue. Boris johnson has the Withdrawal Agreement which is an issue. Borisjohnson has made clear that the plans for the irish border, the backstop, have to go. His ministers have said we have made progress in brussels, i am not sure where they are getting that from because the eu is not saying that. I spoke to one of Michel Barniers tea m spoke to one of Michel Barniers team has said there has been no progress, we are waiting for specific proposals, and there are not really formal negotiations going on. That is a problem, it is difficult to see how the eu will ever accept the government simply removing the backstop from the this. There are other things that the tories dont like, like the divorce bill, more than £30 million. It came down a bit because of the extra time we have spent in the article 50 progress, but there is still a lot of money but some tories are uncomfortable paying. There is a lot to shoehorn into a very tight timetable. The idea i think realistically that a deal could be negotiated, then ratified in parliament and the end put forward before october 31 with a long suspension of Parliament Coming up long suspension of Parliament Coming up is really unlikely because the 3ist up is really unlikely because the 31st of october is still the deadline, that is when the article 50 process runs out illegally if nothing has happened, that is when we would leave the eu. We have said this before, but important to remember that it is a deal or no deal, so if there is a deal, we leave on the 31st, but if there is no deal, we would also leave on the 3ist. No deal, we would also leave on the 31st. That is why we have the combined opposition parties that wa nt to combined opposition parties that want to extend the article 50 process and that is why intern the government is saying, if you are going to do that, we have made it clear, borisjohnson going to do that, we have made it clear, Boris Johnson has going to do that, we have made it clear, borisjohnson has set his stall out saying i will not prolong that article 50 process any longer, we will go for a general election. With labour buy into that . Those are the manoeuvrings that we will look at and try to look at over the next a8 hours. An extra element and i dont know if it isa an extra element and i dont know if it is a possibility, but there is talk of the eu saying we will relax the deadline. Can they do that . You need all 28 countries to agree an extension, including the uk, so the eu could make an offer, but if the eu could make an offer, but if the uk government said, no, we believe on the 31st of october, that will still happen, and that is why the opposition is acting to fast Prime Ministers hand. One of those supporting the move for the mps to take control of business in the commons is former chancellor, Philip Hammond. He told the bbcs radio a programme he believes the Cross Party Group does have enough support for the bill to pass. I think we will have the numbers. Many colleagues have been incensed by some of the actions over the last week or so and i think theres a group of conservatives who feel very strongly that now is the time when we have to put the National Interest ahead of any threats to us personally or to our career. To discuss it all im joined by katy balls, i am going to defend my party against incomers, entryists who are trying to turn it from a broad church into a narrow faction. People who are at the heart of this government who are probably not even members of the conservative party, who care nothing about the future of the conservative party. Youre referring there to Dominic Cummings. I intend to defend my party against them. Do you believe that Dominic Cummings is not a member of the conservative party, as we were hearing yesterday . I think david gauke suggested he didnt think that he was. My colleague david gauke suggested yesterday that he is not a member of the conservative party. Its my understanding he is not and never has been a member of the conservative party. I havent heard a denial from downing street. Perhaps theyll issue one, if thats not the case. Quite an extraordinary interview. To discuss it all, im joined by katy balls, deputy Political Editor of the spectator, and stephen bush, Political Editor at the new statesman. That was quite a moment, the chancellor speaking in the way he was and saying on top of Everything Else that he effectively doesnt trust Boris Johnson else that he effectively doesnt trust borisjohnson to do what he said he would do even setting a date foran said he would do even setting a date for an election. We have the former chancellor who a month or so ago was going and delivering the party line saying they dont have chest in the Prime Minister to keep their promises, so the idea that the election date in october, that some of his rebels would try and move it to after brexit happening, that would give the rebels less of a say. Generally, looking for nuance with the former ministers, there is no need to. Was also suggested that it was a fairfightand the was also suggested that it was a fairfight and the idea of deselecting mps is something that he plans to fight as much as he can. The important question is going to be how united opposition is at this point to the government because obviously events will kick off with the vote as long as the speaker a pproves the vote as long as the speaker approves the bill being heard. The emergency debate going ahead. Is there enough opposition to node your brexit very to get past, triggering the next steps . Looking at the conservative rebels, and with the opposition parties being in coalition, i think they are quite confident they have the numbers and there is a consensus that the Boris Johnson and numbers and there is a consensus that the borisjohnson and his statement yesterday outside ten downing st that he said if you vote tomorrow against the government, you will be playing into the hands of jeremy corbyn, i dont think it is had as much impact as he may have hoped because if you look at the member of the david gauke squad, former ministers there, these are proud individuals who think they have conviction and i think the problem with some of the messaging is they have not had a ladder to climb down on this. They have been threatened with deselection, so many felt pushed into a corner and i dont think they have assurances on the deal, so i dont think the numbers and quelling at the pace they need to. And on the election, do you think if it were to be, with it being triggered, with whether derby two thirds majority for it . Have set out. There is the different caveats they would need on assurances from the day and we hear from number 10 sources that they will not move the date but it does make it difficult to get two thirds and a nightmare scenario for Boris Johnson to be stuck in parliament, being legislated against no deal and not have an early election but he could use that to play into the People Versus Parliament narrative saying i am trying to do this to finish brexit and all these people are against me. Thank you very much, katy balls. Now lets check in with what is happening in business. Last month, british construction firms were hit by the biggest drop in orders since the depths of the financial crisis. The data comes from the ihs markit cips survey which recorded a fall in the construction purchasing managers index, which dropped to a5 last month from a5. 3 injuly. The significance of this is the index revolves around 50. Any number above means growth. Any number below is contraction. The sector has been contracting for four consecutive months now. Lulu shooter is from the federation of master builders. Doesnt sound like it is very nice out there. I know these are just numbers. How does it feel to be in the Construction Industry . This is really concerning, these statistics show that construction has been contracting over months now. We cant afford to lose capacity in the Construction Industry if we will deliver on House Building targets, the National Infrastructure projects and if we are going to continue repairing and maintaining building stuck. The government needs to achieve political certainty as soon as possible to give certainty to the businesses and they need to avoid a no deal scenario brexit as best they can because that would be the worst Case Scenario for the Construction Industry. I want to know about the developers who want to invest in the sector and develop projects. Are they postponing things or holding back and once they get certainty there will be a flood of stuff coming onto the market, may be a huge bounce back . Or are they saying no, we were dont want to do anything . At our federation, we represent the small to medium size constructors, we know that in some sectors such as in repairand we know that in some sectors such as in repair and maintenance, they have some enquiries coming through, but according to our own research which we conducted in the First Quarter of this year, we saw workloads drop for the first time in six years across the first time in six years across the whole of the uk, so this is really concerning. What about in terms of employment . Are we seeing people being laid off . Have we got to that point . Were not seeing it at the moment in employment figures. In the Second Quarter of this year, employment dropped and Staffing Levels dropped by the first time in around five years and speaking to our members, we understand they are working more subcontractors mike subcontractors. There is a concern that this is having an effect on the amount of apprentices being trained. Speaking to a member in reading, he is reducing his apprentice intake to see how the Political Uncertainty plays out. It is really important we get political certainty as soon as possible. Thank you very much. And a quick look at the markets. They are going nowhere fast. The ftse is down 20. Against the dollar, the pound has recovered a bit. He does come up from 119. It is still a very low. Close to 35 year low against the dollar. Not so much against the euro. It is going around that sort of level. The only time we have been near that was in 2017, but that was ina near that was in 2017, but that was in a flash crash, a technical problem. The last time we were trading properly at this level was in 1985. Now we have got time to look at the weather with elizabeth. Some outbreaks of rain to northern and Western Areas of the country, drier and brighter the further south and east you go. The rain works its way eastwards across northern scotla nd way eastwards across northern scotland into Northern Ireland and parts of Northern England. Plenty of cloud, quite grey in the west, but brighter spells, sunshine in central, southern england and across the south east and east anglia. Overnight, the band of rain will be organised, quite heavy at times, pushing south eastwards, a cold front and behind it with cooler air, soa front and behind it with cooler air, so a chilly start the day for Northern England and scotland tomorrow. The rain will not last too long, it will move away by lunchtime, further heavy showers pushing into Western Areas of scotla nd pushing into Western Areas of scotland and the winds will pick up coastal gales and it will be a blustery day where ever you are in the british isles. A cool north westerly wind blowing. That will affect how the day feels, an awful lot of sunshine around with temperatures in the mid to high teens. Youre watching bbc newsroom live withJoanna Gosling in westminster. The headlines at 12 a momentous day as westminster prepares for a showdown. The Prime Minister says nothing will make him delay brexit and he could trigger a snap election. Tory rebels are working with Opposition Mps to bring forward a bill designed to stop a no deal brexit. I think we will have the numbers. Many colleagues have been incensed by some of the actions over the last week or so. Jeremy corbyn says labour is ready for a general election, but the party may block going to the polls before 31st october to stop a no deal brexit. We can have both a legislative lockdown to prevent borisjohnson and his mates crashing the country out, and we can also, at the appropriate moment, when we can secure it, have a general election. Im lukwesa burak. The other stories this hour Hurricane Dorian claims at least five lives in the bahamas and causes widespread damage. The Prime Minister calls it an historic tragedy. After coming under fire over the summer for his use of private jets, prince harry announces a new eco Friendly Travel scheme. Coming up 80 years on since the outbreak of world war ii, we look at the contribution bbc Radio Broadcasts made to the war effort. Theres a momentous day ahead in westminster as tory rebels join forces with Opposition Mps to try to block a no deal brexit at the end of october. If defeated, downing street officials have warned of a third general election in four years, which could come as soon as the middle of next month. Lets take a look at where we are. Tory rebels are expected to join with labour mps in seeking to seize control of the commons agenda and bring forward a bill designed to stop that no deal exit at the end of next month. If they succeed, Prime Minister borisjohnson could call a snap general election on 1ath october. That would need to be agreed by parliament. Labour want to block a no deal before a general election is called. Mrjohnson has insisted the uk must leave the eu on 31st october with or without a deal and he will not under any circumstances request a further delay from brussels. The uncertainty has caused the pound to touch a three year low against the dollar on the currency markets. Heres our political correspondent, jonathan blake. Protester boris, boris, boris chanting out, out, out welcome back to westminster. Mps return from their summer break today to a raging debate about brexit. Yesterday evening, the Prime Minister raised the stakes with a warning to those trying to block a no deal exit, they could force him to go to the polls. Lets let our negotiators get on with their work without that sword of damocles over their necks and without an election, without an election. I dont want an election, you dont want an election. Tory mps entertained in the garden of number 10 now know that if theyjoin with opposition parties this week in attempts to take control of what happens in the house of commons, the government will push for an early election. Two thirds of mps would need to back that, meaning labours position is crucial. Their leader sounds keen. When the election comes, im ready for it, youre ready for it, were ready for it. Well take that message out there, and above all, we will win for the people of this country we will defeat this lot we will bring about that sense of justice and equality that is what our movement was founded to achieve but last night, another senior labour figure said the party would not support an election before the brexit deadline of october the 31st. What the conversations ive had in Parliament Today means is that we would not support the vote, the two thirds majority that borisjohnson needs, the 434 mp5 that he needs to vote for a general election to dissolve parliament, under the fixed Term Parliaments act, he will not get that majority. The summer is officially over here now and time is short for all sides to make their next move, and perhaps just days for Big Decisions to be made. Jonathan blake, bbc news, westminster. The application for an emergency debate on the European Union withdrawal has been submitted. There isa withdrawal has been submitted. There is a tweet from the house of commons, confirming that step. The speaker will consider that later today. If successful, the debate ta kes today. If successful, the debate takes precedence over todays scheduled business underStanding Order 2a. It is expected the speaker will give the go ahead but the speaker is considering and we will have to wait and see what he decides a bit later. In a moment, well talk to our assistant Political Editor, norman smith. There are various steps today. They have put in the attempt to be able to debate blocking no deal brexit later. No surprise, and that vote, we expect that nine or 10pm. What will worry downing street is all the signs are the rebels have the numbers to win that vote, a vote which downing street has pitched as a no confidence vote. If Boris Johnson loses that, we will have a vote tomorrow on triggering an early general election, and ominously for tea m general election, and ominously for teamjohnson, general election, and ominously for team johnson, the signs are labour is gravitating to blocking an early general election. In the next a8 hours or so, Boris Johnson general election. In the next a8 hours or so, borisjohnson could suffer a double blow to his brexit strategy, he could lose the vote on legislation to bar no deal. He could also lose the vote enabling him to hold a general election, and at the same time there is a sense amongst tory rebels that they are hardening in their determination to fight borisjohnson in their determination to fight Boris Johnson tooth in their determination to fight borisjohnson tooth and nail. We had an extraordinary interview from Philip Hammond this morning, a man widely known a spreadsheet filled because he is incredibly dull but this morning he was like an attack dog, everything he said was taking chunks out of borisjohnson, saying his claims there were progress to negotiations were nonsense, his claims he did not want an election was disingenuous, attacking his chief adviser as intent on destroying the tory party. I am going to defend my party against incomers, entryists who are trying to turn it from a broad church into a narrow faction. People who are at the heart of this government who are probably not even members of the conservative party, who care nothing about the future of the conservative party. Youre referring there to Dominic Cummings. I intend to defend my party against them. Do you believe that Dominic Cummings is not a member of the conservative party, as we were hearing yesterday . I think david gauke suggested he didnt think that he was. My colleague david gauke suggested yesterday that he is not a member of the conservative party. Its my understanding he is not and never has been a member of the conservative party. Just to underline the sense of hardening of resolve amongst the rebels, Justine Greening announced this morning that she has had enough, no point continuing with the tory party, it has become the brexit party, she will not stand as a candidate for the tory party at the next election. The job of an mp is, for me, is to be putneys voice in parliament, and thats certainly what i have sought to do and i will do that today in making sure that we pass this bill, hopefully, through parliament on wednesday. But it is very clear to me that my concerns about the conservative party becoming the brexit party in effect have come to pass and therefore my decision is, if i want to continue to make a difference on the ground on opportunity and social mobility, i need to do that outside parliament, and that is what i am prepared to do. There are broader signs in the tory party about uneasy about Boris Johnsons strong arm tactics, mps deeply wary of this idea of putting out mps who take a different course. We heard from amber rudd this morning, and she seemed distinctly uneasy at the treatment of the likes of Philip Hammond, david cork, and the decision of justine of Philip Hammond, david cork, and the decision ofJustine Greening to quit. We have some very valued colleagues who have made a difficult choice, and we should consider carefully the consequences of dividing the party, but i do support the Prime Ministerand his commitment to getting a deal with the eu. And sometimes what is getting lost is the focus we do have to government to get that deal and the progress we are making. What will particularly worried Boris Johnson now is thatjeremy corbyn will back a general election, he has been banging on about how he wants a general election almost since he became leader. I get the distinct feeling that the momentum inside the party now is against giving Boris Johnson to go ahead for a general election because they do not trust him to change the date of the election until after the 31st of october, in other words, after we have left without a deal. If you listen to chamois chakra party this morning, she was not saying general election, bring it on. It depends whether we have managed to secure this legislative lockdown to prevent any kind of accidental crashing out and indeed to prevent Boris Johnson and his thugs from agreeing one thing, saying, we wont crash out before a general election, and then delaying the general election, for example, so it happens after october 315t, the reason why this is a little confused is because we are not dealing with normal people with normal respect for parliament or the law. And so we have to be nimble in response and we are trying to do that, working across parties in the house of commons. There is a meeting going on as we speak of the opposition leaders, where they are trying to fine tune tactics, get themselves on the same page. Actually, they have done quite well and that so far in agreeing the sort of legislation, but the key outcome of that meeting which we will be looking for is any clarity from labour as to whether they are actually going to blockjeremy corbyn. Actually going to blockjeremy corbyn. Boris actually going to blockjeremy corbyn. Borisjohnsons attempts to call a general election. How far are they prepared to go and what they are prepared to do . I was speaking to one former adviser to theresa may earlier who raised the prospect of a humble address, not very frequently used, but it would entail going to the queen and asking her to seek an extension of article 50, which is an extraordinary step. How far out the box are they thinking . From the oppositions point of view, they are thinking that they will not agree to anything at all unless no deal is taken of the table, that is the starting point. From the governments point of view, if they lose these two votes, i think they will try and find another way to trigger a general election. There are other ways you can do it, you could hypothetically table a motion of no confidence in your own government. That might seem a bizarre thing for a Prime Minister to say, i have no confidence in myself but we are in extraordinary times, and the key thing about a no confidence vote is only a simple majority. That could be another avenue to get to a general election. Or another idea, even more extraordinary, there has been mooted is if the house of commons says, you have got a delay, borisjohnson could commons says, you have got a delay, Boris Johnson could go commons says, you have got a delay, borisjohnson could go to the eu summit in october and veto his own proposal because you only need one member of the eu to veto an extension and, of course, britain would still be part of the eu, so we would still be part of the eu, so we would still be part of the eu, so we would still have a veto, and there is an extraordinary situation. Would it be clear by the end of the week . Certainly not it moves hour by hour, and certainly not it moves hour by hour, and i am not sure it becomes clearer as we go along. Norman, thank you very much. We will keep your across all developments here, of course. Parliament starts setting from 2 30pm. The speaker of the house of commons is considering an application for an emergency debate. It has gone in, and that is the opposition moved by which they want to start the process of trying to block a no deal brexit. The governments position is that if Opposition Mps pass that vote, then the government will step in and try to trigger a general election. As we we re to trigger a general election. As we were hearing there from norman smith, the issue is that that would require two thirds majority in parliament, and it is not looking likely that that will happen. Lets poke all of this withjohn whittingdale. A former cabinet minister, brexiteer, did you hear Philip Hammond on the radio this morning . It was an extraordinary interview, saying he does not trust the government not to basically not play by the book, to change the date even of the general election, what is your reaction to what he said this morning . Philip hammond demonstrated his determination to stop us leaving without a deal, and actually his opposition to us leaving at all. Part of the problem we have had is that during the time he was chancellor, we now know he was actually blocking a lot of preparations which would have made it possible for us to leave smoothly. He was pushing leaving, but with a deal, and voting for a deal, brexiteers were voting against. He was also announcing in parliament he had set aside a lot of money to prepare for the possibility of living without a deal but it now becomes apparent that money was never reaching the departments are not being spent. Philip hammond. He has been one of the obstacles to preparing us to leave on the 31st of october if necessary without a deal. In borisjohnsons october if necessary without a deal. In Boris Johnsons determination october if necessary without a deal. In borisjohnsons determination to ta ke in borisjohnsons determination to take this country out of the eu on the 31st of october, Philip Hammond has said he is trying to turn the party from a broad church into a narrow faction by threatening anyone within the party who votes against no deal brexit with deselection. Justine greening said she will no longer stand as an mp at the next election and says the conservative party has become the brexit party. The conservative party has always been a eurosceptic party. It decided to have a referendum and we would abide by the result. Thats not a narrow faction, that is the overwhelming view of conservative party m ps overwhelming view of conservative party mps and membership, and a few weeks ago, borisjohnson won the leadership of the party buys a substantial majority both of mps and of our members in the country. To say this is a narrow faction is nonsense. Borisjohnson say this is a narrow faction is nonsense. Boris johnson is say this is a narrow faction is nonsense. Borisjohnson is putting forward what the vast majority of conservative mps and members want, which is for us to live on the 31st of october. Is it right to boot out conservative mps who do not agree with the party . There are members of the government now who are voting against the government before. The government now who are voting against the government beforem has always been the case that, when it comes to a vote of confidence in the government, conservative mps have to support the government or face the whip. John major imposed a vote of confidence in order to get maastricht through, i was an mp at that time and voted against it, but when it came to a vote of confidence i supported the government because i did not want to see the possibility ofa did not want to see the possibility of a labour government, and i hope my colleagues this afternoon will ta ke my colleagues this afternoon will take it into account that same consideration. It is such a show of strength now, a battle of wills, potentially borisjohnson could lose on two fronts if mps as it looks likely vote against no deal brexit later and then as also looks likely will not support going to the country for a general election. What happens then . I dont know what the a nswer happens then . I dont know what the answer is. I never thought the fixed Term Parliament act is a good piece of legislation. It has only been on the statute book for a few years. It is there, it was a liberal democrats invention, which the Coalition Government accepted. I cant believe that when it was passed we actioned this. Can parliament require a Prime Minister to continue in office when that Prime Minister wants to take his case to the country . It seems extraordinary that we will no doubt discover what happens in the circumstances you describe, i dont know. Thank you very much. The governmentjust has a majority of one, and that includes the dup mps. Potentially, the government could become a minority government by some way if the government stance good on its threat to take away the whip from any mps who vote against the government today. With me now is sammy wilson from the dup. What will you be doing in the voted today . We will back the government and oppose this piece of legislation which quite honestly i dont think any sane person should even consider. This is a piece of legislation which, if it goes through, will give us multiple extensions, extensions the terms of which will be tailored to us by the eu, that will continue the uncertainty in the country. The irony is that the people who are backing this say they try to avoid economic catastrophe. What damage the economy of the country far more is this continued uncertainty into a future which would be dictated by the eu. If the vote goes ahead, borisjohnson has said that he would then try to trigger a general election. Would your party vote for a general election . If the government decides that is the only way in which they can deliver a referendum result, in which they can restore some kind of normality to politics in the uk and get forward this agenda which the Prime Minister has outlined, an agenda which everybody in the country wants to see pursuit, mainly more money for education. You would vote for a general election . We will support the government but we will not allow this uncertainty to continue and we will not allow a piece of legislation to be operative which would give us a situation where the eu continues to dictate extension after extension, costing us £1 billion a month. At the moment, the dup mps have a powerful position there because of the number of tory mps. If there were to be an election and Boris Johnson were mps. If there were to be an election and borisjohnson were to increase the number of tory mps, it could lead to your party actually being marginalised, not having the clout you do have. An election is not inevitable. We have said along with the government that we want to see a deal by the 31st october. I still that that is possible though i think it is weakened by the antics we will see in the house of commons today and tomorrow. What is the evidence that there is anything that means a new deal is possible . The ball is in the governments ought to come up with new proposals and they are not doing it. Negotiations are two sided. I believe that the one thing that will bring the eu to the table with moralistic and fairer proposals is the threat of leaving on the 31st of october without a deal, that is why i think the antics in Parliament Today due to service to the country, not just of the tory today due to service to the country, notjust of the tory party or the brexit course, but a disservice to the country. That is our first priority, get a deal, and that is why we will oppose this legislation today because we believe we should not weaken the governments can, but if theres an election, then we will face our electorate, we will argue our case, and we will see what the outcome of it is. We always knew that any arrangement we had with the conservative party was likely to be temporary we did not have the balance of power. But we have got to look at two things, first of all, what is in the National Interest, and secondly what is in the interest of the people we represent . Lets go over again in a bit more detail whats expected to happen today. Mps return to the commons this afternoon after summer recess theyll request an urgent debate on taking control of the agenda in order to stop a no deal brexit. A vote on that is expected probably late tonight. If it passes, the bill would be able to be put forward for debate, but the Prime Minister is expected pretty quickly to table a motion to hold a snap general election, which can only happen if its backed by at least two thirds of mps in a commons vote. If they vote in favour of the motion, the country would be expected to go to the polls on monday, the 1ath of october. To discuss it all im joined by stephen bush, Political Editor at the new statesman. The key questions are obviously, are the steps to no deal likely to go ahead, and subsequently would labour supporter general election . Supporter general election . Support a general. I think labour would us eventually supported general election, they would want an assurance that they will not be bounced into accidentally supporting the no deal, but what will ultimately happen if the voters lost todayis ultimately happen if the voters lost today is we will end up with some legally binding motion on the floor of the house saying it will be on the 1ath of october, and that will unblock any objections could have to it. So you think that the two thirds majority would actually be there . It isa majority would actually be there . It is a difficult position for labour to be in, having saying for so long, we wa nt to be in, having saying for so long, we want a general election, and suddenly the prospect of one and for them to vote against it. It is easy for them as long as they have this argument, and the government has said repeatedly that they might move that date of the election to prevent parliament interfering in a new deal brexit. The difficulty they have is it is easy for the government to give labour the assurance they would not do that and then of course the argument against having an election evaporates. Having lots of people welcome an election because they believe they can effect a turnaround of the kind had last time. In the event of an election, the polls put borisjohnson out event of an election, the polls put Boris Johnson out in event of an election, the polls put borisjohnson out in the lead, it could end up with him coming back in with a greater majority and the effo rts with a greater majority and the efforts in parliament are blocking a deal brexit being further timing. Although polls put him in the lead, it is very similar to the polls that cameron had in the run up to 2010, leading but not by enough to get a majority on the first past the post, particularly if there is a lib dems revival, the snp will take some of the seats scotland. So we might end up the seats scotland. So we might end up with a parliament a lot like this one, but with conservative mps in a slightly different part of the country, that looks like the most likely outcome. And of course the question arises as to what exactly labours strategy would be in a general election were that to happen, with the shifting positions for some time. Is that the party of remain . What they feel and listening to this crowd they have a point, the prorogation help them out because it means they can move away from a remain or leave party to a position of stop the coup, stop the interference, we are the biggest party. They think that means they can then move on from this thorny question which they cannot answer adequately. Stephen referred there to the protesters voices outside parliament as mps prepare to return to the commons at 2 30pm after the summer recess, and potentially of course only sitting for a matter of days before parliament is prorogued. That is something that is being challenged in the courts in edinburgh, london and belfast. At the hearing in london has now got the hearing in london has now got the involvement of the former tory Prime Minister, sirjohn major. I am sure you have loads of questions about what might happen with brexit. Well be answering your questions about what could happen this week and what it could mean for the brexit process. At 12 30pm, ill be joined by Bronwyn Maddox from the institute for government, with me now is the mep for the brexit party, alex phillips. Well, lets start with some tory mps, notjust well, lets start with some tory mps, not just any well, lets start with some tory mps, notjust any tory mps, very senior mps, former minister saying the tory party is becoming the brexit party. If only it were our fear is that borisjohnson wants to dust off the Withdrawal Agreement which he himself would then bring back to the end of october when he has run down the clock and create a dichotomy of no deal or an extremely terrible deal and somehow get it through which theresa may could not. We have said, if you agree to deliver a brexit, which would lead believing on the 31st of october, we will support you every step of the way, theyre will support you every step of the way, they re happy will support you every step of the way, theyre happy to create a nonaggression pact with the conservatives, however if they manage to get him to pursue that deal, we will stand against him. It is not brexit. Youll strategy only holds if there is an election before the 31st of october, after that, if we have left, whatever the context,. We have left, whatever the context,. It is not necessarily dead. 15 is the amount of support nigel for archers commanded for a long time, and it is for voters that borisjohnson long time, and it is for voters that Boris Johnson cannot meet, long time, and it is for voters that borisjohnson cannot meet, people who have not voted before, people who have not voted before, people who will not lead the conservative party gathered. You are saying you dont want to see borisjohnson getting a deal through the last minute because it is basically a choice of that or no brexit. If we leave with a deal, it is not what you want, but if there is an election after that, your party is dead . Not necessarily. People keep forgetting that the Withdrawal Agreement isjust forgetting that the Withdrawal Agreement is just that, it is nothing to do with the future relationship of the political declaration. That, leaving without a deal is only the beginning of the process , deal is only the beginning of the process, so actually the brexit party will remain very relevant to make sure the relationship we have with the eu respects the result of the referendum. Nigel farage has tweeted, confirming the brexit party will not stand against conservative candidates in an election if Boris Johnson promises to leave the eu without a deal, he will put country before party. It is still not clear how much people have shifted their perspective on what they really want. What has happened since the referendum is the false dichotomy of ha rd referendum is the false dichotomy of hard and soft brexit. The fact the ballot paper said it leave or remain and both parties made it clear that the jurisdiction and both parties made it clear that thejurisdiction of and both parties made it clear that the jurisdiction of the ecj, that has been conflated into something else, brexiteers did not know what they voted for. One thing i agree with is people have compromised their positions. You have two opposing camps and i cant see many members of the public shifting to the other side. If there were a general election, there would be the risk of the same, possibly a hung parliament. Thank you very much. Alex phillips from the brexit party. More reaction from the brexit party. More reaction from here later. Now for the weather. We have got lots of cloud across the country and the cloud is a rain bearing clouds, particularly in North Western areas with the rain must persist into this afternoon to Northern Ireland, scotland and the north west of england and wales. That leaves some southern and eastern areas cloud but rather cloudy. Temperatures up to 23 degrees. Overnight, this area of rain pushes southwards across much of england and wales, the been heavy at times and towards the north and west, the rain clears, the sky clears for a time but further showers moving into scotland and Northern Ireland tomorrow the rain starting off the day in southeast, sunshine then comes out, then some showers and Western Areas for scotland, Northern Ireland and Northern England, looking like a cloudy day with rain at times, some rain quite heavy and the winds go to a northerly direction that will make things feel much cooler across northern areas, temperatures of around 13 degrees in aberdeen. Hello, this is bbc newsroom live. The headlines. A momentous day as westminster prepares for a showdown. The Prime Minister says nothing will make him delay brexit and he could trigger a snap election. Tory rebels are working with Opposition Mps to bring forward a bill designed to stop a no deal brexit. I think we will have the numbers. Many colleagues have been incensed by some of the actions over the last week or so. Jeremy corbyn says labour is ready for a general election, but the party may block going to the polls before october the 31st to stop a no deal brexit. Please pray for us Hurricane Dorian claims at least five lives in the bahamas and causes widespread damage. The Prime Minister calls it an historic tragedy. After coming under fire over the summer for his use of private jets, prince harry announces a new eco Friendly Travel scheme. Coming up 80 years on since the outbreak of world war two, we look at the contribution bbc Radio Broadcasts made to the war effort. Now, some of todays other news. At least five people are known to have died, as Hurricane Dorian continues to cause catastrophic damage across the bahamas. Some 13,000 houses are feared damaged or destroyed. Dorian is later expected to hit the eastern seaboard of america, as our correspondent, richard galpin, reports. Never before have the people of the bahamas faced anything like Hurricane Dorian. Please pray for us. Iam Hurricane Dorian. Please pray for us. I am begging you. Pray for us. Clinging to the side of her damage apartment and holding onto her baby, gerthjoseph cries apartment and holding onto her baby, gerth joseph cries for apartment and holding onto her baby, gerthjoseph cries for help amid winds which have been gusting up to 200 mph. The damage done to these, the worst hit islands, abaco and grand bahama, is unprecedented. Holmes ripped open and then flooded bya holmes ripped open and then flooded by a huge storm surges. The water rising more than five metres here around this government ministers house. According to an initial assessment, at least five people have been killed. We are in the midst of a historic tragedy in parts of northern bahamas. Our mission and focus now is search, rescue and recovery. I ask for your prayers for those in affected areas and for our first responders. Overnight, the United States coast guard got involved in that search and rescue operation, bringing some of the injured here to the capital from abaco island. Much more help will be neededin abaco island. Much more help will be needed in the coming days. Although Hurricane Dorian is still sitting over abaco and grand bahama, it is now being ground down graded to a category three hurricane. But that can still bring the sustained winds of up to 130 mph. As people on these islands start assessing the damage to their homes, they will be hoping aid agencies will be able to get on the ground as quickly as possible. Now on bbc news, its time for bbc ask this from westminster. You join us live at westminster where you hit see the demonstrators, on both sides. It all starts in Parliament Later when potentially there will be the discussion about there will be the discussion about the opposition moved to try and stop brexit, the speaker is considering the position put forward and he will make his decision later but it is expected the debate will happen later in parliament this evening. Time now for bbc ask this, where we take your questions on the biggest stories. Joining me im joined now by bronwen maddox, director of the institute for government, and our reality check correspondent, chris morris. If Parliament Takes over the timetable and borisjohnson loses the vote to call an election, what happens next . Thats from pete. White peat is talking about if parliament winds is what is trying out the rebels, they take over the business of the house of commons and get through the legislation forcing the government to ask for an extension, and although Boris Johnson count is that by saying if i wa nt johnson count is that by saying if i want to counter general election, but he doesnt get the two thirds support that he would be required for a fixed terms Parliament Act to have a general election, what happens . In theory if the legislation that the rebels are trying to get through, the government will be fast to us the eu foran government will be fast to us the eu for an extension unless our parliament has by october 19 agreed toa parliament has by october 19 agreed to a deal or agreed to a no deal. So he could still say, look, im still trying to get a deal of the eu, you have made it much harder but i am trying to get a deal and i will bring that to parliament. Dont forget that unless things change, we have a five suspension from next week, so mps will not be there for much time unless the government changes cars. Essentially it would mean that if this went through, it would look like the line. There would not have the having the lion to instruct the Prime Minister. Inaudible the reason the president would lose it considering labour have been very keen, with the labour suspicion that he will go further after october 31, so the way he would win that would by promising absolutely cast iron that it would be before october 31, they might say we dont believe you, you might move the date. That is a whole other area of debate whether he has the powers to do that, possibly, but that would get him into constitutional, possibly legal problems, or you could allow a piece of legislation to go through the commons that would absolutely lock in an election before october 31 and that is how if he really wanted that general election, that is how he would be sure to get the votes. And he could potentially be a minority government taking the whip away from tory mps that felt against him today. A whole other set of questions under the conservative partys own roles,. Unless the local association has an alarmist amount of power under conservative rule, so unless they agree, as Philip Hammond was saying today. Lots of complexity there. What happens if the eu imposes conditions to an extension . Thats from claude scott. The extension. Inaudible edward suggested the mps would have so many days to vote. In other words, what the bill is trying to do is not to give the eu Carte Blanche but to give the decision on whether to a cce pt but to give the decision on whether to accept what the eu says in the hands of mps rather than the hands of the government. If we leave the eu without a deal on 31 october, what will happen in respect of the irish border . From michael davies. This has emerged and rightly, as the single greatest problem ive no deal. In theory, the uk government position has been that we wouldnt rush to impose tariffs, but the eu position is we have two detect the integrity, so they would have to first up at both sides say they want a hard body, with something having to give, and possibly the republic of ireland would be fast into the position it absolutely doesnt warrant having to bring in checks itself, but what officials are most afraid of is informal blocks of the border, possibly done by Northern Ireland farmers who would see on the first hour of november one cuts from the south going now that they would not be able to sell their milk and other things south, would they seek to block it . That is talking about civil unrest and the yellowhammer documents that came out in a few weeks ago, this may be one of the things that they are referring to a stop loss would have to happen. And worth emphasising that a big problem for the uk and a big problem for the republic of ireland as well. What would our status be in trade negotiations with the eu after a no deal brexit . From mandy peden. We would be trying to do a trade deal with our former trading union. They would be really fed up with us but we would have to try and strike to make some kind of trading deal. Idid time to make some kind of trading deal. I did time when the eu says, if you leave with no deal, the first thing we wa nt leave with no deal, the first thing we want to talk to good luck if you have the trade agreement, they want to talk about the Citizens Rights and the divorce bill, so they have said and still they have those issues out, we will not i want to talk about other things. Let me bring you up to date with what is happening at westminster because the process is under way by which the speaker is considering wright at the application for emergency debate on the European Union. It has been submitted. If the speaker agrees that the debate happens, it will take precedence over todays scheduled business understanding ardour 25, it is mps taking control again of the commons as previously happened because we have been here before with brexit and the mps taking control of the process and the deadline was pushed back to where we are now, fast coming at us, october 31. With me now is the snp leader at westminster, ian blackford. How will you be voting today . We will be voting in support of the Standing Order 2a that will allow mps to take control of the order paper that will bring forward a bill to stop no deal on the 31st october. These are crucial days for parliamentarians and our constituents. I am looking forward to it and i am grateful there is cross party to it and i am grateful there is cross Party Support for what we are trying to do across the opposition parties but crucially including some conservatives that recognise that no deal would be such a threat. And you arejust deal would be such a threat. And you are just out of the meeting with opposition leaders. What was the tone . I think there is a great resolve and determination, we know what we are up determination, we know what we are up against with borisjohnson, we need to be on our game. Our priority is to remove the cliff edge of a new deal brexit but there is a strong message that we want a general election, the opportunity to put our case to the voters, but not on the terms of Boris Johnson case to the voters, but not on the terms of borisjohnson taking us out i know deal bases on the interim. Would you vote against. . We wa nt would you vote against. . We want to see a general election but we want to influence the date of it. But we dont want to do is inadvertently file of the fell out of the eu i know deal bases. He will not be able to bring a motion today anyway. Make sure we secure the allegedly dating back legislation and make sure we do not leave the eu under a no deal. So unity amongst the opposition to support a general election provided it is legislated in parliament that the date is before the october 31. We need to remove and make sure we cannot fall out, and have a debate of when the election would file. So you will not support the prospect, the government would not go back to the majority under Boris Johnson. . If he tells us that he once an election, i would say that so do the rest of us, but we need to make sure we do not fall out of the european election. You could do that, try to get a legislation through to say that the election has to be be far october 31, that would achieve what you want. There are various ways of doing this, negotiating with other parties over the next 2a hours, coming together to make sure we can determine that. It will be so strange for voters out there who hear you say you want an election to then potentially seeing ya voting against an election. That is not what i am saying is not what will happen is the government will be given an instruction that we will be given an instruction that we will not be leaving at the end of october. Parliament will have taken control of what will happen and parliament should determine when the election will happen and that is what will happen over the course of the coming days. Thank you very much, ian blackford. Lets cross back to the studio for other news. The Us Coast Guard says at least 25 people have been killed after a boat carrying scuba divers caught fire and sank off the coast of southern california. Up to nine people are still missing. All but one of the six crew managed to escape byjumping off the vessel in the early hours of monday morning. Peter bowes reports from los angeles. The charter vessel conception was being used by scuba divers. A three day trip that started on saturday. The vessel is well known in the area and Officials Say it was compliant with safety requirements. The injured crew members were brought to shore and have been interviewed by investigators, but its not clear what was happening in the minutes before the fire broke out and whether the boat experienced any mechanical problems. This is probably the worst Case Scenario you could possibly have. You have a vessel thats on the open sea that is in the middle of the night, i mean, 3 30 in the morning. Fire is the scourge of any ship and the vessel, you know, if not everybody, most everybody was asleep at this time. The majority of the people were the passengers on the ship and the sleeping compartment was on the bottom deck of the ship, so they would have been sound asleep when this fire started. Just metres from the harbour at santa cruz island, the boat was anchored for the night. Initially there were hopes that the passengers could have swum to safety. The area known as the Channel Islands to the north of los angeles is a popular destination for water sports and fishing crews. This disaster has shocked the Seaside Community and raises questions about boating safety at the height of the summer season. Peter bowes, bbc news, los angeles. Theres a warning that hundreds of patients are missing out on life saving transplant operations because families are blocking the wishes of potential organ donors. The nhs is calling for people whove signed up to be donors to make their wishes clear to their relatives. Heres our Health Correspondent dominic hughes. This golf course near wolverhampton means a lot to bill moores family. Bill loved to play here, but his sudden death left them devastated. Their decision on whether or not to donate his organs was complicated by not knowing exactly what he would have wanted. It was really difficult to make that decision at the time. We were on such a rollercoaster of emotions, and i think not knowing his wishes at the time made it even harder. If we had known that he had said he wanted to donate his organs it would have made things a lot easier. Last year, nearly 70 of the families of potential organ donors agreed to go ahead. But 835 families didnt want to, mostly because they hadnt discussed Organ Donation with their loved one. Each person can donate multiple organs, so it is estimated this amounts to 2500 missed opportunities for a transplant. In the end, bills family did go ahead, helping at least eight people in the process. It is amazing to think that he lived on and his gift of life meant so much to them. It is absolutely life changing. New laws around Organ Donation have taken effect in wales, and england and scotland will follow suit next year. Consent to donation will be assumed, so you will have to opt out of the scheme rather than opting in. But families will still have the final say. It is hoped more people talk about their wishes, the easier it will be for relatives to say yes, and that should lead to more life saving transplants. Hong kongs embattled leader, carrie lam, has denied ever offering to resign, after audio was leaked of her saying she would if she could. On monday, a recording of a private meeting emerged where she is heard saying if i have a choice, the first thing is to quit. Today, ms lam said she had never tendered any resignation, but did not deny the authenticity of the recording. Hong kong has seen months of Anti Government protests, and ms lam has been the target of much of the protesters anger. Experts are warning about the dangers of so called fussy eating after a 17 year old from bristol, who lived on a diet of chips, crisps and processed meat, suffered irreparable sight loss. Eye doctors in bristol cared for the young man after his vision had deteriorated to the point of blindness. Tests revealed he had severe vitamin deficiencies and damage linked to malnutrition. Details of how bbc news bulletins were used to send secret messages to resistance fighters in the Second World War have been released today. 80 years on from britain and france going to war with germany the archive recordings reveal how big ben was sometimes replaced with a recording to confuse german bombers. Heres our arts correspondent david sillito. Big ben chimess radio announcer this is the bbc home and forces programme. Here is the news, and this isjohn snagge reading it. The sound of big ben and the bbc news live from london. Radio a service that links the world by radio. However, during the Second World War, big ben wasnt always live. The bbc has just released archive recordings from people from the Second World War, who reveal that, for instance, big ben was sometimes a recording. Why . Well, if you were listening and you could hear german bombers above, it might help them target their bombs. So someone was always waiting with a record, just in case. Here you can see some of the bomb damage. I mean, the bbc was actually hit repeatedly. Historian david hendy has been going through this archive material and hes particularly interested in what was happening in poland. 80 years after the nazi invasion, we now know the bbc was using music at the end of the news to send secret messages to the resistance. The bulletins that were broadcast to poland were made to run deliberately short by a minute or so. Then a secret messenger from the exiled polish government would deliver to the bbc, under the code name peter peterkin, a record that should be played in that spare minute or so. The choice of music would send a message to resistance groups in poland. And getting the bbc to play the right song at the right time was the job of a man called alex sutherland, because sometimes a record was scratched and the bbc would want to substitute another tune. The recorded programmes assistants would look at these discs, and they would see a band they thought would make a better broadcast. So you would play the other band and the wrong bridge would get blown up in poland. Archive this playground of North East London was a relic of victorian times. Even the transmitter ar Alexandra Palace had a wartime role. It was used to interfere with the Navigation Systems of german bombers. All this was, of course, top secret at the time, but 80 years on, these interviews are still revealing new insights into what part broadcasting played in the Second World War. David sillito, bbc news. If you want to find out more about about how the bbc swung behind the war effort and the latest release from the bbc archives collection, go to. Now its time for a look at the weather with chris fawkes. A quick update on Hurricane Dorian. A quick update on Hurricane Dorian. A satellite here that spans 2a hours and the centre of the hurricane has not been moving, it has been battering the island. That is the 2a hours bringing catastrophic damage. The winds around the centre are gusting at 150 mph, but only 100 miles to the west is the florida coastline where the top post is around 3a mph so a very big contrast in wind strength and that is the contrast that makes people nervous because as the hurricane works closer to florida and georgia, just a small change could bring more damaging conditions to the coastline. Away from the hurricane, it isa coastline. Away from the hurricane, it is a cloudy day for us and there is rain in the far cursed. The rain has moved into North Western areas where it is becoming heavy and persistent but as well as that there is low cloud, a bit misty and murky on the hills. Southeast should stay dry but quite a lot of cloud here. Top temperature of about 23 degrees towards the south east. Overnight, we will see the band of rain pushed eastwards a cross we will see the band of rain pushed eastwards across into england and wales. This is a cold front and behind it the skies will clear and it will get a bit colder as well. We will see thick cloud and showers blowing into western scotland and Northern Ireland towards the end of the night. Tomorrow, and unsettled the night. Tomorrow, and unsettled the day, the cold front will push eastwards a cross the day, the cold front will push eastwards across eastern england, an explosion bringing strong winds and like an occlusion bringing strong winds. There will be sunshine and showers across Western Areas in the day. In the far north of england, heavy outbreaks of rain and northerly winds will knock the temperature is down significantly, how of just temperature is down significantly, how ofjust 10 temperature is down significantly, how of just 10 degrees temperature is down significantly, how ofjust 10 degrees in stornoway and about 13 degrees in aberdeen at five oclock in the afternoon. Thursday, it looks like a quieter weather day, cloud around Western Areas initially, some showers perhaps, but for much of the day it will be dry with occasional brightness and sunny spells and temperatures up to 19 degrees. Hello, im simon mccoy in westminster. The headlines at one. Showdown in parliament, as conservative rebels say they can defeat the government to win a vote to stop a no deal brexit. I think we will have the numbers. Many colleagues have been incensed by some been incensed by some of the actions over the last week or so. Downing street says if they lose, they will push for an election on october 1ath. Labour say they are ready for an election, but they want a no deal brexit blocked first. We can also, at the appropriate moment when we can secure it, have a general election. And the other main stories this lunchtime