Just after half past midnight here in bbc news. It is now time for tuesday in parliament. Hello, and welcome to tuesday in parliament, where the government bill setting out the terms of the uks divorce from the eu clears its first hurdle in the commons. The ayes to the right, 329. The noes to the left, 299. But mps reject a tight timetable to get it through the commons by october the 31st. The Prime Minister says because of that, hell put the brexit bill on hold. But insists. One way or another, we will leave the eu with this deal, to which this house has just given its assent. Also on this programme. A plea for the government to help british children trapped in syria. And condemnation of Barclays Bank as opts out a scheme allowing customers to get cash at post offices. It seems that some banks are only interested in big cashless customers that have large deposits. But lets start by going back to the beginning of the day. Boris johnson opened the first general debate on the bill which would make his eu withdrawal deal law. Thered been much speculation about whether hed have enough mps to back him given that he doesnt have a majority in the commons. The arguments were familiar as borisjohnson set out his stall one more time. If this house backs this legislation, if we ratify this new deal, which i believe is profoundly in the interest of our whole United Kingdom and our european friends, we can get brexit done and move our country on. The government is refusing to publish an Impact Assessment of this deal. He is expecting mps to vote for something that we know will damage this country economically without revealing the Impact Assessment. What does this government have to hide . Because shes had an answer from my right honourable friend the chancellor yesterday, and i think it will be clear to everybody that the best. In fact, the best way to avoid any disruption from a no deal brexit is to vote for this deal today. One of the labour mps whod backed the agreement previously had a question. I welcome the pledge that an environment will enhance and not reduce uk standards but will the Prime Minister not commit today to reinforce its ambition with the clear non regression clause as we have on workers rights and write this into the bill . Will the Prime Minister commit today. Would that not provide some of the reassurance the house needs about not only protecting but enhancing Environmental Standards . I can make that commitment, and i thank the honourable lady. I thank the honourable lady for the work she has done and is doing to champion the environment. A Northern Ireland mp turned to the new arrangements for the province, which would give the assembly a say on future economic arrangements. There is not a single sentence in this bill which explains the new consent process contained in the Prime Ministers brexit deal. I say very clearly to the Prime Minister do not take the people of Northern Ireland for fools. We are not fools. The Prime Minister needs to explain in detail how his new consent process operates. A process by which there are a small minority of economic arrangements in which Northern Ireland remains in alignment for sanitary and for manufactured goods for four years unless and until by majority vote of the stormont assembly, Northern Ireland elects to remain in alignment. Otherwise, for the vast majority of the Northern Irish economy, of course, Northern Ireland exits with the rest of the uk whole and entire. It is quite clear that whatever he says about Northern Ireland being in the uk Customs Union, de facto the European Union customs code applies in Northern Ireland if the protocol comes into place, which requires exit declarations from Northern Ireland. Yes, it does. The brexit secretary said opposite yesterday and was corrected by hmrc. There are no checks, gb and i, there will light touch measures to ensure there is no illegal trade. Illegal trade. Illegal trade in endangered animal species, in endangered animal species and banned firearms. Not everybody will be happy with what the Prime Minister is putting forward but all communities should be happy that nobody is talking about a coach and horses being driven through the good friday agreement, and there are no communities particularly at the border who are now fearful of a resurrection of violence and bloodshed and hatred, the Prime Minister is to be congratulated. I congratulate the Prime Minister for securing a deal, i never doubted it for a minute. Can he reassure me that the moment this bill receives royal assent, hopefully sooner rather than later, he will work tirelessly along with the secretary of state to secure as close as possible relationship to european science and Research Funding . Boris johnson thanked his brother and said he would. But getting mps to give initial approval to the bill was only half the battle. The government was also proposing a timetable, known as a Programme Motion, to put the bill through parliament in just a few days, with the aim of getting the uk out of the eu by halloween. And there was to be a separate vote on that timetable after mps had voted on the bill. An snp mp had some breaking news. The bbc breaking news app is reporting the Prime Minister has said that if he loses the Programme Motion, the bill will be pulled. The government and Prime Minister is working with the house and has he given you any sense that the bill will be pulled tonight . The Prime Minister has not given me any indication on that matter. If parliament refuses to allow brexit to happen and instead gets its way and decides to delay everything untiljanuary or possibly longer, in those circumstances, can the government continue this . I would very much regret i will go to the point the honourable gentleman raises, with great regret i must say the bill will have to be pulled and we will have to go forward much as he may not like it and be left to go forward to a general election. A deal and a bill that fails to protect our rights and our natural world. Fails to protectjobs and the economy. Fails to protect every region and nation in the United Kingdom. This bill confirms that Northern Ireland is really in the Customs Union of the eu and goods will be subject to tariffs. Does he think we should still leave the European Union, yes or no . We are challenging this bill today and that is the whole point of this debate. And as he well knows, my partys policy is in government, we would negotiate an appropriate deal with the eu and allow the people to decide the final decision on that. Those of us who are seeking to engage in detail are not because we support a tory brexit, our votes at the reading are by no means secure, but because we want to see if we can improve this deal and keep Peoples Trust in our democracy. The labour leader turned to the time the government wanted to allocate for debate on the bill. To propose a Programme Motion at the end of this debate will mean that all 68 clauses have yet to be considered and voted on within the next what, 24 48 hours, starting this evening. It is actually an abuse of parliament and it is a disgraceful attempt to dodge accountability, scrutiny and any kind of proper debate. I was incredibly concerned when i was reminded by my wife earlier today that we spent, my wife and i spent longer choosing a sofa than we have to debate this incredibly important bill. They always say that the devil is in the detail. And having seen some of the detail, it confirms everything we thought about this rotten deal. A charter for deregulation across the board. Paving the way for a trump style trade deal that will. They dont like hearing this, so i will say it again, paving the way for a trump style trade deal that will attackjobs, rights and protections. The snps westminster leader accused the government of ignoring devolved institutions in scotland and wales. Ian blackford said the bill should not become law without the consent of the Scottish Parliament and welsh assembly. We were told after our referendum in 2014 that we were to leave the uk. To lead the uk. There was the respect agenda, that we were an equal partner and our opinions would be respected. Yet here we are today, our parliament, our views disregarded. Our rights as eu citizens to be taken from us against our will. But theresa mays former deputy said one devolved institution, in belfast, would gain more power under the bill. No other Regional Parliament or assembly anywhere else in europe has the power unilaterally to decide to end the application of a sect of European Union rules and regulations to its territory. The lib dems werent convinced. This brexit deal will be bad for our United Kingdom family of nations. It beggars belief that this conservative Prime Minister has agreed to a deal which will see a border down the irish sea, something he said he would never do. There are people who will try to use this to break up our country and we must not let them break up our family of nations. Scotland, england, wales, Northern Ireland, we are stronger working together. And the dup werent reassured by borisjohnson about the change to trading rules for Northern Ireland. I nearly choked when the Prime Minister said it. When he told us, well, dont worry about it because all of these changes which will affect Northern Ireland will be light touch. Its not really a boundary down the irish sea. Just light touch regulations. Light touch regulations which would require firms to make declarations when they sell goods to another part of their own country, will have to pay duties for goods to come from a part of their own country which incur costs on them. At least i will have had some respect for the Prime Minister if he said, i have a deadline of the 31st of october, i have to get it round, have to get around to it, and therefore im having to make concessions and unfortunately Northern Irelands concessions and you will understand. But what i dont take is a Prime Minister who thinks i cant read the agreement that has been published and i cant see in the agreement what the impact is on Northern Ireland. The impact on Northern Ireland continued to divide mps. Actually as somebody who served in the troubles in the 19805, the union means a lot to people who serve on both sides. We dont take this lightly, i assure you and if i believed this was a threat to the union, i wouldnt be supporting it. I would say to the honourable gentleman he should listen to those voices from Northern Ireland and its notjust the dup, notjust the honourable lady representing north down, it is across the community, this is a genuine threat and it is incredible that members of the conservative and Unionist Party are prepared to vote through this bill with the attendant protocols which undoubtedly will mean there will be in perpetuity a separate arrangement for Northern Ireland because theres nothing in this bill that will allow things to change. Former ministers were split over the governments plan to fast track the bill through parliament. My big beg to the house here, and here i am speaking to colleagues who voted for brexit, is lets please in these very, very final stages do it properly. This is your great, great family moment. This thing is an opportunity for you to create an enormous constitutional change which can last for the next a0 years. So please do it properly. Weve had more than 100 hours in committee over the last three and half years. The reality is if there is anything about this arrangement that we have not now debated, thrashed to death, i would love to know what it is. I do very much regret the Programme Motion. It is really treating the house in an insulting way. And it says something about this government which worries me. Im a conservative, even if ive lost the whip, i remain a conservative. And to see a government with a constitutional measure playing really bully boy tactics with this house can only be counterproductive to the very aims the government itself would like to achieve. It is not the quiet government that i came in to try and deliver, and i regret very much therefore that i will vote both against the Programme Motion and against the governments bill. Dominic grieve. Well at the end of that debate it was time for mps to vote. First on whether or not they backed the general principles of the Withdrawal Agreement bill. The ayes to the right, 329. The noes to the left, 299. The ayes have it. Unlock so a win for the government by 30. Then it was on to the vote on whether to push the legislation through parliament in just a few days, in time for the uk to leave the eu on october the 31st. And this time things did not go the governments way. The ayes to the right, 308. The noes to the left, 322. The labour leader was first to his feet. He said the house had refused to be bounced. And he had an offer for the Prime Minister. Work with us, all of us to agree a reasonable timetable and i suspect this house will vote to debate, scrutinise, and i hope amend the detail of this bill. That would be the sensible way forward. And that is the offer i make on behalf of the opposition tonight. The Prime Minister didnt reply to that as he set out his next steps. I must address my disappointment that the house again voted for delay, rather than a timetable that would have guaranteed that the uk would be in a position to leave the eu on october the 31st with a deal. And we now face further uncertainty and the eu must now make up their minds over how to answer parliaments request for a delay. And he said hed be putting the Withdrawal Agreement bill on hold. I will speak to eu Member States about their intentions until they have reached a decision. Until they reach that decision, we will pause this legislation. Let me be clear. Our policy remains that we should not delay, that we should leave the eu on october the 31st, and that is what i will say to the eu and i will report back to the house. One way or another, we will leave the eu with this deal to which this house has just given its assent. Cheering. And i thank members across the house for that hard won agreement. This is yet another humiliating defeat for the Prime Minister this evening, who has sought to railroad through this house legislation that requires proper scrutiny. And rightly, this house has spoken with a very clear voice, to tell the Prime Minister that he is not on. The lib dem leader had some advice. To seriously and respectfully and engage with our european friends to secure an extension to article 50 to enable this house to pass legislation for a peoples vote, or if he prefers, to have proper scrutiny of his bill or indeed it may well be for a general election. All of those things require a decent extension to article 50 and he should be a statesman and go and secure it. And there was an invitation from the dup. Sit down with us and talk to us again about what can be done even at this late stage to ensure that we join in this great quest to get brexit done, but as one United Kingdom. Nigel dodds at the end of a dramatic evening that left the brexit bill in limbo. Youre watching tuesday in parliament, with me, Alicia Mccarthy. Dont forget you can follow me on twitter bbcalicia. Mps have appealed to the government to help dozens of british children who are reported to be trapped in northern syria. Theres been ferocious fighting since america withdrew its troops from the area. Turkish forces crossed the border in an offensive against kurdish led fighters, who were previously allied to the us. Save the children say at least 60 british youngsters many of them under five are living in desolate conditions in camps in the region. A conservative mp said the children had lived through some of the most brutal and inhumane fighting of modern times. Some International Allies have already used the five day cease fire to fulfil their duties and repatriate their own children. If we do not do the same, british children will be left at the whim of a brutal dictator, or terrorist organisation or roving bands of militia. If we do nothing, wed be abandoning our moral obligations and risking those Vulnerable Children to growing up in a war torn area and may be turning into terrorists themselves. The time to act is now. We work with all concerned in syria and at home to facilitate the return of unaccompanied or orphan children where feasible. Each case is considered on an individual basis. The situation in north east syria is fragile, but we will continue to work with International Partners to secure stability in the region and ensure the considerable gains made against daesh are not undermined and to bring humanity and compassion to a deeply troubled and traumatised region. Unpalatable as it may be, does the Foreign Office believe that in order to achieve a repatriation of the children, it will be necessary to restore formal diplomatic relations with the assad regime and will that be on a permanent or temporary basis . We are all trying to work out what we now do in relation to operating in the new reality which sadly has been made a great deal worse by the events of the past few days. Sometimes the sheer practicality of difficulties can mask a failure in government to make the decisions and needs to make and i think particularly this is about the mothers of the children. Decisions it needs to make. It seems to me over a period of time that we have to recognise an International Responsibility to take back even those who have been indoctrinated and radicalised in order to protect the children and that we should have the resources to be able to deal with them as well as to protect the children who are the only innocents in this situation. The minister replied that the government was approaching this on a case by case basis and he hoped if the ceasefire held he would be able to do more. Accountancy firms cant be relied upon to do the right thing. That was the verdict of the chair of the business committee, Rachel Reeves after questioning Senior Executives from pwc and ey about the collapse of the travel firm thomas cook last month. Pwc was auditor until 2016 after which ey took over. Mps wondered why they hadnt raised the alarm about the company, which ended up with £1. 5 billion of debt. On the 31st of march as far as they were concerned, this business with a going concern, but it clearly wasnt because a going concern needs to be able to trade for the next 12 months and the business failed. Where did your going concern assessment go wrong . I didnt confirm it was a going concern. I said there was a material uncertainty. So the business wasnt a going concern . It wouldve been if they had been able to. Either it was or wasnt. It wouldve been if they had access to the new facility. Therefore it wasnt a going concern at the 31st of march . Is that what you are telling us . If they had access to the facility. That is why it was identified as a material uncertainty. Rachel reeves said the firm in acting as auditors as well as advisers on executive pay to thomas cook had had a conflict of interest. The audit arm of pwc made a profit of £127 million last year. The audit partners would want to ensure the success of the consultancy business because their profits and their remuneration depends on the profits and the success of the whole business. Is that right . We all share in the same profit pool. With hindsight, should you have continued the dual role and would you do so today . We certainly wouldnt do so today. The hearing led Rachel Reeves to reach a damning conclusion. How many more company failures, how many more egregious cases of accounting do we need . Weve had bhs, corillian, and now we have thomas cook, how many more do we need before your industry opens its eyes and recognises that you are complicit in all of this and that you need to reform . I think the conclusion the policymakers will take from today, we cant rely on you to do the right thing. Weve had carillion. Barclays bank has been roundly criticised for its decision to stop letting its customers withdraw cash in post offices. The option had been seen as particularly helpful for those living in rural areas where many Bank Branches had closed. But the facility will be withdrawn at the end of this year. Lord duncan, a business minister, said the government was watching the situation closely. The government is disappointed with the withdrawal of barclays from the re banking framework. Nonetheless, the new banking framework will enable customers to access their cash from 27 high street banks. The government will continue to ensure communities we support and will continue to have choice over how they manage their finances. I thank the noble lord the minister for his reply. Rural communities rely on access to finance. Yet in many rural areas, where there is poor broadband or little mobile signals, Online Banking is not possible. This is a fundamental issue for our rural areas. What representation has her majestys government made to Barclays Bank and what are we going to do if other banks decide to follow their lead . The right reverend asks an important point. Does this set a precedence . I certainly hope it does not. I would like to think those customers who are affected will reflect on whether they should continue banking with barclays, and im fully aware of the issues which are faced by those in Rural Communities of which he speaks. The idea of changing a bank is actually a bit more daunting than he suggested. And particularly if you are struggling on a daily basis to stay out of the red, the idea of going to a new bank can be intimidating. It seems that some banks are only interested in big, cashless customers that have large deposits and not really anybody else. I understand some of the major banks are making it extremely difficult for small organisations to retain their bank perhaps the Prime Minister can write to the general of Barclays Bank on this matter and perhaps with a signature of the bottom of the letter gone. Laughter. Very good question the noble lord asked. I will certainly have that discussion and you never know. Lord duncan. And thats it from me for now. Mandy baker will be with you at the same time tomorrow with another round up of the day here at westminster and the latest twists and turns on brexit. But for now from me, Alicia Mccarthy goodbye. Hello there. Tuesday was a fine day up and down the country. We saw plenty of sunshine around. It felt a bit warmer too particularly in the south. Thats thanks to a ridge of High Pressure which will be with us as well wednesday morning but we have got a weather system to the north west of the country and this weather front across the south east. Some rain and stronger winds across the north west to begin wednesday. Perhaps one or two showers in the south east but elsewhere its a dry start to the day. A little bit of mist and fog around. A chilly start, mind you, but those temperatures will rise as we head through the morning as we see plenty of sunshine around. Probably the best of the sunshine into the afternoon northern england, wales, west midlands, and the south west as we will have more cloud, a few showers south east and it will be turning increasingly wet and windy across the north and the west. That also goes for Northern Ireland. Those temperatures 13 15 degrees again. And then through wednesday night, it turns wetter across the eastern side of england. That weather front across the west will tend to slide south eastwards and merge with the other one. So, it will be fairly damp and cloudy for england and wales thursday morning with a milder start to the day. But windy and clearer further north west. Low pressure still anchored to the north of the uk. Looks like it will deepen through the day as it will turn windier in parts of scotland and Northern Ireland with gales developing here. Plenty of showers some of which may be heavy and thundery for the day. Meanwhile, further south and east, will have that weather front sliding its way eastwards taking the cloud and the rain with that leaving in its way sunshine and one or two showers. But the winds really picking up across northern and western scotland. Perhaps 16mph gusts. Temperatures 12 14 or 15 degrees in the south. Now, it starts to look like we will seek colder air invading the northern half of the country as we head on into friday. It will be a bit milder in the south but we will have this feature running up off the atlantic from the south west. An area of low pressure with a pretty active weather front which is going to bring quite a bit of rain in places. It stays windy across the north of the country, low pressure nearby. So, gales here, further showers. After a dry start for the rest of the country, it looks like it turns much wetter. Some of this rain will be quite heavy or across northern and Western Areas and as it bumps into the cooler air across scotland and Northern Ireland, we could see a little bit of sleet and snow in the high ground, particularly for the southern uplands. But again, another mild day in the south east. Its still wet as we head on into saturday particularly across parts of england and wales and mainly over the hills but then it turns drier into sunday but starts to turn colder for all areas. So, with that rain through friday and saturday particularly across the high ground of wales and north west england could lead to some localised flooding, thus some travel disruption. Welcome to newsday. Im kasia madera in london. Our headlines. The ayes to the right, 308. The noes to the left, 322. The uk is set for another brexit delay after borisjohnson loses a vote to rush his deal through parliament. Turkey and russia strike a new agreement to force kurdish fighters away from the syria border. Im rico hizon in singapore the other main headlines. Alzheimers breakthrough a us company says its ready to market a new drug that can slow down the disease. Challenging taboos why a culture of modesty is standing