calling for alternatives to the current plans for the irish border. it is now clear that there is a route that can secure a substantial and sustainable... jeering. ..substa ntial and sustainable majority in this house for leaving the eu with a deal. and after mps rejected a no—deal brexit, labour leaderjeremy corbyn said he will now talk to the prime minister — it's expected that meeting will take place today. but the head of the cbi says uk companies are now likely to speed up their no—deal brexit plans, adding further negotiations with the eu "feels like a real throw of the dice". and this morning the eu's chief brexit negotiator has said "we stand by the agreement we have negotiated with the uk". i'll be here with reaction to all this in the run up to prime minister's questions at 12pm. i'm joanna gosling, the other stories at 11: the supreme court rules that the disclosure of multiple minor convictions in criminal record checks breaches human rights. a "polar vortex" will bring potentially life—threatening low temperatures to parts of the united states in what's being seen as a once—in—a—generation deep freeze. and here, overnight snowfall across the uk leads to motorway accidents, flight delays and disrupted trains. good morning. theresa may is set to seek changes to her brexit deal with brussels after mps supported plans for negotiations to reopen with the european union. however, some eu leaders, including the french president emmanuel macron and the the european council president donald tusk, have said there will be no revisions to the deal. in a separate development, the head of the cbi says uk companies are now likely to speed up their no—deal brexit plans. well, let's look at the key points from last night. mps voted by a majority of 16 in favour of an amendment — calling for alternatives to the border arrangements for northern ireland — after the prime minister promised to seek legally—binding changes to the withdrawal agreement. last night mps also voted against a no deal outcome, however, as the vote was not binding, the uk is still set to leave the eu on the 29th of march. and following that the labour leader, jeremy corbyn, said he would now take part in talks with the prime minister on the way forward — having previously refused to do so, until she ruled out a no—deal brexit. well, those talks look likely to start today — and the prime minister will also have a phone call with donald tusk later this afternoon. jonathan blake reports. division! clear the lobby! vote after vote, but there was one that really mattered, and when it came, it was a win of sorts for theresa may. the ayes to the right, 317. the noes to the left, 301. mps backed a proposal to support the prime minister's brexit deal if she could secure a big change to the controversial plan to avoid a hard border in northern ireland if a trade deal can't be done. it is now clear that there is a route that can secure a substantial and sustainable... jeering. ..substa ntial and sustainable majority in this house for leaving the eu with a deal. we will now take this mandate forward and seek to obtain legally binding changes to withdraw. the other big decision saw mps reject a no—deal brexit, but with no plan on how to avoid that and the result was not binding on the government. until now, he'd refused to meet the prime minister and discuss the best way forward. after last night's votes, the labour leader agreed to sit down and talk. could i say that we are prepared to meet her to put forward... jeering. ..to put forward the points of view from the labour party of the kind of agreement we want with the european union to protect jobs, to protect living standards, and to protect rights and conditions in this country? shoring up support for a new version of her deal wasn't easy for theresa may, but convincing the eu to make the changes parliament demands may be even harder. jonathan blake, bbc news, westminster. with me now is our assistant political editor norman smith. in the last a short while, there has been an interesting line from the irish deputy prime minister saying there are ways to change the political declaration to ease backstop concerns. what do you think he means by that? he means forget about reopening the withdrawal agreement, that is not happening. however, we will look at the future declaration, that goes nowhere near meeting the aspirations that theresa may said yesterday. it is a familiar tune we have heard from endless eu figures over the past 2a hours, every single one who has been asked has pretty much said no, we will not reopen the backstop, forget it, don't come here and ask for it. the ideas which the uk has moved to this ideas which the uk has moved to this idea of having an expiry date, no, you won't get that, a universal exit route, no, you won't get that, the super technology to get round the northern ireland border, we don't think that exists. basically, the eu have said, forget it, we will not reopen the withdrawal agreement. however, it is not gay came over, because what i found interesting last night —— it is not a game over, i found the mood and tone interesting. many mps are frankly utterly worn out and fatigued by brexit. there is a real desirejust to get this done. i think the prime minister is relying on that in the sense that she won't get the withdrawal treaty reopen, she might get a withdrawal treaty reopen, she might geta nip withdrawal treaty reopen, she might get a nip and tuck, but then you come back on the 13th of february, i've tried my best, i have fought with the eu, what do you think of this? i'm not suggesting it will get through then, but slowly, incrementally, she grinds people down and her approach to getting the deal through is this. last night, it was noticeable like the figures like the brexit secretary, they were pretty upbeat. the vote was last night, the prime minister will be meeting with the leader of the opposition later today. there is an ongoing process, i referenced the fact that the business secretary is meeting with trade unions, i will be engaging with members of parliament across the house. so, will she have a deal within a fortnight? we are working hard in the national interest. the prime minister is going to secure a deal. she got a clear mandate from parliament to tell them what the will of the house is and to address the central question from the european union. so there was no specific thought or explanation from the brexit tech secretary on what alternative arrangements for the irish border might be. could you get something legally binding on the irish border that would sit alongside the withdrawal agreement that wouldn't need them to open up the withdrawal agreement or have an impact on that agreement? it is very technical and probably very difficult. agreement? it is very technical and probably very difficultlj agreement? it is very technical and probably very difficult. i suspect thatis probably very difficult. i suspect that is probably what we will end up with, some sort of legal protocol, call it what you like, it will enable theresa may to come back and say, i have got this on the backstop, even though she hasn't reopened the treaty. there is a view that the eu will be prepared to give some ground, because they don't want no deal either, they have seen that the prime minister may be can get some sort of agreement through, they can give hera some sort of agreement through, they can give her a little bit more on the backstop, and also, i think downing street have been slightly encouraged by the different noises are beginning to emerge in different eu capitals. the view seems to be that if they push hard, they won't get the withdrawal agreement rewritten, but they will get something. that is something the former brexit secretary, dominic raab said. we always hear in the immediate aftermath from all of the sticklers, but there are many other voices across capitals, within the commission, and i think they will be thinking long and hard about this. we are very close to the wire, the eu always takes the negotiations to the 11th hour. there is a deal to be done. parliament has strengthened the prime minister's hand to get that deal and that was the story of last night. the ball is now in the eu's court, they have a choice to make and it is a very clear and straightforward choice. we can make the changes and get it through parliament or leave on wto terms at the end of march. so what theresa may is talking about asa so what theresa may is talking about as a result of last night's bout, will that be done in 58 days? this is the amount of time before the 29th of march. or will it require an extension to article 50? it is a big ask to get it done in that time. they have already talked about scrapping the february recess, sitting longer hours, doing away with weekends to push through about half a dozen brexit bills that have to be got through, even if there is an agreement. i just to be got through, even if there is an agreement. ijust know that theresa may has not absolutely slammed the door shut on extending article 50, she was pressed three times by yvette cooper in the commons yesterday, and every time she ducked and dived and didn't give a clear answer. my take is that she has left the door a little bit open, because if push comes to shove and she needs a few more weeks, a bit more time, i think she will take it if she thought that was what she needed to get the deal. lets talk about labour now. the optics look good for theresa may to say she is having cross—party talks, but what is in it forjeremy corbyn? the two sides seem very far apart. jeremy corbyn has got no option really, he has got to go and talk to theresa may, it is beginning to look a bit standoffish when you have big union figures, big friends of his, for him to still stand aside at a time of national crisis it doesn't look great. whether anything will come out of the meeting, i doubt very much, becausejeremy corbyn pots position is very clear, he wants a union, no is clear that he is not having it. so the idea that there will be a meeting of minds, i don't think so. no they will take each other on at the dispatch box and then perhaps have a civilised meeting later on. lets wait and see what details emerge from that at all. it was interesting that the brexit secretary, stephen barclay, didn't offer any specific thoughts on what the alternative to the backstop, the plan to avoid a hard border on the island of ireland would be. clearly, that will be the focus of discussions, in spite of what we have heard from the eu today, saying that it will not be reopening the withdrawal agreement, but may be, there is a possibility of something that could be added on to the withdrawal agreement to sit alongside it. question, is whether it would be acceptable to the dup, to the european research group led byjacob rees—mogg, to the european research group led by jacob rees—mogg, those to the european research group led byjacob rees—mogg, those ardent brexiteers who previously didn't back theresa may's plan. let's speak to melanie onn — a labour frontbencher who went against the labour whip last night when she abstained on the cooper amendment on the extension of article 50. great to have you with us today. did you get permission from the leader's office to abstain at last night? there wouldn't be a permission given for something like that, but they we re for something like that, but they were aware of my intentions beforehand. it is part of our standing orders that we do notify the leaders office if any changes to whipped plans. why did you abstain? a number of reasons. we have had over 1000 days for this to be considered and negotiated, we have seen the avoidable delays that theresa may has put in place that has push this further and further, closer to the wire. i think that there needs to be some responsibility from the prime minister, acknowledging she has had an awful lot of time to come to an arrangement and try and get deals through and come back with alternatives and she hasn't been able to do that before. the responsibility should be on her shoulders. if she needs more time, she should come to us. i also think there was an issue with the length of time, it was looking like it would be nine months of an extension, which i think is a long time, without a real plan at the end. there is no guarantee that we would see a resolution at the end of that period of time. let me interrupt you for a second, because we are going to say goodbye in a moment to our reviewers on bbc two, but you can continue to watch our coverage on brexit here on the bbc news channel. right now, we will say goodbye to viewers on bbc two. and here with me at westminster, still talking to labour frontbencher, here with me at westminster, still talking to labourfrontbencher, you say the onus should be on theresa may to come to the rest of the house of commons and ask for more time. one of the fundamental things that labour wants to avoid is a no deal, so labour wants to avoid is a no deal, so that would have been an opportunity for you to back that last night, had you supported yvette coopehs last night, had you supported yvette cooper's amendment. it is notjust labour that doesn't want to see a no deal, there is a majority across the house. there is a covenant on theresa may to recognise the whole house doesn't want to see a no deal result coming out of this. i voted for the other amendment, and caroline spelman has been talking about that moral duty that may make 110w about that moral duty that may make now has to respect that and work away from getting a no deal exit from the european union. i am really very keen to see a good deal, that works for my constituents as well as the rest of the country. just before we let you go, just a quick thought about the meeting between theresa may and jeremy corbyn later today, do you have any high hopes for that meeting or any particular expectations about what could come from that? i think it is a good thing thatjeremy corbyn is going to talk to the prime minister and lay out clearly what he would hope to see. if the prime minister is listening, perhaps he will get some concessions, closer to the labour view of leaving the eu would look like. thank you forjoining us. let's get a little bit more on the view from the eu on all of this. the eu's chief negotiator, michel barnier said this morning that the union stands by the original agreement. and, speaking to reporters ahead of a meeting of the european parliament's brexit steering group, their chief brexit negotiator — guy verhofstadt — was asked if theresa may could renegotiate the backstop. i don't think there is room to do that for the simple reason that the backstop is absolutely it, and the backstop is in the withdrawal agreement, but, there is a possibility to discuss the future relationship, so that is what the european parliament and the european union have always said. let's speak to our correspondent in brussels, gavin lee. there seems to be an adamant response that the withdrawal agreement is not up for negotiation. is there anything else the eu might do to accommodate theresa may's plans at the moment?|j do to accommodate theresa may's plans at the moment? i think wood will come down to brinkmanship politics. there are 58 days to go until brexit, the eu are on their own language time for now, whichever capital you go to for the leaders who have spoken so far, and they are all happy to let donald the of the european council, do most of the talking to say that we will not go back into the withdrawal agreement. michelle —— michel barnier spoke a few minutes ago about them debating brexit. the president of the european commission may also give his thoughts. but, do they face no deal and therefore, those close to the uk with trade links and geographically as well, france, belgium, the dutch, they will lose out big time. we heard a moment ago dominic raab, the former brexit secretary, saying that brussels are known things to —— known to do things in the 11th hour, but is that the 20th of march? at the moment, there is no difference between the public discourse and the private discourse that we are hearing to say that they would open the withdrawal agreement. the difficulty as well is, if you have something like an extra amendment added to the withdrawal agreement, some separate sheet of paper talking about the backstop, you can't overwrite what was in the withdrawal agreement. just a couple of months ago, theresa may change the political declaration, the blueprint for the future, the pages that are not legally binding, to say in the eu in a statement that they would do their very best to make sure the backstop, the insurance mechanism where the uk stays in the temporary customs alignment to stop a hard border, thatis alignment to stop a hard border, that is as short as possible. that is as far as they could go. some of the thoughts today, particularly in belgium and france, they believe the british are taking it too far. one of belgium's newspapers have a picture ofjohn cleese and the ministry of silly walks as their icon. there is some element of ridicule here, that the british side are taking it too far. thank you for joining us. well in another development today, the head of the cbi has told the bbc that uk companies are now likely to speed up their plans for a no—deal brexit, in response to yesterday's votes in parliament. dominic o'connell, business presenter at bbc radio 4's today programme, has more on this. the cbi chief executive made it clear that business priority was to avoid a no—deal. and that when you look at all of last night's votes, it was an incremental step towards no deal. she said it filled her with dismay. she said she thought businesses would be accelerating their plans to prepare for no deal. talks of alternative arrangements, changes to the backstop, she described it as a triumph of hope over strategy. interesting to look at what happened to the financial markets. if you look at sterling, good barometer of what is happening in the brexit negotiations, it dipped against the dollar when votes to change the backstop came through, but it recovered that ground this morning. the financial markets judge that despite the drama of last night, the underlying politics, the 50—50 nature of the negotiations, it has not changed that much at all. the leader of the liberal democrats — sir vince cable — is with me now. good morning to you. i noticed you we re good morning to you. i noticed you were saying earlier that you felt the outcomes of the voting last night, the two amendments that won mikea night, the two amendments that won mike a majority, left the house of commons in a contradictory position. yes, it is giving the government contradictory, on one hand, we don't wa nt contradictory, on one hand, we don't want no deal, and on the other hand, it is pushing the government in the direction of a policy that might well lead to no deal. somehow, that contradiction has got to be resolved, it could be resolved the way that norman smith suggested, either the eu keel over, which seems unlikely, or that she wins the war of attrition. but i think it is more likely that in the two weeks, we are back where we started, and that is where the option that i and my party has been promoting, the idea of going back to the country and offering her deal as against the option of remain, it is currently on the back burner. i think it may come asa the back burner. i think it may come as a last resort for the government. it is interesting that you say it is on the back burner, because it felt that perhaps towards the end of last year, there was more momentum behind that idea but that has a somewhat faded. unless jeremy that idea but that has a somewhat faded. unlessjeremy corbyn can be persuaded to full heartedly backed the idea for another vote, do you think that will happen?” the idea for another vote, do you think that will happen? i don't think that will happen? i don't think the momentum has gone, in fa ct, think the momentum has gone, in fact, two think the momentum has gone, in fa ct, two of think the momentum has gone, in fact, two of our leading newspapers have got behind this. jeremy corbyn is an important player, but his own party are now fracturing at both ends. some people are very angry, he hasn't got behind the people's vote, other people think he is breaking off tojoin the other people think he is breaking off to join the government. he has struggling to hold his party together. the key player here is the prime minister. if she is in a corner at the end of this, can't get anything past the european commission or the parliament, what else can she do? i think it remains an option. it is a last resort option, but it is potentially something that could provide a breakthrough. before that, from your perspective, do you feel that what she is going to do is go back to brussels if she doesn't get anything from that, then come back to her party colleagues and said that she tried, but now you need to back my deal or it is no deal. do you think there is a fair chance that we could end up with theresa may's plan a, effectively? there is a chance of that, some tory backbenchers are getting behind her and labour, as we've seen. it could happen. i think it is unlikely, because i think the scale of the mountain she has to climb is simply too big. i think there is a real possibility she is firmly rebuffed by brussels and has nothing to offer. that will take us back to where we were with the defeat of her deal. is at your belief that if it came to this, rather than leave with no deal, the eu, theresa may would go for the option of another referendum?m eu, theresa may would go for the option of another referendum? it is not the top of her wish list, she has been clear about that. and the same forjeremy corbyn. santa it is a last resort, which would be one way of helping them resolve the problem logically. that is why i think we should keep it in place.” am not optimistic that people rush to it, but i think it is optimistic to it, but i think it is optimistic to think it will be back in play in two weeks. what can the liberal democrats do? you want this second vote, but do you feel slightly at the mercy of what is going on between downing street and brussels at the moment? does it need to play out before you can try to play your hand, if you like, to push again for that second vote? it needs to play itself out, but you have heard this morning that the eu can't go on with what the government is asking for. it is not that they don't want to, i think they want to be helpful, but i think they want to be helpful, but i think they want to be helpful, but i think they can't do it. basically what the government's is falling back on is the max factor technology that was looked at at the chequers summit last year and was discarded by the government itself because it doesn't work. this isn't a solution, somebody said last night was the last hurrah for the government and the conservative party, they were united. i've not sure this will last. thank you forjoining us. we are looking towards prime minister's questions at 12 o'clock, instructed pa rt questions at 12 o'clock, instructed part of the week admits to the extraordinary events that have been happening here at westminster, that meeting between theresa may and jeremy corbyn is expected later on after prime minister's questions has happened. interesting to wait and hear what we get after that. the european parliament is in session, we perhaps will hear more from brussels, and also the interesting line, just to remind you, from the irish deputy prime minister, saying there are ways to change the political declaration to ease concerns over the backstop. he is not talking about changing the withdrawal agreement, but perhaps hinting at some form of words that can be set alongside the withdrawal agreement. the question is, would that be legally binding? would it be enough to satisfy the conservative mps and the dup mps who didn't back theresa may applause deal a couple of weeks ago, but who did back her last night. from now, back to you in the studio. the supreme court has ruled that people with minor past convictions may no longer have to disclose them to prospective employers. the government has lost a legal challenge aimed at preserving the current system of criminal record checks, which has prevented some people from finding jobs in the past. let's turn to our news correspondent sarah campbell to find out more about the ruling. update us with what has happened there this morning. just to clarify, there this morning. just to clarify, the current situation, which applies in england and wales, when applying for certain jobs, in england and wales, when applying for certainjobs, these in england and wales, when applying for certain jobs, these are sensitive jobs may be involving looking after children or vulnerable adults, applicants with more than one conviction are required to disclose all of them, no matter what the conviction may have been for, no matter how minor. also, any cautions 01’ matter how minor. also, any cautions or reprimands received as a youth must also be disclosed. today, the supreme court ruled that that legislation was contrary to people's human rights, and to explain why, the campaign group, liberty, has been heavily involved with this legal challenge. i have the advocacy director joining legal challenge. i have the advocacy directorjoining me now. you are involved with one case, which exemplifies why the supreme court ruled as they did today. explain that k is for us. it was of a woman who had a undiagnosed health condition, and in the midst of a breakdown, stole a book with 99p and still, untreated, missed a court appearance. so two criminal convictions out of the same set of situations over 20 years, she has been trying to be a teaching assistant, her mental health has been stable, and she is locked out of her future, because she is carrying around this scarlet letter. today's ruling means that she and thousands of other people like her have long—standing multiple minor convictions hacked can now re—enter society and rehabilitate and get the second chance they are entitled to. as thejudges pointed out second chance they are entitled to. as the judges pointed out today, second chance they are entitled to. as thejudges pointed out today, the disclosure is therefore a good reason, people who have serious criminal convictions that employers need to know about. how do we make sure that those people don't slip through the system whilst at the same time not disadvantaging other people? we need to draw the line in a different place. the government wrote a scheme, a hasty scheme, that imposed nonsensical bureaucratic rules, that would tick box exercise is, they were over exclusionary of people who do deserve a second chance, they didn't strike the right line of when we need to impose convictions and when we don't, for the thousands of people who are caught up in that scheme who do deserve a second chance and pose no threat. some do you have any idea as to how many people this legislation currently does affect? there are thousands of people implicated by this. thousands of children who had warnings issued but not convictions, who also are liberated from carrying around this badge of shame for the re st of around this badge of shame for the rest of their lives, as well as many other thousands of people who have multiple convictions for minor crimes. no matter how old they were, how minor they were, they had to disclose those. it is interesting, as well as the multiple disclosures, people who may have been cautioned, asa people who may have been cautioned, as a youth, many young children are. at the moment, they would have to go forward and disclose that. that is what this will change. exactly. we have people here who there is no argument there is a risk, but there are people who make mistakes. no one disagrees with the fundamental idea that because he had committed a mistake when you were a child or maybe even a young adult and it was 20 years ago, that you shouldn't get a second chance, and that is what this ruling is about. thank you for explaining that. no reaction from the government as yet today, but certainly, all groups are suggesting that the government will have to go back and rewrite that legislation relating to disclosure of criminal records. thank you forjoining us. bad weather has been causing disruption to the morning commute for some of us. snowfall overnight followed yesterday's wintry weather in a number of places. some flights are delayed at both manchester and liverpool airports but merseyrail says its services are now running again. police in greater manchester say they're dealing with several motorway accidents. further disruption is expected at the end of this week with more snow and ice expected on thursday and friday across much of england and wales. and if you think it's bad here in the uk, the weather situation in parts of the united states seems a lot worse. a spinning pocket of very cold air, known as a polar vortex, is expected to bring dangerously low temperatures in the us this week. experts say it could be as cold as minus 30 degrees celsius — colder than south pole — and are warning people to stay indoors. now it's time for a look at the weather. not as cold here over the next 2a hours, but it will be a cold night, possibly the coldest of the winter so far. you mentioned the disruption we saw in the north west of england, across parts of north wales through this morning. saw one or two wintry showers around wales at the north west of england through western scotla nd west of england through western scotland and northern ireland. but for most of us, dry and 00:31:57,1000 --> 00:31:58,726 sunny, and temperatures reaching about three to six celsius. through tonight, some mist and fog developing particularly across east wales, the midlands, north—west england. that will be freezing fog as temperatures widely fall below freezing. —2 to minus six celsius, but as low as —14 celsius in parts of rural throughout aberdeenshire. thursday, mist and fog which will tend to clear away. sunshine for northern england, scotla nd sunshine for northern england, scotland and northern ireland, but in the south as rain moves in to the colder air, snowfall and quite heavily across parts of south—west england, wales, the midlands, into the south—east of england, is a potential for widespread disruption into friday morning. hello, this is bbc newsroom live. the headlines — theresa may prepares to go back to brussels over brexit after mps in the house of commons supported plans to attempt the renegotiation of her deal with the european union. eu leaders this morning have said there will be no division to the withdrawal agreement. the there will be no division to the withdrawalagreement. the eu institutions remain united, and we stand by the withdrawal agreement we have negotiated with the uk. and after m ps have negotiated with the uk. and after mps rejected a no—deal brexit, the labour leaderjeremy corbyn has said he will now talk to the prime minister. it is expected that meeting will take place later today. a 2-1 a 2—1 went for newcastle over manchester city last night provided a boost for manager rafael benitez‘s old club liverpool. while this is not quite up with winning the champions league in istanbul, it is almost as big an upset. newcastle have not beaten manchester city in the league since 2005. battling against relegation, many would have expected them to be swept aside when sergio aguero scored the quickest goal of the season afterjust sergio aguero scored the quickest goal of the season after just 2a seconds. the argentinian thought he had got another in the blink of an eye, but kevin and breiner had not waited for the bethany‘s whistle,, and was punished for his impatience. —— kevin to breiner. city usually finish clear—cut chances, but pep guardiola seemed to sense something was wrong. newcastle could not muster a shot on target until the 66th minute. it turned out to be a lot salomon rondon are needed. the only other one, handed to them carefully, and dispatched, fully by matt ritchie, to give three vital points to newcastle. a turning point in their battle against relegation, and possibly a turning point in the title race. rafael benitez could not win it with liverpool, but he has just done his former club a massive favour. he will forever be a hero at anfield after leading liverpool to champions league victory in 2005. there was an outpouring of love from the fans on social media, performing miracles since 2005 of the street. another user suggested that he should get a premier league medal if liverpool win the title in may. all are gone so ‘s eight match winning run in charge of manchester united ended with a 2—2 draw with burnley. fulham came from 2—0 down to beat brighton 11—2 at craven cottage. everton brighton 11—2 at craven cottage. eve rto n wo n brighton 11—2 at craven cottage. everton won at bottom club huddersfield, and west ham lost at wolves. it was an emotional night at the emirates as cardiff were defeated 2—1 by arsenal after paying tribute to their missing striker emiliano sala. daffodils were laid on the pitch and what was the first match for the club since he went missing last week. fans and staff we re missing last week. fans and staff were daffodils, and supporters wore yellow flowers. thomas williams will make its first six nations appearance for wales when they play france in the tournament opening this friday night at the start to france. only three changes have been made from the team that beat south africa in november as wales, who finished second in last year's competition, aim to build on their nine match winning streak. police in australia confirm that three men have been arrested, after illegal equipment was found at the stables of australia's leading racehorse trainer, darren weir. they're being questioned over allegations of corruption and welfare of the animals. police have not yet released the names of those arrested. i'll be back with more on those stories later. the european parliament brexit steering group has been meeting this morning. both michel barnier — the eu's chief negotiator — and guy verhofstadt — the european parliament's brexit coordinator attended the session where it was agreed that the eu would stand by the existing withdrawal agreement. here's michel barnier. the only point i want to make is to confirm that the eu institutions remain united, and we stand by the agreement we have negotiated with the uk. i'm nowjoined by german mep, hans—olaf henkel. he's from european conservatives and reformists group. thank you forjoining us today, mr henkel. i understand that you think theresa may should be travelling to dublin right now if she wants to make progress. yeah, i think that would be more productive, because it is obvious to me that michel barnier, guy verhofstadt, and the other 26 countries will follow what dublin says, and the impression that guy verhofstadt and these people are calling the shots on the backstop, but it is very clearly dublin which makes the decision. so it demonstrates, doesn't it, as we have seen all along in this process, that the 27 art united, and they have been consistent in their approach, pretty much, haven't they, compared to the changes of heart and the changes of direction we have seen in the uk? yes, i should say unfortunately so, because as you may know, i have been an opponent to brexit, because i believe it is a lose— lose situation, not only for britain, but especially also for the european union. let's face it, britain is already today the largest customer of the european union, ahead of china and the united states. and the common market is clearly the most important element, and britain leaving the european union is the equivalent of 19 countries leaving at the same time. you are layer had a report on the foot ball you are layer had a report on the football results in britain, and i just learned that juergen football results in britain, and i just learned thatjuergen klopp, the manager of liverpool, is agreeing with me that his hopes that finally common—sense prevails, and maybe britain is changing its mind. but it needs a move by the european union first. sometimes sport and politics do collide, then. how concerned are you, with just 58 days left until the 29th of march, that everyone is running out of time to sort something out, to sort out a deal, by that date? i am very concerned. you may know that in my previous life, i have been for six years the president of germany's federation of industries, which is the equivalent of the cbi, and i noted that the cbi was shocked this morning by the continuing debate rather than a clear decision. i should say i have a feeling that your prime minister tries to buy time, and finally see that maybe through some sort of diplomatic blackmail, gets her opponents in her own party between the decision of a no—deal brexit and her deal, so that finally at the end of the day, they will all agree for her deal, and the remains as well as the brexiteers in her own party. interesting that you talk about diplomatic blackmail which involves a high—stakes diplomatic blackmail which involves a high—sta kes strategy, diplomatic blackmail which involves a high—stakes strategy, if you want to call it that, of running down the clock towards the 29th of march. i am sure you will be aware that theresa may is meeting the leader of the opposition, jeremy corbyn, the labour leader, later on here today in westminster. do you think that she might offer him some concessions to try to win over labour mps to back a plan? yes, i think that is probably the most significant development. i do not think a trip to brussels really brings anything, and she probably knows that. but the first meeting with jeremy corbyn and she probably knows that. but the first meeting withjeremy corbyn may be much more important, because she might offer him some labour concessions so that the remainers of labour might also say, how deal is still better than a no—deal brexit. —— her deal. sol still better than a no—deal brexit. —— her deal. so i think that is probably much better for her and increases the chances of her deal being accepted by the parliament. and do you think that the eu will be able to offer something, something perhaps that sits alongside the withdrawal agreement, in terms of either reassurances or something legally binding over arrangements for the border between northern ireland and the republic of ireland? no, i don't think so. as i said before, that is in the hands of the government in dublin. what the eu could do and unfortunately has not done so far, is send a clear signal to the remainer is in britain that, should the be successful in getting a second referendum, the eu will offer britain a new deal, a new deal which they refused to give cameron at that time. for instance, more autonomy over its immigration. something which now more european governments than ever before wanted. in the time between the referendum, and today there has also been a significant shift on that issue in the european union. it is not only poland and hungary which once more autonomy over its immigration, it is other countries, too. —— which want tos. and even germany has changed its welcome policy towards refugees, so its welcome policy towards refugees, soi its welcome policy towards refugees, so i think a signal which tells the british, if you change your mind, we change our mind as well. and it would give some of the brexiteers a face—saving way out, because they could say, finally we got what we wanted without brexit. so i think a complete change of strategy is now needed rather than this back and forth between brussels and london. 0k, mr henkel, really interesting to hear your views on all of this today, thank you very much. you're welcome. if you keep hearing about the backstop, it is hard to avoid, if you're still wondering what it is, here is chris morris from our reality check seemed to explain. think in terms of a safety net, and you get the idea. it is key to the irish border after brexit. because this line between the irish republic and northern ireland will be the only land border between the uk and the european union command that matters for trade, because in theory, there should be checks on staff crossing the border after brexit. but nobody wants new inspections at the border. they bring back memories of 30 years of conflict in northern ireland. and checkpoints could become a target. so the uk and the eu hope to agree a trade relationship in the future that keeps the border as open as it is now. but if they cannot, or if there is a delay, that is where the backstop comes in. it is a legal guarantee to avoid a hard border under all circumstances. the government and the eu have come to an agreement about how it should work. but theresa may's critics aren't happy. they say there is no get out clause to allow the uk to leave the new customs relationship it sets up. the eu says, we do not like it either, and it was only designed to be temporary. the government wants to tweak the backstop government wants to tweak the ba cksto p to government wants to tweak the backstop to get it through parliament, but the eu insists that renegotiation is not on the menu, so they are looking for a compromise before time runs out. the eu says the backstop has to be part of the withdrawal agreement, which needs to be ratified before brexit is due to happen on the 29th of march. and without a backstop, there would be no brexit deal at all. with just under two months to go til the uk is due to leave the eu, tomorrow we'll have a day of special coverage looking at the state of readiness for brexit and what preparations are being made both here and across europe. we'll be joining forces with radio 5 live in a special programme at 11.30 tomorrow, putting your questions about how you can get ready for brexit to our experts. get in touch using the hashtag #bbcaskthis. you can also text on 61124 and email askthis@bbc.co.uk back to the studio now. thank you, looking forward to that at 11.35. emma barnett and i arejoining forces across the radio and tv putting your questions to experts, so let us know all the questions you have about brexit, and we will endeavour to get answers for you. in a moment, we'll have all the business news, but first, the headlines on bbc news. theresa may prepares to go back to brussels over brexit, after mps in the house of commons supported plans to attempt a renegotiation of her deal with the european union but eu leaders this morning have said there will be no revisions to the withdrawal agreement. and after mps rejected a no—deal brexit, labour leaderjeremy corbyn said he will now talk to the prime minister — its expected that meeting will take place today. in the business news — sterling fell sharply last night, after british lawmakers voted down a proposal in parliament that could have prevented a no—deal brexit. investors are nervous about leaving the eu without a deal could mean for the uk economy. but it's won back some of those falls this morning. the pound is up around 0.2% against the dollar. uk companies are likely to speed up plans for a no—deal brexit after last night's votes, according to the head of the cbi. carolyn fairbairn says a plan to renegotiate the uk's withdrawal deal does not give business the certainty it needs. sa ntander anounced its latest results this morning for the fourth quarter, with the bank reporting a 4% increase in profits. but last week, the bank anounced it will close up to a fifth of its uk branches, as it looks to cut costs. let's get more on what business makes of what it's heard from westminster over the last 2a hours. as we said, the pound took a hit as investors worry about the prospect of a no—deal brexit and businesses are closer than ever to enacting their no—deal preparations, if they haven't already. joining us now is kallum pickering, senior economist at berenberg bank. you have described this in your notes as a major opportunity missed. just explain that for us. yes, a ha rd just explain that for us. yes, a hard brexit on the 29th of march prevents a big risk to the uk economic outlook. if parliament would have taken steps economic outlook. if parliament would have ta ken steps yesterday to protect against that, namely to give an extension to article 50 and to give parliament an opportunity to decide exactly what it wants, that downside risk to the economic outlook would have been removed, so it is an opportunity missed. you have suggested that by default, the risk of a hard brexit by accident could actually happen. yes, we had this symbolic vote against the hard brexit, but that really has no legal standing. the uk leaves the eu on the 29th of march as the default position. every day that we get closer is to the 29th without a solution, that means the hard brexit risk is creeping up. why are investors and economists and eve ryo ne investors and economists and everyone in the city, and i say everyone, a lot of people, worried about a hard brexit? why is it so detrimental to the economy in your view? we are thinking about the supply side of the economy, that employment growth, investment, productivity, by leaving its biggest market, it is damaging the long—term potential growth outlook of the uk. the uk is one of the strongest major economies in the advanced world, it can grow at around 2.1% inside the eu. markets worry that that rate could fall below 1.5% in a hard brexit. so where is the money? when you're speaking to clients, where are they seeing this go on, and what are they seeing this go on, and what are you advising them? kallum, i'm not sure if you can still hear me, i was just trying to get to the bottom of what you are speaking to your clients about, and what are you telling them is a likely scenario? what could happen next? sorry, i don't hear anything. it appears we have lost the connection with kallum in the city, we will put some more money in the metre. joining us now is hannah essex, co—executive director of policy and campaigns, at the british chambers of commerce. we have been talking about business enacting their standby plans, or no—deal brexit plans, the have their fingers hovering above the button, and they are going to start pressing it soon. we have been warning about this for many months at the chamber of commerce. we did a survey in september that showed in an ideal situation, one in five businesses would move some or all of the operation into some other part of the eu. and we are really close now to the 29th of march, so businesses are taking prudent steps to prepare for the worst, which means that some of them have already enacted their contingency plans. and that means that some of them are moving jobs and operations out of the uk already. for some, that will be a permanent move even if we end up with a deal. i wanted to ask about that, because it is very easy for us to talk about contingency planning. so you are looking atjobs that might move, and businesses are saying that we need to deal with this, what will they be doing right now? we know from the case that is coming through now that a lot of businesses are stockpiling products, so businesses are stockpiling products, so they are investing money in stockpiling where they could be investing that in growing their business are newjobs or innovation. we know that some are moving operations into other parts of the european union to ensure that they have that continuity going forward. and others are just simply pausing investment, not spending money, they are not preparing, they are not doing anything to grow their business because this plea do not know what the future holds. one argument is that uncertainty is never welcome, but business has been through so much uncertainty before. they put things on hold for a little bit, then once we get a bit of clarity, they can start hiring and expanding again. but doesn't really work like that? —— does it? expanding again. but doesn't really work like that? -- does it? britain has a thriving business committee, and it will adapt to change. but if we head towards a no deal situation injust two months, that is not enough time to adapt our plan. people are taking orders now and not knowing what costs are going to be involved in fulfilling that order in two months' time, they do not know what kind of delay they will have. can they actually fulfil the commitment they have made to their customers? so yes, businesses can adapt, but they need to know the clarity and precision of what they are adapting to and the time to prepare for it. and all of this is assuming that these businesses have contingency plans in place. what if they do not? from our savvy towards they do not? from our savvy towards the end of last year, we found that a lot of businesses have not prepared and were not preparing for brexit. we have put out a check list so brexit. we have put out a check list so that businesses can take themselves through that process. but at the moment we do not have the clarity and precision for what they are preparing for, which is where the government needs to focus. hannah, thank you, we will speak again, i'm sure. hannah essex from the british chamber of commerce. in other business news, german industrial giant siemens has reported wea ker—than—expected first quarter profit blamed on a slowdown in its power business. profits fell by 49% to $1.6 billion — that's down from $2.5 billion in the same quarter last year. the firm's power and gas business has been hit by collapsing demand for traditional power plants with the move towards renewable sources like wind and solar. france's economy grew by 0.3% in the final three months of last year, according to official figures. a rise in exports helped make up for a fall in consumer spending. the figure is better than the 0.1% that had been forecast for what is europe's second largest economy. former nissan motor chairman carlos ghosn says he has "no doubt" that the charges against him were the result of "plot and treason" by nissan executives. he says they're opposed to his plan for deeper integration between renault and its two japanese alliance partners. it was his first interview since his arrest in november for financial misconduct. a quick look at the numbers at this point in the day, so keep an eye on the pound, because of the head and got yesterday resulting in those votes in westminster. —— of the result of those thoughts. as you can see, the ftse 100 result of those thoughts. as you can see, the ftse100 up by 1.33%. and brent crude up about $60 a barrel. that's all the business news. the prime minister's questions is due to start shortly. let's speak to our assistant political editor norman smith. the pmqs after the night before! what is it going to be like? as you say, the pmqs after the night before, but before the meeting in the afternoon whenjeremy corbyn and theresa may have to break bread and try to talk in a consensual manner about how to move forward on brexit, when we know they have such divergent views and mr carman has peevishly said he was not taking pa rt peevishly said he was not taking part in any of these talks. —— mr corbyn. and that after they have probably been taking chunks out of each other at pmqs. there isn't really anything else happening in parliament, so it will be brexit that mr corbyn talks about. interesting also to see the sort of reception that mrs may gets, and i suspect that after tory mps' new found unity of sorts, will be sort of rallying around the pm. the big question is, do we get any more detailfrom mrs may question is, do we get any more detail from mrs may about the alternative arrangements she now wa nts to alternative arrangements she now wants to pluck out from the eu? is there any more detail, any more clarity at all? the answer, i suspect, is probably going to be no. 0k, norman, thank you very much. back with prime minister's questions very shortly, but right now, time for a look at the weather forecast with simon kane. —— king. we have had some fresh snow this morning in parts of wales, and parts of north—west of england. lovely blue skies and the snow here on the ground, absolutely perfect. going through the rest of this afternoon, still one or two wintry showers affecting parts of wales, north—west england, perhaps into western scotla nd england, perhaps into western scotland and northern ireland. for most of us, though, dry and sunny, and it will stay that way right into the evening. maximum temperature is getting up to three to six celsius. through tonight, still a few wintry showers in northern and western areas, but for central parts into north—western areas of england, mist and fog developing. that will be freezing fog because, for all of us, temperatures falling well below freezing. it could be the coldest night of the winter so far. could be as low as minus six celsius, but in rural parts of aberdeenshire, as low as —14. circulation out towards the west, an area of low pressure which will move in from the south—west, which will cause us some headaches and a forecast over the next 2a hours. ahead of that area of low pressure moving on, some sunshine across parts of northern england, scotland, and across northern ireland. planned increase in for england and wales, rain spreading into the south—west student thursday afternoon. that will turn to snow over the moors and across south wales, and a chilly day, temperatures barely above freezing across northern parts. three to five celsius in the south. rain, sleet and snow moving on, because during thursday evening rush hour, there could be about one to two centimetres of snow across the south—west. that will move into wales and much of southern england, including the greater london area, up including the greater london area, up to watch the south midlands. by the end of thursday night, potentially three to six centimetres. up to ten centimetres across eastern areas of wales. so thursday evening into friday morning, that could well cause some disruption. through the rest of friday, that weather system are moving south—east gradually, then this circulation in the south—west could bring more snow into the south—west during friday. so certainly over the next few days, snow and ice will still be a major issue, particularly thursday night and into friday morning. the potential for quite widespread and significant disruption, so stay tuned to the forecast. goodbye. you're watching bbc newsroom live — i'm annita mcveigh and these are the main stories at noon: theresa may prepares to go back to brussels over brexit, after mps in the house of commons supported plans to attempt a renegotiation of her deal with the european union. but eu leaders this morning have said there will be no revisions to the withdrawal agreement. the main point i want to make is to confirm that the eu institution remain united, and we stand by the agreement we have negotiated with the uk. but first, theresa may is about to get to her feet in the house of commons, this is the scene there want to send our thoughts and prayers to the collapse of the dam in brazil. we are in touch with the local authorities and stand ready to provide whatever support we can. mr speaker, this morning i had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others and in addition to my duties in this house i will have further such meetings later today.” in this house i will have further such meetings later today. i wish to associate myself with the comments from the prime minister about the tragic situation in brazil. my son is one of thousands of young people to have their life chances transformed by their studies at chesterfield college and their funding like other further education colleges across the country, is 30% down in terms of real finance since the government came to power. why is the government came to power. why is the education of young people who go to further education colleges worth so little to this government? he could not be more wrong. yes. it is this government that is ensuring that by 2020 the funding available put into further education is ensuring we are providing the best life chances for young people who are going into further education. it is this government that is taking steps to ensure that young people are able to take up the opportunities that are right for them. for too long in this country them. for too long in this country the assumption has been that the only way to get on in life is to go to university, and other ways like apprenticeships and further education colleges have not been respected in the same way. it is this government that is ensuring we have this respect for further education and ensuring we have the respect for technical education as well. is my right honourable friend aware that last year was the worst on record for the deaths, imprisonment or hostagetaking of journalists with 80 across the world killed in the course of their work. does my right honourable friend agree that journalist fulfil a does my right honourable friend agree thatjournalist fulfil a right —— journalist fulfil a vital role in society and will she ensure that every opportunity is taken to put pressure on the governments with the worst media freedoms and every effort is made to protect international journalism ? effort is made to protect internationaljournalism? my right honourable friend raises an important issue and i agree with him about the important role that a free press and journalists play in our democracies. i would like to thank you for raising this issue because i know it is important to him that many members across the house agree. in 2018 we saw 80 journalists killed, 348 are currently in prison and 60 are being held hostage around the world and we are deeply concerned because these numbers have risen on the previous year and that is why in 2019, we are placing our resources behind the cause of media freedom and helping to train journalists around the world, such as in venezuela where we see in authoritarian government suppressing its critics and this year we plan to host an international conference in london on media freedom, bringing together countries who believe in this cause to mobilise an international consensus behind the protection ofjournalists. this is an important issue and this government is putting its weight behind it. ijoined the prime minister in sending support to the victims of the dam collapse in brazil and i'm very pleased that all support is being offered to the authorities there to try and deal with that crisis. mr speaker, following the vote in the house last night against no deal the prime minister is again going to attempt to renegotiate the backstop on the basis of finding alternative arrangements. could she step —— set out today what these alternative arrangements might be? absolutely. last night the house set a clear direction on the way that the house could agree a deal and that is why we are dealing with the issue of the backstop. as i said yesterday there area number of backstop. as i said yesterday there are a number of proposals for how it could be done and we are engaging positively with repose or forward by the memberfor positively with repose or forward by the member for loughborough and for high wycombe and north east somerset. others including my honourable friend for altrincham west have put forward other proposals such as a unilateral exit mechanism. i'm just telling the shadow foreign secretary... a point of advice, if she wants to shout things, could you shout them in response to what i am saying? they put forward proposals such as the unilateral exit mechanism or a time limit to the backstop and the political declaration already references alternative options, such as mutual recognition of trusted trader schemes. none of that was very clear to me, and i don't know about anybody else. it would have been nice, mr speaker, really nice if the prime minister had acknowledged that she did whip her mps to try and support no deal and was defeated on that. and, mr speaker, the eu said at the weekend that they are willing to renegotiate if the government's red lines could change. could the prime minister today set out which of her red lines are going to change? what has been absolutely clear in my contacts with european union leaders is that they wa nt to european union leaders is that they want to deal and what this house voted for last night was to leave the european union with a deal but it also crucially showed what it will take to seek support in this house for a deal in the future. i think the plan that was set out last night shows that we can obtain a substantial and sustainable majority in this house, but the right honourable gentleman talks about not being clear about positions on various things and i'm very pleased that he is now going to meet with me and there are a number of issues that i want to discuss with him. for example, he talks about a strong single market relationship with the european union in the future. but i wa nt to european union in the future. but i want to know whether that means he wa nts to want to know whether that means he wants to accept eu state aid rules, because in the past he has objected to state aid rules, and he can't haveit to state aid rules, and he can't have it both ways. so we need to know with glade —— greater clarity what it is the right honourable gentleman believes in, and perhaps next time one of his own backbenchers wants to ask him about his position on a second referendum he will actually take the question from her. mr speaker, last time i looked at the order paper it said prime minister's question time. and the prime minister herself has, and i quote, the only possible deal was within her red lines, so it's perfectly reasonable to ask which of her red lines has changed. this morning the brexit secretary was asked, and i quote, what is the alternative to the backstop? and he replied, well, that is what we are exploring. can the prime minister tell us which options are being explored. the right honourable gentleman could go back to the a nswer gentleman could go back to the answer i gave him. if he listens to the answers he wouldn't have to repeat the question. i'm looking forward to meeting the prime minister later on today. because i wa nt to minister later on today. because i want to put forward labour's alternatives which could command a majority in this house and are about protecting jobs and people's living standards across the country. mr speaker, this morning the brexit secretary said that alternative arrangements mean looking at technology. a very interesting question. so can the prime minister be very clear, what technological advancesis be very clear, what technological advances is she expecting to be made in the next 58 days? may i say to the right honourable gentleman, it would be helpful... we want to hear about these matters. the prime minister. i have pointed out that there are a number of options that people are putting forward that we are working with and working positively with them on. i've already referenced a number of things in the political declaration on alternative arrangements that do set out various aspects that could be looked at and i referenced one of them in my answer to his question earlier. but what i would also say to the right honourable gentleman is that last night the house did vote to reject no deal, but it also voted to reject no deal, but it also voted to do what the european union has consistently asked this house to do since it rejected the withdrawal agreement, which was to say what it was that the uk wanted to see changed. last night, a majority in this house voted to maintain the commitment to no hard border between northern ireland and ireland, to leave the european union with a deal, and to set out to the european union what it will take to ensure that this house can support a deal. that is the change to the backstop and that is what i will be taking back to the european union. that is what we will be doing to ensure that we can avoid no deal. he stands up regularly and says he does not want no deal. i am working to ensure we get a deal. he has opposed every move by this government to get a deal. he is the one who is risking no deal. mr speaker, i would be grateful if the prime minister would actually acknowledge that the house has voted to take no deal off the table. and can she assure the house that if she is unable to secure any legal changes to the backstop that she would work to find a solution based on a comprehensive customs union, a strong single market deal and the guaranteeing of rights and protections rather than go back to the alternative she has been threatening everybody with four months and months, which was to crash out without any deal at all —— for months and months. last night the house did vote to reject no deal, but that cannot be the end of the story. the only way, and the right honourable gentleman says of course not, but i think that is the first time i think he has actually accepted that you just cannot vote to reject no deal, you have to vote for a deal otherwise you'll leave with no deal. so far, he has opposed everything this government has put forward in relation to a deal. and he said previously that he would reject any deal that the government puts on the table. he says it is prime minister's question time, but people want to know his position as well. will he ensure that if this government comes back with a revised deal that ensures we do not leave with no deal that he will actually support it? it really is time, mr speaker, that the prime minister acknowledged that she's got to move on from the red lines she has put down in the first place, and she doesn't acknowledge that in answer to my questions or indeed anybody else's. our responsibility is to bring people together. whether they voted... mr speaker, we are in the houses of parliament, we are the houses of parliament, we are the house of commons, and we do represent the entire country and the point i'm making is that we should bring people together whether they voted to leave or to remain. and indeed, i look forward to meeting the prime minister to discuss a solution that could, in my view, unite the country. changes to the backstop alone will not be sufficient. trade unions and businesses are clear that any solution must involve a customs union and a strongest possible deal with the single market to avoid the damage of no deal. the prime minister may have possibly, temporarily united her party, but is she willing, mr speaker... order. mr ellis will stop you were at one time a barrister of one rank or another in the courts. there is no way that you would have been allowed to shout from a sedentary position in that way and the judge would have ruled you out of order. i don't know whether that is why you stopped practising law and came into parliament. behave yourself, young man, you can do so much better when you try. as i was saying before i was so rudely interrupted, the prime minister may have succeeded in temporarily uniting her very divided party, but, mr speaker... is she willing to make compromises necessary that are more important, and that is to unite the country and going forward to secure jobs and living standards right across the uk? can i say to the right honourable gentleman that he is a fine want to talk about coming together when it was only last night that he agreed to actually meet me to talk about these issues. time and time again, he has told me to listen to the views of the house. he has just stood up and said that the backstop is not the only issue in the withdrawal agreement. last night, the house voted by a majority to say that the issue that needed to be addressed was the backstop, so he needs to listen to the house and to recognise that, and his proposal last night, he put forward a proposal last night which referenced the customs union, the single market, and his proposal was rejected by this house. i will tell him what this government has been doing. over the last week we have been getting more teachers in schools, we have been insuring we are giving more money to councils, we won a majority on brexit. what did he manage? his brexit plan was voted down and he opposed ending free movement and he won't rule out a second referendum. he has no plan for brexit, no good plan for our economy and no plan for our country. thank you, mr speaker. first time, by numbers, which collapsed under the government are at a ten year high thanks to initiatives like help to buy. there are still many people in their20s and to buy. there are still many people in their 20s and 30s who want to buy their own home. will the prime minister join their own home. will the prime ministerjoin me in asking local authorities to use their existing powers, when they grant planning consent to make sure that as many properties as possible are designated as starter homes or discount market sales homes to help those people in their 20s and 30s realise the dream of home ownership? my realise the dream of home ownership? my honourable friend raises an important issue, not only in pointing out a very good news that we see, the ten year high in the number of first—time buyers. but also the opportunities that are available for local authorities to provide for this. obviously, we are clear that the planning system has a key role in delivering more affordable homes at the national planning policy framework, revised last year, was central to this, including a wider definition of affordable housing and local authorities are expected to consider the new definition, which includes what my honourable friend has a reference. starter homes at discounted market sales homes to identify the types of affordable housing communities need. there is an expectation that major developments will make a minimum of 10% homes available for affordable ownership, including starter homes at discounted market sales homes. we have made good progress on first—time buyers, there is more for us first—time buyers, there is more for us to do and this government is doing it. ian blackford. thank you, mr speaker. two weeks ago, the prime minister told this house to vote down this deal, in the hope of going back to brussels and negotiating an alternative deal, no such alternative deal, no such alternative deal, no such alternative deal exists. yet, last night, she told the house she will go back to brussels and seek an alternative arrangement. so, what is it? has the prime minister inadvertently misled the house? or has this government's incompetence reached a whole new level? prime minister. the very simple fact that the right honourable gentleman appears to have omitted in what he is saying is that the deal was brought to the house and the house of commons rejected that deal. therefore, we like to say what can be changed, what can we take back to brussels, what can we fight for to ensure the deal can get the support of this house? i would also like to ta ke of this house? i would also like to take the opportunity, i was going to respond to the right honourable gentleman's point of order last night, but, unfortunately, when i looked, he left to go and do a sky news interview. i have to say to him...i news interview. i have to say to him... iwant news interview. i have to say to him... i want tojust news interview. i have to say to him... i want to just confirm absolutely, the commitment of this government to the belfast good friday agreement. and the remarks the right honourable gentleman made last night in relation to that were frankly, irresponsible. ian blackford. mr speaker, the only thing that is irresponsible of the actions of this prime minister. order! order! the right honourable gentleman has a right to be heard. the public would expect him to be heard. and he will be heard. and attempts to shout him down and not just rude, they are irresponsible, they are undemocratic, and they should certainly not have the sanction of anyone who sits on the treasury bench. stop it! it's low—grade, it's useless, and it won't work! ian blackford. thank you, mr speaker, that was a graceless response from the prime minister, who is acting with sheer irresponsibility. i have to say, in her answer, what she demonstrated is either my principles, if you don't like them, you can have some more! mr speaker, last night, a majority of scottish mps rejected brexit. the scottish parliament, the welsh assembly and... order! stop it! it is totally irresponsible! chanting in the background. but the right honourable gentleman ask his question and the prime minister answer it! that is what the public would expect. ian blackford. thank you, very much, mr speaker. the scottish parliament, the welsh assembly and this house of commons has reject of the prime minister's deal. the uk government told scotland in 2014 being part of the uk meant continued eu membership —— rejected the prime and esther's. the uk, told us we would be part of a family of equal patients —— rejected the prime minister's. scotland wants to stay in the eu. we are scuppered by this government ignoring scotland. prime minister, do you acce pt scotland. prime minister, do you accept that you have promised to scotland everything but you have delivered nothing? prime minister. cani delivered nothing? prime minister. can i say to the right honourable gentleman, scotland is part of the united kingdom. it voted in 2014 to stay pa rt united kingdom. it voted in 2014 to stay part of the united kingdom. the united kingdom will be leaving the european union. but if the right honourable gentleman wants to talk about the impact of scotland in the future, perhaps he should look at the latest figures that came out, just this morning, on exports. over 60% of scotland's exports go to the rest of the uk. that's more than scotland's trade with the rest of the world. and over three times more than with the rest of the european union. and yet he represents a party that wants to erect a border between scotla nd that wants to erect a border between scotland and england. the biggest threat... the biggest threat to the future of scotland is sitting on those benches. cheering said geoffrey clifton brown. mr speaker, there is a clear choice between remaining in the customs union or a fully functioning uk independent trade policy. does my right honourable friend think it is time that the leader of the opposition alters his red lines, repeated twice in this question time accept the will of the british people and allow businesses to thrive in a post brexit world by having a free trade policy? my honourable friend is absolutely right about what we are aiming to ensure that we get for leaving the european union which is that ability to have that independent trade policy. that is so important for us as we near the european union. i wa nt to as we near the european union. i want to have a good trade relationship with the eu but i also wa nt to relationship with the eu but i also want to ensure we will be able to have an independent trade policy with those trade deals around the world. this country should be a champion for free trade around the world. that is the way not only to enhance our economy and to bring jobs to this country and enhance our prosperity, but, actually, that would be of benefit to countries around the world, including some of the countries whose economies do need to be helped and improved, some of the poorest in the world will be helped by those trade arrangements. that is what we are going to deliver, that's our commitment to the british people. as my honourable friend says, it delivers on the result of the referendum. andy martin. thank you, mr speaker. my constituent lynn sherman, who has two terminal illnesses, reapplied for her on the pip 19th of december but did not receive an assessment until the 6th of january. but did not receive an assessment until the 6th ofjanuary. shea! but did not receive an assessment until the 6th of january. shea! she has still not received a decision on her claim. does the prime minister consider it fair or sensible that in addition to losing her benefit, miss sherman has also lost her blue badge, her bus pass and her carers. shameful! prime minister. the honourable gentleman as raise a specific constituency case. the honourable gentleman has raised specific constituency case and i would ask if an event department to look into the details of that case. —— i would ask the relevant department. andrew percy. on the 12th ofjuly, department. andrew percy. on the 12th of july, last department. andrew percy. on the 12th ofjuly, last year, my constituents took their son, jack, two leeds children hospitalfor surgery for crania sinister doses. the surgery went well. after that care, he declined to post surgery. his parents raised concerns, as he declined so much by the 16th of july, a nurse raised concerns regarding sepsis. jack continued to be treated for gastroenteritis. he died the next day of overwhelming sepsis. this is now the subject of a coroners inquest. but what my constituents want is that this never happens again to another set of pa rents. happens again to another set of parents. he wasjust happens again to another set of parents. he was just three days short of his second birthday. the hospital has since then introduced an early warning system but that came too late forjack. can my right honourable friend the prime minister assured me that she will do everything in her powers to ensure that no other parent has to go through what my constituents went through? first of all, can i say to my honourable friend that i am sure the whole house willjoin me in sending our deepest condolences to the family and friends ofjack, a terrible tragedy that has occurred and the loss of such a young life. cani and the loss of such a young life. can i also say that we recognise, as indeed, iam can i also say that we recognise, as indeed, i am sure our honourable friend, the member for indeed, i am sure our honourable friend, the memberfor dudley south that sepsis is a deadly condition. the nhs should develop its programme of work on recognising sepsis. i know they are working urgently with the royal college of paediatrics and child health to establish a white paediatrics early warning system to improve the recognition of sepsis and response to health care services. nothing that we can do, obviously, can bring backjack or compensate for the devastating impact on his family. but i can reassure my honourable friend, and i hope he will be able to reassure his constituents, that we will continue to do all we can, to improve the ca re to do all we can, to improve the care for those with this devastating condition. thank you, mr speaker. the prime and esther will —— make the prime minister will know there is a rising tide of racism in there is a rising tide of racism in the country forced up since she came to office, race hate crime has increased by 100%, to 72,000 separate attacks last year. what is happening to our country on her watch? prime minister. can i say to the honourable gentleman that when i was home secretary, i took measures to ensure that we improved the recording of hate crime. no, we didn't have a full picture of what was happening. my right honourable friend, the home secretary has recently reviewed and revised our hate crime strategy. but the point underlying what the honourable gentleman has said is that none of us gentleman has said is that none of us should accept hate crime, we should all be very clear from this house that there is no place for hate crime in our society. wherever we see racism, in whatever form, hate crime in our society. wherever we see racism, in whateverform, we should all take action, to eradicate it. the key forward. thank you, mr speaker. in her discussions with eu leaders, will the prime minister be making it crystal clear that this government stands firmly behind all of its commitments under the belfast good friday agreement? very happy to give my honourable friend an absolute assurance and commitment. we stand fully behind our commitments under the belfast good friday agreement and everything we do will be in light of those commitments. tracy brabin. thank you mr speaker. we are a community made up of small towns and villages and buses are a valued and villages and buses are a valued and essential service. i am sure the prime minister will sympathise with my constituents anger at the recent cuts to services that areva announced this week. so much so that commutes are thrown into chaos, people can't get to the shops and one head teacher told me that they we re one head teacher told me that they were concerned how their pupils will get to school. doesn't the prime minister agree with me that people are more important than profit? and isn't it time to invest in bus services after years of cuts and bring them under public control? can i say to the honourable lady, we recognise the importance that buses play in local communities. that is why we spend £250 million every year to keep fares down and maintain an extensive network and that benefits people up and down the country. we particularly put money into supporting free bus travel for older and disabled people because we recognise how important buses are to vulnerable people in particular. we are looking at what we can do, further, to improve access for people with disabilities. but we have been putting money in to ensure there remains an extensive bus network which is of benefit to local communities. thank you, very much, mr speaker. last night, this house voted, a majority, in favour of a deal. they deal that would deliver on the democratic will of the people of the united kingdom and to leave the eu. will my right honourable friend continue to stand firm in the next phase of negotiations against the fishing nations of the eu and their attempts to maintain guaranteed common access to our waters? i can give my honourable friend absolute commitment that i will do that. leaving the commons fishery policy, becoming an independent coastal state is important to enable us to enhance and give opportunities to fishing communities around the united kingdom and i recognise it is particularly important in scotland. there are fishing communities around the whole of the uk who will benefit from us becoming an independent coastal state and i am very clear, our position is there, we have that agreement and the prime minister will be aware of the report by sirjohn gillen into the report by sirjohn gillen into the laws and procedures around serious sexual offences in northern ireland, a very serious report which reveals that there is a declining conviction rate in northern ireland, that we have the longest delays for getting cases to trial and those that want to go to trial, there is a 40% drop out there. these are serious issues and i wonder what the prime minister will be able to ensure any law changes recommended will be implemented in northern ireland? may i say to the honourable gentleman that this is clearly a very serious issue and it is something i understand thejudiciary in northern ireland and the devolved justice authorities are keeping a close and active consideration. the honourable gentleman knows that policing and justice is a devolved matter in northern ireland, as is the length of custodial sentences. the secretary of state for northern ireland in passing the executive formation and function spill enables departments to take decisions in the public interest to ensure the continued operation of public services but that cannot be a replacement for a devolved government. i think the example of the honourable gentleman has given is another reason why it's important to work to get a devolved administration back up and running. the prime minister will appreciate that the government is spending over 50% more per head in real terms in education than in the year 2000. achieving much better results, might iadd. achieving much better results, might i add. however, achieving much better results, might iadd. however, there achieving much better results, might i add. however, there are still some challenges with resources and funding in many areas across hitchen and harpenden, especially in small rural schools. will the prime minister to commit to special consideration for education in the upcoming spending review, because i believe this would command widespread support across the house. i think the chancellor was listening to the remarks and comments my honourable friend made in his question in relation to funding and it is absolutely right that we have been putting more money into schools and it's also right that we see more children, 1.9 million more children in good or outstanding schools than in 2010. we will of course be looking carefully across all elements of public expenditure when we come to the spending review and asi we come to the spending review and as i said to my honourable friend, i am sure the chancellor has heard the lobbying about my honourable friend has indulged in in his question in relation to this matter, particularly for smaller rural schools. unlike this government, john lewis has never knowingly undersold portsmouth, but last week they announced they were closing a much loved store in the heart of my community since 1865 and that is one example. retailer after retailer, store after store, job afterjob, when will the government finally bring our high streets back from the brink? obviously i recognise this is a concerning time for the employees in southsea and it is a commercial decision for the company to take. we will be ensuring that the department for work and pensions and job centre plus work with the company to understand the level of employee support required. i have to say to the honourable gentleman that if he is worried aboutjobs in his constituency, the policies that would cause most damage to jobs constituency, the policies that would cause most damage tojobs in his constituency is are the policies of the labour party and his labour front bench. last week, snp led moray council announced a number of devastating cuts to local services, many of which will impact young people. from closing libraries and swimming pools, to ending the active schools programme and increasing the fees on music tuition. these young people are affected but the highest paid senior managers in the council are not. well my right honourable friend agree with me that the snp and moray should focus on services rather than managers and deliver a fairerfunding dealfor rather than managers and deliver a fairer funding deal for moray? can i say to my honourable friend that of course the uk government has increased the block grant going to the scottish government next year. so decisions on cutting budgets are a matter of priority for the snp rather than a necessity. extra money has been given to them and it is a question of where they want to put that money and what they make a priority. i think it is time that the snp empowered local government in scotland rather than hoarding power at holyrood. next week is world cancer day. last week i regret to say that saint claire's hospice in jarrow closed to say that saint claire's hospice injarrow closed through to say that saint claire's hospice in jarrow closed through funding difficulties. will the prime minister use her offices to facilitate a meeting between me and the relevant health minister to see if we can secure health care for the terminally ill in the future in the jarrow constituency? i will ensure that the relevant minister meets with him and addresses this issue with him and addresses this issue with him. with record numbers of women in the workplace now, more and more women will experience the symptoms are perimenopause or menopause while they are at work, and often the symptoms are not well understood by the general population and includes much more than hot flushes and night sweats. will the prime minister please join flushes and night sweats. will the prime minister pleasejoin my campaign, which calls on employers to update their health policies so women can get full information and proper support so they can continue contributing at work? may i say to my honourable friend, thank you for raising this issue, because this is an issue that many members across this house will recognise as an important issue. and we recognise the difficulties women going through the difficulties women going through the menopause face. we are encouraging employers to adopt a menopause friendly policies such as friendly —— flexible working and we are giving women information about healthy lifestyles that may improve their experience of the menopause andi their experience of the menopause and i would certainly, as my honourable friend is doing, encourage all employers to take reasonable steps, including those that my onward friend referenced to support employees so they can indeed be able to continue to carry out theirjobs and contribute to our economy in the way they have done so far. prime minister, we are 58 days away from a cliff. if we plunge over we will be going into an abyss and our country will be a poorer country in every sense of the word. last night, this house voted that there can be no question of a no—deal brexit. will the prime minister on the will of parliament and rule out a no—deal brexit, because to proceed with a no—deal brexit would not only impoverish our country, it would be contemptuous of parliament. the honourable member is right that parliament last night voted to reject no deal, but what parliament also voted for last night was to say it wanted to leave the european union with a deal and identified what was necessary to change in the deal in order to enable that to happen. and for the support of this house to be given to a deal. and thatis house to be given to a deal. and that is where we should be focusing, because we can only ensure that we avoid no deal by having a deal and by agreeing a deal, and by this how supporting a deal and voting for a deal. may i commend my right honourable friend for her commitment yesterday to return to brussels and reopen the text of the withdrawal agreement. that is the right thing to do and the people of middlesbrough will agree because we wa nt to middlesbrough will agree because we want to leave with a good deal for the country. can i complement the proposed agreement that has every chance of success in uniting this parliament and this country behind a good exit. may i say to my honourable friend, that obviously there was a clear message from the house last night about what needs to happen in terms of returning to brussels, but also we are engaging positively with the proposals that he said have put forward in relation to dealing with the issue of the backstop. next week marks five years since the train line at dawlish was washed away in storms. five years on, the train line is fragile and we need money, not more press releases. can the prime minister help unblock the £300 million upgrade that the department for transport are sitting ona department for transport are sitting on a new is the anniversary next week to help the south—west, plymouth to keep the train line open and stop it being fragile and precarious? obviously passengers do expect better and i understand from the department for transport that the department for transport that the first phase of work to protect the first phase of work to protect the sea wall in dawlish began in november with the central repairs to the breakwaters, and that is part of the breakwaters, and that is part of the £50 million investment to make the £50 million investment to make the railway at dawlish and teignmouth more resilient to extreme weather. can i reassure the honourable gentleman that world leading engineers have been carrying out those detailed ground investigations to develop the long—term solution to protect the railway in a way that minimises disruption for passengers and network whale will be reporting on how they deliver it —— network rail. but delivering this improvement to infrastructure is a national priority and is essential for unlocking economic prosperity and jobs and that is why we are giving it the focus we are. at one junior school in my constituency as an increasing proportion of pupils attaining the required level of key stage two standards from 35% to an amazing 67% in the last year. well my honourable friend join me in congratulating the pupils, the teachers and the head teacher, sam robinson, and 13 other primary schools across error wash for improving their key stage ii performances. i am delighted to hear of the increased performance at the school and we are seeing the education of children being improved regardless of where they live or their background so they can get the education they need to fulfil their potential. i'm happy tojoin my honourable friend in congratulating the pupils and staff of that particular school, but also the other schools she referenced across her constituency who have seen these improvements. these are important for the future of those children. yesterday evening mps from across the house voted against a no deal, an outcome that the tuc warns would be devastating forjobs and which the cbi this morning said businesses would be speeding up preparations for. the people hit hard by no deal will be the ordinary people in battersea and across the country. so will the prime minister finally listen to this house, to trade unions, to businesses and to our constituents and categorically rule out a no deal? may i say to the honourable lady, the house rejected no deal last night but i hope that she, when the time comes, will play her part in avoiding no deal and will vote for a deal. the prime minister knows that i want to make sure we leave the european union on the 29th of march, and she knows, regretfully, i could not support her deal two weeks ago because of the backstop and its impact with the relationship between great britain and northern ireland and trapping us potentially in a customs union. i welcome the fact that the house gave a clear majority yesterday to renegotiating the backstop. if she can deliver that, then i will vote for her deal and i am confident that it will be a sustainable majority to get it through this house and the legislation. so can i ask my right honourable friend, tell the european union there is a majority in this house for this deal, to get it out of the european union on good terms andi of the european union on good terms and i would ask my colleagues to give the prime minister space. they are not going to crumble tomorrow. we will have to hold our nerve and we can be successful. can i say to my right honourable friend that he is absolutely right about the importance of the vote that took place last night, because that vote, agreeing what was necessary to change in the withdrawal agreement in order to achieve majority across this house, winning that boat with a majority gave a very clear message to the european union —— winning that vote gave a clear message of the european union that it can go through the house but it has to recognise the concerns across the whole of the house in relation to the backstop, and that is what i am going to be fighting for, the change that this house has been very clear it wants to see in the future. and as my right honourable friend says, iam as my right honourable friend says, i am confident we can seek a sustainable and substantial majority across this house for leaving with a deal. mr speaker, anna is a carer for the elderly and she lives with her girls on for the elderly and she lives with hergirls ona for the elderly and she lives with her girls on a flat above barclays bank. because her husband left, she cannot pay the rent without claiming universal credit. she does not have a guarantor, so barclays bank agents are evicting her. another private landlord evicting a hard—working family on universal credit. will the prime minister intervene and ask ba rclays bank to prime minister intervene and ask barclays bank to grant her a tenancy so that her girls are notjust two more in the 130,000 children in this country in temporary accommodation. obviously, like one of her honourable friends, she has raised an individual constituency case and the details of that individual constituency case, i will ask the releva nt constituency case, i will ask the relevant minister to look into that case... well, she asked me to take a position, purely on the question that she has asked me. i am asking the minister in the relevant department to look into the case and be able to assess that case. and respond to the honourable lady. is it not the responsibility of all of us in this house to support that bill? what i say to my honourable friend is, yes, this is a very important bill in the impact it will have. i am sure everybody across this house once to ensure we can deal with terrorism, paedophilia and other organised crime. an exchange of data is an important way of doing that. in recent days, we have heard the irish prime minister talking about bringing his troops up to the border in an event of the new deal, the deputy foreign minister talking about people jumping out of windows. isn't this highly reckless talk dangerous in the circumstances? that rhetoric should be torn down and focus on what michel barnier said the other day, even in the event of a new deal, we would sit down and find operational ways to have checks and controls away from the border. is that not a way forward? it blows a hole in the backstop. can i say to the right honourable gentleman, it is important. i will be speaking to the irish prime minister today and it is important for us to work with the government of ireland for the arrangements that will be in place in the future. we have sent a clear message of what needs to happen in relation to the backstop. we retain our commitment to no hard border between northern ireland and ireland and look to working with the government of ireland and the european union so we all maintain our commitment under the belfast and good friday agreement, no hard border. last sunday we commemorated holocaust memorial day when we remember the darkest period in europe is ‘s history. well shejoin with me and thanking the youth ambassadors and the incredible survivors who gave their personal testimony to young people so they can all remember what the ultimate destination of racism and anti—semitism is. destination of racism and anti-semitism is. he is right to raise the excellent work that the holocaust trust does, and the youth ambassadors. i have met some of the ambassadors. i have met some of the ambassadors who understood of learning the lesson from the holocaust, understanding the importance of acting against anti—semitism wherever it occurs, and of wider racial hatred. and also, the survivors from the holocaust who have given their time to ensuring that nobody is in any doubt about where man's inhumanity to man can lead. they have done a very important job and to man can lead. they have done a very importantjob and i pay tribute to them and to their continuing work. it is important we all recognise the terrible things that can happen when we let anti—semitism occur. we should all be fighting against anti—semitism wherever it occurs. thank you, mr speaker. in the cold of sunday, mr walker was found dead on the pavements of birmingham. he was 31 and he became of over 1200 homeless people to have lost their lives in the last five yea rs. lost their lives in the last five years. when will the prime minister recognise the scale of homelessness isa recognise the scale of homelessness is a moral emergency and we cannot wait for 2027 to end homelessness for good when we need action now.” say to the honourable gentleman, we all want to ensure everybody in this country can have a safe and secure roof over their head, nobody is on the streets sleeping rough. we are putting money into this, we have taken initiatives putting money into this, we have ta ken initiatives like putting money into this, we have taken initiatives like housing first, which are already showing benefits of helping people who could end up on the streets of having a home and dealing with the issues to ensure they are able to stay in that home. this is something we recognise the importance of and that is why we are putting money into it, acting and ensuring action is being taken across the country to deal with this. thank you. order. prime ministers questions at a close, jeremy corbyn opened by asking theresa may what the alternative arrangements to be backstop might be, the plan to avoid a hard border between northern ireland and the republic of ireland. a unilateral exit mechanism was discussed, to whichjeremy corbyn replied, that was not clear to me, accompanied by loud cheers. that sets the tone, if you like, for the meeting between the two of them expected to take place soon. let's talk to our assistant political editor norman smith. what do you make of that, and how do you think the meeting between the two leaders will go? i thought it was a pretty scratchy pmqs with theresa may and jeremy corbyn and grinding up against each other. jeremy corbyn senators prime ministers questions, stop asking me questions, and mrs may saying, listen to my answers and stop asking the same questions. and the meeting we are expecting around three o'clock is going to be a rather strained affair. perhaps time to break out the jaffa cakes to help things along a bit. as for pmqs, mrs may set out some of the ideas in she wa nts to ta ke may set out some of the ideas in she wants to take back to brussels on the backstop, may be asking for some sort of unilateral exit mechanism for the sort of unilateral exit mechanism forthe uk, or sort of unilateral exit mechanism for the uk, or perhaps some sort of expiry date on the backstop, or perhaps the points towards new technology. the trouble, as we all know, every single one of these proposals has been rejected before. so at the moment, we are all slightly scratching our heads and think, what can it be? what can mrs make up with which will get the eu to think again on the backstop? thank you very much, norman. as we have had, all eyes will be focused on dublin, dublin would leading the way and setting the tone for the rest of the eu 27. we had theresa may mentioned that she would be talking to the taoiseach layover at current later on today, and the irish deputy prime minister as well. he said while the withdrawal agreement would not be reopened for negotiation, there ways to quote him to ease backstop concerns. simon mccoy will be taking over from me shortly, but back tojoanna in the studio now. —— to quote him, there will be ways to backstop concerns. —— ease the backstop concerns. some flights are delayed at both manchester and liverpool airports, but merseyrail says its services are now running again. police in greater manchester say they're dealing with several motorway accidents. further disruption is expected at the end of this week with more snow and ice expected on thursday and friday across much of england and wales. and if you think it's bad here in the uk, the weather situation in parts of the united states is far worse. a spinning pocket of very cold air, known as a polar vortex, is expected to bring dangerously low temperatures . forecasters say it could be as cold as minus 30 degrees celsius — colder than south pole — and are warning people to stay indoors. cbs news correspondent don daler is in chicago. the people in the midwest are a hardy bunch. they are used to cold weather, but nothing like this. —45 celsius wind chills here in chicago. now, the city is taking precautions. they have been trying to prepare people for this weather. they have opened up some city buses as homeless shelters for people who have no place to go. they are using an effect flame—throwers to melt the ice on tracks, and they are also using chemicals to melt the ice on aeroplanes. homeowners are desperate to keep their pipes from bursting from the cold, so they have been putting up space heaters. but officials say the best piece of advice is, if people do not have to go out, stay home, stay warm. don daler, cbs news for the bbc news, chicago. in a moment it's time for the one o'clock news with reeta chakrabarti but first it's time for a look at the weather with chris fawkes. the snow may look nice but it has been causing disruption, particularly in greater manchester. 200 schools are out due to the snow earlier in the day. some stony ground across east anglia, but it is the snow showers that have been fading on across the irish sea that are cause for concern. very localised, but there could be some further localised disruption across north—west england for a time due to that snow. then overnight, as sky is clear, looking at another sharp frost, things will turn icy fairly widely. temperatures taking a real dive. towns and cities, plumbing the depths. temperatures down to about _5’ depths. temperatures down to about —5, minus six celsius. in the countryside, likely to be one of the cold est countryside, likely to be one of the coldest nights of the winter. into thursday, more trouble brewing. an area of low pressure moving into the uk, and we start to see the rain turned to snow as it hits the cold air. the first places that will see the snow is across south—west england, then across the high ground in wales, initially. we will see some disruption from that snowy weather developing a probably late morning into the afternoon, away from that, a lot of dry weather, but after that, a cold start to the day. the sunshine is going to stay cold, temperatures two to five celsius. through thursday evening, we see our weather fronts continuing to push a bit further northwards, bringing some significant accumulations of snow to parts of south—west england. the amount of snow across the midlands and south—east england will va ry midlands and south—east england will vary significantly from one place to the next, could be around one to five centimetres through the risk of thursday evening, and the heaviest snow moving into wales, five to ten centimetres building in here. the risk of snow will continue, pushing into the midlands and wales into friday morning. this means there is a significant risk of some transport disruption, with heavy snow, widespread ice, disruption does seem likely. into friday, and an icy start to the date could cause some travel problems out and about. still the cup for some winter in this around the eastern side of england, where we could see some snow showers causing a few problems. another cold day, temperature is around three to four celsius for many of us. that is your weather. theresa may will hold talks withjeremy corbyn and eu officials this afternoon — to try to renegotiate her brexit deal. the prime minister wants to propose alternatives to the so—called irish backstop, which is designed to avert a hard border in ireland, following last night's vote by mps. well, what this house voted for last night is to leave the european union with a deal, but it also crucially showed what it will take to see support in this house for a deal in the future. by the existing withdrawal agreement. the eu institutions remain united and we stand by the agreement we have negotiated with the uk," we'll have the latest here in westminster — and we'll be live in brussels to assess what sort of reaction and the other main stories this lunchtime.... an arctic freeze in the us — don't take deep breaths outside — say officials in one state. the supreme court says that forcing people looking for work to disclose minor criminal convictions breaches their human rights.

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