Against so called Islamic State in iraqs second city, mosul. Theyve taken the citys airport, a key Staging Point in the battle to drive militants from the western half of the city. Our correspondent Quentin Sommerville was there as Iraqi Government troops fought their way in. Before the attack came the rockets and artillery. Its day five of the offensive to retake western mosul. Slowly, the forces make their way past a suspected is car bomb, torched en route. These armoured columns are now moving forward to mosul airport. The attack for the airport is under way. All night long, weve heard Coalition Aircraft and iraqi artillery slam this area just to the north of us. The onslaught had cleared this village of is fighters and civilians. Its eerily quiet as the men proceed on foot. A local man tells the Special Forces there were up to 100 is here yesterday. Theyve hidden bombs all over. So the men took to higher ground. And we followed at a safe distance. As the day went on, there was no let up. Its from this factory that is defended the airport. Their flag flew here yesterday, but no longer. In less than four hours, iraqi forces had breached the airport perimeter, but is fought back. First, a huge Roadside Bomb which killed an iraqi officer. Despite the air strikes, is fighters were still putting up resistance. From the cover of an armoured vehicle, we were able to see the battle ahead. It was a short battle, but there were no casualties from the front. The more they advance, the more civilians they meet, and theyre in a wretched state. These people had hung on during years of Islamic State group rule but, in the midst of this final battle, they were overwhelmed. This man says, theyre dead in this house, all dead. My brother has already gone to the camp. Hes heartbroken. Six of his family were killed in an air strike. This is the last open ground before west mosul. The desert and farmland here made for swift progress. Iraqi forces are now less than a mile away from the city. Theyre also in range of mortars from is. But its the Islamic State thats under threat. Mosul airport may be in ruins. But, more importantly, its back in government hands. Over there, its the iraqi flag thats flying on the airfield again. This is a landmark moment. Iraqi forces now have the Islamic State group on the run. Is might transform itself into something else, but right now, here in iraq, were witnessing the final days of the caliphate. Quentin sommerville, bbc news, mosul airport. Storm doris has brought chaos across the uk. Thereve been winds of up to 95mph and a woman was killed by Flying Debris in wolverhampton. Trees have been brought down taking power lines with them. Nearly all Rail Operators have been reporting delays leaving many passengers stranded. Planes have been grounded and bridges and roads have been closed. Tens of thousands of homes have been left without power. Danny savage has more. It was late morning when Emergency Services were called to wolverhampton city centre. A woman had been hit by Flying Debris. Her Head Injuries were so serious, she died at the scene. Hours later, a heavy panel was taken away as an investigation started. Storm doris swept into scotland this morning, leaving drivers struggling in snowy conditions, like here, on the a71. The high winds didnt stay anywhere for long but they did enough damage on the way through, like on this Moorland Road in staffordshire. Further south, this railway line near st albans was closed by a single voluntary. Such scenes were repeated across the rail network. The result was a long, frustrating day for many travellers. This was euston, where west Coast Main Line Services ground to a halt. Trains been cancelled so im unsure how to get home. I might have to stay an extra night, which would be rather an incovenience. We didnt know till we got here that all Virgin Trains were cancelled, so we are stranded here and we cant get back to manchester, back home. 145 miles north in retford tonight, they were very laid back 145 miles north in retford tonight, they were very late back but they knew it could have been worse. Are you thankful to have got back tonight . Absolutely. cause theres a lot of people in london . Yes, it was awful at kings cross, hundreds of people. I spoke to a lady and she got on the 1 10pm train, sat there for an hour and had to get off the train, and she was still in kings cross at 5pm when i was there. And look at the lucky escape a Driving Instructor in spalding had this morning. Spare a thought for the bumpy landings endured by air passengers. This was a Service Coming into manchester. Storm doris will be remembered for its southerly track. Its now gone, but certainly not forgotten. Danny savage, bbc news. Its taken four years to get through parliament, but now the go ahead has finally be given for work to begin on the hs2 high speed rail link between london and birmingham. Critics say it is a waste of money and will damage the environment. But supporters say it will boost the economy and the number of people be able to travel by rail. Im taking a journey on the first stage of the route from london to birmingham to see what impact it could have. The biggest challenge is tackling overcrowding. 0ur could have. The biggest challenge is tackling overcrowding. Our current tracks and stations cant handle many more passengers. As well as running more frequently the trains will be faster too, good news for passengers. Sometimes you dont get enough carriages, which is a problem, its really crowded and lots of people stand up. Problem, its really crowded and lots of people stand uplj problem, its really crowded and lots of people stand up. I regard being on train as work time so if you dont get sat down you feel frustrated. Its notjust commuters who stand to gain from the new railway. Were going to average around 10,000 jobs over the course of the first phase of Construction Peak Peaking at 5000 per month, when we go into operation we will have 10,000 Ofjobs Maintaining and running the railway. There could be an even greater economic benefit. Take this journey, its about an hour and 20 minutes. With 50 minutes into the journey but if this was an hs2 train we would already be in birmingham and that means spending less time travelling and more time working. 0ne estimate suggests that could add about £15 billion to the economy. But at what cost . The current pricetag is close to £60 billion but many say it could be much higher. 60 woodlands would have to be bulldozed. 350 homes will have to be bulldozed. 350 homes will have to be bulldozed. 350 homes will have to be demolished and thousands of businesses will be affected. Like this farm in buckinghamshire. The land will be split into back when work begins. Its going to Com Pletely Work begins. Its going to completely alter the way i farmed. Ill lose half the grazing my cows can use. Im not seriously convinced hs2 is of any necessity to this country at all. The first section to the West Midlands is due to open by 2026 and an extension to leeds and manchester will open by 2032. Hs2 should make journeys faster and manchester will open by 2032. Hs2 should makejourneys faster and more co mforta ble. Should makejourneys faster and more comfortable. But keeping the project on time and on track could prove more difficult. Ben thompson, bbc news, in birmingham. The bbc has learned that around 10,000 motorists were still driving last month, despite having too many Penalty Points on their licence. Usually drivers are banned when they go over 12 points. But magistrates are allowed to waive the rule in cases of exceptional hardship. Supporters say it gives drivers another chance, but critics say Bending The Rules puts other people at risk. 0ur correspondent david rhodes has more. From speeding to drink driving, failing to have insurance or causing a collision on the road, Penalty Points are given to motorists when they break the law. 12 active points ona they break the law. 12 active points on a license that usually means a driver will be banned for a minimum of six months. But figures obtained by the bbc show that just under 10,000 drivers are still on the roads despite having 12 or more points. Most are found in england, with the largest number being in greater london, although one driver in West Yorkshire is still on the road despite having more than 60 points on their licence. The law doesnt seem to be working at the moment. Weve got people at the moment. Weve got people at the moment obviously being caught and going through the Justice System that actually the whole point system seems to be making a mockery of that, drivers are getting away with repeatedly breaking the law. Motorists with 12 points can appeal toa motorists with 12 points can appeal to a Magistrates Court such as this one and they can claim a driving ban will bring exceptional hardship on their lives, meaning theyd lose a job or be unable to care for a family member. There is no definition in law, though, as to what exceptional hardship means so one magistrate may decide that if a driving ban would call someone to lose theirjob, that is exceptional hardship. Another magistrate may decide it isnt. Every band is considered on a case by case basis. The government says the vast majority of drivers with 12 points are automatically disqualified and only under exceptional circumstances canjudges decide only under exceptional circumstances can judges decide not to only under exceptional circumstances canjudges decide not to issue only under exceptional circumstances can judges decide not to issue a ban. The fact remains, though, there are drivers who have continually broken the law who are still on our roads. Claudio ranieri has been sacked as Leicester Citys manager. Thats despite guiding the club to what had seemed an impossible dream, premier League Triumph last season, and being voted fifas coach of the year. The clubs owners tonight dismissed him, citing long term interests. Leicesters dismal season has left them teetering above the Relegation Zone. You would think they would give Claudio Ranieri a full season as an act of loyalty given the Fairytale Success he delivered just nine months ago. The fans perhaps are in shock over this, again a sign of the gratitude they had towards Claudio Ranieri but the owners are worried, they are flirting with relegation, they are flirting with relegation, the team is just above the Relegation Zone and that would be financially damaging, theres £9 billion of tv revenue to be carved up billion of tv revenue to be carved up among billion of tv revenue to be carved up among the premier leagues 20 clu bs up among the premier leagues 20 clubs over the course of three seasons and in sporting terms they wa nt to seasons and in sporting terms they want to be fighting amongst the very best. Relegation threatens all of that so theres 13 games left in the season, theyre in terrible form and Claudio Ranieri was described as performing miracles to get Leicester City to that title, they may need another miracle for someone to come in and save their season. Now its time to join andrew neil for a this week special programme covering the results of the by elections in stoke welcome if yourejoining us for what promises to be a political night to remember. Not one, but two parliamentary by elections to savour. The tories and labour are going head to head in copeland, on the edge of the lake district. And ukips leader, paul nuttall, is making a concerted bid to wrest stoke on Trent Central from labour control. Both seats have been labour bankers for years. Well see if that continues tonight. With me for the duration, however long that may be, conservative cabinet minister matt hancock. One of ukips men in the london assembly, david kurten. Representing their lordships house, baroness kath pinnock for the lib dems. And last but not least, the Shadow Cabinets Barry Gardiner. Welcome, all of you. Thank you for being here. Barry gardiner, we have two labour seats up for grabs. It is highly unusual for the opposition to lose seats in by elections to the government. The fact that it might speaks volumes for the state of your party. Look, it would be unprecedented since 1960, and i think we are acutely aware of that, but you are acutely aware also that what we have at the moment is a huge change in the whole of british politics as a result of brexit. And i think its impossible to consider these by elections as being in normal times, in that sense. Why must you knock brexit has changed the face of uk politics in a profound way. Those people who had Traditional Party loyalties, both in matts party and my own, for matt, while most of his colleagues voted to remain, a substantial number voted to leave, yet only 44 of conservative voters voted to remain. The rest voted to leave. In my party, 64 of voters voted to remain, but actually 66 of our Constituency Seats, 64 of our Constituency Seats, 64 of our Constituency Seats, 64 of our Constituency Seats were actually leave seats. But how does this explain how you might lose copeland . Im not saying we are going to lose. Isaid im not saying we are going to lose. I said you might, but how does this explain in opposition in the midterm ofa explain in opposition in the midterm of a government that has its own problems that would lose a seat like copeland . You talk about the midterm ofa copeland . You talk about the midterm of a government. We have a relatively new Prime Minister, albeit she was unelected, and she is still in her Honeymoon Period. You can paint this as a historic occasion, if we were to lose, but my point is that actually there are some exceptional circumstances. Do you buy any of that . Know, frankly. I think that labour are in deep trouble. These are two strongholds for the labour party. They have held them for 50 odd years. They are the sort of seats that they could put people like Tristram Hunt, an obvious southerner, into a North Midlands seat and he won it with ease. So these should be easily won for labour. Lets go up to stoke, where the count is taking place in a sports hall. You can lay out all the ta bles sports hall. You can lay out all the tables in a space like that and do the counting on them. Very efficient. Gerard batten is a member of the European Parliament for ukip and hejoins of the European Parliament for ukip and he joins us of the European Parliament for ukip and hejoins us from of the European Parliament for ukip and he joins us from the count. Can you tell us, how is your party likely to fare tonight . 0r you tell us, how is your party likely to fare tonight . Or this morning . Its a bit too early to say. Its definitely a two horse race between us and labour and what ive been saying for the last couple of weeks is it is either going to be two thousandths and labour or its going to be a close result and it could go either way. 2000 to labour. But the options you gave me, its either a couple of thousand to labour or its either a couple of thousand to labourora its either a couple of thousand to labour or a very close result, that doesnt sound that you are too confident that paul nuttall has pulled this off. Its a very difficult task, of course, to win a seat like this, which has been in labour hands since 1950, i believe. To Wina Labour Hands since 1950, i believe. To win a seat from another party which has that long established a record will always be difficult. Of course, we have seen two things in this election which have been pretty bad. The labour party have had absolutely nothing positive to say about itself but it has attacked ukip on the line that we want to privatise the nhs, which isnt true, has never been true, and we have had that on the doorstep. The other thing has been be sustained Character Assassination via the media against paul nuttall, some elements of the media, which has also played on the doorstep. So the complaints about mr nuttall, is sometime vicarious relationship with the truth, that has cut through on the truth, that has cut through on the doorsteps of stoke . No, it hasnt. Paul has explained this many times in the last couple of weeks. He was at hillsborough, he was 12 yea rs he was at hillsborough, he was 12 years old. His Press Officer Put Something up on the website that he didnt check properly and obviously over egged the pudding a bit. When he realised that had happened, you frankly admitted he had made a mistake and he apologised, but that is the extent of it. The frankly admitted. But it wasntjust hillsborough. Although i think that this mat