coming up the next half—hour: as theresa may sets out to brexit plans, in the commons mps are told both houses will have a vote on the final deal. the northern ireland secretary calls for a respectful election following the breakdown of the stormwater assembly. and is it time foran the stormwater assembly. and is it time for an overhaul of business rates 7 time for an overhaul of business rates? when you look at high streets, they are full of charity shops, estate agents and the odd copy shop. the prime minister says the uk will leave the eu single market as a result of brexit. theresa may made the announcement during herfirst major speech, outlining her strategy for taking britain out of the eu. mrs may said she wanted to build a stronger britain in charge of its own laws, in control of immigration and pursuing free—trade and she warned europe's leaders that no deal for europe's leaders that no deal for europe was better than a bad deal. in the commons the brexit secretary set out the proposals to mp5. in the commons the brexit secretary set out the proposals to mps. the plan to build a strong, new partnership with european partners, while reaching beyond the borders of europe, forging deeper links with old allies and new ones. today we set up 12 objectives for the negotiation to come. they answer the questions of those who ask what we intend up while not undermining the uk's negotiating position. we are clear what we seek is that new partnership, not a partial eu membership. not a partnership, not a partial eu membership. nota model partnership, not a partial eu membership. not a model adopted by other countries, not a position that means we are half in and half out. our objectives are clear. the deliver certainty and clarity where we can, to take control of our laws, to protect and strengthen the union, to protect and strengthen the union, to maintain the common travel area with the republic of ireland, control immigration, detect the rights of eu nationals in the uk and uk national scene eu, detect workers' writes, allow free trade with european markets, forge new trade deals, boost science and innovation, detect and enhance cooperation of the crime and terrorism and make our exit smooth and orderly. it is the outline of an ambitious new partnership between the uk and the countries in the eu. we are under no illusions. agreeing terms that work for both the uk and the 27 nations of the eu will be challenging and no doubt there will be bumps on the road once talks begin. we will embark on a negotiation clear however that no deal is better than a bad deal. the prime minister no setting out ambitions is the easy bit. delivering is much more difficult. the prime minister has taken a precarious course of taking the uk out of simple market membership and changing the customs arrangement. this will cause concern to businesses and the trade unions and the prime minister should have been more ambitious. i think we should support the government. will be secretary of state confirmed this: that insisting of cot —— insisting on controlling her own borders and insisting on doing international trade deals is inconsistent, not just international trade deals is inconsistent, notjust with membership of the eu but also the customs union and the single market. soi customs union and the single market. so i agree, after today's speech it isn't hard brexit, it is full brexit. in the first part of her speech the pm made a commitment to enhance and protect workers' rights of art enhance and protect workers' rights ofart in enhance and protect workers' rights of art in the end was threatening to ta ke of art in the end was threatening to take them away and to undercut the re st of take them away and to undercut the rest of europe and rip up the british economic model, if we don't get what we want. can he now withdraw that brett and be clear that britain will not do that? otherwise, if the government is willing to rip up workers' rights, as soofi as willing to rip up workers' rights, as soon as negotiations get difficult how can we trust them to ensure that the rest of britain was like interests are protected if the negotiations get difficult as well? i will say to her what i said to —— a couple of weeks ago, there is no circumstance under which we would whip up workers' rights. in the unlikely event that we were to get a bad deal and the house were to vote against it, what would be the impact in terms of our status with the eu? well, the referendum last year set in motion a circumstantial the uk will leave the eu. we won't change that. what we want is a vote so the house can be behind and support the policy with which we are quite sure they will approve off when we get there. what i don't understand when reading the prime minister's statement on listening to my right honourable friend is which country the world will enter into a trade agreement with country on the basis that the rules are entirely what the british say they will be on any particular day and if there's any dispute about the rules it will be sorted out the british government? well, my... my... goes on outside have a short memory. i can forgive my right honourable friend. he didn't hear the first question. i a nswered didn't hear the first question. i answered it in the same way i will a nswer answered it in the same way i will answer this, which is of course there will be agreements between us and they will be arbitrated by an organisation which we agree between us, not normally the european court ofjustice. us, not normally the european court ofjustice. once the uk has left the eu there will be a £9 billion hole in uk finances. why does the government believed that the eu will prioritise negotiating the trade deal with the uk over more lucrative markets such as the us or china? i'm afraid she is wrong about the more lucrative market bit. once we are outside the eu we are the largest market for the european union. eu workers in scotland contributes 7.5 billion pounds to our economy, not to mention the huge contribution they make to our social fabric. what is he going to do to protect their rights and protect scotland's race in europe? we will not be managing the immigration policy or the migration policy in a way which harms the national interest. that means not causing labour shortages, shortages of talent and so on. that applies globally and to each nation, the uk as well. the northern secretary is hoping campaigning in next month's assembly election doesn't exacerbate tensions and division. northern ireland is going to the polls on the second of march following the collapse of the executive in belfast. thejeopardy first minister of northern ireland, martin mcguinness, resigned last week in protest at the handling of renewable energy scheme. that meant the first minister arlene foster was out of a job as well, meaning northern ireland executive was brought to a halt. they are hotly contested. this is part of the essence of our democracy. nobody expects the debate around the key issues in northern ireland to be anything less than robust. i would however like to stress the following: this election is about the future of northern ireland and its political institutions. notjust the assembly, but all of the arrangement that are being put in place to reflect relationships through these islands. that is why it will be vital for the campaign to be conducted respectfully and in ways that do not simply exacerbate tensions and division. i've been involved for more than three decades in northern ireland related issues. i've learned one thing, a political vacuum i've learned one thing, a political vacuum should be avoided at all costs. you must make sure that you are not only willing to fill that vacuum, are not only willing to fill that vacuum, are you must are not only willing to fill that vacuum, are you must work with all parties to try to see a way forward, so we avoid the nightmare scenario of six weeks of campaigning, which results in the same place where we started, with less in place to deal the huge divide and bring together those who are elected to represent all of the people of northern ireland. laurence robertson hadjust returned from londonderry. ireland. laurence robertson hadjust returned from londonderrylj ireland. laurence robertson hadjust returned from londonderry. i did detect and witness a great sense of frustration about what is happening, and a great sense of disappointment that the assembly yet again was under threat, and indeed this time has fallen. does the secretary of state therefore agree with me, and indeed the proposal made by the shadow secretary of state, that the coming weeks should perhaps be used to explore all possibilities? because none of us do want to see a return to direct rule snow ——. . because none of us do want to see a return to direct rule snow --. . we are deeply disappointed and angered by the decision of sinn fein to walk away from the devolved government. it is very clear this election isn't about the rhi issue because had it been then it could have been sorted out and indeed this election will serve to disrupt and delay sorting thoseissues serve to disrupt and delay sorting those issues out. what it is about is sinn fein seeking opportunity with a advantage, seeking to overturn the result of the election held just a few months ago and seeking to gain a list of concessions from the government on legacy issues, such as rewriting the past and putting more soldiers and policemen in the dock and other issues and more concessions and other perversions from the dup. let's be clear. we will work through selection to correct the devolved government. but let the people know thatjust as we government. but let the people know that just as we have not given government. but let the people know thatjust as we have not given into sinn fein demands in the past, we will not bow down and give into sinn fein's unreasonable demands going forward , fein's unreasonable demands going forward, because that is what this election is all about. they urged the northern ireland secretary to support an enquiry into the energy scheme. a public enquiry, public confidence will sink even further and make restoration of the executive even more difficult. that is what the people are telling me on the street of the last few days and last week, that they basically need to seek clarity. that we are having and election. the reply was that the issue was critical in re—establishing the public‘s trust and confidence. mps have been told that staffing is the biggest problem facing maternity services in england. the health committee heard that enough midwives are being trained but are necessarily being employed. claire dearing followed a report from the national childbirth trust, each blamed the shortage of midwives for women feeling as if they are being treated like cattle. the study of 2500 women found that half had experienced a red flag event, such as not getting timely access to pain relief due to a lack of staff. really workforce pressures on all the health disciplines associated with maternity care, and i would add help visitors who are incredible importance. half of the people you serve eight were found to be clinically uncared for? we looked at events defined by nice macro as red flag event is and they are identified as those that do in most cases mean there is a staffing shortage and in this case mostly in midwifery. so it was mainly care, processes of ca re, midwifery. so it was mainly care, processes of care, but were delayed. it included medication being given, which might have been pain relief or antibiotics or other drugs needed by women, which was obviously should have been given a timely fashion, either because woman was in great pain and requested pain relief, or with antibiotics obviously they need to be taken as a course and it is important that they are taken on time. one woman reported that the bed she was given birth in, she wasn't helped it to wash or the sheets washed for 12 hours, which i imagine is really unpleasant and distressing for her and almost certainly a risk of greater infection. while we are training enough midwives and enough midwives are coming out into the system, the difficulty is that not enough of them are being employed. although we have been seeing increases in midwifery numbers, over the last few years, we're now seeing flatlining. the number of midwives is actually starting to look as though it is reducing in our services. the number has been quoted at about 2500, 2600 of the gap. do you support that figure? our current figure is 3500 midwives short. there are various issues. one is that we are seeing a rapidly increasing number of midwives retiring from the service, so the numberof midwives retiring from the service, so the number of midwives now aged over so the number of midwives now aged over 50 is very significant. so a need to replace as midwives leave and the numbergoing need to replace as midwives leave and the number going out is now pretty much equating to the number coming in. so you're getting flatlining of the workforce. the national childbirth trust talking about findings from a recent survey that half of the women in the survey that half of the women in the survey received clinically unsafe ca re survey received clinically unsafe care because of staffing shortages. how can you respond to that? my understanding of what the assessment is, is as soon as we have had the nice staffing guidelines we have been clearer than before when we we re been clearer than before when we were not able to meet the safe, optimal guidelines we set for the units. a red flag essentially means that a director of nursing or midwifery has sight of the fact there is a serious issue within a unit, which is a positive, because previously we didn't know if we were having a red flag event or not, and people were able to respond accordingly, and by and large they are safe places. that isn't a position we want to be in in the long—term, which is why challenging ourselves going forward, having the right staff is absolutely critical it is also the reason why while the national figures are reasonable, there are local scenarios as well, because some places find it hard to recruit than others, and we have to understand whether other places have models of working that midwives prefer and learn from some of that practice as well. you are watching tuesdayitin practice as well. you are watching tuesday it in parliament. at the same time that theresa may was on herfeet same time that theresa may was on her feet making her same time that theresa may was on herfeet making her big same time that theresa may was on her feet making her big speech the chancellor philip hammond was answering treasury questions. he explained the uk couldn't stay in the single market following brexit because eu leaders made it clear they wouldn't allow perks on the free movement of people. do you agree that the resilience of the economy would be best served by what the pm has said today, that britain will be leaving the single market with no ifs and no buts. we have for six months kept open as many options as possible while we look at the way forward in this negotiation with the eu. we have heard clearly the views of the political red lines expressed by other european leaders. we want to work with them, we want to recognise and respect their political red lines. that is why the prime minister is setting out right now the position that she is. that is that we will go forward understanding that we cannot be members of the single market. that is because of the political red lines around the freedoms that other european leaders have set. in the seven years to 2014 scotland's trade with the eu growth 20%, twice the rate in competitive the uk, and vital for a resilient economy. today's hard tory brexit puts that at risk, but is it not also a kick in the teeth to many of those who voted to leave, believing they would bea voted to leave, believing they would be a eea arrangement in place to mitigate the damage? well, i reject that analysis and i think what this is is engaging constructively with the real world. recognising the political red lines of the eu partners. if we don't, we are banging our heads against a brick wall. they have to recognise the red lines and then work together to find a solution that works for all the people in the uk and that is what we are doing. she is intent on pulling up are doing. she is intent on pulling up the drawbridge and possibly the customs union. we will cut ourselves off from the largest market on the planet, threatening jobs and finances. this is a messy brexit with the consequences we see in terms of the rise in the rate of inflation. with real living standards squeezed by this policy announcement so far, isn't it time, i appeal to the chancellor, he has the opportunity to reconsider cuts to in—work benefits and in the budget in march withdraw them in full. no, what the prime minister is setting out today is an ambitious a genderfor a britain engaged with the world and engaged with the eu. what she is setting out is a broad—based offer for future collaboration in trade, investment, security, education, and many other areas. we want to remain engaged and iam areas. we want to remain engaged and i am confident the approach of the prime minister is setting out today will allow us successfully to negotiate a future relationship with the eu. let's stay with brexit, because later in the commons mps debated the impact of leaving the eu on the rural economies. the national farmers' union says uk farmers' contribution to the economy grew almost £10 billion in 2014 and the food and farming sector as a whole is worth 108 billion. the debate was called by the snp and the spokesman worried about the future. under the government's current direction of travel, brexit will not be a clean breakfor the travel, brexit will not be a clean break for the sheep farmers in my constituency whose produce could face prohibitive tariffs and whose direct support payments could be wiped out. it will not be a clean breakfor the wiped out. it will not be a clean break for the fish processors in shetland, where more fish was landed them in the entirety of england and wales in 2015 but whose access to the largest market in the world is under question. nor will they be a clea n b rea k under question. nor will they be a clean break for the food farmer in angus and not when the plug is pulled on seasonal labour hits business needs. it will not be a clea n b rea k business needs. it will not be a clean break for the business needs. it will not be a clean breakfor the most business needs. it will not be a clean break for the most remote highland communities contemplating the loss of hundreds of millions of pounds in european regional development funding. we find ourselves facing a combination once again of tory indifference to the needs of the scottish economy and a dramatic democratic deficit. yes, i will give way. grateful to the gentleman giving way. he and his party are optimistic people and raise of sunshine in the house. i wonder if you can't see the benefit to the scottish rural economy, especially fisheries, the european policy of which decimated the fishing industry. i thank the honourable member. if you spend a little more time with us you will find we are optimistic at heart. this debate is about the reality. incomes are falling and debt is rising. incomes were down by a shocking 29% last year. a fifth of farmers are struggling to pay their bills. the average debt for a farming business is 188 one half thousand pounds —— hundred and £88,000. not all farmers are thriving or surviving.|j £88,000. not all farmers are thriving or surviving. i am determined that we secure a deal on leaving the eu that works for all parts of the uk and recognises the contribution that all corners of the country make to the economic success. wuxi make it a priority to publish proposals to have a british fishing industry where we can catch more fish and protect their fishing grounds for the future? —— will she make. i am grateful, he makes a very good point about the potential for all uk fishing and i hope that our policies, when we come to them, after consultation, will enable us to deliver exactly as he asks for. finally, ministers have faced calls for a reappraisal of business rates after warnings about the impact of re—evaluation on high—street shops. the communities and the tough and minister told peers business rates we re minister told peers business rates were based on independent valuations and that most would see no change or and that most would see no change or a fall and that most would see no change or afall in and that most would see no change or a fall in bills from april due to re—evaluation. a fall in bills from april due to re-evaluation. business rates are carried out on the valuations carried out on the valuations carried out on the valuations carried out independently and it is right that ministers don't intervene in the process. nearly three quarters of all businesses will see no change or a fall in the bill from april thanks to the 2017 re—evaluation with 600,000 businesses set to pay no rates at all. the call for the high street is badly affected in many parts of the country, as we saw in the saturday's times. the local bakers's rates are going up to just times. the local bakers's rates are going up tojust over 14,000. against that background, will my friend look at the possibilities of revising the proposals where an increase is up to 15%? the rules suggest that can be no appeal. secondly, where there is a small reduction, or any reduction, secondly, where there is a small reduction, orany reduction, that secondly, where there is a small reduction, or any reduction, that it is paid in april and not phased in. many thought the question had gone on for too long but he had one final suggestion to make? finally, is it not time for a reappraisal of this form of business? my lords, most businesses, as i have indicated, will see a fall in business rates, those subject to that, it is phased in overa period those subject to that, it is phased in over a period of time, those subject to that, it is phased in overa period of time, to those subject to that, it is phased in over a period of time, to take just one area which my friend touched upon, paid for by those seeing a reduction, which is also phased in over time, seeing a reduction, which is also phased in overtime, as seeing a reduction, which is also phased in over time, as is required by law under the 1988 local government finance act. there must be something wrong. when you have high streets, around the country they are full of charity shops, the odd coffee shop and estate agents. there must be something wrong with what is going on. my lords, i would not call the noble lord as simple sailor for one minute, but it is true that many high streets are thriving. i visit many thriving high streets. we must to protect smaller and medium—sized businesses. that is the way forward. that is it from me for now. join me tomorrow when we will have the highlights from prime minister's questions. for now, from me, goodbye. hello there. hopefully you like cloudy weather, because that's what's coming up in the forecast really through the rest of the week and well into the weekend as well. satellite picture yesterday shows the extent of the cloud cover. rather misty across parst of england and wales, warm for the eastern side of scotland for the time of year but cold with the sunshine across east anglia and south—east england and these conditions will persist for another few days. across the midlands into staffordshire we have misty conditions and that will continue to thicken up as well. so for wednesday morning expect a couple of fog patches over the hills of northern england, the pennines, the vale of york. one or two fog patches possible for the south—east of england as well. for many of us it won't be a particularly cold start to the day, with temperatures around 7—9 degrees, but it will be cold for the south—east of england. here, a sharp overnight frost with clear skies, fog patches and temperatures as low as —7. we're tapping into some of the cold airfrom the continent across the far south—east of england, otherwise we have high pressure in charge of the weather but we also have this weather front bringing a lot of cloud with it and the cloud will be thick enough at times on wednesday morning to bring occasional spots of rain or drizzle. the likely places to catch that across parts of north wales into the north—west midlands, cheshire, merseyside, greater manchester, these areas probably starting off quite damp. a lot of cloud for northern ireland and scotland. occasional spots of rain in the west. clear spells to start the day across eastern scotland. through the rest of day, where the front remains a slow—moving, if you are underneath this area of cloud it will stay with us all day. it will be a glorious day for south—east england. plenty of sunshine but it is cold and i hold out the prospect of some breaks coming along with the cloud across northern ireland and western scotland. it won't be solidly cloudy but, that said, there will be a lot of cloud around. temperatures reaching double figures in the warmest spots. 0n into wednesday night, another cold one coming up across southern counties of england. the tendency for the breaks in the cloud to extend across southern counties of england. that is where we will have the frosty weather overnight. further north, with the cloud cover, again, it is generally frost free with temperatures around 5—7 degrees. thursday starting on a dull and cloudy note, save for southern england, with the prospect of early morning sunshine, and staying reasonably bright through the rest of the day. temperatures under the cloud, 7—9 degrees, maybe ten in western scotland, and spots of rain coming from the cloud now and then. similar weather through friday into the weekend. we have to wait until next week before we see any significant changes in the weather pattern. that's your forecast. a very warm welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to our viewers in north america and around the globe. my name's mike embley. our top stories: president 0bama reduces the sentence of former us soldier chelsea manning, jailed for leaking classified documents. britain's prime minister spells out her goals for brexit. the uk will leave the european single market, but seek new trade agreements and aim to control immigration. china's president defends globalisation and insists there will be no winners in a trade war between washington and beijing. and the president of gambia declares a state of emergency, just days before he's due to leave office. hello.