24/01/2017 BBC News at One

The Government loses its appeal at the Supreme Court -

only parliament has the power to trigger the Brexit process.

Eight of the eleven judges agreed that MPs and peers,

not the Government, should be responsible

The Government cannot trigger Article 50 without Parliament

Outside the court, the ruling was welcomed

by Gina Miller, the woman who'd challenged the Government.

Today's decision has created legal certainty based on our democratic

process and provides the legal foundations for the Government

David Davis tells MPs that there is no going back on Brexit and

legislation seeking their approval will be introduced quickly. We will

within days introduce legislation to give the government legal power to

trigger article 50 and begin the formal process of withdrawal.

We'll be examining the significance of the Supreme Court ruling

and asking what impact it will have on Brexit.

President Trump tells car manufacturers, put your

The massacre on a Tunisian beach - an inquest into the deaths of 30

British tourists hears from a woman who played dead to survive.

On the up - speeding fines for motorists driving well over

In sport on BBC News, Bernie Ecclestone says

he was forced out as chief executive of Formula One

after 40 years following a takeover by Liberty Media.

Good afternoon and welcome to the BBC News at One.

In a landmark ruling, the government has lost its appeal

at the Supreme Court over who has the authority to start the process

of taking the UK out of the European Union.

Eight of the eleven supreme court judges ruled that

only MPs and peers, not the Government,

have the authority to trigger Article 50 and begin two

The president of the Supreme Court, Lord Neuberger, said that leaving

the EU would change UK law and the rights of UK citizens -

which meant parliament must be consulted.

A short time ago, MPs were told the government would introduce

legislation within days to stop the formal process of leaving the EU.

Our political correspondent Carole Walker reports.

This was a case with profound implications. Who should decide the

process for taking the UK out of the EU? The decision, taken by 11 of the

most senior judges in the land, was delivered to the hushed courtroom.

Today, by a majority of 8-3, the Supreme Court rules that the

government cannot trigger Article 50 without an act of Parliament

authorising it to do so. Article 50 begins the formal negotiations for

leaving the EU, a process which the judges said would fundamentally

change UK law. The referendum is of great political significance, but

the act of Parliament which established it did not say what

should happen as a result. So any change in the law to give effect to

the referendum must be made in the only where permitted by the UK

constitution, namely by an act of Parliament. The verdict was clear -

the judgment spells out why the court had rejected the government's

case. The government will comply with the judgment of the court and

do all that is necessary to implement it. The woman who brought

the case said the ruling reaffirmed that Parliament is sovereign. This

ruling today means that MPs we have elected will rightfully have the

opportunity to bring their invaluable experience and expertise

to bear in helping the government select the best course in the

forthcoming Brexit negotiations. Is this a blow to the government's

Brexit timetable, Sir? But the government will be relieved that the

court ruled that there is no legal requirement for it to consult the

devolved nations, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. So the focus

now switches to Parliament. MPs and peers will not try to block the

Brexit process, but they could delay it. Opposition parties are already

setting out the changes they will try to make to the coming

legislation, changes which could affect the government's whole

approach to the negotiations over Britain's departure from the EU. We

are very clear. We will hold them to account to protect jobs. We will

hold them to account to make sure British industry does have market

access, and we will not allow ourselves to become some kind of

offshore tax haven. That is not what people voted for. Unless the

government concedes a new deal for the British people so that the

British people have a say over the final arrangements between the UK

and the EU, I will vote against article 50. The SNP say they will

table 50 amendments. The Prime Minister set out last week a path

towards the hardest of hard Brexits. I don't believe there is a majority

for that in the House of Commons. I certainly don't believe there is a

majority for that across the country, so this is an opportunity

for the House of Commons to assert itself and to have a say not just on

the narrow question, but on the broader terms of the negotiation as

well. Downing Street said today's ruling will not affect the timetable

for Theresa May to begin negotiating with other EU leaders. The

government will introduce a bill in the Commons within days. This will

be the most straightforward bill possible to give effect to the

decision of the people and respect the Supreme Court's judgment. The

purpose of this bill is simply to give the government the power to

revoke Article 50 and begin the process of leaving the European

Union. But the scene is set for some tough parliamentary clashes before

the bigger battles with the rest of the EU can even begin. Carole

Walker, BBC News, Westminster. Well, in a moment we'll talk

to our assistant political editor Norman Smith -

but first our legal How much of an impact could this

ruling have on Brexit? Well, as you heard, this is a ruling

which removes power from the government and gives power to

Parliament. The government didn't want it this way, but they have got

it this way. Now they have to introduce a bill to parliament that

could be subject to a number of amendments. The real significance of

today is that this ruling has really defined the limits of executive

power, the power of ministers and government. And it has underscored

the foundation of our unwritten constitution. We don't have a

written constitution in this country, but we have one founding

principle to our constitution, which is that Parliament is sovereign.

Parliament creates the law and only Parliament has the power to change

the law. And it was that that came through in the ruling of the eight

Supreme Court justices who ruled against the government today. The

government now has a much more difficult task ahead of it, and far

less control over the process. Norman Smith is in Westminster. The

government lost today. How confident is the Prime Minister going to be

that they can still stick to the timetable, this date in March? It is

a funny old paradox. You are right, the government was defeated, and yet

frankly, ministers are oozing with confidence that they can get Article

50 triggered and yes, by Mrs May's self-imposed deadline of March. The

reason for that above all is because Parliamentary opposition in this

place to triggering Article 50 is by and large crumbled. Tory rebels

don't want a fight now. Peers in the House of Lords don't want to be seen

to be defying the result of the referendum, and crucially, the

Labour leader has said his party will not stand in the way of

triggering article 50, even though some of his MPs will rebel against

that. And on top of that, the court decided that the Scottish Parliament

did not have a right to have a vote. So ministers are extremely

confident, and the expectation is that a pared down bill will be

introduced in the next few days. A word of warning, though. One thing

we have learned from the whole Brexit process and successive prime

ministers have learned in our relations with Europe - nothing ever

goes smoothly. Parliamentary trapdoors can still open without

warning. Norman Smith, thank you. Six months after the EU referendum,

what the voters make of today's ruling? Our correspondent Danny

Savage has been finding out. When it came to the decision on

whether to leave the EU or stay, Leeds voted to remain, but only

just. Months later, what do the 49.7% who voted to leave think now

that the issue is going back to Parliament? Reverted to get out, so

why can't we get our? It is simple. We voted for the Prime Minister come

in, the Prime Minister comes in. We look to leave, and a store and

stall. It's wrong. A lot of countries want to do business with

England, Trump for starters. We don't like the guy, but that's not

the point. Let's get back for us. Never mind other people, let's get

this country going again. But remember, the majority in this city

voted to stay and many haven't changed their mind. Shamal is from

Iraq and thinks Europe should stick together. I don't know what is going

to happen. Would you rather they stopped Brexit now and kept in

Europe? Yeah. I was totally opposed to Brexit and I voted against

leaving the EU. At a nearby butchers, Jim believes things would

be different if we had known then what we know now. I know people who

voted for Brexit who did not understand the circumstances and

consequences of what we were voting for. I think before the referendum,

we were not totally told what it implied with Brexit and what it

means to stay in the EU or to leave. Do you wish Brexit would just go

away? If I could turn the clock back 12 months and start all over again,

I think the lead up to the referendum should be different.

Broadly speaking, those who voted for Brexit just want the government

to get on with it unhindered. Those who didn't are still against it, but

see it as inevitable. Danny Savage, BBC News, Leeds.

Let's get reaction from the rest of Europe with our correspondent Damian

Grammaticas, who is in Brussels. What have they made of the ruling

there? Here, what we have heard from the European Commission is that they

will not comment on internal legal matters of a member state. They are

waiting for that article 50 negotiation. But they did make clear

in their view, once the 50 trigger happens, there will then first beer

negotiation about separating. Only after that, negotiations on a trade

deal. The EU commission said if you spit and want to remain on good

terms, you have to settle things first and then your future

relationship. One thing the ruling today has not clarified as whether

once Article 50 is triggered, it can be revoked. Can you go back on that?

The assumption in the ruling is that you trigger article 50 after two

years you are out of the EU am a good deal, bad deal, whatever. There

is a question that some are raising in the UK and was raised to date

singer that can be revoked? Here, they would not be drawn on it, but

expect more challenges through European courts, perhaps, on that

issue. Damian Grammaticas, thank you.

President Trump is meeting American car manufacturers today in a bid

He's going to tell them that if they want to sell cars

in the states, they need to build their new car

Yesterday one of his first acts as President was to withdraw

the United States from a major Asia pacific trade agreement -

Our correspondent Richard Lister reports.

If there was one thing that lifted Donald Trump to power,

it was his pledge to create jobs, and the way to do that, he says,

is to rip up some trade agreements and start again.

He began by pulling America out of a deal with 11 other

In truth, it had long been stalled in Congress,

and President Trump said he would have a different approach.

We're going to have trade, but we're going to have one-on-one.

And if somebody misbehaves, we'll send them a letter

of termination and they'll either straighten it out or we're gone,

not one of these deals where you can't get out

But some of those like Japan who signed up to the deal Mr Trump

has rejected argue that it would have balanced Chinese

Others say if Washington won't join their trade

We want to have more opportunities with more markets.

We already have a China-Australia free trade agreement.

Certainly, there's the potential for China to join the TPP.

Tackling China's economic influence is a priority for the Trump team,

so now it has to try to fill the potential trade vacuum

And it's worried about the South China Sea too.

It carries 40% of the world's trade and is being fortified by Beijing

If those islands are in fact in international waters and not

part of China proper, then yeah, we are going to make sure we defend

international territories from being taken

China responded bluntly today that its policy wouldn't change.

The Foreign Ministry warned Washington to act cautiously.

Donald Trump's focus on putting business first went down well

with these American union officials yesterday, but it's a strategy

which will have a major impact abroad as well as at home.

Well, let's speak to our correspondent Gary O'Donoghue,

We know from his Twitter feed that he has been up for a while, but

President Trump's first on his agenda are the car manufacturers. He

certainly has a busy day ahead. Yeah, he is hauling in Ford, Fiat

Chrysler and also General Motors into the Oval Office this morning.

Effectively, they were on the receiving end of some of his

harshest criticism during the campaign for shipping jobs and

manufacturing out of the United States to Mexico in particular. He

has also claimed credit for some of those jobs coming back subsequently,

and those big manufacturers have announced some investments in the US

as a result of Donald Trump's win. But there are still a lot of

manufacturing going on outside. Ford employs something like 8000 people

in Mexico and is building a new plant there. Donald Trump is

threatening to impose huge terrace if they continue to assemble those

cars and bring them in, 35% tariffs. Of course, he has got the unions on

his side on this one and he will know that. The other thing to

remember is that the American people know that the auto industry was

bailed out big time after the financial crisis. So they have a lot

of pressure on them at the moment to deliver what Trump once. Gary, thank

you. A woman who was on holiday

with her husband in Tunisia to celebrate their 30th wedding

anniversary has been describing what happened when a gunman

started shooting at tourists Allison Heathcote

was shot five times. She told an inquest that

she played dead as she lay next to her

husband's body. Our correspondent Richard Galpin

is at the Royal Courts of Justice. We are in a very important phase of

this inquest is now, it began this week, this particular phase, looking

into the evidence relating to the deaths of each of the 30 British

tourists who were attack back in 2015. This morning we heard a very

moving statement by the daughter of a couple who were killed, this was a

Raymond and Angela Fisher. She, the daughter, read out the statement

itself in court. It was a very brave thing to do, spoke about how her

parents had been planning their 50th wedding anniversary during their

holiday in Sousse. And also said that they had never been able to see

their first grandson, who was born, actually, just before this inquest

began earlier this month. And she then went on to ask the court to

read out the very graphic details of the postmortem is carried out on

both her parents so that everybody would know what the impact those

high velocity rounds would be on the body, and everyone would know,

therefore, what the gunman had done to her parents. Also, we've heard

some critical evidence coming from some witnesses, who have talked

about, really, the absolute pandemonium at the hotel, the fact

that the staff were panicking, had no idea what to do to try and help

the people who were running, and trying to escape from the scene. And

also saying how there had been absolute no lockdown procedure at

the hotel, so some very damning evidence of what the staff should

have been doing but were not capable of doing at this critical time.

Richard Galpin, thank you. The Government loses its appeal

at the Supreme Court - only Parliament has the power

to trigger the Brexit process. And coming up,

how much is your signature worth? Here at a unique auction,

1000 signatures are going under the hammer from some

of the most famous names in history. In sport, Roger Federer

is through to the semifinals of the Australian Open after beating

Misha Zverev in straight sets. He'll face his Swiss compatriot

Stan Wawrinka People caught driving

well above the speed limit will now face much bigger fines

in England and Wales. Those found to be travelling

at more than 50 mph in a 30 limit could be hit with a penalty

of up to ?1000. are being issued to magistrates

by the Sentencing Council. It follows concerns

by road-safety campaigners. Our correspondent

Daniel Boettcher has more. Thousands of motorists are fined

for speeding every year, and the penalties already vary

depending on how bad but under changes

to sentencing guidelines, exceeding the limit

by a large margin Magistrates will set a sentence

from a starting point that's up from the current

starting point of 100%. The increase will apply to those

cases judged to be the most serious, and that means on motorways,

where the speed limit is 70, In a 20 zone,

it would apply after 41 mph. There is, though, as now,

and other limit for fines - ?2500 on motorways and ?1000

on all other roads. The changes have been welcomed

by safety campaigners The prospect of higher fines

may change behaviours. What it will do is act

as a deterrent, potentially, but what we also need is

effective enforcement on our roads, and we have fewer

road-traffic police officers The tougher penalties

are part of broader guidelines set out by

the Sentencing Council for magistrates

in England and Wales. These guidelines were last updated

in 2008, and while there are significant changes

for motorists caught speeding, they also cover a whole range

of other offences That includes the non-payment

of the TV licence fee. There'll be a new option

for magistrates for cases judged to be at

the lowest level of offending. The Sentencing Council

says the changes should help magistrates sentence

fairly and proportionately. They're very important

to ensure consistency, so whether you're in Hackney

or Halifax, you'll have the same

approach, the same starting point, the same range being looked

at for a similar offence. The changes for speeding

and the other offences covered by the new guidelines will be

brought in towards the end of April. A barrister defending

the veteran entertainer Rolf Harris has told Southwark Crown Court

that the jury in his first trial in 2014 got it wrong when they found

him guilty of indecent assault. The 86-year-old,

who's pleaded not guilty, is being tried on seven charges

of indecent assault and one of sexual assault against

seven victims between 1971 and 2004. Our correspondent Dan Johnson

is at Southwark Crown Court. Yes, this was the day when Rolf

Harris' defence team started putting the case on his behalf, but we were

told we will not hear from Rolf Harris himself, his defence

barrister saying that his memory isn't good enough to recount events

30 or 40 years ago. He told the jury, if the defendant can say no

more micro to Uihlein, I cannot remember being there, the evidential

importance is quite weak. -- can say no more to you. They have been

picking up hard evidence given when he was convicted previously, and a

number of witnesses have been saying that they could not remember him

being at a community centre in Portsmouth where he was convicted of

assaulting an 18-year-old girl, questioning his previous convictions

and whether the prosecution can rely on those convictions to show a

pattern of defending in this trial as well. His defence barrister said,

in short, we say the jury got it wrong in the first trial, we have

enormous faith in the system, but it is not infallible. Well, Rolf

Harris, appearing via video link, denies the seven counts of indecent

assault. Dan, thank you.

Thousands of migrants, including children on their own,

are sleeping rough in the Serbian capital, Belgrade,

Some of the children are as young as eight.

The Serbian government says many are refusing shelter

Our Europe correspondent Gavin Lee sent this report.

This is how migrants are living in the Serbian capital, Belgrade -

sleeping rough with temperatures dropping as low

But the people here have a choice - the Serbian government says

warmth and food is available in official shelters.

But many fear deportation and keep trying instead

to cross illegally into Hungary and on to other EU countries.

6,000 migrants are housed in official centres across the country,

waiting for a chance to be among 20 people a day

On the Belgrade streets, eight-year-old Aziz is alone,

his brother detained on the Croatian border.

I mean, Aziz, you don't sound well - is he OK?

Yeah, he's OK, he has a little problem of flu,

he have a flu and chest problems, cough problems.

He would at least be, like, safe and warm...

Extremely ill, we alert aid workers to Aziz's case,

We've seen, over the last few days, children that are eight, nine, ten.

I was speaking to a 12-year-old Afghan boy yesterday

in this warehouse that's been here for three months.

He's waiting for a call from a smuggler,

because he thinks that's his best option.

With older migrants looking out for him, saying their chance

of crossing the border is greater with him in tow,

two days on, Aziz is still sleeping rough in the warehouse

where there are dozens of other unaccompanied children.

The head of BT Europe is to resign over an accounting scandal in Italy

that will dent the parent company's profits.

Well, with me is our business editor, Simon Jack.

Shares in the company have fallen sharply, what is going on? Really

sharply, down 20%, the worst day they have had since they were

privatised, and that is bad news for the 1 million small shareholders who

still own shares since then. This has been an Italian accounting

scandal, they thought it was going to cost ?140 million. Now they think

it is to cost ?500 million, and the head of BT Europe will be out of

post, let me put it this way, by later this afternoon, I am told.

Believe it or not, it is not the worst of their problems, they also

said that their revenue from their biggest customers, those are public

sector bodies, big international customers, which stomach will be

much weaker than they thought, and that is what investors even more.

What be blasting to me is that when a coming as big as BT says it's

biggest customers have stopped spending money, it can be a bad sign

for the economy. -- what people are saying to me is that when a company

as big as BT. It is a bit of a canary in a coal mine.

Bernie Ecclestone's 40-year reign as the head of Formula One is over,

after it was sold to a company called Liberty Media

Mr Ecclestone, who's 86, said he'd been forced out.

Our sports correspondent Andy Swiss reports.

He's the former used-car salesman who came to rule

But for Bernie Ecclestone, it's finally the end of the road.

Over 40 years, he turned Formula One from a niche interest

into a multi-billion pound powerhouse.

But now it has new owners - American company Liberty Media.

They believe the sport can promote itself better,

and so they put a new man, Chase Carey, in the driving seat.

I would expect this is difficult for Bernie,

it's a big change for him, he's run the sport,

he's run the sport as a one-man...

he's run it as a one-man dictator for a long time.

I think the sport needs a fresh perspective.

Tough and uncompromising, Ecclestone's business brain

brought him famous friends and huge personal fortune,

but it's also brought controversy.

Off the track, he had to settle a bribery case in Germany,

while on it his decisions have raised eyebrows - taking races

to countries like Bahrain, with questionable human rights

records, tinkering with the rules, and skewing prize money

After so long in power, many feel a change in direction is overdue.

I think the most important thing is getting back

to the basics of outright racing, engaging with the fans,

engaging with the public, and perhaps de-complicating the cars

a little, and going back to man and machine

Ecclestone will still have an advisory role, but a man

so used to being the puppet master is no longer pulling the strings.

At 86, his reign is over, and Formula One, indeed sport,

will surely never see his like again.

A signature on a cheque from Charles Dickens,

a lock of hair from the Duke of Wellington,

a postcard from the great train robbers

They're just part of a huge collection of autographs,

letters and historic documents that are going under the hammer today.

Our correspondent Duncan Kennedy reports.

Which Royal do you think this is? Does this help? How about this

writer? And does this help? This ruler is probably more recognisable,

but what about this? In fact, they are Queen Victoria, Rudyard Kipling

and Napoleon, but it is their signatures, not their faces, that

often travel better through history. They are part of a unique single

collection of 1000 signatures being auctioned today. There is the mark

of everyone from mad King George III to the Duke of Wellington, and from

Gordon of Khartoum to Ronnie Biggs, the great train robber. Some of the

signatures are connected, like these three men, who all took part in the

charge of the light Brigade in 1854. There is Lord Lucan, who gave the

order, the Earl of Cardigan, who led the charge, and Private William

Bird, one of the 600 who survived. ... Daisy, Daisy... #

You might not recognise Francis Warwick, the mistress of the future

Edward VII, who inspired the song. Others speak for themselves. That is

one small step for man. One giant leap for mankind. It was the late

John Evans, a post-war British magician who conjured up this

collection, but in a world where signatures seem to be giving way to

selfies, is the intimacy of handwritten names being lost?

Collecting signatures in days gone by, and I think it will continue, is

on a park with selfies today. What we do today with selfies is only the

same as collecting a bit of excitement decades or centuries ago.

Today's auction in Worthing attracted local and international

buyers. Neil Armstrong's signature went for ?2500. Ronnie Biggs' 564.

There is still money in a moniker, especially from those fashioned by

the hand of history. Duncan Kennedy, BBC News, in Worthing.

Time now for a look at the weather with Chris Fawkes, lots more fog

around today. Yes, once again causing problems for

the airport in south-east England, and in the Wembley area, rather

foggy conditions, the sun just trying to peep through the low

cloud. There is Wembley, out in the fog banks, sunshine across good part

of England, cloudy and to the north-west, a beautiful to the

morning in Staffordshire. Temperatures overnight dropped like

a stone to leave icy conditions, a pewter. Still today. -- a beautiful

view. A few fog patches linger on to the Vale of York and the Salisbury

Plains, cloudy for Wales and north-west England. Damp weather

getting into Scotland. Northern Ireland should stay dry, and for the

north of Scotland, sunny spells, both having relatively mild weather,

10-11d. Overnight and night, risk Atlantic winds over the north and

west of the UK will keep the frost and fog at bay across the north-west

of the country. Indeed, a mild night here, ten or 11 degrees in the

mildest spots. Cold air in central and eastern England, and again we

will see a sharp overnight frost forming. Temperatures probably as

low as minus four degrees Celsius, so again some icy stretches on

untreated roads, and the fog will be back again, particularly across

south-east England and East Anglia. There is a risk of further

disruption. It will clear through the morning as low cloud comes in

from the near continent, bringing drizzle, even snow is possible,

don't be surprised by a bit of wintriness. Sunshine into Wales and

north-west England, cloudy for Northern Ireland and western

Scotland, mild weather in the West, ten or 11 degrees. Through Thursday,

we started to squeeze the isobars closer together across the UK, so

although the weather should stay largely dry, the winds will be a

major feature through Thursday, and quite a cloudy start to the day, but

things should brighten up with sunny spells coming through. Temperatures,

we are looking at highs of 5 degrees or so in London, but feeling

significantly colder in the wind, feeling below freezing for some.

Things will change towards the end of the week and on into the weekend.

We will see the temperatures generally rising, and in London by

Saturday temperatures up to 10 degrees.

A reminder of our main story this lunchtime.

The Government loses its appeal at the Supreme Court -

now only Parliament has the power to trigger the Brexit process.

That's all from the BBC News at One, so it's goodbye from me,

and on BBC One we now join the BBC's news teams where you are.