20/11/2017 BBC News at Six

Theresa May meets senior Cabinet

ministers in Downing Street to find

a way ahead on Brexit talks

with the EU.

The key issue - how to solve

the dispute over the size

of the Brexit bill.

The Prime Minister said

her position was clear

No other EU country need fear

that they will have to receive

less or pay in more.

We've been very clear

that we will honour our commitments.

But Europe's biggest player,

Germany, is in political crisis

after its leader Angela Merkel fails

to secure the coalition

support she needs.

We'll be asking what impact

the turmoil in Germany might have

on the Brexit talks.

Also tonight...

Protests in Zimbabwe,

as President Robert Mugabe faces

impeachment, charged

with allowing his wife

to usurp power.

Could more district nurses caring

for people at home help relieve

the winter strain on the NHS?

Tributes are paid to Jana Novotna,

the tennis player who wore her heart

on her sleeve, who has died

at the age of 49.

And the bells ring out

for a platinum wedding anniversary -

the Queen and Prince Philip

celebrate 70 years of married life.

Coming up on Sportsday... Another

Premier League sacking, this time at

West Brom, who part company with

Tony Pulis.

Good evening.

Theresa May is meeting senior

Cabinet ministers in an effort

to make progress on the stalled

Brexit talks.

They are expected to discuss

the so-called divorce bill -

that's the money the UK needs

to pay on leaving the EU -

with some Conservatives warning

the Government not to "play

Santa Claus" by handing over tens

of billions of pounds.

Today, the EU's chief Brexit

negotiator, Michel Barnier, said

Brussels was ready to offer the UK

the "most ambitious" trade deal,

but only if its terms were met.

Here's our political

editor, Laura Kuenssberg.

No 10 is always a special place to

visit. But today it was the scene of

vital conversations for the call of

the Cabinet. Crucial conversations

to decide if Theresa May can hold

out promise of billions more to

Brussels. She has already promised

nearly 20 billion to clean up our

accounts as we leave.

We have made

it very clear that we will honour

our commitments. But what I want to

see is developing that special

partnership with the European Union

for the future, and I want to see us

moving together. A deal which is

good for the UK will be one which is

good for the rest of the European

Union.

But what else should we pay

for? Prime Minister wants to

concentrate on how to grow industry.

There will be cash promises for

research and development two days

before the budget. And yet she can't

ignore tension in government over

the handling of the financial deal

with Brussels. Where it is also a

red-carpet day. And there's no doubt

about what the other European

nations think British ministers must

decide. Reporter label do you want

more money from the UK...? Yes to

more cash from the Germans. And the

Dutch say, get on with it.

I think

this has been happening for a few

months now channelled it has to be

concrete and on the table.

But with

the Germans without a government and

potentially holding new elections,

there could be plenty of hold-ups on

the EU side has hit the chief

negotiator, Michel Barnier, said the

UK can't have the benefits of the

single market when we leave, but a

if we pay up and come up with a deal

for the Irish border...?

If we

manage to negotiate an orderly

withdrawal puzzle there is every

reason for our future partnership to

be ambitious. This is our preferred

option.

But even hinting at paying

billions for that could cause

trouble at home.

The Chancellor of

the Exchequer has got very limited

scope for manoeuvre. He cannot

afford to play Santa Claus to Mr

Tusk and Mr Juncker. He needs to

make sure that we are only paying

exactly for our obligations, for

what we are absolutely contracted

for.

Did you talk about money

today...? But who will be the most

persuasive? The Foreign Secretary,

who promised we would get money back

from Brexit? Or his colleagues? This

is so politically sensitive. Cabinet

ministers say they are not even

talking actual numbers yet.

Tonight's decision is whether

Theresa May is allowed to go to

Brussels on Friday with a clear

signal that the Tanya is willing to

pay more. The Tories' top table is

so divided, the party so fractured

on this issue that it is a choice

Theresa May cannot make on her own

new.

The progress of Brexit talks

may also be affected

by events in Germany,

where Angela Merkel is facing

a deepening political crisis

following the collapse of talks

to form a coalition government.

The failure of the negotiations

since the country went to the polls

in September may trigger

a fresh general election.

Our Berlin correspondent

Jenny Hill reports.

She promised Germany

a government for Christmas.

Instead, Angela Merkel has delivered

an unprecedented political crisis.

Not much to applaud.

In the early hours of this morning,

Mrs Merkel admitted

she couldn't form a government.

TRANSLATION: I, as the acting

Chancellor, will do everything

to lead the country

through these difficult weeks.

Later, crisis talks

with the German president.

This country may yet have to go

back to the ballot box.

What's uncertain is

whether Mrs Merkel's party

would want her to lead them

into a fresh election.

TRANSLATION: This is

the moment for all involved

to reflect and reconsider.

All parties elected to parliament

are there to serve the common good.

I expect them to be

open to discussion,

to create a government

in the very near future.

But German politics,

German voters, have changed.

The far right now sits in Parliament

- a weakened Mrs Merkel

doesn't have many options.

TRANSLATION: It's time for a change.

Someone else should be in charge.

She's out of new ideas.

TRANSLATION: She's

close to the people.

She tries to represent the interests

of different parts of society.

She doesn't always

succeed but she tries.

Political uncertainty,

economic disquiet.

Mrs Merkel cancelled a meeting

with the Dutch leader today.

Little time for foreign policy now.

Dwindling influence

perhaps in the future.

It's rare, unprecedented even,

for there to be such

confusion at the heart

of the German government.

But this is a leadership

crisis, too.

They call it the Merkel Dammerung -

the twilight of Merkel.

Her demise is often

wrongly predicted.

This time, though, there is a sense

that the lights are starting to go

out on the Merkel era.

From a country which stands

for stability, a sudden hesitation

in the heart of Europe.

Jenny Hill, BBC News, Berlin.

Our Europe editor, Katya Adler, is

in Berlin for us. What does a

weakened Angela Merkel mean for

Europe and for Brexit?

First of all,

don't give up on Angela Merkel yet.

She is weakened, but if you look at

her personal popularity ratings,

they remain something that other

European leaders would dream of. But

yes, Germany is the most powerful

country economically and politically

in the EU. So, what happens here has

a knock-on effect elsewhere, too.

The EU has been quite bullish of

late, with ambitious plans to reform

the eurozone, reform asylum policy,

have closer defence co-operation,

but Germany was in the driving seat

for all of that. Angela Merkel is

now distracted internally, which

will stall those plans. And what

about Brexit? One source close to

Angela Merkel tonight insisted that

none of this will affect Brexit at

all. And if you look at Angela

Merkel trying to form a coalition in

the last few weeks, Germany has

remained quite vocal voice in the

Brexit talks. However, the UK

Government is calling for

imaginative thinking when it comes

to a final Brexit we'll, and that

takes political will and power. And

if you look at the EU, there is

no-one single voice louder than that

of Germany.

In Zimbabwe, the ruling party

is to start the process of removing

Robert Mugabe from office,

charging him with letting his wife

Grace "usurp constitutional power".

It comes after the 93-year-old

president refused to step down

after mass protests calling

for him to leave.

Our Africa correspondent

Fergal Keane has been

following the day's events.

At party headquarters, the shreds of

better days. Piece by piece, Robert

Mugabe is going. His MPs gathered to

begin legal process of impeachment,

removing him from office by

Parliamentary vote, and telling as

it could happen in days.

We expect

the motion to be moved tomorrow, a

committee to be set up tomorrow, and

hopefully by Wednesday we expect

that we should be able to vote in

Parliament.

In the audience a First

Lady in waiting the wife of the man

whom the party wants as president.

With your husband become president?

I have not committed on that.

Everybody is waiting to see him?

I

am also waiting to see him!

Thank

you very much. You can hear the

emotions are building here, and this

is a Parliamentary party set on

getting rid of Robert Mugabe. They

share that ambition with the people

of Zimbabwe and with the military.

Listen, when the people have spoken,

that is it.

The country is still

absorbing last night's extraordinary

presidential speech, with it's

soothing musical introduction and

absence of any talk of resignation.

He appeared detached from reality,

talking about presiding over a party

congress. Partly this is to do with

a changed Africa. The old days of

shooting leaders are gone. This

human rights lawyer was once

persecuted by Robert Mugabe and

imprisoned. She says those opposed

to him wants to be seen to be acting

within the law.

It has always been,

you make the law, you justify it on

the basis that this is the law. And

this is in line with the Zimbabwean

way of doing things. If it

respectability by making it law.

Impeachment is not just about

removing Robert Mugabe quickly. It's

about the quest for legitimacy of

those who will pull this country

next. Fergal Keane, BBC News,

Harare.

The owner of British Gas, Centrica,

has announced that it will scrap

standard gas and electricity tariffs

for new customers.

British Gas claims the series

of measures, to be introduced

by April, will be much more

effective than the Government's

proposed cap on energy bills.

British Airways is introducing

a boarding policy that means those

buying the cheapest seats

will be seated last.

From 12th December, passengers

will be assigned a number

on their boarding passes,

depending on how much

they've paid to travel.

BA said the move will bring it

into line with other carriers.

An investigation into spending

by Vote Leave during the EU

referendum campaign has been

re-opened by the

Electoral Commission.

The organisation denies attempting

to get round spending limits.

The Electoral Commission

originally accepted this -

but now says it has new information.

The world of tennis has been paying

tribute to one of the sports most

popular personalities -

Jana Novotna, the former

Wimbledon singles champion,

who's died of cancer

at the age of 49.

The All-England Club described

the Czech player as "a true champion

in all senses of the word".

David Ornstein has been

looking back at her life.

1993, and on the verge of winning

Wimbledon, Jana Novotna crumbled on

Centre Court. She lost the final but

won the hearts of the British

public. And in the Duchess of Kent,

she found a shoulder to cry on.

She

just told me, Jana, you will do it.

I believe one day you will do its. I

just became very emotional and it

was very nice, I appreciate very

much what she has done.

And her

perseverance finally paid off the

following year. A popular victory

and uphiller champion.

She was such

a warm person, always very, very

friendly off the first person to

come up and smile and give you a

couple of kisses, and really, really

loved by everyone.

Despite her many

achievements, Novotna will always be

remembered for Wimbledon, the tears,

the triumph and eventually, the

smile.

COMMENTATOR: That smile will remain

on her face for the rest of the

afternoon.

Jana Novotna who has

died at the age of 49.

Our top story this evening:

Theresa May meets senior Cabinet

ministers in Downing Street

to discuss the size

of the Brexit bill.

And still to come...

What happened to Britain's

productivity, and can it be boosted?

Every year the NHS is put

under mounting strain

during the winter months.

Health experts say it needs

four billion pounds more next

year to stop patient

care from deteriorating.

Ministers say it needs

different ways of working.

One possible solution

is treating people at home.

Back in 2010, the number

of district nurses

providing crucial home care

was 7,000, in England.

There are now just over

4,000 community nurses

delivering home care helping people

stay out of hospital.

Our health correspondent

Dominic Hughes spent two days

with a team in Leeds.

As a health professional, you know

what you are signing up to, you know

you will be working around the

clock.

This is highly skilled,

demanding work.

They are lucky get

you to make a decision and it can be

quite difficult.

In a service under

pressure.

We do constantly struggle

with the supply of staff to do the

job that we need to be done.

District nurses form the backbone of

health care in our communities.

I

think the antibiotics have done the

trick so I'm really pleased.

A

stroke, throat cancer, diabetes and

liver problems have loved Maurice

dependent on the support of his wife

and community matrons. In many ways,

he's a typical patient.

Is this

where you are getting the pain?

Otherwise he would be constantly in

and out of hospital.

No matter what

time of day, you can ring them any

time. The district nurses, their

carers, I wouldn't be able to keep

him at home without them.

In the

hospital it is your environment. In

someone's homes, the tables are

reversed, you are guest in their

home and this sense of being alone.

It is just you and the patient or

their family.

There was a ten year

difference in life expectancy

between some of the deprived areas

of Leeds and the wealthier parts of

the city and that presents a

challenge to the community nursing

teams who are seeing patients with a

myriad of complicated health

problems but the real issue is there

is simply not enough qualified

nurses who are willing or able to do

this difficult job. Back at base the

team are trying to manage a growing

number of cases, it's not easy.

We

just have pressured day in, day out

to do it. If services like mine are

not there 24/7, our hospitals are

completely full.

Staff nurse Lisa is

on another call-out, this time to

check up on Colin who has problems

with his legs.

Not getting sort

anywhere?

Keeping patients like

Colin at home rather than in

hospital is central to plans for the

future of the NHS in England.

Would

you be able to get the prescription

sent to the chemist and delivered to

his own address?

This is work often

unseen, requiring dedication and

compassion but it is vital if the

NHS is to continue as we know it.

The family of 19 year old Gaia Pope,

whose body was found at the weekend,

have questioned why police officers

took 11 days to locate her.

The teenager's body was found

on land south of Swanage in Dorset.

Gaia suffered from severe epilepsy

and her disappearance sparked a huge

campaign from family and friends

to find her.

Duncan Kennedy reports.

At the place Gaia was found, the

police were today continuing their

investigations. It seems no one else

was involved in her disappearance.

Gaia had been missing for 11 days,

her body was found on Saturday

leaving her family devastated. Today

her father Richard read this note

written by Gaia's mother, Natasha.

The lights will radiate for all

eternity. Meet me at the gate, my

darling. So here we are longing for

you for the rest of our lives,

together forever united as one. Your

mum, always.

Gaia's cousin said

there were questions over why it

took 11 days to find her.

This is

not something that should have

happened and it shouldn't have taken

11 days to find her so close and we

need to know why.

Hundreds of local

people helped look for Gaia. Three

people were arrested and released.

Today police said the three would

face no further action but the

father of one of those arrested said

the police went too far.

They did

take it seriously. What did they do,

they decided my family were involved

in it, when all they have tried to

do is show kindness.

Dorset Police

said today there are inquiries may

have caused distress to some

individuals but that it had an

obligation to explore every possible

line of inquiry. Gaia's family say

they want to be left to grieve in

private.

A brief look at some of the day's

other other news stories...

A taxi driver caught

on CCTV buying petrol,

which he later used when killing his

two children by smothering them

with a fuel-soaked rag,

has been been jailed

for life at Birmingham Crown Court.

Endris Mohammed was convicted

last week of the murders

of Saros, aged eight,

and his six-year-old sister Leanor.

Mohammed was badly burned as he set

fire to the family home

in an attempt to kill his wife

while she slept.

Kezia Dugdale was not given

permission to join the cast of

I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here,

according to the new leader

of the Scottish Labour Party.

Ms Dugdale apparently sought

authorisation from party chiefs

to appear on the reality TV show

but it was not granted.

She's expected to join the ITV

programme later this week.

The government today outlined

plans to spend £4 billion

on research and development

and regional growth strategies

to boost economic growth.

It includes £1.7 billion

to provide better transport

links between cities.

The government hopes this

will improve Britian's weak

economic productivity -

that's the amount workers

generate per hour.

It's seen as one the key challenges

for the Chancellor ahead

of Wednesday's Budget,

as our business editor

Simon Jack explains.

The first industrial revolution saw

the amount businesses could produce

rocket, using machines that did the

work of thousands. It was a leap in

productivity that in recent years

has slowed to a crawl under that

matters. If you can increase

productivity, you can pay workers

more, and crucially they pay more

tax. Otherwise none of those good

things happen which is why the

biggest challenge for the chance of

this week is to persuade businesses

to invest in the machines and skills

of the future. In order to improve

it, the Government outlined plans

today to

spend research and development with

a further £1.7 billion to improve

links between cities hoping improved

connectivity will drive greater

productivity. A new revolution is at

hand, being driven by technology

companies like Google who today

opened a digital garage in

Manchester, a drop-in centre for

those looking for digital skills.

When you look at economy is relative

to those who are not, there is a

substantial untucked opportunity to

go online. The majority of

advertising is not online and yet

the reach you can have online is

quite profound.

Retraining workers

cost government money, money they

get from tax, tax that Google has

been accused of legitimately

avoiding.

The Government make the

rules and we apply those rules and

that's what we are doing. We are

very much of the view that being

responsible citizens within every

jurisdiction is the way we conduct

ourselves.

Not only is the UK less

productive than Germany, France and

Italy, the north of England is less

productive than the south, a gap

that needs closing according to the

mayor of Manchester.

I think the

single biggest thing holding the

north of England back and giving us

productivity challenge is our

transport infrastructure or the poor

quality of it because we haven't had

the investment over decades in road

and rail and consequently we see

more and more congestion, people

arriving late for work. This is a

real problem.

These investments in

new technology are welcome but won't

spare the Chancellor the

productivity downgrade on Wednesday

that will tighten the squeeze on the

public finances even further.

The Queen and the Duke

of Edinburgh are marking 70

years of marriage today.

The bells of Westminster -

where Elizabeth married

Prince Philip - rang

to celebrate their platinum

wedding anniversary.

It's been a low-key affair,

with the Royals making private plans

to mark the occasion.

Our Royal Correspondent

Nicholas Witchell reports.

Ringing out from Westminster Abbey,

of bells to mark 70th wedding

anniversary. It was to the Abbey on

this day in 1947 that the then

Princess Elizabeth came for her

wedding to Lieutenant Colonel

Mountbatten.

Now the solemn service

begins.

Take thee Philip to be my wedded

husband...

It was the start of a

marriage which has enjoyed for 70

years and which from the moment

Elizabeth came to the throne in 1952

has underpinned the success and

stability of her reign as Queen.

Those who know them have no doubt

the bride and groom who signed the

marriage register that day at the

Abbey were deeply committed to each

other.

Obviously they were very much

in love, it is early love as far as

I can understand it so it is a love

match essentially, it is a great

love story.

A deeply loyal sense of

duty, which is bolstered in courage

and uplifted by their faith.

The

early years of her reign were

difficult for the Duke who felt he

had no clear purpose but he adapted

to the role of consort and for

decade after decade they toured the

world and fulfilled official duties

together. A couple so much of whose

lives have been public, sustained by

the private bond between them which

remains strong and deep, as the

latest photographs make clear. There

are 70 years together will be

celebrated with a private party at

Windsor Castle.

Time for a look at the weather.

Here's Ben Rich.

Most will have noticed a change in

the feel of the weather today, it

has been a very mild day, even where

it was cloudy, and where the cloud

broke we got up to 17 degrees, not

bad at all for this point in

November. You can see from the

satellite picture it has been

largely cloudy affair but this is

sunshine through Wales and the

Midlands is where we have had some

of the brightest weather today.

Tonight it will be all about the

cloud, Misty and murky conditions,

patchy rain, then through the second

half of the night through northern

England and Scotland we will see

heavy bursts of rain developing. For

many, colder across the Northern

Isles. Generally across Scotland it

is a wet start to tomorrow morning,

heavy bursts of rain which will move

slowly northwards through the day.

This next belt of rain moving across

Northern Ireland into western areas

through the day and it will turn

increasingly windy as well. Some

glimmers of brightness perhaps, but

it will be generally quite cloudy,

14 degrees if you keep the cloud.

That first area of low pressure

tries to clear away during Tuesday

night, but here comes another one

for Wednesday and a weather front

which will bring quite a lot of rain

across parts of Wales and north-west

England. Further south and east,

windy, we get some brightness, still

holding on to something called a

further north. Towards the end of

the week the cold air will try to

dive southwards again. Quite an

erratic process, some doubt about

how far south it will get, but in

the north it will