the eu seems to be saying they want a pledge from the uk on citizens‘ rights, the rights of eu nationals living in the uk and uk nationals living in the uk and uk nationals living in the eu. the —— the eu budget and the uk contribution to that, and the irish border. those we re that, and the irish border. those were the three key issues from the very, very first phase of the brexit talks. we would be right back to square talks. we would be right back to square one, where we were at talks. we would be right back to square one, where we were at the start of the negotiations, but in a very, very different, radically different context, as michelle barney described it yesterday. thank you. adam fleming in brussels. plenty more on brexit throughout the day. they will be a special programme on bbc one and the bbc news channel to bring you the results of the vote in the house of commons from quarter past two. now to other news. more than 20,000 people have attended an open air service in christchurch, to remember the 50 people shot dead by a gunman in two mosques. new zealand‘s prime minis

the eu is saying the, that tweet, numberfour, the eu is saying the, that tweet, number four, that a future government could come out of that customs union bit of the backstop if it wanted. the crucial bit is the rest of the backstop would still apply in northern ireland. northern ireland would still be part of the eu's customs territory. northern ireland would still have to sign up to about 100 pages of eu rules and regulations on goods, products and agriculture and livestock. i imagine the problem that people in the uk will have with it is that it doesn't solve the problem the uk parliament has with the backstop. i promise i'm nearly done! you talked about that doorstep with michel barnier. i had a quick word with the chief negotiator early on. it is very revealing because he uses two words — blame game. that is one of the reasons why they have been so open today about what they are put on the table, even if it may prove to be unacceptable table, even if it may prove to be u na cce pta ble to table, even if it may prove to be unacceptable to the uk. here is a man himself. the eu stands

challenge, they also claimed that the eu is tying italy's ca ns claimed that the eu is tying italy's cans economically with the strict fiscal rules in the eurozone. you had a choice to make when you are living italy and you often did blame europe to a certain extent for problems inside italy and the former prime minister, he got very angry with what he saw both centre—left and centre—right and said you guys did not stand up properly for the eu, you allowed to blame reflex to come into play in italian politics, which mr salvini has since used. do you plead guilty to that? salvini has been come in the nine months, and extra ordinary promoter of consensus for eu in italy. this can appear strange, but eu was rather unpopular, you are right, a couple of years ago in italy. because of the fact that we felt and we we re because of the fact that we felt and we were isolated in facing the migration challenge and because of economic choices. but the fact is that now, after the italian citizens saw the new government's job, the consensus to eu gains more or less 15 points. so, now, eu with

in others, there are eu instruments, but no country outside the eu is even an associate. so it's a complex field that's going to take years of negotiation, and if we go ahead and leave before that's tied down, our law enforcement agencies will find it less easy to work. the metropolitan police commissioner herself has said the same thing, so i'm farfrom being alone here, and i think it's worth highlighting this. well, no question you're not alone, but it comes back to this same thing about subjectivity and whether you bring a glass—half—ful or a glass—half—empty approach to brexit. let me quote to you a couple of senior security figures who do not take the same view as you. jeremy fleming, gchq director, in 2018 at a nato conference he said, we are leaving the eu, but we're not leaving europe. we have excellent relationships with intelligence and security agencies right across this continent. we expect them to continue. richard dearlove, a former head of mi—6 — very sanguine about britain's ability to develop strong relationships with the europeans after brexi

intelligence relationships happen outside the eu now and they will go on happening outside the eu afterwards, so they are not a part of this argument. law enforcement, judicial co—operation, foreign policy cooperation, defence cooperation, go through the eu and will be affected. well, sorry to interrupt, but if i may say so, it seems to me the biggest british foreign policy security, military decision of the past 20 years, the one of most significance, was the decision tojoin the one of most significance, was the decision to join the americans in the invasion of iraq, toppling saddam hussein. now, when that happens, the eu was adamantly opposed to that policy. it was britain, the united states, a few other eu member states like spain and pollen, who supported that, but the eu as a whole, led by jacques chirac of france, was absolutely opposed to it. so when it comes to those key elements of britain's national security policy, it's not the eu that matters most. it's a relationship with the united states, and it is nato. well, the eu was absolutely split down the middle, it was in the post,

the eu is seen as slightly improved deal. the eu is seen as some slightly improved deal. the eu is seen as some kind of addendum to try and enshrine the letter sent by donald tusk and the president jean—claude juncker to theresa may in january. that jean—claude juncker to theresa may injanuary. that doesn't jean—claude juncker to theresa may in january. that doesn't seem jean—claude juncker to theresa may injanuary. that doesn't seem to be enough and if it is not enough we don't know what happens from here. these three tests for the commons, what happens if the uk says no, no and no? no forthe what happens if the uk says no, no and no? no for the improved deal, and no? no for the improved deal, and no? no for the improved deal, and no do no brexit and no extension. it is a nightmare scenario and it can play and i don't think anyone is prepared. how flexible would the eu 27 b with regards to extending the leaving date? beyond march the 29th. quite a bit of flexibility. it would be the rational thing to do, if the other option is no deal. president macron france sai

i have treated the eu with nothing but respect. in the two years since the referendum we have had a spirited national debate. we will, therefore, to further vote scheduled for tomorrow and not proceed to divide the house at this time. there will now be a vote of confidence in my leadership. the parliamentary party does have confidence... leadership. the parliamentary party does have confidence. . ij leadership. the parliamentary party does have confidence... i think the british people are ready for us to move on. order! order! the ayes to the right, 202, the noes to the left, 432. it is clear that the house does not support this view. but this vote tells us nothing about what it does support. the ayes to the right, 242, the noes to the left, 391. i profoundly regret the decision this house has taken tonight. and of this i am absolutely sure, you, the public, have had enough. you are tired of the infighting, you are tired of the political gains and the arcane procedural rows. tired of mps talking about nothing but brexit. a short ex

the eu's chief brexit negotiator says the risk of the uk leaving the eu without a deal has never been higher and appeals to mps to end the uncertainty. again, the house of commons says what it doesn't want. now this impasse can only be solved in the uk. i hear you are very upset. before the no—deal debate, the chancellor will update mps on the state of the government's finances when he makes his spring statement. i will be here in a few minutes with a special programme until 2:30pm with prime ministers questions and the chancellor spring statement. good morning. welcome to bbc newsroom live. the government has set out fresh emergency measures it would take, in the event of the uk leaving the eu without a deal. mps will vote this evening on whether to block a no—deal brexit on the 29th of march, after rejecting theresa may's deal for a second time last night. if, ultimately, the uk were to leave with no deal, the government says a new tariff regime would come in. tariffs are the taxes charged on goods and services as they pass between one country and another. britain would slash ta

, so it would be difficult for the eu, so it would be difficult for the eu, so it would have to have a counterbalance to that in a strategy and plan what it would need to accept this. we can bring you what he said now. —— mr barney a. the council will need to assess what is in the best interest of the eu. extending the certainty without a clear plan would add to the economic cost for our businesses, but can also incur political cost for the eu. it is for the british government and parliament to decide very quickly what the uk wants to do next. and what mr barnier make clear is that if the uk wants anything more than just that if the uk wants anything more thanjust a that if the uk wants anything more than just a short extension a longer one, they would have to be something new that would be happening to justify that, so the implication is a referendum, a new election, something changing the political equation in the uk but the french that they have been pretty tough at some hardline sounds coming out of paris say in extension can't be a way of deferring a difficult decision, the

in discussions with the uk, the government has worked hand—in—hand with our eu partners and eu institutions including the commission and the task force led by michel barnier. in that work we have insisted that the withdrawal agreement could not be rewritten and that the backstop arrangement while intended to be temporary must continue to apply u nless temporary must continue to apply unless and until it's replaced by future arrangements that can achieve the same objective. namely no hardboard. —— hardboard. well theresa may's cabinet will be meeting to discuss what's been achieved and ahead of it being debated in the commons cabinet ministers have been arriving, it's a very busy day at westminster and this is the first of the formal gatherings of the day. i think we can expect cabinet ministers to be remaining pretty tight—lipped coming out of that meeting at least for the moment. let's head to westminster and talk to assistant political editor norman smith, it was a late night last night, it all boils down to what theresa may has come back with, is that enough to overturn the huge 23

leaders of the eu countries. but emmanuel macron, and he is not alone in this, eu leaders say negotiations on this deal are over. the uk has to provide its own solution and its own way forward. whether mps unite over another deal or a general election ora another deal or a general election or a no—deal brexit, they have to decide and only once they have decided whether eu be open to the idea of extending the leaving process in order to meet those options possible. so the eu is sending tough tonight, mostly they are frustrated that at this late stage in the brexit process, they see factions of mps chasing after their ideal brexit or ideal way forward , their ideal brexit or ideal way forward, provoking article 30 or the second referendum. the eu think they have to be realistic, you need to unite about —— around the most whole rouble with forward. after brexit, don‘t forget, then the trade negotiations begin in the future relationship between the eu and the uk is formed. we will discuss that later, get out

the eu says there will be strings attached. such an extension should be conditional on a vote next week, not of commons. we have done our best. here in brussels, the 27 eu leaders have just taken a break. they will resume shortly, in which brexit will very much be on the menu for dinner. we're here for the next couple of hours to take you through it all, send in your questions. christian and i will do our very best ones. —— to answer. the brexit story is evolving by the minute. we thought the eu would agree to a brexit extension until 22 may. but eu leaders are meeting at a summit in brussels. adam fleming tells us... this reporting is backed up by tony connko this reporting is backed up by tony connolly from our te, saying... lots of dates are moving around, but we know theresa may has been in lengthy discussions with her eu counterparts. here she is mingling with the 27 other national leaders in the european union. all smiles and pleasantries here, but after the cameras left, some report it was a different story. here's b

date for the uk's departure from the eu. theresa may arrived here at lunchtime, to make a direct plea to eu leaders, asking to postpone brexit for three months. we're expecting a statement from the eu, on the outcome of the talks, very soon. earlier, mrs may appealed again to the house of commons to help her deliver brexit, saying the need for a delay was ‘a matter of great personal regret‘. last night, she upset many mps, when she blamed them for causing the delay. labour'sjeremy corbyn has also been in brussels, for his own brexit talks with leaders. ican i canjust i can just tell you i canjust tell you in i can just tell you in the i canjust tell you in the past i can just tell you in the past few moments, we're getting some suggestions that the eu leaders might be in a position to be offering mrs may a delay on brexit possibly until the 22nd of may. that is not as long as she wanted but longer than some people had been predicting. we can't confirm that yet and i will ask our europe editor about this in just a moment,

eu leaders are beginning to pile on the pressure on ireland. they want ireland to finesse its no deal planning for a border with northern ireland, which is something it has avoided doing up until now for political reasons but

the legal default in uk and eu law remains that the uk will leave the eu without a deal unless... unless something else is agreed. struggling to be heard, notjust because of her failing voice. the house has to understand and accept that if it is not willing to support a deal in the coming days and as it is not willing to support leaving without a deal on the 29th of march, then it is suggesting that there will need to be a much longer extension to article 50. the house needs to face up to the consequences of the decision it has taken. through the noise, understand, the prime minister's not ditching her deal. instead, she's warning mps, vote for it soon or brexit faces a long delay. in the last 2a hours, parliament has decisively rejected both her deal and no deal. while an extension of article 50 is now inevitable, the responsibility for that extension lies solely and squarely at the prime minister's door. parliament must now take control of the situation. let us, as a house of commons, work now to find a solution to deal with the crisis facing this country and the deep concerns t

eu leaders are sounding very resolute. michelle barney pretty much summed up the mood when he said, we in the eu have done everything we can. if there is going to bea everything we can. if there is going to be a solution to this impasse it has to come from the uk. there is no sense in the eu that leaders are blaming themselves for the fact the brexit deal was again rejected in parliament. in fact, brexit deal was again rejected in parliament. infact, leaders brexit deal was again rejected in parliament. in fact, leaders point the finger of blame at uk politics and the fact parliament wasn't asked at the beginning of the brexit process , at the beginning of the brexit process, what kind of brexit they could unite around. but the question is, what comes next? eu leaders look at the ongoing confusion in parliament and ask what can be achieved in a few weeks? if the prime minister asks for a short extension of the brexit process, under eu law, all 27 leaders have to agree unanimously to that extension. they will probably say y

the eu says there will be strings attached. such an extension should be conditional on a vote next week, not of commons. we have done our best. here in brussels, the 27 eu leaders have just taken a break. they will resume shortly, in which brexit will very much be on the menu for dinner. we're here for the next couple of hours to take you through it all,

to the eu it seems that parliament is in to the eu it seems that parliament isina to the eu it seems that parliament is in a maelstrom of division and throughout the brexit process we have heard from the eu is chief brexit negotiator saying that it is no good you telling us that what you don't want in brexit, you have to start telling us what you do want. there is frustration and irritation and fatigue amongst leaders of these factions amongst government, chasing their ideal— whether it is the ideal brexit or the ideal to stay in the eu or have another vote on membership in the uk. they say we have to put this aside and unite around one idea. either a negotiated deal that we made with theresa may all you have to come up with a realistic alternative. as for the extensions, with all of the sound and fury that we've had in westminster this week, when it comes to that extension, it is eu leaders who have the final say. they could say yes or no, how long, and what conditions could be attached. we are told today that donald tusk is going to be touring europe over the next few days, urgin

if damien is right and the eu says you don‘t have to ta ke right and the eu says you don‘t have to take part in the eu elections but you can have a 19 month standstill transition where everything resets for a period to talk about that future relationship. would that unlock some of the problems for the business leaders you spoke to today? a transition period would unlock some of that uncertainty and would be welcomed but still we have some big questions unanswered about how we would engage with europe going forward and that is still a huge concern three years on from the referendum result. what are the biggest concerns? uncertainty is a biggest concerns? uncertainty is a big problem but what other things have people been talking about? the concern and frustration i cannot underestimate how high that is at the moment. people having to invest, stockpile and make business decisions that are the right thing for their business but may not be the right thing for the uk economy asa the right thing for the uk economy as a whole and that is of great concern because we‘re starting to see the eco

that is subject to the eu partners. we are talking about opening up the political declaration, not the withdrawal agreement, to move towards a potential softer brexit. at the same time there are things she can promise on her own as prime minister, for example, if mps demand a referendum it is in her power to deliver. there is a degree where it could be a bit disingenuous to say if parliament want something, the government will not act on that amount because in the end, the government is the servant of parliament in this country. that is the way it works. if parliament asks for something a government does not deliver it parliament cannot sack government and that is a pretty extreme action. the weight beat mood is at the moment i would not rule that out happening if parliament and government cannot come together to agree a you. let excess to the heart of another part of her statement where she says the amendment motion to do with wresting control of the parliamentary timetable, she said, i do not like this because this co

as you know, the eu is due to leave the eu -- as you know, the eu is due to leave the eu —— the as you know, the eu is due to leave the eu -- the uk as you know, the eu is due to leave the eu —— the uk is due to leave the eu on the 29th of march. do you think that is going to happen? please send us an email. eddie said: all those mps who have now betrayed the referendum vote and the british people back in 2016 should now resign. a list of mps should be made available. it is out there, eddie. you have now killed democracy, says eddie. the british people will not forget this betrayal big time and it is now time for theresa may also to resign. this text: this is how democracy works? mps blackmailed into accepting mrs may's deal for fear of no deal? revoke article 50 110w fear of no deal? revoke article 50 now and do what is best for the people? this tweet: a cooling off period is recommended. 0ne people? this tweet: a cooling off period is recommended. one year sounds about right. davy: allowing the public vote for a second time on brexit is undemocratic and theresa may making mps vot

the legal default in uk and eu law remains that the uk will leave the eu without a deal unless... unless something else is agreed. struggling to be heard, notjust because of her failing voice. the house has to understand and accept that if it is not willing to support a deal in the coming days and as it is not willing to support leaving without a deal on the 29th of march, then it is suggesting that there will need to be a much longer extension to article 50. the house needs to face up to the consequences of the decision it has taken. through the noise, understand, the prime minister's not ditching her deal. instead, she's warning mps, vote for it soon or else brexit faces a long delay. in the last 2a hours, parliament has decisively rejected both her deal and no deal. while an extension of article 50 is now inevitable, the responsibility for that extension lies solely and squarely at the prime minister's door. parliament must now take control of the situation. let us, as a house of commons, work now to find a solution to deal with the crisis facing this country and the deep conce

and wa nt future relations with the eu and want to vote on that on monday, officially, the eu has only given the uk up until today to vote on the withdrawal agreement. if it is not a yes today, they say there is that block of the 12th of april. but, you know, is that a movable no? who knows? we will be back to you later, when we have the result. vicki young is in the houses of parliament where she is following events, the prime minister is on herfeet she is following events, the prime minister is on her feet at the moment. her last plea, vicky. yes, it has worked up to a point with conservatives because as we heard from norman, a large number deciding at this point that it is too risky not to back her deal, they fear brexit might not happen. all eyes on labour, labour mps going in and out of the conservative whips office, the conservative mps trying to persuade them to come across. one labourmp persuade them to come across. one labour mp told me they are coming under huge pressure from their own leadership not to budge, to stick with jeremy corbyn, leadership not to budge, to stick wit

going to the daily telegraph, may on bended knee to the eu. their analysis, isuppose telegraph, may on bended knee to the eu. their analysis, i suppose a telegraph, may on bended knee to the eu. their analysis, isuppose a kind of supplica nt position eu. their analysis, isuppose a kind of supplicant position for the prime minister as she goes tomorrow to talk to other leaders. this is focusing a lot on the eurosceptic anger at how the uk has come to be in this position and the fact that theresa may is going to be going to this eu summit, where we know the type of extension she is seeking, that she is basically going with a begging bowl. she does not really have much leverage, she cannot say ifido have much leverage, she cannot say if i do not like your extension, i'm going to walk away. and there are some mps, this piece touches on it, you think that she should do that but the numbers and parliament mean that were she to make that threat, i think few would actually believe she could actually carry through on it. we saw last week, majority of m

eu law so that required getting the agreement of other eu member states. good brussels have done more to avoid this situation that we are in now? i think everyone could have done more to avoid this situation. from the perspective of brussels, there are two halves they have to weigh up. the harm of the eu leaving —— the uk living without a deal but the other is the uncertainty created by continuing to search for a deal that isn't there andi search for a deal that isn't there and i think we are getting to the point where the balance of those harms is tipping and brussels is saying, would try to find a deal and it's just not looking likely that we are going to get to that so we're thinking about cutting our losses in terms of the continued uncertainty that the search for a deal creates. if the attorney general, his advice had gone the other way, would we be ina had gone the other way, would we be in a slightly different position? politically we would be. had his advice on the other day, it would have been wrong. the attorney general is absolutely right to

the eu is quite exasperated. they say two to theresa may, look, she has been honest about trade—offs, if you leave the single market, they say it is not possible to have frictionless trade or avoid a hard customs border. so to perpetuate this, for theresa may to keep turning to the eu to solve her domestic political problems, they say that is not going to work. they believe her biggest problems are not the withdrawal agreement or the backstop, but the splits between hard brexiteers, soft brexiteers and remainers, tory mps and labourmps, they brexiteers and remainers, tory mps and labour mps, they say they have run out of ideas of how to help her, extension or not. just to clarify, before i let you go, if there is to before i let you go, if there is to be an extension, that is a matter for the eu? the purpose of the extension, that is basically down to the eu. and the length of the extension, that is basically down to the eu as well. is that correct? well, it is down to the uk to request an extension. theresa ma

most of their staff, trimming the steaks are from the eu. after brexit, it could be possible to issue visas that would allow immigrants to work only in scotland. but that is not something the uk government will allow. here the boss, who is swiss, already struggles with recruitment. it is difficult to attract any people from the uk to come to aberdeenshire and i think this will be the challenge for the last ten years and it is going to be a challenge in the next ten years. you don't think you would ever be able to find all of your staff from the local region? i don't think so. scotland relies on immigration more heavily than the rest of the uk. so restrictions after brexit could have a greater impact on the economy. the uk government says its plans are designed to drive up wages and productivity across the whole of the uk. sarah smith, bbc news, aberdeenshire. a former ira bomber has named the people whom he believes were responsible for the 1974 birmingham pub bombings. the man — known as witness 0 — was giving evidence during the inques

a customs union with the eu would guarantee a continued uk access to existing eu trade agreements without having to roll over after the 29th of march, though that doesn't seem to be going terribly well. it would enable the uk to have a say on the direction of future european trade negotiations, allowing us to push forward our principles on development, strong standards and our values in tackling issues such as climate change. it would offer certainty and stability to british industry, thereby protecting jobs and allowing businesses to secure new trading opportunities. it's becoming a cliche of business needs certainty, but for many businesses, that is now too late. the least that this house can now do in this trade bill is to state with a degree... to offer a higher level of certainty to businesses, that there is some support for the uk to remain a member of a customs union. the red lines laid down by the prime minister are ones which have stopped the possibility of getting a deal, including a customs union and a single market possibly, which would have avoided the difficulties with north

at the moment as a member of the eu, all trade between members is tax—free and we follow eu rules on taxes for imports from the rest of the world. if we leave without a deal, all that will change overnight and the government will have to set its own taxes on imports. so, today the government is proposing a new tax on every imported car of 10%. a tax of up to 12% on imported crockery and many items of clothing, and new taxes on many agricultural products including butter, cheese, chicken, lamb and beef. 0verall, fewer goods will face tariffs, but british industry will only have weeks to prepare for huge changes. the biggest change in terms of trade this country has faced since the mid 19th century being imposed on this country with no consultation with business, no time to prepare, and this is no way to run a country. there will also be taxes on our exports to the eu if we leave by the end of the month, meaning industries like farming could lose a huge market for their produce. 0n cereal products such as wheat and barley, fruit and vegetables, eggs, the government has decided to set t

the eu... the eu will want to know what use we mean to make of such an extension, and that house will have to answer that question. does it wish to revoke article 50? does it want to hold a second referendum? or does it want to leave with a deal, but not this deal? these are unenviable choices, but thanks to the decision that the house has made this evening, they are choices that must now be faced. the government has been defeated again, by an enormous majority, and they must now accept their deal, their proposal, the one the prime minister has put, is clearly dead and does not have the support of this house. and, quite clearly, no—deal must be taken off the table. we've said that before, and we'll say it again. but it does mean the house has got to come together with the proposal that could be negotiated. the labour party has put that proposal, and we will put that proposal again, because the dangers of what the prime minister is proposing are basically that if she carries on threatening us

this morning, the eu -- the un conference began with a minutes silence for the victims. i9 conference began with a minutes silence for the victims. 19 un staff we re silence for the victims. 19 un staff were among those killed. it is the second time this type of aircraft has crashed in five months. in october, and indonesia lion air plane came down killing all 189 people on board. today, china and indonesia along with ethiopian airlines grounded their fleets of the 737 max eight. recovery efforts are coming to an end but the investigation into what happened to flight e t 302 investigation into what happened to flight e t 302 will continue for many months. there are around 200 boeing 737 max 8s in operation worldwide. china, indonesia and ethiopia have all grounded the aircraft after yesterday's crash. but other airlines continue to operate them — some in and out of uk airports. the aircraft has only been in commercial use since 2017 but has now been involved in two fatal accidents in five months. our transport correspondent tom burridge is here. like any major air cra

our top story: theresa may and eu officials agree "legally—binding changes" to the brexit deal, ahead of today's crucial vote in the british parliament. today we have secured legal changes. now is the time to come together to back this improved brexit deal and to deliver on the instruction of the british people. european commission president jean—claude juncker warns voting down the deal would put everything at risk. in politics, sometimes you get a second chance. it is what we do with the second chance that counts because there will be no third chance. iam ben i am ben bland at westminster. after the last—ditch talks in strasbourg, attention switches to today's crunch vote here in westminster. but has theresa may done enough to secure a breakthrough? more than 80 boeing 737 max aircraft are grounded by airlines around the world, following the crash in ethiopia. but us aviation officials insist they are airworthy. and hit by italy's hardline stance on migrants. why rescue boats are being stopped from saving lives. the inventor of the world wide web says global action is needed to

there is no way that once you leave the eu you can somehow remain a rule maker within the eu? it is absolutely correct, and every single producer in this country is hardly going to have one set of rules for their uk sales and their european sales, they will have one standard set of rules and they will probably be following the european ones. my honourable friend is making a very good case to add to that of the honourable gentleman who open. will he emphasise also that actually more than two thirds of the entire directives that currently apply... studio: as sir oliver letwi n apply... studio: as sir oliver letwin replies to that, let‘s pick up letwin replies to that, let‘s pick up with maddie where we are. common market 2.0, a soft brexit in effect, keeping the country in a single market and involving a new customs arrangement. yep. so what does that mean for the border in northern ireland? so what they are trying to do, the border in northern ireland, there are two different issues, one about regulatory alignment, and actually having checks at the border to ensure that goo

eu leaders will consider what is best for the eu. he is saying the brexit delay request is for the eu leaders. we're expected the letter for theresa may to come out this evening. everyone should finalize their preparations for no deal brexit. we are facing genuine uncertainty. that is not michel barnier speaking right now. that is the breaking news over the last few minutes. this is critical news for the brexit process. we have seen the euro-dollar moving on the back of this news that he is been delivering. earlier on today, chancellor angela merkel sat down with bloomberg's editor in chief at the global solutions summit in berlin. angela merkel it is prepared to give theresa may a new deal at that summit later this week. we will very carefully followed events, follow with the british government is going to say with regard to what was stated yesterday, i cannot say anything on how the situation will present itself on thursday. >> you have to presume she will ask you for an extension. do you have any prejudice on your side? would you

but it is farfrom different deal with the eu. but it is far from apparent what the process will be and if it will be binding on the government. it is very unclear what will happen in the next week, the big decisions will have to be made, either by the government or parliament, because the timeframe now really does impress upon government and parliament to make a decision about the course of action. the prime minister returned to downing street this morning after a late night in brussels. our political editor laura kuenssberg looks back at the day's events. how long now? how much longer before we leave? how much longerfor this prime minister? how much longer can our politics really go on like this? just after midnight in brussels, theresa may confirmed the eu granted not as long a delay she had asked for, but a pause. good morning. an extra fortnight to give her another chance to pass her deal. the date of our departure will now be extended to the 22nd of may. if parliament does not agree a deal next week, the eu council will exte

firstly, tonight, eu capitals are in a very sombre mood. eight days away from brexit they and a very real prospect of a no deal brexit, something the prime minister and eu leaders have said they do not want, staring everyone in the face. today started in utter confusion here with brussels waiting and waiting, and waiting, for and expect a letter from the prime minister asking for a delay for brexit. by the time it finally arrived it was too late for a number of eu leaders including angela merkel to speak to their national parliaments about it as they did before an eu summit. in that scramble, donald tusk, the eu council president, tried to take the lead, and he said there would be no short delay, and there are disagreements here as to how long that would be, unless theresa may's brexit deal is approved by parliament next week. but, sophie, his is not the final word, which is why tomorrow is so important. the final decision will be taken by all 27 eu leader matts, and it has to be a unanimous decision, and they will try to take it after an i

norway isn‘t part of the eu. but alongside iceland and liechtenstein, it‘s part of the european economic area, the eea, which means it‘s in the single market with all the other eu members. the bbc‘sjohn owen has more on the pros and cons of this option. brexit has no shortage ofjargon. this essentially means we leave on terms similar to the ones that norway currently enjoy. we would still be inside the single market, which means we share common rules and regulations with the eu. and crucially, eu citizens would retain the right to live and work in the uk. and vice versa. the proposal also says that we should negotiate the new customs arrangement that would mirror the existing customs union, under which countries agreed on common taxes on imported goods, which would avoid a hard border in northern ireland. they say this would amount to a simple economic relationship, which would be free of all of the political paraphernalia of the modern eu. critics say the plan has some drawbacks. the uk would still follow

and to remain in the eu. let speak now to remain in the eu. let speak now to the conservative mp daniel cutting ski here is a member of the pro—brexit european research group. —— daniel kawcynzski. there meaningful votes on theresa may's deal, you did not back either of them but you said you would now back them but you said you would now back the prime minister a couple of days ago, there that know your position? it is very important that the erg and other organisations in the house of commons fulfil their role in holding the executive to account. we sent her back to brazil to continue those negotiations because we had concerns over the northern ireland backstop. now i have changed my mind andi backstop. now i have changed my mind and i want to support the prime minister's deal because a lot of people in my constituency of shrewsbury, the local nfu, the shropshire nfu, my local councillors and party members, now feel it is time to get behind the prime minister. we have been a very divided country and we have appear to be divided overseas

their there as well, so it is not just the uk versus the eu, the eu has a lot to deal with in the next few years, not just this one topic. jean—claude juncker said we have other legislation to be getting on with. really do, yeah. daily telegraph, may cause eu's bluff, i am ready to crash out, she says. they have clearly drunk the theresa may kool—aid here, giving the impression that theresa may is clearly in the driving seat, in great contrast to the picture presented by the financial times in the guardian, as though theresa may has essentially got what she wanted and the eu has blinked before we did. if you are brexiteer who believes and has always believed that in the end, the eu would recognise our massive economy, the fa ct recognise our massive economy, the fact that the 65 million british people have an economy the size of the 18 smallest european union countries, in the end they would cave in, then you will be happy with this headline but i'm not really sure i buy it. i mean she was not ready to crush out, actually she said my dealers the only deal, do not have a plan b, but

" as talks continue between the uk and eu. also coming up this hour... increased activity at a missile site in north korea. satellite images of a facility near pyongyang suggest the country may be preparing to launch a missile or a satellite. good afternoon. welcome to bbc news. the baby son of shamima begum, the british teenager who joined the islamic state group, has died in syria. the boy, who was less than three weeks old, is thought to have contracted a lung infection. his mother travelled to syria as a 15—year—old four years ago. the home office had recently taken the decision to strip her of her british citizenship. our home affairs correspondent daniel sandford has this report. when the bbc first interviewed shamima begum two and a half weeks ago, she'd just given birth to a baby boy, jarrah. in his short life, he lived in one internment camp and then another. his mother said her two other children had already died at the end of last year. losing my children, the way i lost them, i don't want to lose this baby as w

this is not a softening of the eu position, with the eu says is this is an additional reinsurance that it is trying to give the uk, in effect you should look at this as the final piece of the eu putting this on the table to try to help theresa may get her deal over the line through parliament next week. it's offering two essential things here. barnier briefed eu countries and we did them out here this evening. one is a letter, or illegal reassurance that the eu will use its best endeavors to secure a trade deal for the uk in the future, the second thing is a clarification that barnier says the eu does not seek to trap the uk in a customs union arrangement in the future as many mps in the uk fear because he says the uk can withdraw from the customs union, but northern ireland crucially would have to remain under the special arrangements agreed in that withdrawal treaty. the eu was saying this is additional reassurance, the problem will be that on the uk side they will say it's not enough, it's not a new thing, not a change to that original treaty. the original tree stands in the questio

of course, it's the thing the eu is com pletely resista nt to course, it's the thing the eu is completely resistant to as well. if you think all of this has been a headache over the past two years, then rest assured, many people in northern ireland would agree with you. a place which voted to remain in the referendum. but within the dup, there's a feeling that even a long extension, even a couple more yea rs of long extension, even a couple more years of all this uncertainty, still be preferable to voting for a deal which they believe chips away at northern ireland's place within the united kingdom, the most fundamental thing that the party believes in. emma vardy, many thanks. we've reported before on the effect brexit uncertainty has been having on british business. well, today we had one of the starkest warnings yet. the head of the british chambers of commerce, adam marshall, couldn't have been clearer when he took aim at politicians. "you have let british business down," he said. our business editor simon jack reports now on the impact brexit is having on some firms. where do you go

is scheduled to leave the eu on april 12. you can always get dw news on the go, just download that app from google play and the apple store. that will give you access to news from around the world as well as push navigations for breaking news. more in just a moment as we take a closer look at today's biggest stories. have a good day. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] ♪ spanned over six decades. it wasn't a third time lucky for the british prime minister theresa may mps rejected her brexit deal once again this friday. this effectivelyly means unknown deal exit from the eu is increasingly likely in two weeks time. the european union has called for an emergency summit on the tenth of april over in london meanwhile hundreds of thousands of pro brexit supporters. took to the streets. eric okay reports

definitely all of the eu is watching very closely all the eu is watching very closely all the goings on in parliament this week, and also looking ahead to next week, and also looking ahead to next week, when the prime minister says that mps will get another vote on the brexit deal that she spent two yea rs the brexit deal that she spent two years negotiating with eu leaders. irrespective of the outcome of the vote today on asking the eu for an extension, at the end of the day, it is up to eu leaders, as you said, as to whether there will be an extension, how long it will be, and the conditions surrounding that extension. can we say anything for sure? we absolutely can't, because it isa sure? we absolutely can't, because it is a very political decision for these leaders to take, and watching today, they will be watching the vote again in parliament next week, and then they all come here to brussels on thursday. they will also see theresa may, but behind closed doors, those 27 eu leaders will sit together, because they have to come together, because they have to come toa together, beca

where do you think the eu is on that? if they were to come back, parliament, with a coherent plan, a consensus, would they change the political declaration if it was to their suiting or would they try to kick it down the road? there are two things here, donald tusk isn't pushing for a longer brexit today, the eu would really like to get on with this asap. they believe that brexit probably is going to happen, and if it is, they would like it to happen with a deal so in an orderly fashion, and for them, happen with a deal so in an orderly fashion, and forthem, it happen with a deal so in an orderly fashion, and for them, it is killing business, citizens aren't sure about their rights, it is very bad for international investment, so they would really like to get on with this as soon as they can. what i would also like to do, if possible, to avoid a no—deal brexit, if a longer brexit delay would be necessary to avoid that no—deal brexit, then donald tusk is saying to the eu parliament today that he knows it will be compli

— would be in the eu's interest. i don't think the leaders want that scenario because, first of all, we have dreadful uncertainty at the moment and the idea that we would have prolonged uncertainty is not good for anyone. so i don't think there's this little part in the background of the leaders of europe to say, well, let's try this and see what happens. not at all. if anything, there is quite a desire to at least finish the first phase of brexit, so we can get on to talking about the future. so that isn't a scenario that i think the leaders are, if you like, working towards. but i think there is an interesting twist here in the suggestion of another referendum, which i'm not putting forward, in case your viewers think that. but let us presume, or assume, that there is an extension of time so there has to be european parliament elections in the united kingdom, i think it would be in that frame that there would be quite a debate about europe — and perhaps the debate might be better informed because i think lots of

of the eu have to agree before britain is given --. brexit negotiator on says we still know what you do not want in the u.k.. we do not know exactly what you want. it could be the next week when there is the eu summit. those leaders will not be forthcoming and according that delay to the u.k. the fater question is of theresa may. how has she been able to hang on this long? suffered they has worst, most humiliating defeat in british parliament terry hihistory -- parliamentarian history. more than even ramsey mcdonald. she got another defeat yesterday. is these areeason not normal political times. theresa may survived a no-confidence vote in her own party in december, so she is untouchable. she can remain in office for a year. there can be no challenge to her leadership from her party. i don't think anybody wants to take on that job because it is the most u un-gratifying job in the united kingdom and possibly within the european union. >> thank you for that. another story we are covering on france 24, the most senior catholic priest conv

we have been hearing that the eu wants clarity. donald tusk‘s statement this evening comes after an extraordinary session of prime minister's questions a few hours earlier, where mrs may attacked the house of commons. she said parliament had "indulged itself "on europe for too long". the labour leaderjeremy corbyn described the brexit stalemate as a "full scale national crisis". 0ur political correspondent iain watson reports. this time is running out for a deal. the uk is due to leave the eu at the end of next week. but theresa may's proposals have been rejected twice by mps. so today, she wrote to the eu, asking for a delay to brexit. do you think it will be a long or short delay? as she confirmed to parliament, this delay would be relatively short. a longer extension would oblige the uk to hold elections to the european parliament. i do not believe such elections would be in anyone's interests. the idea that three years after voting to leave the eu, the people of this country should be asked to elect a new set of meps is, i be