i never once said there was no borderfor the eu. what isaid there was no borderfor the eu. what i said there is no border on the island of ireland. where is the border then? the border then is in between the remainder of the united kingdom. so you would eu customs post in northern ireland to stop things, or belfast airport and to stop people flying, good slang from britain to northern ireland? eu customs post in belfast stopping stuff. is that really your proposal? we are not proposing anything. if you let me finish, with the agreement agreed by both the british and european sides in december, this isn't just a european and european sides in december, this isn'tjust a european suggestion. this is the legal draft based on the political agreement in december. it refers to joint political agreement in december. it refers tojoint eu uk political agreement in december. it refers to joint eu uk customs operations. wait there while i talk to bernard jenkins. what is your solution? you are seeing a bit of de—escalation from the irish republic government. they do not want to threa

about the eu. david cameron was famously not happy about the idea ofjean—claude juncker becoming commission president, he didn't want to lose the power that nation states have of influencing the decision, who else is against the idea of the parliament having more influence on this? the most surprising country against it is france, this is surprising because the french president has always declared and supported an election process that would be more democratic and has a lwa ys would be more democratic and has always been very keen to try to make europe much more transparent and democratic. basically it is surprising from him. his position is that the spitzenkandidat would clearly favour the party in the european parliament that has won the most seats, which means the eep. is the conservative party, not the party of the french president. we know that he never said it publicly that clearly we know that he doesn't like that because it is not his party. that is funny, isn't it, politicians always lik

then the negotiation will begin with the eu. that is where this gets really tough, because the eu have maintained all the way through this pi’ocess maintained all the way through this process that the uk cannot pick and mix the best bits from the single market in the future, it can't cherry pick, and the integrity of the single market cannot be threatened. i think there are those in brussels now to suspect that what the uk is about to put in the table something that looked exactly like that. good to talk to you. ben wright, our political correspondent in westminster. police forces could face new legal action by victims of major crime if the police investigations are found to be "seriously defective". judges at the supreme court gave the ruling, under human rights law, in a case brought by two women who say they were victims ofjohn worboys, the serial sex attacker. the police say the outcome means they must set aside more money to cover possible claims for compensation. our legal affairs correspondent clive coleman has more det

the eu. the draft legal text the commission has published would, if implemented, undermine the uk common market and threaten the constitutional integrity of the uk by creating a customs and regulatory border down the irish sea, and no uk prime minister could ever agree to it. more than 5,000 jobs are at risk as both toys r us and maplin go into administration. and two royal couples on the first official engagement together, to talk about plans for their charity. and coming up in the sport on bbc news... an unbeaten 63. ben stokes is named man of the match as england beat new zealand by 6 wickets to level the one—day series. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. heavy snow and freezing conditions across the uk are causing major disruption to roads, railways and air travel. the met office has issued its highest level of alert — issuing a red warning for central areas of scotland, meaning extremely heavy snow is expected to cause widespread damage and people should take immediat

it is a way to strengthen democracy in the eu. the main challenge is the european countries because a lot of them think it would reduce their powers. they have drawn a lot of criticism in the eu. —— spitzenkandidat. it is not necessary and farfrom spitzenkandidat. it is not necessary and far from the eu‘s concerns of the e0. and far from the eu‘s concerns of the eq. david cameron was unhappy about the idea ofjean—claude juncker, for example, becoming president. didn‘t want to lose the power that nationstates had in deciding what influencing that decision. when you say people are against it, who else is against the idea of the parliament having more influence? the most surprising country against the spitzenkandidat is france. it is surprising because a emmanuel macron, the french president, has always declared and supported an election process that would be more democratic and he has a lwa ys would be more democratic and he has always been very keen to make europe much more transparent and democratic. it is surprising f

if the eu's aim is to avoid cooperation, thomas kielinger, is the eu's aim to avoid co—operation and if so, why? i have long given up to try to figure out what goes on in the mind of our leaders and this phrase is totally puzzling. she seems to hold hostage the british security involvement in europe to the outcome of the brexit talks, and she is in no way to speak that language. she must work for flexibility, cooperation and so on. any intimation of trying to demand something else is totally misplaced. she is on a sticky wicket, as we know, and there is no consensus. we are still

the eu. the draft legal text the commission has published would, if implemented, undermine the uk common market and threaten the constitutional integrity of the uk by creating a customs and regulatory border down the irish sea and no uk prime minister could ever agree to it. more than 5,000 jobs at risk, as both toys r us and maplins go into administration. after almost three years of civil war in yemen — we've a special report on the human cost of the conflict. and meghan markle says she wants to "hit the ground running" as she joins prince harry and the duke and duchess of cambridge in their charity work. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at five, i'm jane hill. heavy snow and freezing conditions across the uk are causing major disruption to roads, railways and air travel. the met office has announced its highest level of alert — issuing a red warning for central areas of scotland, meaning extremely heavy snow is expected to cause widespread damage and people should take immediat

this is why the eu shares intelligence and the human intelligence between each country in the eu and the uk is going to be essential because gchq is an world leader at integrating that information. this is a second by second activity. cyber warfare may precede conventional or nuclear warfare, and that includes north korea or other countries in europe. it isa korea or other countries in europe. it is a second by second capability to share information. what the europeans might say, as you say, they derive great value from gchq, and lots of corporation has come from british security agencies with some of those operations that took place in belgium and in france in the last couple of years, but the only people threatening this are the british. it was the home secretary amber rudd last year it said, we don't get what we want on brexit we might take our information away with us. might take our information away with us. that wasn't a very constructive approach. we are still hearing today a rather reticent approach from the eu, setting security site from other arrangements, that everything h

the eu. some are more advantageous than others and britain will need a bespoke negotiated relationship of its own. during the transition period, which was proposed by labour in the first place, we would seek to remain an a customs union with the eu and within the single market. that means we would abide by existing rules of both during transition. that the saudi government, businesses and workers only have to make one adjustment from that —— that is so the government and businesses and workers only have to make one adjustment. we spelt out the need for a stable transition period last summerand for a stable transition period last summer and both the tuc and cbi agree on that. we thought the government had accepted that but now they seem to be very surprisingly, in disarray on this issue yet again. time after time with this government is anything aggrieved at breakfast is anything aggrieved at breakfast is being briefed against by lunch and abandoned by tea—time —— anything agreed at

the prime minister was right to set back. —— the eu vote thatis right to set back. —— the eu vote that is going on out here. easier if you stay in the eu, the audience applauded. she's asking for a complete continuation of everything we have got. i can see that side of the argument, the british people have decided to leave and we are leaving and she has to be robust in that because that is the view that she assented to represent by the people who voted for her and by the conservative party that support telling government. we have got to start getting into the detail of this, one thing we can do is improve out this, one thing we can do is improve our offer a round of sensitivity and i think we have to have another look in the uk as to how we prioritise security. she did really well today and it has been a good conference for the prime minister. thank you very much indeed. theresa may, the second in a series of speeches and then a rather crucial meeting of her senior cabinet ministers later in the week where they will have to try and thrash out some kind of compromise about our future re

at the moment britain can trade freely with the eu, as eu member states taunton impose tariffs on each other‘s goods. all states also impose the same taxes on goods coming in from outside the block, the individual states cannot do their own deals with other countries and that is what theresa may wants to change, by ruling out staying in any sort of customs union with eu after brexit. what i would say about the customs union is that if we were members of it it would inhibit our ability to strike deals with other countries, and that is one of the benefits of brexit, that we can have more flexible —— brexit, that we can have more flexible — — flex brexit, that we can have more flexible —— flex ability and we can extend those trade deals across the world. but the prime minister's critics warn that a break with the eu will be damaging for the economy, disrupting trade with a crucial partner, and raising questions about trade across the irish border. there area trade across the irish border. there are a lot of answers we need to know to be able to react. it is like anything els

it is notjust about how the eu pulled out as well is that it is not just about how you the eu pulled out as well is that it is notjust about how you treat customs, and having someone checking the import and export duties of goods, it is also about regulatory standards, product safety standards for goods, animals and plants, and food products. it is a whole host of other things rather than just what you do about customs. of course, this is all very important for what you do about the border between northern ireland and the republic of ireland. it is a key to solving that problem as well. in terms of the brexit talks this week, they are very technical. david davis will see michel barnierfor lunch very technical. david davis will see michel barnier for lunch today, and thatis michel barnier for lunch today, and that is a big catch up, but the real work will be done by your officials when they meet in brussels on tuesday and wednesday and thursday. they will talk about things that we re they will talk about things that were left over from phase one of the brexit talks, and they will talk

in the eu. and i recognise that feeling of grief and alienation because in the last 18 months, i've had those same sentiments so often. i have heard it from friends, from family, from people hailing me abusively industry, as is their right. in many cases i believe the dealings are debating with time, some of the fears about brexit do not materialise. in some cases, i detect a halving of the mood and the deepening of the angle, i fear some people are becoming ever more determined to stop brexit, to reverse the referendum vote and to frustrate the will of the people. i believe that would be a disastrous mistake that would lead to permanent and ina mistake that would lead to permanent and in a radicalfeelings of betrayal. we cannot and will not let it happen. but if we are to carry this project through, the national success , this project through, the national success, as we must, then we must also be child to those who still have anxieties. i wanted a —— i want today to anatomise some of the f

not to the eu. before the honourable lady talks about the value of a single market, it isjust worth pointing out that despite our membership of the single market, we have had a growing trade deficit with the european union. we headed growing traits of a submersible. we want to establish conditions for all of the experts from all parts of the united kingdom can access the rest of the world. 90% of global growth in the next few years will be outside of europe. liam fox. the foreign office minister has called on the assad regime in syria to end what he called the "hell on earth" of eastern ghouta in syria. in recent days, renewed government airstrikes have killed and injured hundreds of people in the rebel enclave. the syrian military says it is trying to liberate the area from terrorists, but it has also been accused of targeting civilians. lord ahmad said the government was appalled at the siege and bombardment. people are dying from starvation or lack of medical treatment. the united kingdom governm

shows us there is still net migration from the eu and eu citizens are still coming yearand we the eu and eu citizens are still coming year and we are still attracting the brightest and best people to come to the uk to work and study and one of the huge positives from these figures is the increase in the number of overseas students who come here to some of our great higher education institutions. in terms of the breakdown, it says we are attracting the brightest and the best and is there evidence to pull out of these figures that we can support that? there is, especially from the eu nationals who are coming here, more of them are coming here with a job to come to that are coming looking for work and i think thatis coming looking for work and i think that is a significant proportion that are now coming with employment prospects arranged for them and they are all unsponsored bezus from the rest of the world and i think it is really important to demonstrate that the uk is open for business and wa nts to the uk is open for business and wants to attract people to come and work and study he

publishing a paper where the eu built them aren't that essentially we leave northern ireland in the eu when the rest of the uk come out of the eu, because northern ireland in that paper, it will be demanded that it would be under the ecj jurisdiction, which would essentially mean that it would still be ruled by the eu while the rest of us would not be. that would create a huge problem for all of us, but also specifically for the dup, who are propping up the government at the moment. that is the gordian knot of this situation. nobody knows how to solve this. what conservatives have not realised is what they signed up to back in december. and they should come up with a solution that satisfies the eu legal framework, it is the status quo. the same regulations north and south of the border? exactly. trading and customs can't change at all. it is very much over to mrs may to say what she is going to do. what the eu is doing here is crafty, they try to move the border from between northern ireland and the republic of ireland two between the island of ireland two between the island of ireland

and how to leave the eu without bringing back a hard north/south irish border. no one wants that but... it is important to tell the truth. a uk decision to leave the single market and to leave the customs union would make border checks unavoidable. it's notjust a political problem at this shoe shop in newry, northern ireland. these shoes are meant for walking, on both sides of the border. customs and tariffs could mean a business like this running into trouble. what we need is easy access from the factory to our shop floor. if there is a hard border, then there will be hold—ups all the way along that we cannot predict. the government wants to keep allies on side. brexiteers who say stand up to brussels, and unionists who say britain and northern ireland must leave the customs union as one. the bottom line is this, that northern ireland will leave the european union with the rest of the united kingdom. we would not countenance a situation where there would either be political constitutional barriers within the united kingdom, and economic barriers within the un

. date for the heads of eu ceuntriek date for the heads of eu cedntriek night at the round table, hosted a night at the round table, hosted by the belgian prime minister before big budget talks begin on friday. the 27 members will meet without the uk to discuss how to plug a hole in the finance is left by britain's exit from the union in 2019. thursday saw the uk's leader theresa may meeting her metres as well, brexit also on the menu here as they discussed the way ahead. -- ministers. if you look what happened before the december european summit, there was a lot of speculation that there was a lot of speculation that the cabinet would not reach agreement. we all agreed a position that the prime minister took to brussels and got a successful outcome. we are determined to get the best possible deal for every pa rt the best possible deal for every part of the united kingdom. britain will be the first country to leave the world's largest trading bloc. there is a long way to go before that happens in 13 months. eu leaders like angela merkel and and emmanuel macron have a long way to go. frid

this stuff about the eu wanting to rule us is just not. there's the fear among hard—core tory brexiteers but they were told, the consequence of theresa may dithering as such, they were told, 2019, we will take back control. money, law and borders, no it will be 2021 because of this transition phase, we have to accept everything. they have no say over what puzzles does because we moving out. brexiteers are worried that brussels could force the laws that we need to acce pt could force the laws that we need to accept that might be to our disadvantage, will have no say in it. ireland pushing for border deal threatens to hit brexit talks, says this headline. steve? if we have said we are coming out of the customs union it brings up the question of what will happen on the border between the north of ireland and the south. a massive issue, ireland squad we will say about it, they want reassurance that button won't have this hard border coming back. it keeps coming back, this argument. this will all hopefully be resolved soon and we can move on.

because the eu will not give it to us because it undermines the eu's integrity. so what would you suggest? in those circumstances, you have to do a cost benefit analysis of where the best benefit for the united kingdom lies, and the best benefit lies in our ability to trade to the maximum possible in providing goods and services, free of regulatory inhibition with our european partners because they are our closest trading partners and no other trading partners elsewhere in the world are ever likely to substitute themselves for it. so that's in the customs union basically, or a customs union, i'm sorry i get stuck on these... it would have to be a customs union if we're out of the single market, all i would say about that and here i think i disagree with ian paisley, is if we are honouring the agreement we reached in december and outlines with the eu on the terms of withdrawal i find it difficult to see how we will not be in a customs union because unless somebody comes up with some extraordinary technical way of avoiding the checks which would have to go with it,

theresa may urged the eu to take a practical approach. this cannot be a time when any of us allow competition between partners, rigid institutional restrictions or deep—seated ideology to inhibit our cooperation and jeopardise the security of our citizens. she's calling for a new security treaty so that the close partnership can continue. failure to agree one would have damaging consequences, she said. we must do whatever is most practical and pragmatic in ensuring our collective security. those who threaten our security would like nothing more than to see us fractured. some listening to this were left bewildered. the brexit decision from the point of view of us inside the eu is extremely regrettable. things would be so much easier if you stayed. so here comes the question... applause mrs may pointed out that brexit was a democratic decision politicians should respect. one senior brussels figure seemed to agree. the commission presidentjean—claude junker said the eu wasn't at war wief eee {jee ee eieee he eeee ee eee he said the secur

we didn‘t leave the eu to oversee the break—up of the united kingdom. it would be catastrophic economically, never mind politically from northern ireland to be cut off from its biggest market. this is not where the story ends. this document is a first draft to be amended by eu member states then negotiated with the government. which has plenty to say about it. the japanese car manufacturer toyota has announced plans to build the latest version of its auris model at its plant in derbyshire. most of the engines for it will also be built in britain, at the company‘s factory in deeside. the government says the plan will help to safeguard 3,000 jobs. one of president trump‘s longest—serving advisers, his communications director, hope hicks, has announced that she will resign. her decision to step down was confirmed by the white house but it‘s not clear when she‘ll leave. miss hicks, who‘s 29, is reported to have said she had achieved everything she could in the role. on tuesday, she was questioned for more than eight hours in the us house of repr

adam, what has the eu been saying?‘ couple of weeks ago eu officials have a private meeting put forward by areas where the uk keeps eu some areas where the uk keeps eu rules and regulations, other areas of the economy where they have the same goal but get there using different rules and regulations, and areas where things are totally different between the two. a document published last night shows the european commission's brexit negotiators said that concept would be incompatible with the eu ground rules for brexit which are all about protecting the integrity of the single market, the internal market as they call it here in brussels. this morning a senior eu diplomat said it looks like the uk was trying to pick bits of the single market it liked and reject bits it didn't like which to them is not an acceptable course of action. this meeting at chequers today is all about the uk agreeing an opening position for the next phase of brexit talks which is all about trade and the future relationship. if we have learned any

but the uk's exit poses problems for the eu too. today, they we re problems for the eu too. today, they were tackling perhaps the thorniest issue of all, the eu's looming budget problem. when uk payments to the eu sees, the eu will face a shortfall of at least 10% of its annual spending. would you accept less and see cuts to spending? well, if you listen to politicians that are holding the budget, usually things are financed. if we want to finance more, we have to pay more. it is very simple. is your country prepared to pay more after brexit? no. if i was to give your short answer, i would say no. soaking that divisions between the eu countries and that might just divisions between the eu countries and that mightjust give the uk at leverage in negotiations to come. —— some leverage. president trump has repeated his call for teachers to be armed with guns so that they can — in his words — "shoot the hell out of any attackers." he was speaking as pressure grows for action after the shooting at a school in florida last week that left 17 peoplke dead. meanwhile, the gove

the different eu member states and something which is truly new is that the eu will have a say it's self whenever there is eu programme at stake and i think that is particularly in the area of energy where we will see the impact of that but there's nothing revolutionary in this. one of the particular concerns right now is the role china plays around the world. we know it is expanding its reach in all sorts of industries, particularly energy but also security and that is where there are concerns about how closely linked to the state many of the chinese firms could be. yes, that is absolutely right but it is only in certain areas that are clearly defined that the eu member states are going to be doing this and what the eu commission and jean—claude juncker, who presented the proposal in september last year is telling them, what you are doing, we want to see more coordination and crucially more transparency. so the more transparent these processes are, the better for everybody. it is a system in the general international trade system, it is allowed to do something like this so there

and it will be a very long process until the eu commission is able to persuade the eu member states that these steps are necessary. we know that your country is being divided. what do you think is happening? what is this all about? i think it is a reaction to 25 years of liberal transformation. the criticism of europe and the european union is not the main driverof europe and the european union is not the main driver of this backlash but it is inevitably also a part of the process because liberalisation and democratisation, the european union this many european night session with the main drivers and now when these liberal credentials, liberal concept for the modernisation of poland are being criticised more and more, also the eu is criticised as a power that has stood behind the process. as i said, i don't think it is an impulse to reject the eu but a certain sort of criticism does resonate positively within elements of polish society. there really is a sense of polish identity perhaps being reshaped and re— forged. interesting and changing and difficult times for this country. j

this is a joint commitment in the uk and eu. brexit is expected to come up and eu. brexit is expected to come up at prime minister's questions, this is the scene at the house of commons. we will bring you queues soon as commons. we will bring you queues soon as it begins. toys r us goes bust putting more than three thousand jobs at risk, while maplin's collapse threatens another two and a half thousand workers. good afternoon. let's go straight to norman smith, prime minister's questions about to begin. norman is there waiting to hearand, norman, it begin. norman is there waiting to hear and, norman, it is clear what will dominate. it is, i think we know that mrs may is going to have to say some words about the package the european commission havejust about the package the european commission have just unveiled, about the package the european commission havejust unveiled, in particular about what is going to happen with the northern ireland border. why? because to dup mps are down on the list to ask questions, they are certain to haskell mrs may will react and they

at the moment britain can trade freely with the eu, as eu member states don't impose import taxes or tariffs on each other‘s goods. all member states also impose the same taxes on goods coming in from outside the bloc, so individual states cannot do their own deals with other countries. and that's what theresa may wants to change, by ruling out staying in any sort of customs union with the eu after brexit. what i would say about the customs union is that if we were members of it it would inhibit our ability to strike deals with other countries, and that is one of the benefits of brexit, that we can have more flexiblity. and we can extend those trade deals across the world. but the prime minister's critics warn that such a break with the eu will be damaging for the economy, disrupting trade with a crucial partner, and raising questions about trade across the irish border. there are a lot of answers we need to know to be able to react. 5s; 11; . views on forward yet to e eggshzgu age, flung: , ,, theresa may has tried to appease restive tory brexiteers, but there will need to be a c

eu's —— were a finance ministers convinced ? —— eu's —— were a finance ministers convinced? —— —— were the finance ministers convinced. in this day and age you can't be selfish and go it alone, it's impossible and so i think each side would realise that. 0f of course we trust david davis but we do not know who will come after him. david davis has made clear that written could raise standards, not just maintain, on animal welfare and climate change, for instance, if we exceed eu minimum, could that be problems as well? that could see costs to adhere to it, that could interfere with competitiveness. but it should not raise new trade barriers with the eu. the government vision of a post—"brexit" britain is becoming a little clearer, and on thursday, prime minister will take the cabinet away from westminster to the cabinet away from westminster to the seclusion of a country retreat to try to resolve any outstanding disagreements and the "brexit" secretary david davis says she will keep them under lock and key until they do. we have been here before it suppose crunch me

that's the question facing eu ministers meeting in bulgaria. china's tech giant huawei tells the bbc it's being barred from the us market for purely commercial reasons — and that security concerns are "rubbish". in asia most share markets are continuing to climb after us shares reached a four—week high. investors are betting us interest rate hikes won't be too aggressive. does europe need to do more to protect itself from foreign takeovers? across the european union it's an issue of growing concern — with eu trade ministers meeting today to discuss the latest developments. foreign direct invesment into the eu — that's when companies invest their money in foreign countries came in at $370 billion last year. not all of it is considered uncontroversial. president of the european commission jean—claude juncker said in september "europe must always defend its strategic interests" such as technology, defence and infrastructure. one of the biggest deals to spark concerns was the 2016 purchase of kuka — germany's largest maker of industrial

the eu has consistently said we can't keep the best bits of the eu without losing somewhere. but that has always been rejected by brexiteers. what my side wants, what most of the country wants is a good deal. the way to get a good deal is to be very clear that we are leaving, we are leaving the single market, leaving the customs union. the fear of others in the tory party and parliament is that the eurosceptics are too close to no 10. this week the prime minister hopes to get the cabinet to find a compromise. what is more important, sticking close to the eu or making the most of freedom outside? we've heard a lot of, we are not going to do this, we are not going to do that. what are we going to do? that is what we're waiting to hear, that is what the 27 countries the uk's negotiating with are waiting to hear. in the meantime this uncertainty is really, really bad for business. no 10 has to make bargains within its party as well as with the eu outside. today's talks were about the eu and the uk plugging back in before the next charged round of negotiations really gets going bu

trade deals are negotiated by the eu. labour's announcement marks a clear difference in policy of the customs union. our political editor laura kuenssberg has more. bit by bit, piece by piece, a clearer view on brexit ifjeremy corbyn was in charge. labour wants to keep our customs deal with the eu essentially the same for good. labour would seek to negotiate a new, comprehensive uk eu customs union, to ensure there are no tariffs with europe and to help avoid any need whatsoeverfor a hard border in northern ireland. but listen very carefully, there is a big if in there. the option of a new uk customs union with the eu would need to ensure that the uk has a say in future trade deals. a new customs arrangement would depend on britain being able to negotiate agreement for new trade deals in our national interest. other countries with similar kinds of deals have very little control. we would have to have a meaningful say in how those negotiations went, and what the agreement was. so we would not end up as simply passive role

wing while, she says she'll fight eu proposals to give residency rights to eu citizens who arrive in britain during the bread clip transition period. —— the brexit transition period. we'll have the latest from westminster and brussels. also this lunchtime. stroke patients are getting younger — the average age at which people have a first stroke has fallen in the last ten years. lifetime bans for doping given to 28 russian athletes are overturned. the ioc says the ruling has serious implications for the fight against drugs in sport. and the duke and duchess meet the crown prince and princess. william and kate continue their scandinavian tour with a visit to norway. and coming up in the sport on bbc news — a record january transfer window sees premier league clubs outspend their counterparts in spain, italy, france and germany put together. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. the prime minister says britain and china are enjoying a golden era in their relationship, after meeting the country's president xijinping in beijing. on the second day of her trip to try to

nearly 50% of our exports go to the eu, so a strong rest of europe matters to the uk. as the government plans the uk's exit from the eu, the economic relationship between britain and the rest of europe will be a vital part of those brexit negotiations. in northern ireland, the democractic unionist party says there's no prospect of a deal to restore northern ireland's devolved government, despite the intensive negotiations of recent days. the dup leader arlene foster said that one of the main stumbling blocks was sinn fein‘s desire for an irish language act. 0ur ireland correspondent chris page has the latest from stormont. a breakthrough seemed likely when theresa may visited northern ireland on monday. she and the irish prime minister said they were hopeful of a deal between the parties at stormont. now, the prospect. renewed power—sharing is disappearing. unionists accused republicans of asking for too much. we have, as i've said before, run out of road in respect of this process. we're not going to be able to get executive up and running because there is not a f

talking about mini cooper crossing between eu and uk borders. the customs union, i think it is a good thing to see that put back on the table but questions around how that would work in practice. not clear whether the uk would strike its own trade agreements. the questions we have relate to what we put forward a few years ago. you can be in a limited customs union similar in scope to what turkey has with the eu but able to strike your own trade agreement, so the devil is still in the detail. many would say that would undermine one of the fundamental beliefs and brexit which is that the uk is free to strike its own trade deals. if you look at jeremy corbyn‘s speech, that is one of the central question is, it does not leave room for negotiation for the uk. suggesting the uk is still negotiating both alongside and independently of the eu with trade negotiations. but with the proposal it is not clear whether the uk would still be doing that or whether the eu would negotiate on the uk's perhaps, meaning changes for treaties. what about maintaining

now the eu says those rights should be extended until the end of any transition. in their view, december 2020. to many brexiteers, that's unacceptable. this is an issue that we can't compromise on. we do need to make it absolutely sure that any eu citizens who come here during the transitional period, will not be given the permanent right to reside in this country. we'll have left the european union and the eu can't expect the same provisions to prevail after we've gone. under pressure from those pro—brexit backbenchers, theresa may told reporters on her trip to china that, in essence, brexit means brexit. people coming to britain after march 2019 — in the full knowledge that we've left the eu — should be treated differently. a point repeated by her ministers in the commons. the citizens' rights agreement reached in december, set out in the joint report, does give certainty about the rights of eu citizens already here going forward, but this agreement does not cover those arriving after we leave the eu. so what would this mean in practice? well, the only cha

it is in the eu treaties. and thenit it. it is in the eu treaties. and then it is difficult to make the argument that we should be in a full customs union and part of eu trade agreements because they do not negotiate trade agreements with other people. so we need that flexibility anyway and the question is how you square that with trying to avoid costly rules of origin applying to manufacturing and industrial goods. this is how we see a way of squaring the circle to a degree. but isn't it is not without friction but slightly less friction? well we are clear in the report it does not remove all barriers to trade with the eu and far from it. you would have to look at the regulatory relationship we have with the single market once we are outside it. there is a lot of technical facilitating solutions we need to be added on to make that border in ireland frictionless but it removes a huge barrier to trade for manufacturers concerned about the supply chain being disrupted by having rules of origin applied to trade with the eu. the prime minister tells us n

people making these decisions living across the eu looking at thejob decisions living across the eu looking at the job adverts that we are placing in their local newspapers to come and work in the nhs, whatare newspapers to come and work in the nhs, what are they going to think? they were work on an nhs but they will have no right to have the benefits of the nhs. it is absurd and inhuman and it is plain un—british. and inhuman and it is plain un-british. remind us what labour's position is on the rights of citizens in this transition phase. we wa nt citizens in this transition phase. we want to stay in the customer ‘s union and the trade market which will enable the free movement in that period. we have all our negotiating chips on the table throughout that period. i want the labour party to go further and i wa nt labour party to go further and i want is to remain permanently in the single market and customs union because that is the way we protect our economy through this. the prime minster has said she willjettison the british economy to satisfy 30 mps who want is out now and have no

and all the evidence suggests more likely if we do it with the eu. the cost—benefit analysis of coming out of the customs union and having a new trade agreementjust isn't... you have got liam fox in a minute, you could ask that. in effect, what happens that this scheme is the eu continues to set her trade arrangements, we cannot do bold new trade deals with america, or india, or australia or whoever. we all want to do bold new trade agreements, but we would be better off doing that with the eu. obviously how that is done, what say we have, has to be negotiated, because there will be entering a new arrangement. but in the end it comes down to the central question, how will you get these trade agreements? is it more likely if you do it with the eu or more likely on your own? and liam fox said was going to be a0 trade agreement line—up for 30 months‘ time. i wonder how he‘s getting on with that. cost—benefit analysis is clear on this, and it will come to a crunch because the amendment is coming out in parliament as you know. a 13—year—old

away from the eu would see it moving away from the eu would see it moving away from the eu as being threatening. the particular choice i have some action donnelly outlining was a choice between the eu and trade opportunities elsewhere. and a continuation of eu trade agreements. ido continuation of eu trade agreements. i do not believe that is the choice we face. we are trying to seek a full and the liberal partnership with the eu. already having discussions about expanding our trade agreements beyond the eu. and talking about rolling over the eu agreements into uk law so we get no disruption in terms of market access at the point of exit. but a choice of one of the other. the brexit process is more complex than a pack of walkers. —— walkers. we will be able to persuade her colleagues, they will find it persuasive and understand the benefits the prime minister set up. to greater economic prosperity... we will have more from liam fox at the top of the hour. in a moment, the with ben brown but first the weather. with ben brown but first the the early amber warnings have no expired.

i'm struck by the lack of accept and said the eu votes thatis lack of accept and said the eu votes that is going on out here, that has been interesting and the prime minister was right to knock that back. that was mentioned by a german diplomat, saying it would be so much easier if you just said in the eu and the audience applauded. is there and the audience applauded. is there an larger mad that she is asking for an larger mad that she is asking for a complete continuation of everything we have got? —— is their an argument. i can see that side of the item about the british people have decided to leave the eu and she has got to be robust with that, she has got to be robust with that, she has got to represent the people who voted for her and the conservative government, we have got to start getting into the detail of this. we can improve our offer around defence and security and we need to have another look in the uk as to how we prioritise security but she did really well today, i thought. it has beena really well today, i thought. it has been a good conference for the prime ministe

the most contentious, the hole left in the eu budget. at least 10 billion new rosy year, roughly 10% of current spending. so the dilemma, will some countries pay more 01’ the dilemma, will some countries pay more or will some receive less? and what to do about the uk's seats in the european parliament? 73 uk meps will go, seats will be cut and some we distributed to other countries. but it is the money that will provoke the biggest arguments. some don't want to see their payments go up, denmark is one. is your country prepared to pay more after brexit? know, ifi should keep my answer short i should say no. britain leaving the eu will not make any of us staying richer so i think we should stay to the idea of putting a limit or cap on our budget. others, like romania, don't wa nt budget. others, like romania, don't want to see what they receive go down. there was a hole in the budget, issue country prepared to accept less and see cuts to spending? you know, if you listen to politicians there is usually a hole in the budget but finally th

and in the document the eu is expected to confirm its fall back position, that eu rules continue to apply on both sides of the irish border after brexit. our correspondent adam fleming is in brussels. todayis today is a significant day for anyone who watches these negotiations, today is a day which could change the future of them. yes, we will get this 120 page document with 168 paragraphs, a few protocols and annexes thrown in for good measure so not easy reading. everyone is looking at the language about the irish border and preventing physical infrastructure. in september three options were agreed, option that a is an amazing trade agreement which obviates the border, option b means that you use technology so you don't have to have a hard border, and option c, the most controversial and the uk government's least favourite, is that northern ireland sticks to the eu's rules on trade, customs and all sorts of things. 0ption eu's rules on trade, customs and all sorts of things. option c is the option that will be detailed in legal language over a whole lot of pages today. however the docum

i wanted to point out the eu, the united position is likely to splinter and has already. why? it hasn't. 27... because the first post brexit budget of 2021 is starting to be discussed. we will see it in may, there are significant differences emerging and more will emerge over trying to plug that big hole, 10 billion euros. that is something the uk can take advantage of? indeed, one hopes they can, especially in the security cooperation field. the europeans must spend more on security. no one knows what it will look like, perhaps not even alex. the important thing is not the security, we all agreed. the brits need europe. the canada thing, this delusion that the uk will get canada plus, plus, plus. the canada deal took seven years. alex is saying that's a posture. you know very well it does not include service, financial service. yes, but the canadian deal is not useless. more over, the average trade deal takes two or less and you must bear in mind the importance attached to a trade deal between us and the eu if there is to be one, given we are each other‘s largest trading pa

the eu's has consistently said we can't keep the best bits of the eu without losing somewhere. but that has always been rejected by brexiteers. what my side wants, what most of the country wants is a good deal. the way to get a good deal is to be very clear that we are leaving, we are leaving the single market, leaving the customs union. the fear of others in the tory party and the government is that the eurosceptics are too close to no 10. this week the prime minister hopes to get the cabinet to find a compromise. what is more important, sticking close to the eu or making the most of freedom outside? we've heard a lot of, we are not going to do this, we are not going to do that. what are we going to do? that is what we're waiting to hear, that is what the 27 countries the uk's negotiating with waiting to hear. in the meantime this uncertainty is really, really bad for business. no 10 has to make bargains within its party as well as with the eu outside. today's talks were about the eu in the uk plug—in backing before the next charge round of negotiations really gets going but

tomorrow the eu will put out their d raft tomorrow the eu will put out their draft recommendation for the withdrawal next stage and what is good to happen with ireland. from the stories coming tonight, it looks as though they are playing a tough game too. they are not going to go with a prime minister's preferred options and they are saying the northern ireland needs to stay in some sort of customs agreement. it's a mess. and as we've already seen, opposition mps suggesting this calls into question boris johnson's position. well, i just into question boris johnson's position. well, ijust don't quite see where he's coming from on this. is it see where he's coming from on this. isita see where he's coming from on this. is it a game of bluff? we've got to talk tough and we got to be tough with the eu and ultimately we'll see how far we can push them. i don't know. all i can think is that either he doesn't understand how the border really works and how the good friday agreement has been operating so that you have this frictionless, seamless interaction between north and south, oi’ inter

but for the dup, the eu to stop that hard border reappearing. but forthe dup, of course as a result of this confidence and supply arrangement with theresa may's government, they don't want northern ireland to be treated any differently to the rest of the uk. that is utterly bizarre to me, they say they don't want a ha rd to me, they say they don't want a hard border but they are in favour of brexit and what appears to be a pretty ha rd of brexit and what appears to be a pretty hard brexit. you think, how can those two things go together? it doesn't make any sense to me, their position. hopefully there are lawyers that can work this stuff out and it would be some kind of fudge, wouldn't it? one of the that i keep hearing from brexiteers is that technology will solve this problem and we will have very advanced capabilities so even if there are different regulations between the two countries, a computer can check through to make sure everything is fine. what about all the people... i don't understand it, the people who cross over every day who work

and so regulations that the eu upholds. and so they're essentially saying this just to stay in place —— needs to stay in place. is also historical tensions with that border. of course. the good friday agreement has been successful in the large part... one of the scariest things brexit calls into question is the good friday agreement. the dup, obviously in conference with the conservatives. arlene foster said in december that any form of regulatory divergence between northern ireland and the rest of uk was unacceptable. this is going to be a big problem. and if you remember, she kicked up a bit of a stink to theresa may, which set back this issue of them finding agreement over its. also, rosalind andi agreement over its. also, rosalind and i were talking about eight twitter comments enda kenny from a viewer. talking about how maybe theresa may should take on the rambling border... —— a twitter comment came in from a viewer. lots of roads keep crossing over, was the points. and there are farmers would land on both sid

and next she must persuade the eu, too. any negotiation is compromise. the choice for the prime minister is who will take and who must give. our political reporter emma vardy joins me from westminster. eight hours of talking. how much progress had they made let's elope that is right. it was talking. and months and months and months of talking before that. there was no big reveal moment tonight, no public statement at the gates of checkers. but we never expected that. there was never expected to be great detail revealed at the end of this. the ministerial cars sped away into the night. we were told from downing street in a short statement that the prime minister will be setting out the way forward in a speech next week. i can tell you that there are some snippets from sources inside the meeting that are reaching us at westminster. we are told, from one person around that table in checkers, that the prime minister played a blinder. that's the —— she persuaded brexiteers to change their minds. we can take some guess at that. another called it a breakthr