without doubt this is the most catastrophic child—abuse legacy within our living memory. kidnapping, sexual abuse in the uk before they were sent — before they were sent! between 1945 and 1974 britain accelerated the migration of poor sorry... we need to leave that report and go to brussels and listen to theresa may speaking after the european summit. through the new and equal partnership we want to build between the eu and a self—governing global britain. i need to say a few words on each. first, on migration, we have reviewed progress on implementing the action plan reviewed on our last summit in malta. we more to tackle the vile people smuggling rings who profit from the migrants' misery. we need a manage, control, and truly global approach. that is what this council agreed. we need to help

ensure refugees claim asylum in the first safe country they reach, and help those countries support the refugee so they don't have to make the perilous journey to refugee so they don't have to make the perilousjourney to europe. and we need a better overall approach to managing economic migration. one which recognises that all countries have the right to control their borders. later this evening, we will begin our discussions on the western balkans. i will make clear my concerns about the potential for increased instability in that region, and the risks that presents to our collective security. i will call for the international community to therefore do more to tackle organised crime in the region, including by working more closely with our western balkans partners. and in light of the alleged montenegro coup plot, i will call for us to do more to counter destabilising russian disinformation campaigns, and raise the visibility of western commitment to this

region. the uk will lead the way by hosting the 2018 western balkans summit. in the run—up to this year, we will enhance our security cooperation with our western balkans partners, including an serious and organised crime, anti—corruption and cyber security. finally, turning to brexit, our european partners have made clear to me that they want to get on with the negotiations, and so do why. it is time to get on with leaving the european union and building the independent, self—governing, global britain the british people have called for. and so, asi british people have called for. and so, as i have said, we will trigger article 50 by the end of this month. this will be a defining moment for the uk as we begin the process of forging a new role for ourselves in the world. as a strong country with control over our borders and over oui’ control over our borders and over our laws. and, as the chancellor made clear yesterday, we will use this moment of change to build a stronger economy and a there is society that works for ordinary

working people by embracing genuine economic and social reform at home —— afairer economic and social reform at home —— a fairer society. britain is leaving the european union, but we are not leaving europe. a global britain that stands tall in the world will be a britain that remains a good friend and ally to all of our european partners. thank you. now, laura, first hand up? thank you, prime minister. you have said many times that you believe deeply that vote rs times that you believe deeply that voters must be able to trust their politicians. let me read you something, if i may. a conservative government will not raise vat, income tax or national insurance. now, as you well know, that appeared in the conservative manifesto in 2015, the basis upon which voters elected the tory government. will you admit that you have broken that promise to the public? and if you don't, don't you risk looking like other politicians who try to wriggle

out of uncomfortable truths, those politicians that you yourself have criticised for doing just that? we have been very clear, the government was very clear, that when the tax legislation was passed, that it related to the class one national insurance contributions. now of course it is class one nics that cover 85% of workers. the legislation was clear that it was honouring our manifesto commitment in our 2015 manifesto, and no amendments or concerns were raised at the time. but let me, if i may, just talk about the budget yesterday. because we did make some difficult decisions in the budget yesterday. but those decisions allowed us to fund an ambitious new approach to technical education, to open more than 100 new free schools and meet the growing demand for social care as well as investing in the long—term productivity of the economy. and it did so while maintaining our commitment to balance the country's books. now, the decision on national insurance was taken in the context of a rapidly changing labour market. in

which the number of people in self—employment, often doing the same work as people who are in employed more traditionally, is rising rapidly. and i understand that the institute for fiscal studies earlier today has said that it actually backed the rises to class four national insurance contributions paid by the self—employed because they say that the current system distorts decisions, creates complexity and is unfair. andi decisions, creates complexity and is unfair. and i think you come to reforming tax, and, yes, raising revenue to pay for skills, schools and social care, you need to ask yourself a number of things. first of all you need to ask, is the money going on the right things? i have just listed hugely important investments that were making, such as technical education. you need to ask whether it is making the tax is the more sustainable. what we see is, yes, it is because the shift toward self—employment is eroding the tax base. it is making it harder to afford the public services on

which ordinary working families depend. and this goes some way towards fixing that. i think you need to us, is it fair? and i think it is that close the gap on contributions between two people doing the same work, and using the same public services to make the same public services to make the same contribution to wider society. and i think the final question you ask is suggestive of the changes that will be brought through an nics to class two and class four, taken together under those, the lowest self—employed workers will be better off —— the lowest paid. and half of the revenues will be paid by the best of, the wealthiest. and of course the change to national insurance will require legislation of its own. it will not be part of the finance bill. that is always what happens with national insurance changes. and those elements of the package will be brought forward in the autumn, as i say, making lower paid self—employed workers better off. and what we will do this summer is published a paper which will explain the full effects of the changes to class two and class four,

along with some changes we plan to make on rights and protections. the workers, including on issues like pension rights and parental rights. —— for self—employed workers. and maternity pay. and if you just remember, bora, one of the first things i did as prime minister was commissioned matthew taylor to review the rights and protections that were available to self—employed workers and whether they should be in hearts. and people will be able to look at the government paper when we produce it, showing all of our ranges and take a judgment —— whether they should be in hearts. the chancellor will be speaking to mps, and others to others to listen to their concerns. as i have said, this is a change that leaves lower paid a self—employed workers better off. it is accompanied by more rights and protections for self—employed workers. and it reforms the system of national insurance to make it simpler and there and more progressive. and next, kate? sorry, kate, yes? thank

you. kate mccann from the telegraph. prime minister, borisjohnson has called upon you to channel margaret thatcher and make clear to our eu partners that a brexit divorce would be unreasonable. do you agree with the foreign secretary that such a bill would be unreasonable? first of all, let me be clear, there is only ever one margaret thatcher. but if it comes to the issue of the comments about paying money into the european union, boris is clear and i am clear that when people voted on the 23rd ofjune for us to leave the european union, they voted for us in the future not paying huge sums of money into the european union every year. and of course when we leave the eu, that will be the case. faisal? prime minister, just that on the budget, you said that you felt that this was a matter for the

legislation. but the manifesto was very clear... five times it said that national insurance would not be raised. ordinary working people will have just read the manifesto. what do you say to those people who feel short—changed by this? do you say to those people who feel short-changed by this? as i said in my earlier answer to laura, when the tax legislation was put through that dealt with the tax legislation in the manifesto, it was clear that it related to class one national insurance. that covers 85% of workers. so 85% of the people who are workers are covered by that class one national insurance element of the tax law. and that the time it was made very clear that it was that legislation that was delivering on our manifesto commitment. there were no amendments or concerns raised at the time. final question. yes? nancy

hungerford from cnbc. prime minister ‘ are hungerford from cnbc. prime minister — are you confident that you have us president donald trump's full support in getting the best deal for the uk? first of all, when i was with president trump, i was very pleased, we were able to discuss the future relationship of course on trading terms for the united kingdom with the united states of america. he is keen that we enhance that trading relationship, as am i. of course there are limits to what we can sign up to until we have actually left the european union. but we are, as with other countries, able to start talking about the sort of arrangements that we can have in trading terms. the point i made to president trump, as i have made to my european colleagues, is that it is in the interests of the united kingdom for us to have a strong european union, the strong remaining 27 in the european union, i think thatis 27 in the european union, i think that is important for us and for the united states as well. i will take

one more question. yes? the danish prime ministersaid... one more question. yes? the danish prime minister said... thank you so much, blonde bird tv. the danish foreign minister said that —— blomberg. brexit could take up to 50 years, is he wrong? what makes you think that it will actually be possible to do it within two years, given that we know michel barnier for example is very a kingston negotiating a parallel trade deal at the same time as a brexit deal —— very against negotiating. what makes you think it will actually be possible to do it within two years, given that we know michel barnier for example is very against negotiating a parallel trade deal at the same time as a brexit deal? well, first of all, obviously the treaty sets out that in looking when

some of these countries are leaving the european union, the process which is article 50 sets out is for the withdrawal but also setting the framework for the future relationship actually should take the two years. and that is the timetable that we are working to, and that is the timetable that the european union is working too. yes, iam european union is working too. yes, i am optimistic that we can achieve a good and comprehensive free trade deal with the european union. why am i optimistic about that? it is not just about what is in the uk's interests, it is also about what is in the interests of the european union. i think what we see in the discussions on, that i hear that increasingly as we look, obviously we haven't started them go shisha is, we lost those when we trigger article 50, and we will do that by the end of this month —— we haven't started the negotiations. when we come to look at them, what people will see is that the relationship between the uk and the eu of the future matters not just between the uk and the eu of the future matters notjust in the uk, this isn't just about what is future matters notjust in the uk, this isn'tjust about what is good for the this isn'tjust about what is good forthe uk, it

this isn'tjust about what is good for the uk, it is about what is good for the uk, it is about what is good for the uk, it is about what is good for the european union as well. i believe a good free trade arrangement could win the uk on european union is in the interests of both sides of that negotiation. thank you very right, thank you. studio: a few questions there from the gathered crowd who have been waiting patiently for about 1.5 hours to hear theresa may speaking following what is expected to be her last eu summit before britain triggers article 50. she took some questions about the budget, which wasn't what she was there to talk about of course. but finally she said she feels optimistic that they can achieve a free trade deal with the european union in two years. more on that later, but now a look at the weather with sarah. good evening. after a fine, springlike day we have clear skies across many parts of the country at the moment. this evening and overnight the cloud will creep in from the west, low cloud across the south—west with some hill fog. drizzle in parts of northern ireland and the west of

scotland. central and eastern parts of the countries being clear. this is where will have the lowest temperatures. a touch of frost in the north—east first thing. the eastern parts of the uk will keep the sunshine for august on friday. further west, the cloud increases through the day. hill fog for wales on the south—west. in the south—east of england and east anglia we should see the sunshine blasting through most of the day. the cloud will break elsewhere, temperatures up to around 13 degrees. most of us staying dry into friday evening. heading through the weekend we will see france moving in. during saturday, most parts of the country looking dry with spells of sunshine. by looking dry with spells of sunshine. by the time would get a sunday, rain clearing eastwards through the day and temperatures a few degrees lower. bye—bye. this is bbc news, i'm martine croxall,

the headlines at eight. the chanchellor defends his plans to increase national insurance contributions for the self—employed as a number of conservative mps call for a rethink of yesterday's budget announcement. the shift toward self employment is eroding the tax base and is making it harder to avoid the public services on which ordinary working families depend. those comments came at theresa may's final eu summit in brussels. the health secretary said it is essential that a&e departments in england hit their target for waiting times now that extra money has been pumped into care and health services. and in the next hour, remembering those who served in iraq, afghanistan and the gulf war. may this memorial commemorates the lives and service