m“ realities of geography actually go against that because we are a european country. even the prime minister has said we are a european country. when you look at the dry trade and economics of it, we would love to do deals with australia and the us, but half of all trade is with the eu 27 countries. it is not just the tariffs, it will be the slowing down of customs transactions. with 80% of the economy and the service sector, the risks of eating being allowed to trade at all in some sectors, financial services and insurance, i think that there are some big questions. and if you work in those sectors you should be asking your employer is what certainties you have that we can still do business in the way that we could, before today. theresa villiers, do you have concerns about workers' rights, that we will become a tax haven, to use the phrase ofjeremy corbyn, it will become a bargain basement where

regulation is stripped away? workers‘ rights will stay as they are or arguably strengthen. in terms of environmental protection, i believe obviously that the government has a commitment to retain almost all eu laws. i think we will need to look at how we regulate on these environmental matters. we will continue to share almost all of the same goals as the european union, but in a number of insta nces we european union, but in a number of instances we can find a way to achieve these goals in a manner which is not so costly and over burdensome to our economy. peter whittle, before we say goodbye to you and natalie bennett, can you say what you thought about the tone of theresa may‘s statement today, the fa ct theresa may‘s statement today, the fact that she talks in her letter about this special in deep partnership that she wants to build and retain with european union? she talks about corporation and she does talks about corporation and she does talk in emollient terms to repeat what natalie bennett said. is that what natalie bennett said. is that what you would have done? of course

we are going to cooperate. we cooperated with europe before the eu. we have been in it for 44 years. just that amount of time. the fact is, on all sorts of areas we would continue to cooperate, security being one of them. the problem is, for theresa may, she has got a very good way of talking the talk. she took straight off, she has done it before on migration, islam and now on the eu. we have to make sure she walks the walk and there is no backsliding now and two years‘ time. that is absolutely vital. peter whittle, thank you. natalie bennett, a final thought from you, looking ahead to the negotiations, it didn‘t be combated, it needn‘t be two sides fighting each other, it could be more cordial, couldn‘t it? fighting each other, it could be more cordial, couldn't it? possibly it could be, theoretically, it could be. when we look at the british government, the obvious fissures

through the british government, tory party which is being torn apart of —— with different views of what the future looks like. i want to talk about peter whittle‘s comment of their their westminster we have a tory government, theresa may only won a small majority. take back control, that is a hashtag i agree with. we need to take back control of westminster. we need political reform in britain, that is where the crucial issues in the coming months live. thank you forjoining us. just looking at the figures, journey is the biggest net contributor —— germany is the biggest net contributor. france is way down at six because of the common agricultural policy. a few others are net contributors but everyone else is a net recipient. before you

goi else is a net recipient. before you go i can give you the answer to guess the year. it was 200a. chris leslie, we can see who has won. you have triggered article 50! trevor archer from have triggered article 50! trevor archerfrom newark, congratulations, you have won the mug. there is a brexit commemorated teapot as well i am told. thank you to all of our guests. at seven o‘clock tonight on bbc one i will be interviewing the prime minister on her plans for the brexit negotiations and at 7:30pm i will be joined by the labour leaderjeremy corbyn and the lib dems leader tim farron. i hope you canjoin me tonight. and we will both be back at noon tomorrow with all of the reaction to today‘s historical events. make sure you canjoin today‘s historical events. make sure you can join us today‘s historical events. make sure you canjoin us then, if you can. from all of us here, goodbye.

lam ben from all of us here, goodbye. i am ben brown reporting live from brussels outside the headquarters of the european commission. and today, the european commission. and today, the british government has today formally notified the european union that the uk is leaving after 44 yea rs of that the uk is leaving after 44 years of membership. article 50 of the lisbon treaty was triggered when the lisbon treaty was triggered when the british representative, the permanent representative here in brussels, sir tim barrow, permanent representative here in brussels, sirtim barrow, handed a letter which had been signed last night by theresa may in downing street, brought to brussels and then sirtim street, brought to brussels and then sir tim barrow handed it personally to donald tusk, president of the european council at 12:20pm this afternoon. when donald tusk acknowledged receipt of that letter,

article 50 was formerly triggered nine months after the referendum in which the british people said it wa nted which the british people said it wanted to leave. theresa may‘s letter sets out her desire for the two years of negotiations on brexit. she said the uk and the eu have a deep and special will issue. in the commons, after the letter had been handed over, she told mps that the process of leaving the eu she hoped would make britain a more united country. we all want to see a britain that is stronger than it is today. we all wa nt stronger than it is today. we all want a britain that is fairer so eve ryo ne want a britain that is fairer so everyone has a chance to succeed. we all want a nation that are safe and secure for our children and grandchildren. we all want to live ina grandchildren. we all want to live in a truly global britain that builds relationships with new allies around the world. these are the ambitions of this government‘s plan for britain, ambitions which unite

us $0 for britain, ambitions which unite us so we‘re no longer defined by the boat we cast but by our determination to make a success of the result. we are on great union of people and nations with a proud history and a bright future. and now that the decision to leave has been made and the process is underway, it is time to come together. for this great national moment needs a great national effort, an effort to shape a stronger future for britain, so let us do so together. let us come together and work together. let us together and work together. let us together choose to believe in britain with optimism and hope, for if we do, we can make the most of the opportunities ahead, we can together make a success of this moment, and we can together build a stronger, fairer, better britain, a britain our children and grandchildren are proud to call home. i commend this statement to

the house. that was the prime minister in the house of commons after her letter had been handled to donald tusk, president of the european council hearing brussels. we wed get donald tusk‘s rear was sponsored to —— we will not get donald has‘s response until friday. we did get a short statement after he received that letter and he said that was not a day he would pretend to be happy about. so, here this. six pages. the notification from prime minister theresa may triggering article 50. and formally starting the negotiations of the united kingdom‘s withdrawal from the european negotiations of the united kingdom‘s withdrawalfrom the european union. there is no reason to pretend that

this is a happy day. not in brussels nor in london. after all, most europeans, including almost half the british voters wish that we would stay together, not drift apart. as for me, i will not pretend that i am happy today. but paradoxically, there is also something positive in brexit. brexit has made us, the community of 27, more determined and more united than before. i am fully confident of this, especially after the rome declaration, and today i can say that we will remain determined and united also in the future, also during the difficult

negotiations ahead. this means that both i and the commission have a strong mandate to protect the interests of the 27. there is nothing to win in this process, and lam nothing to win in this process, and i am talking about both sides. in essence, this is about damage control. our goal is clear. to minimise the cost for the eu citizens, businesses and member states. we will do everything in our power and we have all the tools to achieve this goal. and what we should stress today is that as for now, nothing has changed. until the

united kingdom leaves the european union, eu law will continue to apply to and within the uk. finally, i would like to say that we have just released an official statement by the european council, in which leaders stressed that we will act as one, and start negotiations by focusing on all key arrangements for an orderly withdrawal. on friday, i will share a proposal of the negotiating guidelines with the member states, to be adopted by the european council on the 29th of april. that was donald tusk. we have also heard from michel barnier, the chief eu negotiator who will be a pivotal figure in the next two years, and he

says our brexit team is ready. we will work for the eu 27 member states. that is michel barnier, who isa states. that is michel barnier, who is a really key figure in the coming negotiations. michel barnier saying that he is ready, as you would expect. let‘s talk now in brussels to tom nuttall who is a european columnist for the economist. what are your thoughts on a day of history for the united kingdom and european history?|j think kingdom and european history?” think the choreography has been relatively successful so far. i think eu officials will be relatively pleased with the content of the article 50 letter at theresa may said today. the tone was fairly conciliatory and very pointedly she did not include the threat that she has previously made, that no deal is better than a bad deal. i think they

will be pleased about that but no one should be under any illusions about the difficulty of the talks to come. difficult because they will drive a hard bargain at the eu? they certainly will. britain is keen to get on with talks about a post brexit trade deal before the talks have been finalised, but what you hear from officials at brussels as they want the settlement, the bill, they want the settlement, the bill, the rights of citizens sorted out before they start talking about the free trade deal to come. that is an important difference. some people say it could be five or even ten yea rs before say it could be five or even ten years before they get a trade deal? in deed. the recent trade deal that the eu struck with canada, that took seven the eu struck with canada, that took seve n yea rs the eu struck with canada, that took seven years to negotiate. trade deals are always difficult. britain will say that is very difficult because we are starting from a position of free trade and we want to ensure we keep the barriers as

low as possible. what you can say is that there is that she no one in this town who thinks it will be possible to get the trade deal done in the two—year period that the article 50 trick allows. what about a sense that some people in the eu wa nt to a sense that some people in the eu want to punish britain and make an example britain, showing other countries that you cannot leave without life being pretty miserable? i would not use the word punishment, thatis i would not use the word punishment, that is not right at all. but what there certainly is in a lot of european capitals, a feeling that we must ensure that the deal britain has after it leaves is material worse than what it has inside the eu —— materially worse. a lot of politicians will look at that and think i want a piece of that, why don‘t we leave as well and that is what they are very keen to make sure does not happen. we are going to hearfrom

we are going to hear from the european parliament later. they have laid out some red lines. they will not be involved in day—to—day negotiations during the two years but it‘ll have a vote on the final deal, and will have a veto on final deal, and will have a veto on final deal so its considerations will need to be taken into account and it may play hardball on these issues, harder than some european governments. we will hear more from donald tusk on the european negotiating position on friday. what are likely to be those red lines that they will not concede on? one of the crunch issues is going to be the so—called brexit bill, the financial settlement involved in leaving. most people on the eu side, britain‘s membership and agreement of the last eu budget involves a legal responsibility for financial obligations the eu has undertaken. what we have some quarters in london is that you if you are leaving the clu b is that you if you are leaving the club there should be no cost to leaving. that could be a fierce point of contention from day one.

similarly, there will be important discussions on the rights of eu citizens in britain and british citizens in britain and british citizens in britain and british citizens in europe and the primary issueis citizens in europe and the primary issue is going to be the border with ireland. these are the issues that will be highlighted in the guidelines that will be circulated on friday. we're talking about a two year time frame but in reality is a lot less because negotiations will get underway until may, there you have french and german elections so they do not get underway until the autumn in earnest. not until late may at the earliest, probablyjune, by which time the french election will have taken place, we have an important german election in september. many people think nothing of substance will be agreed until after that. at the end of the process , after that. at the end of the process, you will need four, five months of various classifications in the european parliament, take out those and you‘re looking at barely one yearfor the those and you‘re looking at barely one year for the substantial issues to get work out. then talking about

a trade deal becomes more difficult to accomplish within this two year time frame. that‘s why so many people in this town think it is extraordinary that number ten are still arguing that they can get this trade deal worked out in that article 50p rate. they think that britain is starting to understand that, also. —— in that article 50 time frame. they are going to be losing a lot of money in the eu, money that goes to smaller states that needed. it is a very important point. the eu budget is coming up for negotiation anyway. brexit blows a big hole in it because britain is a big hole in it because britain is a substantial contributed to the budget. that doesn‘t necessarily give britain leveraged because what it may mean is that you will have an unusual alignment of interest from net payers like germany and the

netherlands and net recipients, and that common interest is to get britain to pay as much as possible, so that they do not lose out. in historic terms, the eu has always grown and it is about to shrink. how much of a blow to the morale of this place is that, if you like? it is a blow, sometimes underplayed by officials in this town. some would say that britain was often a brake on integration and progress. it is a blow, and it would be a blow to some third parties. i have been talking to diplomats in places like japan and to watch one of the richest, most important eu members leave certainly diminishes the eu, in their eyes. that is something that we might start to see play out in the coming years. when you say that the coming years. when you say that the uk is being perceived as a brake on integration, does that mean that the eu will integrate politically and economically, faster? that is

the $60 million question. one area to look at is defence and security. britain has always been a brake on any move within the eu to integrate military and security policy. you are starting to see that every of discussions advance. there may be some stuff to look forward to on that in the coming months. in other areas, like the eurozone, britain is not a member, you think of the schengen area, britain is also not a member. the departure britain makes no difference. so what to do about asylu m no difference. so what to do about asylum and migration policy, in one or two areas, it might make a substantial difference. in some of the most important, it might not make any difference at all. thank you for your analysis. paul nuttall, of the economist. talking to in brussels, —— tom nuttall. sirtim barrow, britain‘s ambassador has walked into the office of donald

tusk at the european council and handed him that letter from theresa may, formerly notifying him of britain‘s desire to leave the eu, and as soon as he acknowledged receipt of that letter from theresa may, article 50 and brexit were formerly triggered. that is the latest from brussels. back to you, jane. let‘s talk a little bit about that letter, which was delivered to donald tusk in the last hour. it is worth taking a look at a couple of the key points in paragraphs in this, saying that the decision britain took lastjune this, saying that the decision britain took last june was this, saying that the decision britain took lastjune was no rejection of the values we share as fellow europeans. it was about to restore national self—determination. the letter then goes on to explain what happens next, essentially. several references to certainty, the government wanting citizens and businesses in the uk to be afforded as much certainty as possible, as early as possible, through this next

couple of years, with a nod to the needs of businesses which have long called for certainty in all of this. interesting comments about devolution. we will negotiate as one united kingdom says the prime minister, taking due account of the specific interests of every nation and region of the uk as we do so. all of this coming against the backdrop of the boat at holyrood last night, the scottish parliament, wanting a second independence referendum. interestingly, theresa may goes on to say in this letter to donald tusk, it is the expectation of the government that the outcome of the government that the outcome of this process will be a significant increase in the decision—making power of each devolved administration, so references to certainty, to our future relationship with europe, and to what all this might mean for scotland, wales and northern ireland. we will talk more about this later with norman smith. let‘s get the thoughts of business, one of

the things mentioned in this letter, and other correspondence, rachel horne, who is in the city of london. just over my shoulder you can see the city of london, some of those iconic buildings which housed much of the uk‘s financial services sector, which is worth around £120 billion a year to the uk economy and employs more than 1.1 million people. workers in those buildings will be watching events today closely, wondering what it means for their future and what it means for their future and what it means for theirjobs. one survey suggested that up to 75,000 jobs could go from london‘s financial sector as a direct consequence of brexit. we‘ve had a trickle of announcements since the summer from banks had a trickle of announcements since the summerfrom banks including goldman sachs, ubs, hs —— hsbc, announcing there will be moving some jobs abroad. we expect an announcement tomorrow from lloyd‘s of london about the location of their new eu headquarters and it is not going to be over there. we have

had some banks including barclays and deutsche bank making a commitment to london. what could all this mean for jobs commitment to london. what could all this mean forjobs in london, for the financial services sector? i am joined by andrew kane, head of consultancy services at pwc. this figure of 75,000 jobs possibly going, the thing that is realistic? it is hard to say the exact number. we will see announcements from companies moving jobs out of the uk asa plan companies moving jobs out of the uk as a plan foray are brexit. the truth is, it is more complicated than that. companies have been looking at how the organisations should be organised and, therefore, i think that the net number will be quite different and we have to wait and see as we go to negotiations how companies decide that they are best organise, to deal with brexit. companies decide that they are best organise, to dealwith brexit. you do financial services, you help clients like banks plan their

businesses. you have been helping them with contingency plans since them with contingency plans since the brexit vote, and now that brexit is happening, what are they concerned about? they can -- they are concerned that they will lack access that they have enjoyed for many years to the european markets. since the referendum announcement they'd been planning on a contingency basis for if they have to move. what they are doing now is activating those plans and starting to move operations to preserve that market access. ultimately what happens depends on where the order books get to, but they will be planning for a situation which could be the most negative but hoping that the negotiations that we go through in the next two years will lead to a different outcome. triggering article 50 gives a two—year time frame. is that something that your clients are happy with? some

companies are concerned about brexit, some less so. some of the major banks, they're talking about transition periods of over five years. the banks are complicated organisations and putting through a major change programme takes many years. two years is a very short space of time. it is actually a very short space of time for major organisations to implement the changes they might need to do if brexit requires them. do these banks and insurance companies think that the uk has a negotiating team that can get them what they want from brexit? they have made significant representations to government. they have stressed the importance of the financial services sector not just the uk but do the whole of europe. we should see it as a real european asset, this sector. they hope those representations will be acted on by the uk government but also by overseas governments, in preserving the marketplace for the whole of europe. andrew, thank you for your time. traders in the city of london

over my shoulder will be watching stirling, because that is going to tell the tale of the impact of brexit. any hint that the uk is going to get a favourable deal should see a rise in sterling, any idea that we will not get what we need should see sterling falling. since the brexit vote stolen has fallen 13% against the dollar, 11% against the euro. but we will see how negotiations will proceed. in the last 2a hours, sterling was up, then down this morning and has now recovered back to where it was so far today. so the issue there is that it far today. so the issue there is thatitis far today. so the issue there is that it is volatile but flat. so we will see where we move on to from here. much more from here at westminster in the next hour, and from brussels as well and across the uk. we willjust pause and catch up with the weather prospects wherever you are. let‘s get the details from phil avery. midweek was always going to bea

phil avery. midweek was always going to be a bit more cloudy and damp and our weather watchers are proving that to be the case quite widely across the british isles today with only one or two meaningful gaps in the cloud showing up on our latest satellite sequence. the north—west of scotla nd satellite sequence. the north—west of scotland has done quite well at times today. the cloud is thick enough to be producing rain across northern and western parts of the british isles. that will keep going for a good part of the afternoon and into the evening. the north—western corner of scotland with dry conditions but it will be wetter down towards the bruce and galloway with the odd bolsover in getting into northern ireland, wet across the cumbrian fells and across greater manchester. the welsh hills and the south west getting more than theirfair and the south west getting more than their fair share. and the south west getting more than theirfair share. some dry and the south west getting more than their fair share. some dry weather to report, although cloudy, but where ever you are, it is not cold, despite all that cloud and rain, we will see temperatures above the seasonal norm. the heaviest of the rain working its way across

scotland, getting up towards the northern isles. leaving behind lots of cloud, south—westerly breeze, and temperatures with pretty high values during the course of the night. those are values would expect to see by daytime at this time of year. still quite wet across some of these western higher ground areas. but, as i say, with a bit of blackness and some dry areas across east anglia and the south—east, could be looking at around 21,22, and the south—east, could be looking at around 21, 22, and and the south—east, could be looking ataround 21, 22, and even and the south—east, could be looking at around 21, 22, and even under that cloud and rain you are well into the teens. on friday, that wet weather dominating the scene across central and northern scotland gradually through the day, easing its way north. friday still pretty cloudy for many, a week weather front going through the british isles, more cloud than anything else and then, by sunday, we are building in high pressure. the showers that will be a theme of saturday for many

parts of the british isles will, in fa ct, parts of the british isles will, in fact, tend to fade away as that pressure topples into the atlantic, settling things down nicely, breaking up some the cloud and we will see temperatures in the south—east with highs of 16. welcome to bbc news. the time is1pm. the time is 2pm. i‘mjane hill in i‘m jane hill in westminster, where after more than four decades as a member of the eu, the united kingdom is officially set off on its own path. this was the moment when aj wring article 50 was handed over in brussels to the president of the european council. this is six pages, the notification from prime minister theresa may triggering article 50.

in that letter, the prime minister said the uk was leaving the european union, but not leaving europe. we are going to take control of the things that matter