this is bbc news. the headlines at eight: the eu gets tough on brexit — european council president donald tusk says there'll be no talks on trade until there's a deal on the divorce. starting parallel talks on all issues at the same time, as some have suggested in the uk, will not happen. gibraltar accuses spain of manipulating the european council for its own political interests. it's official — nicola sturgeon sends the letter to theresa may formally asking for powers to hold a second independence referendum. expect longer waits for hip and knee replacements and other routine operations — nhs england say its a ‘trade—off‘ for better a&e and cancer care. also this hour: launching one of the biggest wildlife conservation projects ever seen in britain. the multimillion pound back from the brink campaign aims to save at least 20 species from extinction. making the final cut —

after 72 years in the family salon, a 93—year—old hairdresserfinally surrenders her scissors. good evening. the eu has asserted its control over the brexit negotiations by publishing its draft guidelines for the talks ahead. it has rejected the government's plan to begin negotiating a trade deal at the same time as the price to be paid for leaving the eu. the guidelines state that only when there has been what it calls "sufficient progress" on the separation settlement can trade talks begin. they also say establishing the future status of eu citizens living in the uk is a priority along

with keeping open northern ireland's borders with ireland. our europe correspondent damian grammaticus has more. after all the shadow—boxing, now coming into focus the eu's terms for brexit. they are guidelines for now, but donald tusk made clear the eu will insist the uk sorts out its exit arrangements first. so an outline agreement on citizens rights, on financial liabilities, before anything else. whilst we have achieved sufficient progress on the withdrawal, can we discuss the framework for future relationship. starting parallel talks on all issues at the same time, as suggested by some in the uk, will not happen. so the eu is explicitly rejecting theresa may's position. no trade talks at first, future ties only outlined during a second phase of negotiations.

no special access for industries like cars and banking. the eu excludes a sector by sector approach to its single market, and the transition would be under eu rules, uk required to accept existing union structures. transition periods mean that you are still a member, or at least you still have access to a membership situation. if you have such an access, it is obvious, it goes without saying, that the institutions would have all agreed upon the need to govern that period. there have been months of preparations and lobbying to draw up these guidelines. uk citizens living in the eu, eu citizens living in the uk worried about losing their rights, met the eu's chief negotiator. they are the top priority in the exit deal. ireland has been pressing its case

about the irish border, without damaging the peace process. gibraltar is a surprise inclusion as a result of spanish lobbying. the eu says no future trade deal can apply to gibraltar unless spain agrees. this will require the agreement of 27 members. if that was a shock for the foreign secretary, he didn't show it as he arrived for a meeting at nato hq. he sought to calm fears the uk might thai security into the deal. the security of this region, europe, is unconditional. it is not some bargaining chip in any negotiations that may be taking place elsewhere in this capital. now article 50 has been triggered, it is the eu who can determine what about these negotiations. they want to control not just the sequence, but what the uk can achieve, too. earlier i spoke to our

europe correspondent, gavin lee, and i asked him what donald tusk‘s words mean for a potential trade deal with the eu. it isa it is a tricky thing because if you look at the gargantuan issues ahead set out today by donald tusk there for my key issues, what you do about ireland border, how you make that as easy as possible. how you look at theissue easy as possible. how you look at the issue of the 3 million europeans in the uk and the i million the issue of the 3 million europeans in the uk and thei million british citizens in europe and settle their future along with businesses on both sides of the channel as well as the brexit exit the bill, there is 15 million the eu says britain has been paid and theresa may says hold on

about that. those were the four big issues initially and then if they could onto the idea of a settlement of hundreds of thousands of legal documents ranging from citizens‘ rights to pet passport to the sale of seville oranges then making the idea of britain starting a new trade deal. at the moment that seems a long way down the line. looking at both side pot of britain starting a new trade deal. at the moment that seems a long way down the line. looking at both side pot a priority and eu citizens living in the uk being a priority, that does to an extent much what is being said in london. i spoke to you a few days ago in spain and the 300,000 british people there who talk about what happens to their pensions, health care, these are big issues for people. citizens first was a matter of the chief negotiator for the eu but if you look at —— citizens first was the mantra. this was what donald

tusk wants to see but he does not have a mandate to say this is what is happening. the passes this on the other 27 eu leaders who subtract or add things. the meat against you in brussels on april the 29th and the idea is to come up with one negotiating plan which is passed to the negotiator. —— they meet again. scotland‘s first minister nicola sturgeon has formally requested the transfer of powers from westminster to hold an independence referendum. in a letter to the prime minister, ms sturgeon says there is "no rational reason" why this request should be declined. but downing street says it would be wrong to hold talks while the details of brexit remain uncertain. and the scottish tories accused the first minister of a "theatrical gesture". 0ur scotland political editor brian taylor reports. on a settee, the very image of shoes of relaxation, the first minister signed a letter urging an independence referendum. an obvious contrast with the prime minister, signing goodbye to the eu at a desk

below a portrait of britain‘s first prime minister. when i sit on the negotiating table in the months ahead... nicola sturgeon says she wishes theresa may every success in brexit talks, and promises full and constructive support. yes, 69, no, 59. no abstentions. the motion is agreed. but she reminds the prime minister that holyrood has now voted for an independence referendum to coincide with the conclusion of the brexit negotiations and the first minister adds there appears to be no rational reason for you to stand in the way of the will of the scottish parliament and i hope you will not do so. i asked the first minister why now, when she knew the prime minister already said no? i‘m writing to her today to set out the rational case for the will of the scottish parliament. let me finish. i‘m writing to her to formally

request that she respects the view of the scottish parliament. what we‘re dealing with now is not a request from me or the snp or the scottish government, but the will of the scottish parliament. if she refuses to enter into those discussions as i anticipate in a letter that she might, what i‘ve said is this, in my view, the will of the scottish parliament must be respected. it is a question not of if it is respected but how. in response, a spokesman for the prime minister said she would not enter into an independence talks now. scottish tories say the focus should be on brexit. it is a highly theatrical gesture that we‘d been anticipating. this is a request for a referendum in which we know the people of scotland do not want and the prime minister has made perfectly clear she does not believe now is the time and so, in many

respects, this is pure theatrical politics i will not serve any meaningful purpose. we will not be having a referendum in the immediate future until our future outside of the eu is clear. sturgeon insists scotland must be given a choice. for now, stalemate. and we‘ll find out how this story and many others are covered in tomorrow‘s front pages at 10:40. this evening in the papers our guests joining me tonight are political commentator jo phillips and the telegraph‘s liam halligan. let‘s take a look at some of the other stories making the news today. west midlands police have charged a 23—year—old man with a double murder in stourbridge. aaron barley is alleged to have fatally stabbed tracey wilkinson and her 13—year—old son pierce. he‘s also charged with the attempted murder of the boy‘s father peter. the driver of a bin lorry that crashed in glasgow killing six people has been banned from driving for three years for a separate motoring offence. harry clarke had his licence withdrawn after the crash in 2014 but was spotted by neighbours

driving nine months later. the former mayor of london, ken livingstone, will find out next week if he‘ll be expelled from the labour party. mr livingstone is facing an internal disciplinary hearing over his controversial claim that hitler supported zionism in the i930s. a two—day misconduct hearing finished for the day in the past hour — and a decision will be announced on tuesday afternoon. waiting times will be longer for routine operations, such as hip and knee replacements or heart surgery, as a "trade off" for improvements in a&e and other areas according to the head of nhs england. simon stevens outlined the to year plan for the nhs focussing on improving cancer care, boosting mental health services for children and young people, and better access to gps. but he said choices have to be made because of increasing patient demand. our health editor hugh pym reports.

the nhs serves patients from cradle to grave but there are difficult choices. the message today is it offers high quality care in many areas but something has to give. that is waiting lists for routine surgery for patients like christine. she waited 22 weeks for a heart bypass, longer than nhs england‘s 18 weeks target. it has caused a lot of anxiety and she has decided to go private. the sword of damocles hanging over my head, because i couldn‘t plan my life, i couldn‘t say categorically i am going to be able to do something. i feel i am getting, not worse, but more tired. there has definitely been a change in me since i had the diagnosis. the head of nhs england explained his immediate priorities, including a&e and cancer care, to help staff today. but waiting lists for routine operations will for a while get longer. might more patients be waiting longer and might they be very disappointed?

we need to fix the most urgent problems first. and i think most people can see that ensuring that our a&es and gp services are able to properly look after people across the country that has got to be the top priority. and then having done that, obviously in the period ahead we want to be able to ensure we are meeting the waiting time guarantees. but that has worried some medical leaders, who say longer waits for operations can be dangerous. we know that people occasionally die on waiting lists waiting for heart surgery. the longer you wait, the more the likelihood that will happen. this health centre where mr stevens was today provides a range of services and treatments to patients. their results or a dentist and pharmacist, as well as gp practice. the idea is to treat as many people as possible away from hospitals.

he wants to see more of this kind of thing around the country but that will take time. it will also take time to improve the nation‘s health. but they are starting young that schools in lancashire. children run the daily mile. the idea came from the nhs. an example of prevention that could reduce the future burden on the health service. we know we want to change things for the future generation. we don‘t want people to be dying of heart disease in their 50s. we want to tackle some of the major stuff we‘re seeing around diabetes. we have built a fantastic partnership with schools and we encourage kids to be active. it is both young and old when it comes to improving health in lancashire. this scheme helps older men who may be isolated and vulnerable to health problems, a sense of purpose which helps their well—being. it is part of a plan among those hailed today as the way forward. the rewards will come in the future. it will not help to repair the nhs‘s immediate problems. the headlines on bbc news:

the president of the european council, donald tusk, rules out initial discussions on a future trade deal with the uk, until progress has been made on the terms of separation. first minister nicola sturgeon sends a letter to theresa may formally asking for powers to hold a second independence referendum. there‘ll be longer waits for routine operations like hip replacements: as the nhs in england tries to improve a&e and cancer treatments. now let‘s check on the sport from the bbc sports centre. celtic good when the scottish premiership title tonight if aberdeen lose at dundee. —— they could win. but it is not looking likely tonight. aberdeen are well ahead tonight and the are around 30

minutes in. adam rooney making it 2-0. the minutes in. adam rooney making it 2—0. the will have won 14 of the last 16 matches but victory tonight. but still not enough to catch celtic who are well ahead. 0ne game tonight in the championship with tenth place at derby county hosting queens park rangers. they are outside the play—offs and need to go on the winning run to stand any chance of making it. it is 0—0 at the moment but derby was the better of the early chances. in super league wedding could move above leads into fourth place if they win tonight. —— wiggin. leaders castle for half a post at

huddersfield tonight also. britain‘s charley hull is one stroke off the lead at the first woman‘s golf major of the year in california. this birdie at the 18th meant she finished four under par. the second round is underway now after being delayed by bad weather. british canoeing is the latest national governing body to raise concerns about the welfare of its athletes after the coach was suspended following a formal complaint and then a independent investigation was started, yet to be concluded. uk sport that provides public money for olympic and paralympic sports have also said they are aware of the investigation and see it as a responsibility of the governing body to deal with and they are not able to deal with and they are not able to concentrate —— comment on the details. british canoeing had its most successful 0lympics

details. british canoeing had its most successful olympics in rio, three gold medals and three bronze for the paralympic team as they topped the medal table. the premier league has launched what it calls its most ambitious community programme to date to boost learning by tying education to football. it will provide teaching resources to 10,000 primary schools by 2019. this is a lesson you should heed. try and try again. the premier league is reaching out from the pitch to primary schools as it tries to provide learning inspiration and help kids be more active. football has a power and energy, to motivate young people in particular and because we can we should and that is what it is about and why we‘re doing it. free online resources are being made available for teachers to

download with those in classrooms seemingly keen to combine their studies with sport. it will help meet with reading because i do not believe like reading but if i use football i will have lots of fun reading. we learn about lots of summer reading. we learn about lots of summer assignments from players. we do not like maths or maybe when football is combine with maths it will make maths seem way more appealing than it did. the premier league wants to connect with 10,000 primary schools by 2019 and do so it is rolling out an advertising campaign, using its film star power to try and win hearts and minds. —— fool star power. premier league clubs hope the popularity will foster a love of learning amongst children and perhaps also in —— an early love for

elite that wants to aid in the education goals. —— for a league. i will have more in the next hour but just to tell you, i will have more in the next hour butjust to tell you, aberdeen are 110w butjust to tell you, aberdeen are now 3—0 up against dundee. let‘s go back to our main news about the brexit negotiations. gibraltar, the british overseas territory claimed by spain, has accused madrid of a disgraceful attempt to manipulate the eu over its negotiating stance towards britain‘s withdrawal. the european council‘s draft guidelines state that after britain leaves, no agreement on britain‘s future relationship with the eu may apply to gibraltar without agreement between madrid and london. joining me now is fabian picardo, the chief minister of gibraltar. good evening. why are you so unhappy with that elements of these guidelines? it is clear what spain has done is what it is traditionally

done and try and use the eu in the context of the brexit negotiations to try and somehow steal a margin with her claim in relation to the sovereignty of gibraltar. these are d raft sovereignty of gibraltar. these are draft guidelines but the already see spain making a move, she is making it sooner than perhaps expected and that signals gibraltan out unfairly. we are not the culprit of the brexit and should not be a victim of it. what will you do? we are working closely with the british government to make sure our interests are protected. the prime minister says she remained supportive of gibraltar, i today spoke to be foreign secretary who has confirmed his continuing support for gibraltar andi his continuing support for gibraltar and i spoke to the minister of state at the department for exiting the eu who gave me the confidence this is a

matter that will be taken very seriously by the uk government going forward. what will brexit do for gibraltar morejointly —— what will brexit do for gibraltar more jointly —— more what will brexit do for gibraltar morejointly —— more broadly, given that it was almost unanimous people voted their voted remain? we also energetically and enthusiastically wa nt to energetically and enthusiastically want to make brexit a success for the beauty and gibraltar and are working with the team set up by the prime minister —— for the uk and gibraltar. we want it to make a success for all of us. we need accessed principally to the united kingdom market —— we need accessed and that does not require the agreement of any eu member state, let alone spain and access in the uk trade deals around the world will produce for us the trade we need to be very successful and prosperous. 100% exclusively british. what about the border with spain‘s how would

you like that to work the spanish foreign minister said there is no question of the border and they expect to see continued fluidity of workers moving back and forth and that must also mean the visitors because these things work on a reciprocal basis and tourists need to access gibraltar because they create the jobs for the spanish workers who come to gibraltar. there is a great measure of confidence the border will operate as it is, a new schengen border code will apply from next week, new checks may apply but not in a week, i sincerely hope, that causes difficulty for people wanting to access and work in gibraltar. will it take longer to cross the border in the future? i sincerely hope it will not but i cannot currently do anything other than that. as people visit the united kingdom everybody shows their passports, this will be

entry into the schengen zone and there may be the need for checks in that respect. we will not apply any checks unless we have good intelligence reasons and the risk assessment tells us we have too. we wa nt assessment tells us we have too. we want people to move freely into the place of work and not suffer delays when they are just coming to do a day‘s work. when they are just coming to do a day's work. have you made that point, as you spoke about your contacts point, as you spoke about your co nta cts of point, as you spoke about your contacts of borisjohnson and the prime minister, how strongly forward for the bridge of concerns about the border are changing? i, ferocious in existing we‘re taken from the entrance to the —— into consideration in ‘s backs —— in all aspects of the negotiation. powerpoint has made very clearly —— oui’ powerpoint has made very clearly —— our point has been made a very clearly. we a re our point has been made a very clearly. we are in constant contact with the uk government. are you in

contact with donald tusk autodesk?” am not, you will be in contact with the prime minister, he is the president of the council and the point we make is part of the british negotiating team, specifically it has been set up for the team set up for this negotiation. we have heard the initial views of the british government, we now hear donald tusk‘s outline of the guidelines she has given with regards to their approach, how optimistic or otherwise are you theirs can reach some sort of reasonably satisfactory conclusion? i am very optimistic gibraltar will be very successful after brexit is finalised because a lot of what we need is in the bilateral benefit of both the uk and

gibraltar. this will be complex negotiation and it would be foolish to predict what will happen at the end but with energy and enthusiasm —— we accept the result of the referendum and we will work to make a su ccess referendum and we will work to make a success of the future for gibraltar and the whole of the uk. thank you for coming on. former security adviser michael flynn has offered to testify in exchange for immunity. he was sacked from misleading comments about his relationship with the russian envoy. today president trump‘s spokesperson said the president thought michael flynn should testify. he believes michael flynn should testify and thinks he should go up there and do what he has to do to get his story out. i will not give michael flynn

01’ out. i will not give michael flynn or anyone else legal advice from the podium but he should go up there and testified. the president gave legal advice promised twitter account. you said in the past the only reason to ask for immunity... said in the past the only reason to ask for immunity. .. what he said in the past the only reason to ask for immunity... what he is asking us go testified, do what you have to do and tell congress and eve ryo ne have to do and tell congress and everyone exactly what we have been saying. i get your point but i think the interesting thing is if you stop for a second and realise what the president is doing is using the ever you have to do to make it clear, secretive precaution you want or however you legal counsel advises you. shortly after that i spoke to our washington correspondent who gave his take on michael flynn‘s request for immunity. the white house press

secretary just spoke about for immunity. the white house press secretaryjust spoke about this in his daily briefing and reiterated the president's view michael flynn should testify to these congressional committees. he was asked whether or not the president had anything to worry about in terms of that testimony and what michael flynn might say and there was a wonder what answer which was no war. that seems to —— one word answer. which was no. his lawyers are concerned that he makes the might incriminate him because that is an ongoing fbi investigations into russian interference and potential coordination with the trump campaign. michael flynn is one of those people who will be part of the focus of that investigation due to being a senior person in the trump campaign. at the moment things are ina holding campaign. at the moment things are in a holding pattern, if you like. we are told or there are some

rumours the senate intelligence committee are minded to see note the request for immunity to michael flynn —— request for immunity to michael flynn — — say request for immunity to michael flynn —— say no. sooner or later someone flynn —— say no. sooner or later someone will want to question him and they can subpoena him and make him go to the capital, as can the house committee, but he could simply sit there and say i will take the fifth amendment and that means he does not have to say anything. it struck me when i heard that this morning but once you have said i have something to say there is then afair point have something to say there is then a fair point you will have to say it. the problem for him is the thing he might have to say it might incriminate him which is what the lawyers are worried about. listening to his own words from lhasa pember he spoke about the clintons and said on television —— last september. he said people who seek immunity have usually committed a crime. that one

will combat to wanton, i think. at the moment —— that will come back to haunt him. the tone from the white house is pretty defiant and that will continue? i think so because any attempt to stop talking would look like they have something to hide as well. donald trump might not mind is how it looks but they know they have got this ongoing investigation and have no idea how long that will cost a shadow over things because it is the only thing being talked about in the newspapers and on television. what would donald trump —— what donald trump is doing with trade and things are barely getting a mention on the news agenda and that is the kind of thing is based elected him to do. so they know sooner or later they will have

to deal with those of russia is due in april —— in order to get the all news agenda out. good evening. we will begin the new month with sunshine and april showers. those will fade overnight, quite chilly by sunday morning, it should be a fine day ahead. some wet weather at the moment, these shower bans affecting wales and the west of england possibly into the midlands, some showers that the north and west as well, clear skies, eastern england should be generally dry. it was marred last night. showers from the word go over the west of england and wales through the day, some sunshine at times, showers developing almost anywhere. warm weather and sunshine comes along, the showers could be heavy and potentially thundery. temperatures lower than they were today. actually start to sunday morning, especially

sunday and in northern ireland, the very small chance of showers for more than england, generally fine and pleasant and warm. this is bbc news. this is bbc news with julian worricker. the headlines at the eu rejects the government‘s brexit plan. president tusk says there‘ll be no talks on trade until there‘s a deal on the divorce. starting parallel talks on all issues at the same time, as some have suggested in the uk, will not happen. gibraltar accuses spain of manipulating the european council for political interests. a draft document on the eu‘s brexit strategy suggests spain could get a veto over any future relationship between the eu and the uk. it‘s official, nicola sturgeon sends the letter to theresa may formally asking for powers to hold a second independence referendum. the uk government has already

said it will not enter talks about a new vote. the head of nhs england has warned of longer waiting times for routine operations like hip and knee replacements. he says it‘s a "trade off" for improvements in other areas — like a&e and cancer treatments. president donald trump‘s ex—national security adviser, michael flynn, says he wants immunity to testify on alleged russian election meddling, his lawyer says. a senior democrat source says it is too early to consider an immunity deal. also this hour. as the tenth series of doctor who begins next month, the timelord peter capaldi will be joined by a new companion, west end star pearl mackie. she‘s been speaking to our entertainment correspondent lizo mzimba. more now on our main story tonight. the eu has published draft guidelines setting out its approach to the brexit negotiations.

the document suggests talks on a trade deal can only begin once ‘sufficient progress‘ is made on a separation settlement. speaking in malta, the president of the european council, donald tusk acknowledged the talks ahead could be tough. only once we have achieved sufficient progress on the withdrawal can we discuss the framework for our future relationship. starting parallel talks on all issues at the same time, as suggested by some in the uk, will not happen. and when talking about our future relationship, we obviously share the uk‘s desire to establish a close partnership between us. strong ties, reaching beyond the economy and including security cooperation, remain in our common interest. let me conclude by saying that the talks which are about to start will be

difficult, complex and sometimes even confrontational. there is no way around it. the eu 27 does not, and will not, pursue a punitive approach. brexit in itself is already punitive enough. after more than 110 years of being united, we owe it to each other to do everything we can to make this divorce as smooth as possible. that was donald transco speaking in malta, the guidelines state that after britain leaves no agreement on britain‘s future relationship with the eu may apply to gibraltar without agreement between madrid and london. i spoke to gibraltar‘s chief minister a couple of months ago who said it was complicated enough without spain attempting to complicated further. it is clear

that what spain has done is what she has traditionally done since she became a member of the eu, to try to use the eu, now in the context of the brexit negotiations to steal a march in relation to their claim of the sovereignty of gibraltar. draft guidelines, already we see spain making the moves that people might have expected her to make at five minutes to midnight, and frankly it is singling out gibraltar and fairly. it was not the culprit of brexit and should not be the victim of brexiteer. with me is professor andrew canessa from the university of essex. professor canessa specialises on gibraltarian and border. welcome. this development between the guidelines, what may happen between madrid and london and the reaction of gibraltar, what do you make of it? you have to look at the historical context here. to

understand why such antipathy towards what might seem a reasonable plan forjoint towards what might seem a reasonable plan for joint sovereignty. towards what might seem a reasonable plan forjoint sovereignty. spain has waged a hot and campaign since 19110 to get gibraltar back. people are very anxious at the consequences ofa are very anxious at the consequences of a brexit that they did not hold for. 96% is as near unanimous as you get! has that view shifted since? we did some interviews and polling sincejune did some interviews and polling since june 23, did some interviews and polling sincejune 23, and there is no indication at all that that has shifted, quite the opposite. there was a time when the gibraltar government was trying to get a buzz book deal and were in talks with scotla nd book deal and were in talks with scotland about that. what happened tonight is that this is no longer a possibility, and gibraltar is very dependent on being a member of the eu. thousands of people everyday

cross that border to work in gibraltar, that‘s more than 110% of the workforce. so very much exposed toissues the workforce. so very much exposed to issues of the border and making sure that border stays open and free flowing. that percentage you mention are spaniards? notjust spaniards, other eu nationals including uk nationals who choose to live in spain and work in gibraltar. set of the process of crossing the border ona the process of crossing the border on a daily basis is more lengthy and complicated, the implications are serious. they very serious. one of the anxieties is that spain will again close the border like they did in 1969. this, i do not think will happen, at least in the short or medium term future because the spanish ministers have said it is not in their interest. i think what has happened today is something else. i think it is that the united

kingdom is in a much weaker position in defending the position of gibraltarians and their interests. so we will hear in the next few days, i‘m sure, mps and the government saying that gibraltar and sovereignty is not negotiable. yet this is not about sovereignty, it is about gibraltar‘s access to the eu. i suspect no one knows, although i suspect sovereignty is not the issue at all. you so the minister, very confident, acknowledging of course that people predominately voted to remain unanimously yet as far as he was concerned there was a way of making this work, it is in regular contact with boris johnson, making this work, it is in regular contact with borisjohnson, he‘s beenin contact with borisjohnson, he‘s been in touch with theresa may, he can see a way to this that might be good news for gibraltar. you are right, he is indeed confident. and his government has been working hard and his ministers travelling pretty

much nonstop going everywhere they can to get a good steel for gibraltar. their policy which was to get a bespoke feel from gibraltar, is in tatters, no longer there. there are other possibilities for gibraltar although it does depend on eu membership for several reasons, one of which is to protect the openings that border, because spain joined the eec. in recent years there have been issues with the border and it was only by having recourse to the eu that those problems have been resolved. gibraltar no longer has the support of the eu, if such a thing were to happen again, and the ability of the uk to lobby on behalf of gibraltar is seriously reduced. that‘s quite serious for gibraltar. we shall see what happens. professor andrew

ca nessa, what happens. professor andrew canessa, thank you. hotels, restaurants and the tourism industry have warned they‘ll face a recruitment crisis if eu immigration is heavily restricted after the uk leaves. the british hospitality association says it relies on 60,000 eu workers a year, and it will take a decade to recruit enough british workers to fill those posts. 0ur economics editor kamal ahmed reports from butlins in bognor. hello! the hospitality sector, holiday parks, restaurants, hotels, is all about entertainment, making customers happy. but this is a sector with its fair share of worries, as brexit approaches. it has relied for years on workers from the eu. could that supply be about to be cut off? agnieska is from poland and works for butlins in

bognor regis. she is concerned about her future. there are lots of questions. my son is eight. he knewjust the basic thing about the brexit. but he is concerned that he will have to leave his school, that he will have to leave his friends. the hospitality industry employs 3 million people and is the fourth largest sector in the uk. of those workers, 211% are from the eu. in some sectors the figure is higher, 75% of all waiting staff are from the continent. i asked the butlins boss about the challenges of relying on eu immigration. if the tap is turned off straightaway, that would be very difficult. we are where we are at the moment. we rely on a third of our work base from european employees. to be able to turn that straight off and replace it straight off would be very difficult. more than 60% of voters here voted to leave the european union. and at least part of the reason

for that was concerns about immigration, one of the big unresolved issues in these brexit negotiations. theresa may knows she has to achieve a delicate balancing act between responding to those concerns, but at the same time allowing businesses, whole economic sectors, to hire the workers they need. whether it‘s coffee shops, hotels that rely on foreign staff or pulling a point in your local pub, this is a sector facing criticism. that it‘s not doing enough to train british workers and pay is too low. it is kind of laziness for them to say that if they are not able to recruit migrant workers, there is going to be a crisis for the industry. it‘s a crisis of their own creation. and they need to be focusing on how do they actually get people to come into the industry? the hospitality sector says it is looking to new horizons, looking for the british workers it needs. but it will be a long process, ten years before a reliance

on millions of eu workers is turned around. kamal ahmed, bbc news. a self—appointed nigerian bishop and a female church leader have been jailed for sexual attacks on worshippers. they attacked people from their congregation during private prayer sessions at a church in south east london. 0ur religious affairs correspondent martin bashir has this report. that‘s why we are teaching the topic of intimacy with god. polished, and persuasive, benjamin preaching at thejubilee persuasive, benjamin preaching at the jubilee christian persuasive, benjamin preaching at thejubilee christian centre, south london, an independent church established 20 years ago. but and inner london crown court this afternoon silenced him as he and the church‘s so—called prophetess, rose, we re church‘s so—called prophetess, rose, were sentenced, having been found guilty of sexually assaulting a

woman and sexual activity with a teenage girl. it was here in the church office that the victims were invited to meet privately with the self—styled bishop and the prophetess. told they needed to be anointed with oil as part of a pro—ceremony they were stripped naked. the accused then engaged them in sexual activity. i think a lot of it with sexual offences is about control, violence and satisfying sexual urges that he clearly displayed through the trial. this jubilee christian centre is one of more than 2110 black majority churches in the south london and of southwark. according to research by the university of roehampton this is the university of roehampton this is the largest concentration of african christianity in the world, outside of africa. but the growth of these independent churches presents some serious challenges. involve a whole

range of structures that exist and leaders need to be introduced and need to know these opportunities to get these churches plugged into an account of accountability framework so they don‘t get caught out when temptations come. the judge said both defendants had breached the trust invested in them, that they carried out their offences in a locked office, and that they prevented the victims from talking about what had happened. he sentenced them both to three years in prison. martin bashir, bbc london news at inner london crown court. it‘s one of the most ambitious conservation projects of its kind in britain and aims to save 20 species like these from extinction, creatures such as the black click beetle, shrill carder bee and the chequered skipper butterfly. the back from the brink campaign is launched today — an £8 million scheme backed by the heritage lottery fund.

and it‘s hoped thousands of people will volunteer to help. duncan kennedy reports. they‘re the most striking, the most elusive and the most endangered species in britain. large, round, dark eyes. but today, 20 of them, including the grey long—eared bat, have become part of a project to save them. jenny clarke, who has protected bats for 30 years, is among those behind the campaign called back from the brink. if this one were to go to extinction, what would that mean to someone like you? it would be an appalling loss and a great tragedy. and it mustn‘t happen. we would be absolutely bereft if we lost the grey long—eared. the natterjack toad is another facing extinction. so too, the ladybird spider. £8 million of heritage lottery and otherfunds has been put into the project. but the organisers say the public‘s help is vital. the ambition is to involve

1.3 million people, engaged, over 5000 volunteers actually going out, surveying, recording, monitoring species. so there will be lots of opportunities for the public to really get involved. here in dorset, some of the first of those volunteers have just started work. this looks like a suitable area, here. the public is needed to find and manage the threatened species. why do you want to save the species? i think they‘re beautiful. i think they‘re important in ways that maybe a lot of people don‘t recognise. and i think that overall they deserve to be kept the way they are. the project aims to save everything from adders to the shrill carder bee. many put at risk by activities like house—building and farming. but wherever they live, these creatures are vulnerable. unless the four—year project works,

some could end up beyond the brink. duncan kennedy, bbc news, in dorset. time for the headlines on bbc news. the president of the european council, donald tusk, rules that initial discussions on a future trade deal with the uk until progress has been made on the terms of separation. scotland‘s first minister nicola sturgeon sends a letter to theresa may formally asking for powers to hold a second independence referendum. they will be longer waits for routine operations like hip replacements as the nhs in england tries to improve a81 the nhs in england tries to improve a&eand the nhs in england tries to improve a & e and cancer treatments. in a moment a legend from the age of stea m moment a legend from the age of steam pays a flying visit to the newly reopened settle to carlisle railway line. the tenth series of doctor who begins next month and the time lord peter capaldi will be joined by a new companion.

west end star pearl mackie will be taking on the role of bill, the first gay assistant in the programme‘s history. she‘s been speaking to our entertainment correspondent lizo mzimba about on—screen diversity in one of tv‘s biggest family shows. that is a robot. it speaks emoji! for more than half a century, doctor who has travelled across time and space. now the show is exploring new territory. actress pearl mackie will be playing bill potts, her character will be the doctor‘s first openly gay companion. bill‘s gay. and, yeah, ithink, you know, it shouldn‘t be a big deal in the 21st century, really. yeah, i think within the series it‘s not made a massive thing of. it‘s just... you know, our representation matters, doesn‘t it, so... yeah, i think it‘s great. why do you keep coming to my lectures? because i like them. everybody likes them. they're amazing.

why me? her sexual orientation is a significant step, particularly as the doctor‘s companion is a key aspirational figure for the show‘s younger viewers. i hope it will help to push things in the right direction and help to broaden the diversity of race and sexuality. i wish i'd never met you, doctor. the show has had gay characters in the past, including john barrowman‘s captain jack, but bill potts will be the first permanent, full—time companion that‘s gay. the relatively unknown pearl mackie recognises the huge career boost that being cast in doctor who carries. it‘s an amazing platform for me, to be able to... it sort of opens a lot of doors that might not necessarily have been opened before. it‘s very exciting. peter capaldi, who plays the doctor, has said the new series of the show will be his last. the decision over his latest companion‘s sexuality is likely

to increase speculation that the programme could break more boundaries by making the next doctor a woman. lizo mzimba, bbc news. the flying scotsman was back on one of britain‘s most scenic tracks this morning as it marked the re—opening of the settle—to—carlisle rail line. the route was closed by a landslip a year ago. danny savage reports. steam train hisses. one of the most famous names in the world of steam on one of the most famous railway lines in britain. the settle—to—carlisle route runs through the beautiful upland countryside of yorkshire and cumbria. but for 16 months there‘s been no through—traffic because of a landslip. today, the line reopened and hundreds of people came along to see the celebratory service and to breathe a sigh of relief. it‘s absolutely wonderful, because it‘s my lifeline to get from appleby up to carlisle.

i‘m a non—driver, but i do love to escape to the shops at least once a month. although this wonderful old locomotive is attracting all the headlines today, the big issue for the more remote communities along this line is that they‘ve got their main transport link back, and that means a return of visitors and business. £23 million has been spent repairing the line. it‘s the biggest fix network rail has ever undertaken, which is why it took so long. built in the 1870s, threatened with closure in the 1980s, this old—fashioned but much loved railway route is open again. a new era, celebrated old—style. danny savage, bbc news, cumbria. choosing when to retire can be a difficult decision, particularly if you love yourjob, which is why 93—year—old hairdresser kathleen privett has put off that moment, until today. after an incredible 72 years in the family salon, she‘s finally surrendering her scissors.

briony leyland shared her special last day, as she made herfinal cut. i shall miss everybody. hairdressing has been a life‘s work for 95—year—old kathleen privett. she has grown up and grown old in the salon opened by her father in the 1940s in the drayton area of portsmouth. he encouraged the young kathleen‘s emerging enthusiasm and she would try out her skills on anyone who would let her. i know my aunt when she came down, i asked her, could i curl her hair up. i remember her saying to my mother, she‘s done that as well as my hairdresser. i felt quite chuffed. kathleen looks back fondly on the experimentation of the 1960s, with new styles being tried out each week. she remembers one customer took great pains to preserve her new bubble cut. 0h, she said, it‘s so uncomfortable. i said, what do you mean?

she said, i lay on my face because i don‘t want to disturb it and my nose feels as if it‘s bent! i thought that was silly. widowed at the age ofjust 28, with three small children, earning a living was important. but work in the salon has always been more than a job. it‘s part of your life. it isn‘t just like ordinary businesses, someone comes in and buys something and goes out. it‘s a much more personal contact than that. kathleen‘s daughter barbara followed her mum into the business and her daughter—in—law pat too. with kathleen suffering from osteoporosis, they‘ve decided together that it‘s time to close the salon and look forward to retirement. i feel so sad for the ladies because they are like family really. but you know, all good things must come to an end, i guess. we‘re all getting a bit old. some days you feel older than others, don‘t you? i feel really sad. you know, after coming in all this time. you get to know the girls, you know,

they are really lovely. kathleen is very special, isn‘t she. 0h, absolutely. an apprentice once suggested to kathleen that she had missed out on adventures by spending all her life here in drayton. kathleen sees things differently. for more than 70 years, she‘s been at the heart of life here and she wouldn‘t swap that for the world. briony leyland, bbc news, portsmouth. retiring at the age of 93. time to check on the weather now. kramer will start the new month with some sunshine and april showers. we got the sunshine today if eventually across the uk, boosting temperatures up across the uk, boosting temperatures up to 17 degrees in cambridge, we also got the showers, it was a wet end to the day in true role in cornwall. this was how things panned out. —— true row. we had rain in the

north of scotland, moving north right now, this band of showers arriving in wales and the south west will continue on and off overnight into the west midlands, probably extending into the north—west of england as well. for mainland scotla nd england as well. for mainland scotland and northern ireland it should be dry, clearer skies across eastern england, not as mad as last time, not covered by any means. temperatures seven or 8 degrees, saturday, the first day of april, a mixture of sunshine and showers from the start in wales and south—west england, for many parts of england still dry at nine in the morning, heading into the north west of england, a wet start to the day on saturday although still on the dry side for most of northern ireland and across the mainland, some rain for shetland to move away, showers from the north—west spilling their way down across the rest of scotland and into

northern ireland and for england and wales showers developing almost anywhere which could well be heavy and thundery and quite slow—moving with wet weather in the afternoon in eastern scotland, as the showers arrived in the afternoon for east anglia, the highest temperatures, jerry 13 or 111, a little lower than today all the warm when the sun comes out. those showers will be squeezed away by high—pressure overnight keeping bees weather fronts while awake on sunday, early sunday will be quite chilly. these are the numbers in towns and cities, in the countryside across scotland and northern ireland, a pinch of frost although it should warm quickly in the sunshine on sunday and with warm winds perfect weather for the boat race, especially for the spectators who should enjoy that. they will be areas of cloud in the uk, hardly any wind, some sunshine and a very small chance of a shower across northern england. essentially a dry day and with the sunshine it should feel warm. temperatures possibly 16 in the

south—east, 13 elsewhere, warm on monday again with a southerly breeze, dry for england and wales with rain arriving in scotland and northern ireland. this is bbc news. the headlines at nine: the white house says president trump is not worried about what his former aide might reveal if he talks to investigators examining his links to russia. he believes he should testify a nd russia. he believes he should testify and thinks he should go up there and do what he has to do to get the story out. guidelines issued for the eu‘s brexit strategy, it was the uk of tough times. a sweeping probe into tax evasion with paintings, gold and agility seized in coordinated raids. —— and jewellery.