tonight at 5: the proposals from the government for life after brexit — a temporary customs union and ‘invisible borders'. labour says the plans are incoherent, but the brexit secretary is adamant the ideas will minimise disruption to business. it's in their interests. i mean, bmw do not want to have to have a customs border that's going to slow down their sales or add admin separative costs. we'll have the latest from westminster and brussels — and will talk to someone representing business and the city for their reaction. the other main stories on bbc news at 5: india's prime minister leads commemorations marking 70 years since partition and the establishment of modern india. i'm in armritsar, where i have been speaking to people about pour titian, 70 years‘ on. commuters face the biggest increase

in railfares forfour years, as inflation hit 3.6% more than 300 people have died and thousands have been made homeless by devastating mudslides in sierra leone. the public inquiry into the grenfell fire will examine the response of the authorities, and refurbishment of the tower — but not wider social problems. and, a star is born? when the leading lady fell ill, molly from the cloakroom stepped in — and won rave reviews. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at 5. the government has confirmed it wants to negotiate a temporary customs relationship with the european union, to be in place after the uk leaves the bloc. the secretary of state for exiting the eu, david davis, says the deal would prevent trade

disruption until a permanent settlement could be reached. the eu commission says it will study the proposals, co—ordinator, guy verhofstadt, said that to be in and out of the customs union is a fantasy. this report from our political correspondent laila nathoo. her report contains flash photography. keeping goods flowing freely between britain and the eu after brexit — one of the key issues in the negotiations. now, the government has given more detail about how it sees trade working after we leave. at the moment, while in the eu, we are inside what is called the customs union — that means goods imported from abroad are subject to the same tax or tariff and can then move between eu countries without charges or many checks. ministers say brexit means leaving the customs union but are now proposing that temporarily, for a few years, we stick as close as possible

to the current arrangements. in italy, i was 290 billion, we are selling them 230 billion a year. it's in their interests. bmw do not want to have a customs border that is going to slow down their sales or add administrative costs. siemens do not want to do that. and the port of rotterdam is going to want to have an efficient operation, so they have got an interest as well as us. the interim plans are designed to reassure businesses, nervous about sudden changes in rules and extra costs. at the moment, we leave the eu in march, 2019. i think the paper gives a certain degree of clarity to businesses that at least the government is prioritising the transitional deal and they are trying to tie off any potential for customs disruptions by being in the customs union on an interim basis. striking trade deals with countries around the world as soon as brexit happens and the transitional period begins is a priority for the government —

something we can't currently do as members of the eu's customs union. but ministers accept that those deals could not coming to affect until the temporary customs arrangement ends. i wanted brexit to allow us to go global in terms of our trade deals and the decision from the government today is effectively kicking this into the long grass, saying we can't do that for years to come. what will happen, we will find countries around the world like america and australia will simply stop taking us seriously. in the longer term, the government has set out two possible options for a future relationship. first, what is described as a highly streamlined customs arrangement where there is minimal red tape and technology smoothing the way. or a new bespoke customs partnership where there would be no customs border at all between the eu and the uk. the key is not the structures, it is the outcome, which is retaining the best possible arrangements of tariff free access and avoiding avoiding delays at borders. those are the important principles. that is what we think

we need to fight for. not whether we are in reality in the customs union or not. these are, for now, just the uk's proposals, they will have to be negotiated with brussels, and the eu says it won't address a possible transition period or what happens after that until divorce talks have made sufficient progress. discussions start again at the end of the month. 0ur political correspondent emma vardy joins us now from westminster. 0n. on. a 0n. afew on. a few hours to think about the proposals. what sense do you get people are making of this idea? lots to think about. it has been more than a year since the referendum. and it has taken this long to start to get a clearer picture of britain's post—brexit future. so plenty to get stuck into and reaction from the government's political opponents. labour saying that the proposals are incoherent and they are just glossing over

cabinet splits over brexit. the lib dems say this is just pushing the pain down the road, delaying the economic pain that they believe will come as a result of brexit. the sounds from the british businesses, well from the cbi which represents british business has been more encouraging, saying they think the proposals are encouraging. it has provided a degree of reassurance for them. for nigel farage, however, the former leader of ukip, he has expressed strong disappointment at this today this. really wasn't the sort of brexit he was hoping. seeing it as sort of brexit he was hoping. seeing itasa sort of brexit he was hoping. seeing it as a betrayal of what the british public voted for what he wanted it see was britain signing andismenting international trade deals more quickly. but what we see today is confirmation it is going to be a much slower propose. those in the cabinet believe that slower process

is for good reason because it provides businesses a chance to adjust to any new regulation. now it is also interesting foint out, that well, of course what we are hearing todayis well, of course what we are hearing today is about what waenlts but that also has to be agreed —— about what westminster wa nts also has to be agreed —— about what westminster wants but that has to be agreed with the eu and the chief negotiator, michel barnier tweeted today that the quicker the eu and the uk agree on citizens, settling accounts, and ireland, the quicker the eu can discuss customs and futures arrangements. we are really seeing that the eu negotiators are sticking to their guns on this, saying it is all very well the uk outlining this vision, saying what up outlining this vision, saying what up want but they have other priorities and those are the hurdles that will have to be overcome first before the eu will discuss trading arrangements with the eu. these papers are a good look at what the uk wants to achieve, plenty to pour over but an opening gambit for the

uk and we will see how the next round of trade talks play out, to get any sense of really what is going to be achievable. all right. thank you for now. let's head to brussels and pick up on some of the points. we heard about some of the tweets coming out in response to the proposals. what have you picked up, adam about how this right all go down? emma has stolen one of the good tweets but there is a more dramatic one from guy verhofstadt, who we are all getting to know. he is the member of the european parliament who is co—ordinating the european pa rliament‘s parliament who is co—ordinating the european parliament's response to brexit. he tweeted earlier this morning saying that the government's plans to haveclose cooperation on customs and no borders were fantasy. that echos a statement we got from the european commission, also this morning, saying if the uk wants what it wants — frictionless trade, the only way you can really get that is by being, not a member of a customs

union, but being a member of the eu customs union and single market which ect ifively means being a member of the eu. the reason these people and different institutions are saying this is one of the priorities of the eu's in this negotiation, is not to allow a situation where the uk can become a back door to the eu for cheaper goods from abroad. that's one of the things they bant to prevent happening and that's —— they want to prevent happening and that's one of the reasons why, contained in the details of the british papers published today is the idea of the new customs partnership. i was chatting to a british official who said actually that would involve the uk acting as the eu's border agents for customs, if you like, for products that came into the uk but we re products that came into the uk but were destined for the rest of europe, because the uk would be carrying out the eu's safety checks on those products and applying the eu's tariffs on those products before sending them on their way. so a little insight there into how

close the uk wants its relationship on customs, potentially to be, with the eu after brexit but as we say, with all these things, the proof of the pudding will be in the negotiating. this will all have to be agreed with mr barnier and 27 leaders of the other eu countries in the negotiations at some point. and as we have just been hearing, the negotiations at some point. and as we havejust been hearing, mr barnier is keen to stick to his timetable, which is the issues he has identified as priorities first, so citizens rights, money and ireland. 0nce sufficient progress on them, then you can talk about trade and customs. customs. thank you very much for now. india's prime minister, narendra modi, has led his nation in marking the 70th anniversary of his country's independence from britain. the creation of india and pakistan in 1947 led to a million deaths, and the displacement of about 12 million people. reeta chakra barti is in amritsar in punjab. now. i'm in the complex of the

holiest site of the sikh religion, the golden temple. there have been people here all day. it is getting on for 10.00pm people here all day. it is getting on for10.00pm and people here all day. it is getting on for 10.00pm and there are hundreds of people coming here to worship and reflect. this temple is in the state of punjab. punjab was one of the areas most badly affected during the horrors of partition in 1947 when india were pakistan were split to form new states. yesterday i was reporting from pakistan as it celebrated its 70 years of independence from britain. today it has been india's turn. the prime minister, narendra modi, led the celebrations in a special ceremony held in the red fort in deli. dell —— dele. 70 years ago it was here, at the historic red fort, that unionjack was lowered one final time, to be replaced by the indian flag.

this is where prime minister narendra modi arrived today for independence day celebrations. it is a tradition that has been repeated by every indian prime minister since 1947. a testimony to how india has endured as a functioning democracy over the past seven decades. in an address, the prime minister spoke of the problems india faces, some of them a legacy of the past. translation: in my mind it is clear that neither bullets nor brickbats will resolve the kashmir issue. it will only be solved by love and embracing all kashmiris. the muslim majority himalayan region of kashmir has been at the centre of a dispute with pakistan since the partition of india in 1947. in recent months, anti—india protests have intensified there. but across india today this was the scene, many people coming out onto the streets to mark the occasion, there's a feeling of pride here, and how much

the country has achieved. a growing economic power that has now been taken seriously, notjust at home, but also abroad. despite the many problems india faces, the overwhelming sentiment here today is one of celebration and optimism. this is a very young country, nearly two thirds of india is under the age of 30, and for them it is not so much about the past, but about what lies ahead. in theirfuture. sanjoy majumder, bbc news, delhi. well, india finds itself at an interesting cross roads, really. nows is tell brighting its 70th birthday. it has a growing economy. —— now it is celebrating its 70th birthday. it has a young population who are optimistic about its prospects but there are worries about certain tensions that have grown in society. the prime minister, narendra modi, spoke in that speech that he gave, about religious intolerance and he

condemned it but there are people who say that under his leadership, there has been a growth in religious intolerance and as the country is starting to remember partition and to speak more publicly about partition, to some people, that has unpleasant echos of what happened here in the past. thank you very much, reeta. we will stay with this. joining me now his excellency, mr yashvardhan kumar sinha, india's high commissioner to the uk. thank you very much for being with us thank you very much for being with us today. and your thoughts, as you sit here, now, india's high commissioner to this country, marking 70 years. what goes through your mind about how your country has travelled in that time? well, i think the seven decades have been quite a journey for india. i think we would like to celebrate what we

have achieved in these last seven decades. we are justifiably proud that we are the world's largest democracy and now the fastest—growing large economy in the world. and, you have, as so many people do, stories of your own and experiences of your own that your family were caught up in partition. what are their reflections today and what is your family history that you remember on a day like this? well, my wife's family, actually, they are the ones who were really caught up. my the ones who were really caught up. my mother—in—law was studying at lahore college for women in lahore and she was evacuated and brought to delhi, just before partition and my father—in—law‘s factory was burnt down. 0ther father—in—law‘s factory was burnt down. other than that, father—in—law‘s factory was burnt down. 0therthan that, my father—in—law‘s factory was burnt down. other than that, my father was an army officer and he was a staff

officer to lieutenant general sir dudley russell, the commander of the command and he witnessed some of the horrors of partition. and you talk about how proud you were that india is the world's biggest democracy, narendra modi of course has been talking today, positive language from him, as he would expect but there are still enormous challenges, aren't there? is there a recognition of that? absolutely. because india isa of that? absolutely. because india is a country of 1.25 billion people. considering what we were on 15th august 19117 and what we are today, obviously we have made giant strides but the work is only half done. we have a long way to go and we recognise that and that is why the prime minister has laid out an extremely ambitious agenda for economic growth and development and to ensure that india assumes its place. it is notjust about

economics. it is border issues and the treatment of women and there are still many, many areas that need specific attention. ye, but you mention the treatment of women. there are very few countries where a space programme is run by a large number of wi. 0ur women scientists have played a hugely important role in the mars orbiter mission and recently in launching a world record of 104 satellites into space. we have women, a distinguished lady as oui’ have women, a distinguished lady as our president. we have women prime minister and chief ministers, etc. of course we need to do much more but i think our law is very robust ina vibrant but i think our law is very robust in a vibrant democracy and takes ca re of in a vibrant democracy and takes care of any discrimination issues. it isa care of any discrimination issues. it is a disconnect. you have outlined fantastic examples of remarkable achievements by women and yet so many suffer sexual assault, who can't get help. there is a

disconnect there, isn't there? that is why the government is so actively involved in ensuring the safety and security of women and promoting schemes of uplifting the weaker sections of society, including women. what is your ambition for your country, let's say for the next ten years, what would you like to see ina ten years, what would you like to see in a decade from now if we were chatting? well, it is a difficult question to answer. we are already among, in terms of purchasing parity, our gdp is number three in the world. in terms of nominal gdp we we re the world. in terms of nominal gdp we were on the top seven or six, depending on whether the pound sterling rises for falls. depending on whether the pound sterling rises forfalls. i depending on whether the pound sterling rises for falls. i would certainly hope that india would be a prosperous country. a country where everybody is able to benefit from the fruits of development and growth and that is exactly what the government is trying to do in india. very good to have you with us. we

are grateful for having you with us. as you would expect, we will be talking a lot more about this after 5.30. in particular, iwill talking a lot more about this after 5.30. in particular, i will be talking to three people about their mother—in—law experiences of partition, people from different generations. so it will be very interesting to hear their reflections and stories just after 5.30pm. now at 5.19, the headlines: the proposals from the government for life after brexit — now at 5.19, the headlines: fe after brexit — a temporary customs union and ‘invisible borders‘. labour says the plans are incoherent, but the brexit secretary is adamant the ideas will minimise disruption to business. brexit secretary, david davis, says the government wants to negotiate a temporary customs union with the eu for when the uk leaves india‘s prime minister leads

celebrations marking the seventieth anniversary of the country‘s independence from britain. rail fares will go up by 3.6% injanuary — the biggest increase for 4 years. passenger groups say commuters will be worst—hit. headlines: and as the premier league turns 25, top tier clubs will discuss closing the summer transfer window before the start of the season. it currently runs until august 31st in line with many other european leagues, they are set to vote on the idea next month. liverpool are in germany ahead of tonight‘s champions‘ league first leg play—off against hoffenheim. jurgen klopp‘s side are looking to reach europe‘s elite competition for the first time in three years. and maria sharapova has been given a wild card into the tennis tournament next month. now let‘s talk about one of the stories in the headlines:

millions of people will see their railfares go up by 3.6% in january, because of a rise in the rate of inflation. regulated fares are pegged to the retail prices index, which reached 3.6% last month. it‘s the biggest rise since 2013, and unions have called it a kick in the teeth for passengers. tom burridge reports. from glasgow to cardiff, to leeds to london, it is a familiar story. railfares going up again. but price increases these days are pegged to inflation, so in the new year, season tickets and other fares will increase by as much as 3.6%. the price is something you have to pay in order to get to work, but the service is awful. it is late, it is crowded. i don‘t think i‘m going to get value for money, basically. i have been working in the public sector all my life and my pay rise has nowhere kept up with inflation, so more of my salary isjust paying for me to come to work. stagnant wages is why some say the current system is unfair. around half of all rail fares are capped by the government atjuly‘s retail price index

which is a measure of inflation. the problem for many passengers is that inflation, the rate at which goods are becoming more expensive, is currently higher than the rate rise in most people‘s wages. unions say passengers are paying more while services have been trimmed back. it is quite clear in our privatised rail network that passengers are paying more for less. we are seeing cuts in infrastructure projects, electrification projects in the north of england and in south wales, we are seeing cuts to skilled infrastructure workers. there‘s a big job going on at waterloo at the moment. a lot of those workers there will not have a job after that job is finished because they are cutting back. but the organisation representing the companies operating the trains say higher price rises affect them, too. railway company costs are going up in line with inflation as well

so they have to cover costs to provide the services we want as passengers. in order to be able to do that, fares have to go up in line with it. the government says nearly all of the money we pay for a ticket is invested back into the railways. but the simple reality next year, travelling to work will be an even bigger slice of most people‘s wages. tom burridge, bbc news. some of the other stories making bbc news at 5.00pm. the families of victims of the manchester arena attack are to receive £250,000 each, from money donated by the public. so far £18 million has been raised, and donations still coming in. 22 people died in a terrorist bomb attack at the end of an ariana grande concert in may. a man has died about falling from a balcony at the london stock exchange. emergency services were called just before 10.00am, but he was pronounced dead shortly afterwards. police say they are investigating the circumstances of

the death but are treating it as non—suspicious. rail travellers are being advised to avoid london waterloo until thursday — after a train derailed early this morning outside the station. no—one on board the train was hurt. three other people were treated at the scene by paramedics. the incident means 13 platforms are now out of use — 10 were already closed for engineering works. the actions of kensington and chelsea council are to be considered in the grenfell tower fire inquiry. the government says the inquiry will also examine the cause of the fire — which left at least 80 people dead. but some of the broader social questions provoked by the blaze won‘t be addressed. 0ur correspondent frankie mccamley is at grenfell tower in west london. the scope of the inquiry is more

broader than originally suggested by thejudge. he said initially broader than originally suggested by the judge. he said initially the quienjiri may only be able to look into the fire, why it started, why it spread so quickly and what lessons could be learned. however, he says after he read more than 500 letters from the local community and people who lived in the tower and extended the consultation period for a matter of weeks, he said he came out with braid terms, not only looking at the cause of the fire and why it spread so quickly but also the design, the construction of the tower and refurbishment of grenfell tower. also, he is going to be looking at the regulations surrounding high rise flats, not just here but across the country and whether this tower adhered to those and finally he will be looking at

the authorities and local bodies. bodies. and now they were treated and how they dealt with it before the fire and more importantly the aftermath. i have been speaking to local resident groups asking them what they thought about the terms of reference. many are pleased that they are broader than initially stated but there is a lot of criticism that the social housing needs are not going to be investigated. many, one resident group saying to me earlier, that there is no point of this inquiry going forward if that social housing questions aren‘t answered and one other group saying to me — well, theresa may, the prime minister, promised there would be no stone unturned here. well the prime minister has said a lot of the social housing questions will be directed to the housing minister. he will be meeting the social housing tennants. now as for what is going to happen next, next month there will be another meeting, a hearing with residents here and then in easter, by easter incomes year, we will have the first initial report into how this fire started, and give some of the residents here answers as to why it spread so quickly. many

thanks, frankly in west london. london. more than 300 people are known to have died in the mudslides and heavy flooding which struck sierra leone‘s capital freetown yesterday, according to the red cross which has a team in the city. whole homes were submerged and thousands of people left homeless. the natural disaster is being described as one of the worst to ever hit the city. richard lister reports. 0utside outside the mortuary, staff wait for more bodies to be delivered. emergency vehicles have been arriving here all day and this facility has run out of space. sierra leone has been overwhelmed by this tragedy. the mountainside collapsed in an avalanche of mud, burying families as they slept. it was sudden, total devastation, leaving few survivors. those who did escape look on at the place where they used to live, desperate for good news. but it almost never comes.

this man lost eight members of his family. translation: i first saw the body of my sister and called on people to help me and we laid her on the floor. then i started hearing other people nearby, crying. i have lost all of my family. the deluge of muddy water surged through gullies and streets, claiming more lives and hampering rescue operations at the worst affected sites. sierra leone is used to some flooding in the rainy season, but nothing like this. it has left a tangled mass of destruction and a slow and difficult recovery operation. houses were built illegally on this fragile mountainside and no one really knows how many bodies will be recovered. as they are found, the crowd surge in to see if they recognise a family member orfriend. the authorities are trying to keep people away. we urge everyone to remain calm.

and to avoid disaster prone areas while we continue to address this grave emergency. these people had little enough before this disaster. at least 3000 are now thought to be homeless. fresh water sources have been contaminated and disease is a real threat. aid agencies are trying to prevent this disaster from getting any worse. our main concern now is homelessness, in terms of livelihood of families now that are left with absolutely nothing and the children now are more vulnerable. this has been a grim rainy season for sierra leone and it isn‘t over yet. richard lister, bbc news. tragedy. more coming up in the next half hour. we‘ll pause and catch up with the weather wherever you are in

the country. it is the peak of the rainy season in sierra leone. today we have a mixture of sunshine and showers, mostly across the northern half of the uk. some thunderstorms around across aberdeenshire. that could continue over the next few hours. showers clearing away overnight. clear skies and a light wind, quite a cool light for august. tomorrow is a cool light for august. tomorrow is a decent start to the day for scotland, england and wales but quickly turning wet and windy in northern ireland. gale force gusts

across the north and west. largely dry across eastern areas. this is bbc news at five — the headlines. the government has published proposals for a temporary customs union with the eu after brexit. labour has criticised the plans, but the brexit secretary says the ideas will help minimise disruption to business. india‘s prime minister leads commemorations to mark 70 years of independence from britain, and the partition of the country which led to millions of people being displaced along religious lines. millions of rail passengers will see a 3.6% increase in fare when prices rise in january 2018, the price rise will affect season tickets and some off—peak fares in england and wales. the search for survivors continues following mudslides and floods in freetown in sierra leone which have the claimed lives of more than 300 people. we will talk more about partition in

the coming minutes and also brexit but first the sports news. premier league clubs are to discuss the possibility of closing the summer transfer window before the season starts. it currently runs until august 31 — in line with many other european leagues. but the key stakeholders will vote on the idea next month. 0ur sports reporter simon stone explained why this has come about. the transfer window has caused a bit of a problem for english clubs for a number of years now, mainly because it doesn‘t close, as you say, until the 31st of august. and that is two or three games into the season. it means that players can move after their teams have started the season, which is not ideal. this summer, it seems to have become

an even greater problem. you have three really high—profile cases. the southampton defender virgil van dijk is not playing at the moment because a lot of clubs want to sign him. everton midfielder ross barkley is in the same position. swansea‘s gylfi sigurdsson is in the same position. for those clubs, southampton, everton and swansea, they‘re in a state of flux because they have three big players that can‘t play because there‘s so much doubt about their future. the general feeling within english football is that something has to be done to sort this out, because it‘s just destabilising clubs at a key point of the season. liverpool are in champions league action this evening. they‘re in germany to face hoffenheim in the first leg of the play—offs to decide which of them will qualify for the group stage of the competition.

liverpool are without philippe coutinho, daniel sturridge and adam lallana — who are all injured, but captainjordan henderson says they have enough quality in the squad to get a result. it isa it is a big test but a big opportunity as well and that is how we need to look at it. over the two games, if we can win and qualify for the champions league, that was the end last season. so we need to finish it with these next couple of games. it will be tough for us as hoffenheim are side. but i feel with the quality we have got, if we perform to the level we know we can, iam very perform to the level we know we can, i am very confident of getting through to the group stages. after their series win over south africa, england are back in action thursday as they take on the west indies at edgbaston in the first day—night test in this country. and mark stoneman will make his debut opening the batting with alastair cook. he becomes the 12th man to open with cook in the last five years, after keatonjennings was dropped for a lack of runs in

the south africa series. there‘s plenty of talk, too, about the pink ball being used for the first time — and whether it will help the bowlers. i have not experienced it yet apart from in training last night and it did move around that twilight period. i suppose that that is the time to bowl. i suppose the more we can get used to it, they‘re using it in these practice sessions, the better for us. but it is a bit of an unknown. staying with cricket... a bit of a landmark was reached in the women‘s super league this afternoon. the southern vipers made 180 for 2 from their 20 overs against loughborough lightning. that‘s a record score for the competition. and the vipers‘ opener suzie bates became the first player in the super league‘s short history to hit a century. she carried her bat, making 119 not out. she then took two wickets and this

brilliant catch. all out for 134. maria sharapova has been given a wildcard entry to the us open. it‘s the first time she‘s received a wild card into the main draw of a grand slam tournament since her drugs ban. however the russian is currently struggling with an injury which forced her to pull out of of her last two tournaments. the us open begins in new york on august the 28th. that is all the sport for now. keep up—to—date on the website and more in sportsday at 6:30pm. more now about the anniversary of partition — when india was divided and pakistan was created. many people are still feeling the effects of the split — 70 years on. in a moment i‘ll be speaking to three people with direct experiences of partition. but first my colleague

reeta chakrabarti has been speaking to one family in india about how they feel about their country, today. i almost refused the invitation, do you know that? remembering happy times, but this family did live through trauma. doctor singh and his wife fled pakistan as children but the events of that time have gone largely undiscussed. my generation, unfortunately, has not talked much to the younger generation, our children, our grandchildren about the partition. it is high time that history did come out with it. we made the mistake but history shouldn‘t. mrs singh feels that modern—day india might not be quite what the country‘s founding fathers had hoped for. it's a democratic country and so far it has been... it was a secular country, still it is. but then some elements always come and sometimes you feel that things

are not the way they wanted. but for their grandson, india has an exciting future. in the coming decade, india is going to be the place to be because so much innovation and technology coming up, but at the same time i feel culturally it is a bit of a decline. largely due to censorship. pakistani tv programmes which they used to enjoy are now barred, he says. his cousin wants to know more about partition to understand why the two countries remain such suspicious neighbours. i have never felt the tension between an indian and a pakistani. i met pakistanis when i have travelled in the us and london and otherwise and we have got along perfectly well. but those meetings happen abroad and he has never been to pakistan, just a few miles away. the effects of partition are still strongly felt today, even for young people

for whom it is just history. it is wonderful that you could all be here today. you were young boys at the time of partition. explain where yourfamily at the time of partition. explain where your family was at the time and by the memory still strong for you? i was 11 at the time of partition and i‘d lived through the horror of partition myself. we were young and my father came in in the evening and announced that we were moving away from the village in a caravan. i think you live close to where the border was being drawn?m was a couple of hundred miles from

it. it took as many days on foot to walk. and it was monsoon season. very wet and muddy. it was horrendous and killing was going on because people were marauding, shouting. and just very cruel weapons that they had, machetes, sticks. and not making a good job of killing people because they were hurting very badly. i saw that blood was spurting out of bodies. and at the age of 11. aged 11, it was so horrible to see this but there was no medical aid, nobody helping. eventually after three or four days we we re eventually after three or four days we were seeing all these killings going on and we thought it is a normal thing. we just kept on walking. and did your parents explain to you why people were angry, why they wanted to hurt you?

you were a young boy. we did not understand why because we had been living in a friendly atmosphere, my muslim friends and i was going to school with them and they were friendly. and the neighbours. in fa ct friendly. and the neighbours. in fact my father asked them to look after the house and animals when we left. and give them food and water. and also milking. we were thinking that we were coming back. you thought it was temporary. it took as many days to which the border and we we re many days to which the border and we were hungry on drinking water, rainwater, that is all that we had. and we used some leads to fill our stomachs, we were so hungry. and you we re eve n stomachs, we were so hungry. and you were even younger, seven or eight, and are your memories as david is this? my memory is not as vivid but

my memory of that time was 1946. —— as vivid as this. direct action date had been declared against congress and the british but unfortunately there was a divide between hindus and muslims in kyle coetzer. many people were killed. naturally at that time and then with in a few weeks later in a neighbouring country, 10,000 muslims were killed in retaliation for calcutta. because calcutta, it was a muslim city, so there were casualties. then in east bengal 300 hindu villagers were ransacked and many people killed. and did your parents tried to protect you from what was going on, what did you understand of all of

that and that anger at what was happening for such a young boy? what happened to me ijust realised that my father had a business in what is now west bengal. and there is one of the servants was entertaining some friends of my father. and they were talking, they were unfortunately hindu but they were our friends. and they were talking about kidnapping my mother because she was a beautiful woman. so the servant rushed to my mother and said, let‘s go to your brother ‘s house in calcutta because there is a problem. soi calcutta because there is a problem. so i remember with my mother hursley we went to calcutta. but i cannot remember everything but i remember us remember everything but i remember us rushing to calcutta and the

message came there, we stayed in calcutta and then after that i haven‘t country was east bengal. bangladesh. it was confusing. and on the way there was a lot of killing going on between hindus and muslims. and it breaks my heart that hindu, muslims, for thousands of years we had been living together with no problem. we still live together in bangladesh and now in the uk. many of our friends bangladesh and now in the uk. many of ourfriends are bangladesh and now in the uk. many of our friends are hindu and we bangladesh and now in the uk. many of ourfriends are hindu and we do not have any problem. but at that time is originated from there. not have any problem. but at that time is originated from therem you‘re brought up in london i think by your mother who lived through this and such vivid memories of horrific experiences, young children should not have to see that but millions of them did as we know. does that reverberate down to the

next generation? my mother was 17 at partition, almost an adult and so she had vivid memories but also i guess an understanding of what was unfolding. the story she told me when i was growing up, just of how quickly the violence happened. they thought they were going to go back after a few days, they did not believe it would be permanent and four had the journey was punctuated by this great fear of sexual violence. she fortunately escaped that but worked in a refugee camp and she saw that women had been raped and mutilated. and so those images lived with her forever but she also suffered sexual harassment from men in her community. so they we re from men in her community. so they were a group of women playing together? yes, so her memory was not of muslims against hindus and sikhs, but of men against women and this

acute sense of the particular vulnerability and injustice women faced during the conflict. and that then informed your childhood or upbringing, did she feel scarred by it? yes, she lived with the trauma and had a need to share but also she had a fierce sense of injustice and the need for justice had a fierce sense of injustice and the need forjustice and truth. so pa rt the need forjustice and truth. so part of her telling me what you cannot have justice without truth, you have to share what happened. and i ended up becoming a lawyer and human and women‘s rights activist, a direct acknowledgement of her first—hand experience. what happened with partition. i would like to ask you both, how you reflect on india now and pakistan today, how do you reflect on what the country has become, relations between these countries, perhaps what the next 70

yea rs countries, perhaps what the next 70 years might hold? my reflection is that that was probably unnecessary, iam that that was probably unnecessary, i am embarrassed. three leading players at that time, all barristers. and they could have settled it in a completely different way. but unfortunately the legacy, we are suffering from that. they could have settled it in a nice way but unfortunately because of them we are today all suffering. and it was unnecessary especially the partition of punjab. and bengal and the jack barmby ticket was horrific. —— particularly punjab. it was not clear cut. so there was a majority

there, the horrific scenes that you‘ve seen, india and pakistan are the nuclear nations and today it has had a catastrophic effect. everyone is rejoicing today in their own way but it could‘ve been avoided at time. add your thoughts? the british government had the army and police and civil service and they could have made a betterjob than what they did. they were given the task of dividing the country and did it in sucha of dividing the country and did it in such a haphazard way that so many people, over a billion people were killed and so many people hurt. and some of us who have been through this horror are still feeling the pain of it. because we never settled either in pakistan where i was born or in india where i was raised and

thenl or in india where i was raised and then i have been here in this country for the past 52 years. when i think back, i ask if it was worth it because we are still not friendly with each other. we have the same kind of food and dress, the same background, cell culture, and what is going on, we still have not learned. and partition sowed the seeds of animosity which is still going on and which is very sad. i feel we have not learned the lessons. i quite often say i could talk to you for much longer and definitely that is the case today. thank you for sharing all your memories. more now on our top story and the government‘s plans for a temporary customs union after brexit. chris morris from our reality check team has been taking a look at the options the uk

is offering brussels. this is the start of another busy brits period and this uk proposal sta rts brits period and this uk proposal starts with the idea of a new temporary customs union after brexit but looks of much like the current customs union as possible. that would reassure business both in the uk and elsewhere in europe. but also needs to be agreed by the rest of the eu which may be thinking if it‘s not broke, don‘t fix it. one of the tricky issues is that during the transition period which could last two or three years, the uk wants to be able to negotiate its own trade deals around the world. and there‘s no sign so far that the rest of the eu will agree to that. then there are the uk longer term proposals for what would follow this temporary fix. 0ne what would follow this temporary fix. one suggestion is what they call a highly streamlined customs arrangement. using technology to cut paperwork as much as possible and allow fewer vehicle checks. but it

would take years to get ready for such a new scheme so work to prepare for it would need to start prithviraj treadaway. and notjust a british ports but places like france, the netherlands, belgium and ireland. the alternative uk suggestion is for a new customs partnership between the uk and the eu that would dispense with any customs border altogether. 0utside the customs union that does not really exist anywhere in the world. and again it raises many questions, with the uk have to collect customs duties for the eu for example. and vice versa. so this is just an opening salvo and there will be a full white paper on customs in the autumn. but this feels like a paper written to take account of british political sensitivities rather than anyone else‘s. all the more reason the uk would argue to get on with the uk would argue to get on with the discussion of future arrangements as soon as possible. the eu on the other hand still says the outlines of that divorce deal

must come first. joining me now from our central london studio is miles celic — chief executive of cityuk an organisation that represents uk—based financial businesses. does today offer businesses any greater clarity? i think it is a helpful set of proposals, what we have argued forfor some helpful set of proposals, what we have argued for for some time from every pa rt have argued for for some time from every part of the uk economy, whether industry, manufacturing or services, is that we need clarity as soon as possible. we cannot wait until the end of the process, there has to be some certainty early on so companies can make decisions allowing them to continue to provide services and products to customers in the uk and the eu 27. and what the uk government has done is set up some bold and innovative and interesting ideas and it is a basis for discussion between the uk and the eu very much with an eye on making sure we can continue to provide those services and products

afterwards so we welcome it. does it not still feel like baby steps because you must talk to businesses of whatever size you say it has been a year since the referendum, we‘re still just getting into a year since the referendum, we‘re stilljust getting into talks, david davies talks about this today but then we get some pull—back from the eu saying we have to discuss terms of leaving first, discussed the irish border before we can talk about trade. still a long way to go? and that is why we need decisions as soon as possible on this. decisions need to be made by companies so they can continue to provide services and products to customers. we cannot wait until the end of the process. we have been arguing for both sides, the uk and eu, to be able to provide certainty to business and countries that those links, those important economic links will continue to be there and there will be the minimum disruption. but there will be a transitional period or

implementation period but that will be there. and our argument is you can make that clarity now, you can give that reassurance to businesses and customers now. it can be done in the next few weeks. we can have some kind of legally binding or confirmation that that process will be there and it means companies can decelerate their plans of potentially moving activity out of the uk and out of the eu indeed. 0ne of the key points of an independent research that we commissioned last year showed that in our industry in finance services, the biggest movement ofjobs if we ended up with no a ccess movement ofjobs if we ended up with no access brexit would be to new york, to asia, not necessarily to the eu. so it is in the interests of both sides to get clarity and certainty as soon as possible. thank you so much. it‘s the break many performers dream of — the lead is taken ill and you‘re

asked to step in at short notice. well last month, milly forrest‘s dream turned into a reality when the 23—year—old student, who works evenings at london‘s wigmore hall, swapped the cloakroom for the stage and wowed the audience and critics with an "exquisite" performance. and milly forrest is here with me now. lovely to see you. even reading that out i began to feel really nervous for you! way you nervous? terrified, yes, so nervous. for you! way you nervous? terrified, yes, so nervous. you for you! way you nervous? terrified, yes, so nervous. you got a phone call from the artistic director of the night before, so you had 24 hours? i had a bit longer, i had a call on wednesday evening for the saturday evening performance so i had rehearsals on thursday, friday and some on the day. so i had a

little bit of time to get to know the music. and the solo that i had been asked to do luckily i had done before. so a massive rally. well just explain, what the piece of music is the lady who was meant to sing it unfortunately for her not very well. tell us what the piece of music is and you are obviously a music is and you are obviously a music graduate already, what happened from thereon in? so it was a concert with 17 soloists. but a lot of what we were doing and it 4—part harmony pieces and everyone had one so each. so a lot of the time we sang as a group which was quite daunting because i was thinking if i put words in the wrong place that will look terrible. and we can see you in this photo with them. 0ver those few days, what were you saying to them and crucially what were they saying to you because

they knew you as a young girl who worked backstage in the cloakroom.|j think worked backstage in the cloakroom.” think they were almost as shocked as me, there were so lovely, really reassuring and very helpful. i knew one of them well because she taught me when i was very little, briefly. so she gave me the lowdown on what exactly i needed to learn, what to prioritise. so that was very helpful. 0n prioritise. so that was very helpful. on a scale of one to ten, how nervous were you on the night? by how nervous were you on the night? by the time the night came i knew i had the music under my belt but definitely, a nine or ten, had the music under my belt but definitely, a nine orten, i had the music under my belt but definitely, a nine or ten, iwas terrified. but very excited. and what happens now, you performed magnificently, you still have to work in the cloakroom? absolutely! looking forward to going back in september to start my shifts. effectively we get paid to watch one musicians and i learnt a lot doing

the work i do and look forward to go to my masters in september. what is your next performance? a couple of things in the summer and then when i start college hopefully lots of new starts, new performances. lovely to meet you and well done again. lovely to end with a smile. let‘s catch up with the weather forecast. more of a grimace, the british summer continues. today has not been too bad, a few showers coming across northern ireland and scotland. we have seen some —— some thunderstorms around. but also some decent sunshine in between and this evening the showers fade away and we‘re left with skies. turning quite cool for

august, temperatures in towns and cities holding up in double figures but in the countryside, down to around 5 degrees or so in rural parts of scotland. but a glorious start for scotland, england and wales tomorrow with that morning sunshine. 0utbreaks wales tomorrow with that morning sunshine. outbreaks of rain in northern ireland spreading into scotla nd northern ireland spreading into scotland and some gales developing. the rain late in the day to reach eastern areas of wales and the bulk of england. not feeling bad in the sunshine with highs of 23. tonight at 6.00pm: trading with the eu and the rest

of the world after brexit — the government sets out its plans. buying and selling across borders — the brexit secretary says keeping trade as simple as possible will work for the eu as well. it‘s in their interests. bmw do not want to have to have a customs border that is going to slow down their sales and add administrative costs. but a top eu official calls the plan a fantasy. we‘ll be live in brussels. also tonight: millions face a more expensive commute next year. the highest rise for four years. so many of us are not getting pay rises that can manage that. i work in the public sector. my pay rise is maximum 1%, so that makes us worse off when they put fares up like that. the death toll in sierra leone rises after yesterday‘s mudslide. now health experts fear a spread of cholera and typhoid.