this is businefisrs live from bbc it helped build the spitfire, but can it fight off the biggest hostile takeover bid britain has seen for a decade? shareholders will decide the fate of gkn today. plus, aianb is to start giving the chinese government information about customers who book accommodation in china. the markets are all heading up so

far, but how long will that last? we will let you know. and we'll be getting the inside track on chocolate. with easter fast approaching, we have a master chocolatier on the programme to talk about our obsession with chocolate — and selling hand—made easter eggs worth hundreds of dollars. today we would like to know how much you would spend on an easter egg. how much is too much? hello and welcome to business live. the team are chocoholics. one of the producers told me he spent £20 on an oak producers told me he spent £20 on an oa k yesterday producers told me he spent £20 on an oak yesterday and he ate it. a busy day so far —— on an easter road yesterday. in london, an important day for a company in this country. the most hostile takeover battle for

a decade, it will be decided in a few hours‘ time. shareholders of engineering giant gkn have to decide whether to accept an $11 billion takeover by melrose industries which specialises in restructuring struggling firms. gkn has a 250—year history, including a role in building the spitfire during world war 2. but it's a global business making components for nearly half the world's passenger cars. it also supplies parts for us military‘s blackhawk helicopter and the f—35joint strike aircraft. it employs 60,000 people worldwide. 6,000 of them are based here in the uk. the takeover bid has raised concerns over the future of british workers and has prompted the uk business secretary to seek guarantees over the compa ny‘s operations. in response, melrose has offered a number of commitments, including maintaining the gkn headquarters in the uk at least for the next five years and keeping hold of gkn's aerospace division, again at least until 2023.

suzanne rab, barrister at serle court chambers, specialising in eu law and competition law matters, is with me. thank you forjoining us. greg clark, the business secretary, has said he has received a number of commitments from melrose, my question to you is, how binding are the commitments really going to be? they are expressed in stronger terms than similar assurances we have seen in deals like kraft. but until the secretary of state for intervenes by taking this deal in under national security provisions, there are some question marks about how binding they are. how can he get involved with this deal? there is a procedure

under a piece of legislation, the enterprise act, which allows the government to scrutinise transactions which raise national security concerns, but there are thresholds for intervention based on turnover and the share of supply of the relevant goods or services. are the relevant goods or services. are the thresholds met in this case? in this case, it appears that they probably would be because of the turnover of the target business. greg clark's friends seem pretty much tied in terms of exactly what he can do, definitively? —— hands. there is a question of procedure and due process and what does need to be done to placate what concerns there may be. if you were working on this

deal, what would you be looking for in terms of the companies?” deal, what would you be looking for in terms of the companies? i would be looking for strong assurances that concerns are met and there is a tension around the more shorter term objectives of a turnaround company and some of the concerns about long—term stability of industry and the cycle of investment in this area. good to talk to you. thank you for that insight. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news... the family of the woman killed by an uber self—driving car in arizona has reached a settlement with the company, ending a potential legal battle over the first fatality caused by an autonomous vehicle. 49—year—old elaine herzberg died after being hit by an uber self—driving suv earlier this month. some of the world's top oil firms will be competing for 70 blocs of new projects today in brazil.

until recently, the country allowed only limited access for foreign oil companies, but this has now changed with a more pro—business government in power. the number of cars made in britain fell in 4.4% in february, as domestic demand slumped, according to industry figures. the society of motor manufacturers and traders blamed a i7% fall in production for the uk market, where consumers are holding back on big—ticket purchases because of brexit uncertainty and confusion over the future of diesel. aianb is to start sending the chinese government information about customers who book accomodation in china. let's get more on this from our correspondent, simon atkinson, who is in our asia business hub in singapore. we know that when people travel to china, things were different beat in china, things were different beat in china, is this an unusual story? it sounds worrying from outside. china, is this an unusual story? it sounds worrying from outsidem does. aianb has 140,000 places

listed to stay in china and as things stand, if you make a booking, you already have to give things like your nationality, your passport information, when you do the booking. until now, the details were held on aianb servers in china and if the police wanted them, they could have them. what changes tomorrow is that instead the details will be sent proactively to the authorities. you might not like the sound of it, aianb says it has nothing to sinister, it says all it is doing is bringing things into line with help hotels operate in china, they already routinely share details with police, they are legally required to do so. while aianb probably does not want to do this, it is a company famously fighting local officials around the world trying to restrict its operations, but just world trying to restrict its operations, butjust like with apple a few months ago when it had to bow down to beijing on how it managed

its servers, it is a company that if its servers, it is a company that if it wants to stay in china, has to play by the rules. thank you for filling us in. financial markets 110w. . . filling us in. financial markets now... a fairly mixed day definitely. japan closing down 120% lower, hong kong significantly lower. following quite a turbulent session --1.34% —— 1.34% lower. for many, the closing position ahead of quite a long break when markets have been very volatile, not that hard to predict, but certainly gyrating strongly. we will talk more about that in the moment. first, let us hear from that in the moment. first, let us hearfrom joe miller who that in the moment. first, let us hear from joe miller who has got more detail on what is ahead on wall street. stable economic growth and strong corporate earnings are usually good news for stocks, but it's certainly not

that straightforward at the moment, as thursday's news is likely to confirm. the government's consumer spending report is released, and it should reveal continued growth. but part of the report contains the personal consumption expenditures index, and as well as being a bit of a mouthful, that's the us central bank's favourite measure of inflation, and it's expected to show that prices here are still rising nice and slowly. but it will no doubt also fuel a further round of debate about how often the fed will raise interest rates this year, which always seems to give the markets a jolt. and investors will also be alert for any further reports of facebook data transgressions, or, for that matter, reports that president trump is angry with amazon, both of which have brought turbulence to wall street this week. joe miller there in new york. joining us is james hughes — chief market analyst at axi trader. tech stocks in america, very much in

focus, dragging market sentiment. talk as to what has been going on over the last 24 hours. the whole facebook scandal, whether you call ita facebook scandal, whether you call it a scandal or not, the facebook story has been dominating markets for the last week, especially from an equity and wall street point of view. this is the problem these days with these stocks, they are so enormous, heavily weighted... fang, facebook, amazon, netflix, google. there were other rumours, stories yesterday surrounding facebook, some rumours surrounding amazon as well about potential regulation which could come in there. so many stories at the moment, and when you see such big moves like we have seen on facebook, it is incredibly difficult for the other stocks in that group to stay at the same level, that is

the issue. a lot of economic data coming out in europe which will be quite interesting to get a sense of how we are doing in the first quarter. uk gdp out this morning and that will be at 930, a particularly big number, especially when we have seen such big moves, especially in the pound, this week. today being the pound, this week. today being the last day before the long easter holiday, it does tend to be quite volatile. when we have such big economic data like gdp, the markets and investors will reallyjump onto that and have a look at that, big eurozone german cpi numbers as well... eurozone german cpi numbers as well. . . that eurozone german cpi numbers as well... that is inflation figures. and there is an inflation reading out of the us this afternoon, particularly busy day. and investors have the long weekend to digest it. it means that the end of today's trading session, it is really busy. i want to confess how much you have spent on an easter egg later. did

you bring us any? i noticed a packet in your pocket. only very early in the morning! one of the chocolate -- chocoholics on the team! just to make a correction, the numbers were stopped in the —— the numbers were start in asia, they were wrong. i just want to correct the numbers we had on the big board. i do not want to alarm you. it was not as bad as that today. still to come... the business of chocolate. with easter fast approaching, we'll be talking to a master chocolatier about our obsession with the stuff — and the market for very expensive hand—made easter eggs. you're with business live from bbc news. it's a year since article 50 was triggered, and influencers are meeting in westminster today

to look at the current state of brexit negotiations. well, how are we getting on? allie renison is head of europe and trade policy at the institute of directors. tell us what is going to be discussed today? the conference is looking at where we are now, looking at the future relationship, looking at the future relationship, looking at potentially what will come out now we are in the end stage negotiations on trade and labour mobility. it is looking at what will happen potentially in the negotiations and how the landscape might look, from my perspective, from the business end, after we leave the eu. you were among several is because in westminster today and in the meantime theresa may is on tour, talking about strength, unity.

—— you are among several speakers in westminster. do you think it is falling on deaf ears?” westminster. do you think it is falling on deaf ears? i spend if not as much time as the prime minster, a lot of it, talking to a devolved branches over the uk and what unites people is trying to get clarity because where we are in the negotiations at the moment means we have not been able to talk about those things that matter to business most, the transition was certainly important to get nailed down, but we have not had the opportunity of having a discussion to allow businesses to know what they are planning for. that is part of the issue, it means we need to speed up the substantial trade negotiations because otherwise you will have a lot of smes with no idea on how to plan until they know what the deal is and that may not be arrived at until well into the transition period. we have to leave it there, thank you. head of europe and trade policy at the institute of

directors. do not look, do not touch! a quick look at what is happening online and the bbc website. one story a lot of people are talking about particularly on radio 4 this morning, the owner of the bargain booze chain, facing administration problems with consumer spending according to a guest that appeared earlier, customers of conviviality, they have caught up with the drinks industry, apparently. you're watching business live. our top story: it's the biggest uk hostile takeover bid since kraft took over cadbury‘s in 2010 — today investors will decide the fate of britain's biggest engineering group, gkn. a quick look at how markets are faring. are these the right figures?”

are these the right figures? i think so. are these the right figures? i think so. they have opened in positive territory. it's been a pretty turbulent week. textbooks have been dragging market sentiment down, but european stocks are keeping their head above water —— tech stocks have been dragging. easter is almost upon us, and it's a fair bet many of us will be indulging in the odd chocolate egg over the holidays. despite these more health—conscious times, our love affair with chocolate seems to be undimmed. in fact, last year we consumed more than 7 million tons of the stuff worldwide. and one study suggests sales of chocolate contribute around $83 billion to the world economy. one man who's built a thriving business out of this is chocolatier, paul a young. his fine chocolate company is based here in london and specialises in premium confectionery. his most expensive easter egg will set you back $350. pauljoins us now.

and his most expensive easter road joins us too bach bak easter egg! how did you get into making chocolate? i was a tizzy aid for marco white in the 90s, when the food and restaurant revolution happened. —— i was a patissier. and i specialised in chocolate about six yea rs i specialised in chocolate about six years after that. i couldn't find amazing, an preserved, handmade chocolates anywhere, using fresh ingredients, and with style and flair. $350 for a chocolate is an awful lot of money. what kind of people would spend that kind of money on american? everyone spends that kind of money. you either by an individual egg for lots of people, or you buy one, pop it in the middle of the table and let people smash it

and break it up and have a ritual around it. you said that that big 999 around it. you said that that big egg represents what we all consume an average per year? that doesn't seem an average per year? that doesn't seem enough to me! i think! eat double or triple that in six months! it doesn't seem a lot. and tell us what makes your chocolate so valuable, so worth it? many people will be thinking, hang on a second, a cadbury mini egg will do me fine. i agree. it's about the sourcing of the krakow and the beans, and the producer has made the chocolate and the beans from smaller growers, buying the cacao direct from the goa. so the price is more expensive thanit goa. so the price is more expensive than it should be, because the growers need to get the money. but we also make it by hand, so there is a labour cost involved, hand packing and hand decorating. and you just sell from your shop, you don't supply fortnum and mason? we sell through online companies, because that allows others to get them, but

we don't have an online store right now. and it is handmade. every single thing we make. nowadays, there is demand for things to be dairy free all for people to want organic or vegan. do you cater for that or does that make things difficult for you? it has become very interesting, especially the vegan trend, which has become more ofa vegan trend, which has become more of a lifestyle change. so we have had to, but dark chocolate should naturally be vegan. it shouldn't have any dairy in it, which means that opens up a huge amount of products that we already had. but am now voting products which are totally dairy free. and i am assuming that vegan dark chocolate of that quality is good for you? as long as it hasn't got any other fats in it other than cocoa butter or any other sugars. it has helped my business increase our turnover. and i was going to ask you about the fair trade element and sourcing. you talk about the quality of your

supply. do you go there and meet them? one of my biggest suppliers in them? one of my biggest suppliers in the us, i went to their factory last year. they have a policy on child labour, sustainability, organic and fair trade. you have to look at that if you want to be entirely partisan and transparent. we have had quite a few tweets today on easter and chocolate. we have had one tweet from gerry mayhew says if you need to set a budget for easter, something is wrong. christmas and birthdays, yes, but easter?” something is wrong. christmas and birthdays, yes, but easter? i think people come into the store looking for one egg and come out with real four because they are mesmerised.” tweeted about the fact that our producer spent £20 on egg which he ate quickly. one viewer says, £20 on an egg? did it come with a free car?! many of you feel that an easter egg is something that should be £3.99. in a supermarket, that is fine. but like anything, i still eat

mainstream chocolate and i still enjoy a cadbury‘s mini egg. mainstream chocolate and i still enjoy a cadbury's mini eggm mainstream chocolate and i still enjoy a cadbury's mini egg. it is so good to know that. you are not chocolate snob. i not, but! good to know that. you are not chocolate snob. i not, but i love the artistry of fine chocolate. how long does it last? if we wrap this chocolate in cellophane, a year. otherwise, it would go stale very quickly. in my house, it would last two minutes. so good to have you on. leave all this and off you go! only joking. in a moment, we'll take a look through the business pages. but first, here's a quick reminder of how to get in touch with us. we wa nt we want to hear from you. get involved on the bbc‘s business live web page. what other business

stories has the media been taking an interest in? james hughes is joining us again to discuss. what do you do at easter time? you know what, i love that really cheap chocolate, sorry, paul! you know the chocolate, sorry, paul! you know the chocolate coins and stuff like that. the stuff that is really bad for you. you have three boys, and i feel for them. three little boys, so you have to be economical! let's hope you get a big bonus. then you can supply the hughes household. big story today. it is the countdown to brexit. this article in the

financial times very helpfully has the clock. what does the city make of this? what a waste of time, firstly. it's a year until brexit, but is it a year of kicking the can down the road? yes, we have a brexit transition deal, but that seems to bea transition deal, but that seems to be a case of not dealing with the big issues now, let's wait until we get to the real crux of it and then deal with those issues. so you think there will be a last—minute panic to solve some of the difficult issues? look at how brexit has happened so far, it always seems to be last—minute panic. we have this situation with ceremony different parts to deal with discussions on this or that. but the big issues are still not being sorted out. for you, what are they? ireland is the

biggest issue for brexit in general. the irish border resume is enormous. and then the city, we still hang in the balance. if something can't be sorted out with the irish border, brexit could be in doubt because thatis brexit could be in doubt because that is such an enormous issue, for so that is such an enormous issue, for so many that is such an enormous issue, for so many reasons. for that is such an enormous issue, for so many reasons. for trade, but the situation in ireland, for generations past, it is enormous. any time we get to a discussion, we wa nt any time we get to a discussion, we want clarity. that is what the markets want. we want to hear that things are being sorted out. but what we get is that there is clarity here or there, but not on the big issues. you have voiced your frustration on this programme many times since the uk decided to leave. having said that, what do you think of how the economy has been doing since that vote? many said we were headed for a disaster in terms of economic performance, but they have been proved wrong. they have too a

degree, but brexit hasn't happened yet. but all of the uncertainty and concern has been there since the vote, and many argue that it is all about perception rather than reality. exactly. we are in a situation now where the gdp growth is there. but more importantly, we need to talk about how it affects people in their pockets. we saw last week that wage growth in the uk is moving higher, which is a positive new story. i don't want to be the person that says despite brexit, because that is not necessarily the point. thank you, james. more on easter eggs and brexit throughout the day on bbc news. we might do a green room chocolate test. see you soon. green room chocolate test. see you soon. bye—bye. as we approach the easter weekend,

things are not looking too bad overall over the weekend. today, it has been a cold and frosty start for some of us. there has been some chilly weather and showers moving in today. those showers are associated with this area of low pressure which is throwing in this weather front from the south—west, gradually pushing north. so this morning it has been bright, but the cloud will increase across many parts, with showers in the south. those merge into longer spells of rain this afternoon. further north, there will still be showers, but some lengthier sunny spells. a few wintry showers across scotland, but more clout in the far north of scotland. this evening, the showers will continue to move northwards into friday morning. still some wintry showers

across scotland. temperatures tonight will not be as low as last night. it will be a frost free night. it will be a frost free night. how about the easter weekend? it will be quite chilly. temperatures may struggle to get into double figures. there will be rain at times and some snow in the hills. generally cool, but there will also be some sunshine. this is good friday. further showers moving into southern parts. still some rain across northern areas, but dry weather and sunshine across northern areas as well. those showers in the south will turn heavy and more persistent as they move northwards. on saturday, you still have rain across england and wales. again, there could be snow over the hills of northern england and scotland. some brighter weather from time to time. the cloud and rain might feel

chilly, but where you get sunshine, it will feel ok. easter day is probably the driest and brightest day of the weekend. there will be cloud in the afternoon, but largely dry weather with sunshine. the rain across the south—west will gradually pushed northwards on easter monday, and that could turn to snow. hello, it's 9am, i'm tina daheley. welcome to the programme. it's exactly one year to go until brexit. the article 50 process is now under way and, in accordance with the wishes of the british people, the united kingdom is leaving the european union. we've got an audience here from all over britain and we'll be asking how they, and you, are feeling about the whole thing, 12 months before the uk

leaves the eu. we're also talking to a woman with severe cerebral palsy who says she's been discriminated against by british airways after they wouldn't let her change the name on a ticket she'd bought for one of her carers. and do advertisers use race to grab people's attention? we're talking to industry insiders after claims they're producing racist adverts on purpose.