i'm christian fraser live in brussels for a bbc news special. after 18 months of negotiations, european union leaders are about to meet to decide whether to accept the terms of britain's withdrawal from the eu. the jointly agreed withdrawal agreement and declaration on the future relationship will outline the terms of britain's relationship with the eu for years to come — but there's little enthusiasm from eu leaders. we will agree today, we will endorse the brexit agreement, but there is nothing good for any side because it's a withdrawal from the european union. if it's approved, the deal will face a much tougher vote in westminster. theresa may has written an open letter to the british public appealing for support. throughout the hour we'll be turning to our reality check correspondent for clarity on what exactly is in both agreements

— and where we go from here. hello and welcome to brussels. european leaders are here for a special summit, to sign off on the deal that will see the united kingdom leave the european union. after months of intense negotiations, the two sides have reached agreement on two seprate texts — a legally—binding withdrawal agreement and a political declaration, which sets out what the relationship between the uk and the eu might look like after brexit. a last—minute hitch over the future status of gibraltar was overcome yesterday.

we will have all the reaction from european leaders as they arrive here in brussels. they are making short state m e nts in brussels. they are making short statements as they make their way up the red carpet, before we get some of that, let's get our first report of that, let's get our first report of the day from adam fleming. the prime minister ending a round of meetings in brussels last night. the uk wakes up to an open letter from her. in it, she says her deal works: "for all of our people whether you voted leave or remain". and that after brexit day next march: "we will then begin a new chapter in our national life". it was all nearly derailed at the last minute by pressure from the spanish government over how brexit will play out in gibraltar. translation: in the framework of the future political declaration, the european council and the european commission reinforce spain's position. the uk's position on the sovereignty of gibraltar has not changed and will not change. i'm proud that gibraltar

is british and will always stand by gibraltar. the other eu leaders will rubber—stamp their side of the bargain in this room before theresa may is ushered in. the brexit deal, completed by sunday lunch. adam fleming, bbc news, brussels. adam is with me now. some leaders did not think we would get to this point, what's likely to go on in the ring together? we are not expecting a lot to actually happen in terms of what is actually coming out of the meeting, this is about the symbolism, all the leaders coming together to see this is a deal, we approve and endorse, handing over to theresa may and providing her a massive springboard to sell the deal back in the uk. live pictures of michelle barney,

the man who has orchestrated us into this position, he has been talking in recent days about the withdrawal agreement. i am watching him, i have spent my life studying his face and i think he's in a good mood today as you would expect because this is his triumph, the pinnacle of his career, negotiating this deal. the last paragraph thanks him for his leadership. very complex, very difficult, we have worked, i have worked with my team to reach a deal which in an organised fashion aims to reach the withdrawal decided by the uk. thanks to the full unity of

27 heads of states, their trust, and the european parliament. we have worked, i have worked with my team and negotiated with the uk, never against the uk. i want also to thank the british team. now it's time for everybody to take their responsibility, everybody. iwill just add that this deal is a necessary step to build the trust between the uk and the eu. we need to build on the next phase this unprecedented and ambitious partnership. we will remain allies, partnership. we will remain allies, partners and friends. thank you very much. on his way into that meeting,

again stressing everyone has to take the responsibility, he is nodding towards the difficulties in the house of commons, everyone in brussels is aware of the struggle theresa may has. responsibility is the codeword they have adopted, they mean it as you are using it, in eyes if you torpedo this deal at westminster you are heading for no deal which will be catastrophic for all sides, and it's also a message to the european parliament because they get a veto over the final deal and will vote on the second week of march, saying this has been negotiated for a long time and today is being signed off by 27 metres, do not mess with the process. we are talking about the process, there is no vote in the room today. this is a political moment. i don't think this summit even needs to happen in terms of legality or the process of the negotiations, this is a political decision, a moment of theatre, not

to downplay the significance, eve ryo ne to downplay the significance, everyone coming together and marking the end of the talks, it a powerful symbol rather than wear something actually happens. there is going to bea actually happens. there is going to be a side document the leaders will produce today. i don't know if it will be published but we've got our hands on a copy of it, they will list the areas that they will have vigilance as they put it in the talks going forward, they talk about about seven things including citizens' rights, the rights of eu nationals, getting a speedy deal on fishing rights for european boats in british waters, the uk's climate change ambitions, what role the european council leaders will have in extending the transition period, working out of the irish backstop should be used or not, and the level playing field. that's the idea of constraint being put on the uk in return for privileged access to the single market, so even though it's done and dusted they are now having

a check list of things they will be keeping an extra special eye on in the future relationship which is yet to begin. i like how you typed level playing field onto the end. music to yea rs of playing field onto the end. music to years of brexit supporters. thanks, we will keep in touch with you through the day. the dutch prime minister has arrived and tells us he is better prepared for no deal than the uk government, they have spent over £100 million on preparations for no deal inaudible i believe that nobody is winning, we are all losing because the uk is leaving, given the context, there are no political winners, no victories, but it's acceptable. saw, that was the dutch prime minister on his way into the building this morning, let's talk to two people who have been following events for us. let's speak now with tony connolly,

europe editorfor ireland's rte let's talk about the irish backstop, it is still in there, it's part of the legally binding language of the withdrawal text, even though there is some colourful language in the political declaration, where are we up political declaration, where are we ? political declaration, where are we up to? as far as the irish government are concerned, it's stretched into the withdrawal agreement which gives them the legal assurance this backstop is there and will be legally operable and as you say, there is a lot of language in the political declaration trying to reassure eve ryo ne the political declaration trying to reassure everyone that the backstop is an insurance policy, the political declaration signposts are deep and comprehensive trade agreement between both sides which would then provide some comfort to theresa may, she can sell it to her party and the dup. but it's in

there, it has stronger political weight than what's in the political declaration. talk to me about the comments yesterday from the leader of the dup arlene foster are seeing thatjeremy corbyn in power is better than seeing this withdrawal agreement. how did that go down? dublin has been looking at some trepidation at the different relationships involved, it's the fa ct relationships involved, it's the fact that theresa may relies on the dup, if they told their support that destabilises the situation further. the dup are in a difficult position because they have staked their reputation on rejecting the backstop and rejecting this deal and it's ha rd to and rejecting this deal and it's hard to see how they can continue to support theresa may but from an irish point of view there is no question at all of this withdrawal text being reopened, the backstop suddenly being extracted from it. so that's a political dilemma which

will stretch beyond today's summit. thanks for the moment. you are watching a bbc news special, the leaders going into the summit, we expect them to consider the documents for a couple of hours, theresa may are likely to arrive in the morning and she will get an opportunity later this afternoon to put forward her thoughts, you're watching a bbc news special. let's also talk about what happened yesterday regarding gibraltar. pablo rodriguez, brussels reporterfor el mundo. we had strong words from pedro sanchez yesterday saying that in his view she has won a big concession from theresa may on gibraltar, how so? reading the documents it seems to restate what was already there? yesterday, that was about politics, he needs to sell it to his constituency, the powerful message.

gibraltar might not be a big thing for the united kingdom but it's been a pillar of foreign policy for spain, ata a pillar of foreign policy for spain, at a political level there is a lot of attacks from the populist party on the right for making a lot of concessions. it was tough for him, he was flirting with a veto so he needed to say ? stay with us, let's listen to this ? for this i think we need to work hard for better relations in the future. if parliament in the uk rejects less is there anything more you can do?” wa nt there anything more you can do?” want to be optimistic, the european parliament will vote a resolution in decemberand parliament will vote a resolution in december and probably in january parliament will vote a resolution in december and probably injanuary or maximum february we will vote on the agreement. there is a majority in favour, it's a good message also to

the british parliament, we want to work with the british parliament for better relations in the future. 0k. the italian president of the european parliament, the european parliament has to ratify these deals as well as the house of commons. apologies, pablo, you are talking about gibraltar. you are seeing, in the documents, how will people in spain react to what they had from pedro sanchez last night? the agreement was not exactly what spain wanted but it's sort of enough. they wanted but it's sort of enough. they wanted to change the withdrawal agreement, they want some references to the future relationship of gibraltar and neither things are happening. instead they got this

kind of reassurance from the british government, not from theresa may, it was a letter by the ambassador here. it's not the same level. so there are some concerns that this document does not change european law. these are some kind of political decisions which are not exactly the same thing. spain has got more than it got before in some aspects, the political agreement between 27 metres is not something you should ta ke metres is not something you should take for granted but still some hesitation. we should remind viewers there are no voting taking place today in the european council but ultimately if a final deal is put in front of the leaders in both ireland and spain would have a veto and what we are starting to see, theresa may says she is negotiating on behalf of the uk family, is the uk's vulnerability both with ireland and

gibraltar. yeah, this, i think, what this day today, this summit allows us this day today, this summit allows us to take stock of the negotiations, they began when david davis came here onjune 19, negotiations, they began when david davis came here onjune19, 2017 and this allows everyone to take in what has happened, how destabilising and difficult this whole process has been for the uk in relation to its politics and its connections with other european countries. i think there is a deliberate saints today from the eu side that this is going to bea from the eu side that this is going to be a sober occasion, there will not be champagne corks popped. it's just a pause because we'll get into the difficult political arithmetic in westminster, will this get through the house of commons? if it doesn't, what happens then? through the house of commons? if it doesn't, what happens themm through the house of commons? if it doesn't, what happens then? it is a

marker of how each nation will put its interests first in the next stage, the unity has been there but you've got the dutch, the danish talking about fishing, the french wa nt talking about fishing, the french want a level playing field, the spanish want something on gibraltar, it's going to be very difficult. it's going to be very difficult, the most difficult thing starts now, we have done the easy part, somehow, i know the member states who have got vetoes will be pushing their own interests. there is the sovereignty of the rock which has been out of the agreement so far but it's going to be much more difficult. the government, what happened so far has been promises on promises, now is the real challenge. that's a context of what's happening in the house of commons, today to take stock, over the course of the weekend there are problems for scottish fishing

communities, problems for the dup, problems for gibraltar, suddenly everybody is fully aware of the issues that may be a were not there during the referendum debate. that isa during the referendum debate. that is a big irony of this moment, because as you know there was an effort by the british try to appeal over the head of the chief negotiator to the national capital is to try to unlock the deadlock when in fact i think history will judge that michelle barnier has been quite supportive and protective of british interests, when we started to talk about this temporary customs union, member states started to see how non—we need reciprocal rights on fisheries and level playing fields and he was the one who said we are not going to bring fisheries into their withdrawal agreement, it was too political and too toxic. in a sense he was protecting the uk's flank and that protection will not be there because we are going to get into a full—blown trade negotiation

when you will have 27 countries with their own specific defensive interests on trade and that will make it difficult for the british government. i can just make it difficult for the british government. i canjust see leo varadkar coming into the building, we will pause if he speaks, while we quickly wait for his thoughts, do you think they are aware they will be back here in a few weeks' time talking about a vote which has gone down on the withdrawal agreement in the house of commons? they are acutely aware of what is happening in westminster, everyone here watches that process extremely closely but in a sense there is a certain attitude of work, it's up to the uk, we cannot control that situation and i think any sense of eu member states are leaders or european institution figure is trying to intervene to shift the debate one way or another could backfire either way. i think they feel they have done what they can. it's up to the uk, theresa may, to get this through the house of commons. after if this is voted down as many people expect the process

still has to play out in london and are we getting into a situation where there will be a second referendum, general election, is there any way this could be prised open? i would say unlikely but you never know. what do you think pablo, and appetite in spain for reopening negotiations? not really, overall the agreement is clear, this is a remarkable achievement by michelle barnier and his team. remarkable achievement by michelle barnierand his team. there is remarkable achievement by michelle barnier and his team. there is death paws definitely no appetite. thanks for your company, good to get your thoughts. let's look at these pictures of leo varadkar. let's listen to what he has to say. almost

two years of work, two years of negotiations. still regret the fact the uk is leaving the european union andi the uk is leaving the european union and i think the best course of action would be for the uk to stay in the european union and the single market and customs union but we respect their decision not to do that so we have spent two years trying to negotiate an agreement that protects our interests, our citizens and our economy and i believe we have that come on agreement which allows for an orderly withdrawal from the european union and protects the freedoms and rights of citizens come on agreement which provides a transition period during which we can negotiate a future relationship and if its not successful then a back kicking in which us there be no hard border between ireland and northern ireland and we will continue to have tariff free and caught a free trade which is important for our economy. work donein is important for our economy. work done in the past couple of years, a

difficult deal to negotiate, i anticipate it will get the scent of 28 governments, 27 member states who are staying and also the government of the uk, allow us to move on. looking forward to the meeting and we will take questions at the end, thank you. leo varadkar on his way into the building, as we have said, two documents in front of the leaders this morning, their withdrawal agreement and the political declaration which will be the framework for the future relationship. chris morris is here to remind us what's in the documents, let's start with the withdrawal agreement, spell out what thatis withdrawal agreement, spell out what that is and what it contains? this is the big one, it's the legally binding treaty that takes the uk out of the european union. don't forget, theissues of the european union. don't forget, the issues we have been talking about for months, the divorce bill, the details of how it's calculated,

the details of how it's calculated, the money the uk will pay on leaving over a period of several years, up to £39 billion says the uk government, others think eventually it could be more than that. then there's the issue of citizens what happens to eu citizens in the uk and uk citizens elsewhere in europe? and the legal status of the whole agreement, the disputes about the agreement, the disputes about the agreement being worked out and what is the legal status of the uk, eu relationship in future? then there are relationship in future? then there a re protocols relationship in future? then there are protocols ? youjust relationship in future? then there are protocols ? you just got to grips with the 580 odd pages and now there are protocols! two issues have created controversy, gibraltar which is now scattered over various documents but is in the withdrawal agreement, basically we know that spain has won an assurance that any agreements in future assigned by the eu and the uk also have to be discussed separately by the uk and spain and that is what spain has

clarified. and there is a protocol causing months of heartache about the northern irish border, spelling out exactly what would happen if after a transition period after brexit there was not a long—term agreement assuring the irish border was open and that is when the so—called backstop will kick in. which takes us to this political declaration, it's pretty ambiguous and vague, something for everyone. it is, it's as important but a lot shorter, 26 pages, an aspirational document which is non—binding. this is something which will be endorsed by the leaders today butjust sets up by the leaders today butjust sets up the basis for years of negotiation to come. those negotiations can only begin formally after the uk has left, if everything goes on schedule, after the 29th of march next year. everything, the one thing people want to know is what

kind of free trade arrangements what we have in the future, there is a lot about free trade, notably it says trade on goods in the future should be as close as possible. the word frictionless which a lot of people have talked about which is the only way of keeping the irish border open does not appear. customs arrangements figure prominently and it says the customs arrangements in future should be ambitious and should build on some of the things contained in the withdrawal agreement which is of concern they feel a potential temporary customs arrangements could morph into a permanent customs union. there's a lot of things about regulations, rules of the single market if you like, and an acknowledgement that the more the uk clings closely to those rules the more access it gets, it's a natural ? those rules the more access it gets, it's a natural? it's those rules the more access it gets, it's a natural ? it's a sliding scale. all of these things coalesce

in the most difficult way. it's not all about borders and trade, there is more to the relationship and borders and trade. there is, and particularly within trade, there are goods and services, there is a lot about services and financial services. we know there is a system known as equivalents which means both sides agree they will accept their financial service regulations are roughly equivalent. it's not what the uk wanted which was a system known as mutual recognition, i recognise your regulations and you recognise mine. this is a more loose relationship and at the moment there is nothing in the document despite the importance of the city of london, which suggests that uk will have a more special relationship than any other country. there are things about migration, there are rules which means free movement of people come to an end, there is stuff about transport and energy. it

cove rs stuff about transport and energy. it covers basically the whole of the future relationship between the eu and the uk and it's a reminder of how much needs to be negotiated. yesterday was a timely reminder of when nations start pitching and things can go wrong very quickly. when nations start pitching and things can go wrong very quicklym can, and one of the things which is going to be a sensitive point for a long time to come is this idea of a level playing field, i know it's one of your favourite phrases but it essentially means there is still concern among the other eu 27 countries that somehow from this new relationship the uk will gain a competitive advantage by having access to the market without following knowledge rules so we have to watch that closely. there is also a lot in this document about security because we talk about trade and the economic relationship but internal security, police arrangements but also foreign policy

and defence. lets listen to jean—claude juncker who has just arrived. speaks german finally, tell us about the format going forward from here? they waive this through today, we expect, there will be ratification, supported ratification in the house of commons and the european parliament but what comes and the european parliament but what co m es after and the european parliament but what comes after that? people biting their fingernails comes after that? people biting theirfingernails i comes after that? people biting their fingernails i think. comes after that? people biting theirfingernails i think. another

thing the political declaration sets out is how disputes get resolved in future and that's going to have to get used to, the idea that if everything goes on schedule and britain leaves at the end of march there will be a dispute resolution system involving a joint committee. but if there are matters of the interpretation of eu law then an arbitration panel will have to refer that to the european court of justice, the european court of justice, the european court of justice would have a binding interpretation about what eu law means in terms of the relationship between the eu and the uk in the future and you can guarantee that any future trade agreement will see any future trade agreement will see a lot of eu law in there. finally, the one thing the political declaration sets out is timing. it's incredibly ambitious, the timing that both sides hope can be achieved, that is to get everything wrapped up, a future security agreement and trade agreement well before the end of 2020. if that

doesn't happen we are into the issue of the you extend the transition period? do you bring the backstop into play? those are areas neither side want to go into unless they have two. if we run into a problem in the house of commons and this has to be renegotiated or they have to ta ke to be renegotiated or they have to take stock, they could extend article 50 perhaps by a few months because there are european parliamentary elections coming up? in theory it can be extended, all 28 countries would have to agree, there is not much appetite for it frankly, certainly not if it's just to extend in an argument they've been having for the last 18 months. if you got to the time we needed a few from weeks to ratify i think it could be done but as you suggest elections coming up and i whole period in the summer were not much will be happening here. let's return to jean—claude juncker. happening here. let's return to jean-claude juncker. leave the european union is not a moment of

jubilation but a moment of deep sadness. we have this divorce, we wanted to be as smooth as possible but there are no smooth divorces. wanted to be as smooth as possible but there are no smooth divorcesm the uk parliament says no, as are any more you can do or is this as good as it gets? this is the deal. it's the best one possible and the european union will not change its fundamental position when it comes to these issues. i think the british parliament, because this is a large parliament, because this is a large parliament, while ratify this deal. if they see no is there any more movement? jean-claude juncker talking on his way into the building, he met with theresa may last night for about 90 minutes ahead of the meeting, much of the talk being a process but i'm sure some of it was also about concerns they will have about this vote coming up in the house of commons.

thanks to chris morris who has left us thanks to chris morris who has left us for a moment, thanks to chris morris who has left us fora moment, he thanks to chris morris who has left us for a moment, he told us through the course of his reality check that there are a couple of protocols which have been added to the texts in front of the leaders today and some strong language in that text about fishing, in particular they are talking about protecting coastal communities in europe, there will be some concerns they will lose access to british fishing waters and there already been discussion about swapping access to british waters for access to the single market, but how much more that access affect communities in the likes of the netherlands for instance? anna holligan has been to a communtity in the netherlands, worried about what happens next. dutch fishermen catch more than half of their fish in british waters. a lot of families are relying on fish. not only on the fishing boats but also the fish industry. for us, it is very important that we can have access to british waters. the seas around all eu

nations are effectively pooled which means boats from one country can fish in another‘s waters. we are fishing ourselves also in british waters, yes. fish in urk is one. 80—90% from urk community less from the fish. but fishing accounts for less than 1% of dutch gdp. on a national basis, it's a little so it is easy to give away fisheries for a bigger gains. and there is a twist in this tale. trade access is vital to britain because it exports the bulk of the seafood it catches and imports the majority of what it consumes. and here is where the deep disagreements exist, on getting the right balance between access for uk produce to eu markets and for eu

fishing vessels to uk waters. the fear on this side of the channel is that british fishermen are lobbying to get a greater chunk of the quotas currently assigned to other etu nations. this lemon sole was netted off the english coast by dutch fishermen. it's being processed in the netherlands and sold back to britain. these boxes goes to british markets and produced for markets. all the flat fish caught in british waters lands here in the netherlands. it's caught by dutch guys, not by british guys. there will be people listening thinking it's a bit strange that the dutch are catching the british fish and then selling it back to the british! they cannot produce like us. we own all the machines. the netherlands is not the only nation with a vocal fishing lobby. with more political

clout than you might expect given its overall contribution to the economy. this has the potential to get ugly. anna holligan, bbc news, in urk. very much so, the eu saying that they want to deal with fishing in they want to deal with fishing in the early part of negotiations and get something done by 2020 and quotas. alex barker, brussels bureau chief for the financial times, is with me now. isa is a concern for theresa may, scottish mps, not all of them and coastal communities but a good many of them, you want to stick tight on what she has set out? absolutely, when britain entered the eu in 1970, the negotiations started and eight hours later, europe decided its common fisheries policy. it was designed, in part, to ensure there

was full access to british waters. it is very much in their interest and, as we leave the eu and negotiate another transition, there will be huge pressure to ensure eu fishermen keep the same kind of quotas that they have today. emmanuel macron, the french president, is walking into the building now. i don't know if we can get his thoughts... yeah, we will keep talking as we wait to hear from emmanuel macron. let's talk about the letter, the open letter that theresa may has written to the british public. going over the heads of fractures backbenchers. what did you make of it? it has been pitched now. we had two plus years trying to bring this together. now she has two weeks to make it work. we could be back with another summit pretty soon to discuss whether they will do anything at all, but her pitch is to

say there is no alternative, and that this is the best possible arrangement that straddles the objectives set by the prime minister, and we will see now and in the following two weeks whether she can build the consensus that she needs. this, really, is a formality. the comments we have from arlene foster yesterday, and the hardline attitude that we get from 20—30 conservative brexiteers, and now we are breeding in the times newspaper this morning about the remainer cabinet ministers. this is a hellish picture back in the uk. yes, and she has managed to set redlines and struggle every single one of them. so, we take control of our laws but in the transition give up a lot of control. we want an independent trade policy but it will be tight

and she has managed to upset both constituencies. in the end, she is banking the need to do brexit and the worries about damage to the economy will be so great that in the end, people will swallow their objections. we were hearing a word from gibraltar earlier on. they said in the context of the election taking place, he made a lot of political spin. there was some newspapers where theresa may gave too much ground, did she? this negotiation will ultimately end with all 28 national parliaments of the eu having to ratify a deal. if spain is not happy with what comes out on gibraltar, they will veto this deal. so, what we really saw was a bit of political theatre to show again, to the spanish public, that the control is with them. i do not think, in

terms of clarifications made, that it really made much of a material difference. but what it did show is how nation states are going to put their interests first. donald tusk, in his tweet and in his letter to leaders last night, praised what they had shown in the withdrawal agreement. they do not want to get involved, they want blue sky thinking. we will see a lot more office in the months and years ahead. the unity has helped the eu but the last few weeks has been fractures internally. raising voices between themselves when they argue on things like gibraltar and fish, and expectations they will put the uk afterwards. they deferred a a lot of the more difficult decisions. for them, until after brexit. they will have to sit down and wait anything, this is the final deal with the uk and how does it affect the final balance sheet? at the moment you can

see things like fish emerging as something where, for the landlocked countries, they do not care about where the eu fishermen are getting their herring from british waters but for the dutch and the french, it is hugely important and they are putting it above everything else. alex, it's always good to get your thoughts. if you are joining alex, it's always good to get your thoughts. if you arejoining us, this is a bbc news special. just to clarify what is likely to happen today, there will be a couple of hours of discussion around the withdrawal agreement and the political declaration which sets out the framework of the future relationship. theresa may will be invited into the building afterwards. nigel farage hasjoined me here on the balcony. he is here as the —— in the capacity of the fdd group. i expect you do not believe the withdrawal agreement will go

through? and 90 tory mps say they will not vote for it. this looks impossible but this is politics. what if the labour party decide they will support this? in doing so they split the conservative party. is not impossible but i hope it doesn't go through. you would argue with this deal, we give away more sovereignty even as members of the european union. it is the worst deal in history. awful. so let me put a question, theresa may, dominic raab, the chancellor yesterday, would you rather stay in the eu then have this deal? of course not. being in the european union, it has meant our laws have been made somewhere else, no control over the borders. the only minor sensation... i should be celebrating today! this is about leaving the treaty itself, which is significant but what we are signing

up significant but what we are signing up to is impossible. i am hoping that parliament do not sit down —— vote it down and we leave on march the 29th without deal. we negotiate the 29th without deal. we negotiate the deal but we leave without one. it's a shame, we could have gone for a simple free trade arrangement. for yea rs a simple free trade arrangement. for years people have poll agriculture me they would be prepared to do it. there is still the potential to have that... when? from france to norway. that you are looking so many years down the road. it's ridiculous. the transition period was the article 50 period. we should sort all of this out. the clue is what philip hammond, the chancellor, said yesterday. we are trying to please the leivas and the remainers. the letter says the same. trying to please everyone but pleasing almost no one. you would be happier with the deal than staying in the eu. some people think we are locked into

this dealfor a long time some people think we are locked into this deal for a long time with some people think we are locked into this dealfor a long time with no say... it is an awful deal. look, i wa nt say... it is an awful deal. look, i want the deal rejected. but if it is not, i will be very unhappy. i would have thought, if the deal in its current form goes through, then i would think you could see some big shock waves through british politics over the next few years. you talked about the difficulty of being all things to all people. it seems to me that the real tension the deal sets up that the real tension the deal sets up is the clash over sovereignty and the difficulty is that it poses in northern ireland, and the clash over the union. so, we have problems over the union. so, we have problems over the union. so, we have problems over the union and people trying to keep the union and people trying to keep the union and people trying to keep the union together and those who wa nt the union together and those who want more say over their laws. you cannot have both. no, it's a mess and tricky to see where we go. as northern ireland gets weakened,

people look at gibraltar and our relationship there is further under challenge. whichever way you look at it, the british government has given in to every demand that michel barnier has made and that will cost us barnier has made and that will cost us nearly 60 billion sterling. let's vote the deal down in parliament, i still believe that will happen. let's leave on march the 29th, and thatis let's leave on march the 29th, and that is the only way forward. in the newspapers, only four or five remain ministers within cabinet want to stop the no deal. amber rudd is one of them. there is no majority in parliament for no deal. how do you think they would be able to stop that? in terms of legislation, there is an eu withdrawal app that has gone through. we leave on march the 20 night and that is what parliament has voted for. equally, our obligations under article 50 are not to have a deal but to leave on march the 20 night next year. there would

have to be and unpicking of legislation that exists today. from my perspective, from a leaving perspective, it won'tjust be westminster but the european parliament who have a final say on this, if it gets that far, understanding that there is a risk and the risk, from my perspective, is that act of parliament is opened up is that act of parliament is opened up and a delay to article 50, or a second referendum, gets pushed upon the british people. there is a risk of that but i think the deal is so bad that it is worth that. if it happens, would you go back into politics? no choice. no choice. with ukip? | politics? no choice. no choice. with ukip? i haven't spent 25 years on this. we had to see what ukip does.

ukip wasa this. we had to see what ukip does. ukip was a party that talked about tough issues and i want to make sure that no one canjoin tough issues and i want to make sure that no one can join the party as a member if they have bmp or edl links. i did that because i wanted to talk about things without the mud of races and sticking to it. people throughout but it did not stick because it was untrue. if you get street activist fringe involvement in politics it will kill ukip as a political party and, more importantly, damage the lead cause too. nigel farage, thank you. interesting thoughts and a lot of speculation in the uk, as to what could happen if the deal is voted down. we are expecting a vote in parliament around the 12th of december, three or four days parliament around the 12th of december, three orfour days before the next summit. they may have too, again, return to brexit and talk about what they will do. let's talk

about what they will do. let's talk about gibraltar. in the last couple of days it emerged as a major sticking point in negotiations. spain demanded assurances that they would have the right to veto any future trade agreement between the eu and the uk which covered gibraltar. these assurances appear to have been given but theresa may says no concession was made over british sovereignty over the rock. molly scott cato is a british mep for the green party — her constituency includes gibraltar. sorry to keep you waiting, i know you have been waiting patiently to talk to us this morning. let's get your thoughts on what was given over yesterday. a lot of people saying it was a restating of what was in the text. what do you think? what has become clear from discussions text. what do you think? what has become clearfrom discussions in text. what do you think? what has become clear from discussions in the last few days is actually, as we go forward in these negotiations, we have made ourselves a special deal

in the trade case. it's a rhetorical change. as we leave the eu, we had no clue about the future trade relationship. we had all of their trade relationships, we have any veto and aspects that we don't like. i think we cannot accept the deal with no idea what the future trade deal would be like. as you saw in that previous interview with nigel farage, he also thinks it is unacceptable but people like him, who have persuaded to vote leave, they are professional disrupters. in politics, you make a professional proposal and the prime minster‘s deal is the best we could have got out of brexit and that is why people like me campaigned strongly for remain and that is why we need a people's vote on the deal.” remain and that is why we need a people's vote on the deal. i will come back to you on that in a

second, get your reaction to what nigel farage said but what about the reaction from your constituency in gibraltar? i was interested to see their reaction from the chief minister. he has put all of his eggs in the british government basket and trusts the british government but several of the mps who represent the people at gibraltar are wary of that. we think we will be vulnerable in trade negotiations. gibraltar has been incredibly pro—eu. 96% remain in the referendum and they have been loyal over 300 years to britain. we need to prepare the loyalty that do not put them at risk in future trade negotiations and i know if we have a people vote would vote strongly along with me, so we do not have to make ourselves honourable in this way. and nigel farage was talking about, in terms of the deal that is in front of the house of commons, if it was voted down in december, what do you think, from a green perspective, should happen there?m

is clear that there isn't a clear majority for any of the proposals. the easiest way through this is to ask the people what they think and 60% think we should have a people's vote stops 75% do not think the deal, as negotiated, bears any resemblance to what was offered to them in 2016. it is a strong argument for having a people's vote in the polls show that it would probably be 55% in support of remain. the people's will has changed and the support for remain is much stronger. it's the easiest and smoothest paths forward to the future of the country. you spend a lot of time here in brussels, speaking to various leaders here. what do you think they make of the reaction that there has been to the withdrawal agreement? are they aware they could have to come back here in mid—december and talk about reopening the withdrawal agreement? reopening negotiations is not a real option. it is being called for by

extreme brexiteers but it is not a reality. the reaction from other european leaders, and from my collea g u es european leaders, and from my colleagues in the european parliament, we knew that this was where we were going. there is no possibility of a cake and eat it deal. but this has shown the difference between rhetoric and propaganda. nigel farage basically is constantly against something. as soon as you is constantly against something. as soon as you put a proposition on the table brexit is about trade—offs. when a lot of people voted to leave in 2016, they were not told of the downsides. they were told they could have complete control of fishing but not that it would limit access to markets. they were told they could have a new farming policy but not that it would mean greater tariffs if they export products into europe. all sorts of people i represent across south—west england will these, as a result of brexit. most importantly, the whole idea of free movement, two thirds of people think free movement is a good idea when

they see it as something that we benefit from too but it was sold as something we only lose from. we are seeing more losses that brexit britons and people are changing their minds and think we are better off staying in the eu. thank you for your thoughts. we have seen angela merkel, the german chancellor, entering the building. she had threatened to boycott the summit if there was not resolution to the gibraltar issue but she is here and adding her voice chris morris is here. and adam fleming, our brussels reporter, too. let's talk about the ratification process, we were talking about it with molly and nigel farage. talk us through the choreography of the ratification to start with? a lot of people had to sign this. there is no vote today but eventually, the other 27 countries will have to approve on the final deal. at a ministerial

level sometime next year and basically 20 out of 27 countries representing at least 65% of the population of those countries have to approve it. by then, there's no question it would not be unanimous. but the first step, the house of commons, ratification in the uk parliament, no one really at the moment can see how it is going to happen. we know to reason may will be launching a charm offensive in the next two to three weeks. but in the next two to three weeks. but in the second week of december we will probably have that key vote in the house of commons and if it doesn't get through? there will be a second vote in the house or the government will have 21 days to tell parliament what they plan on doing next. if it does get through it needs to be ratified in the european parliament. expect that to happen in march. if all of those ducks line up in a row, then the uk will leave the european union on the 20th of march next year. and the transition period

begins. 21 months, possibly extendable and possibly buy as much as another two years, which will ta ke as another two years, which will take as past the next uk election. difficult choices after that initial 21 month transition period, but we are still a long way from even getting to that period. there is a lot to do. we are at the foothills. adam fleming, the lithuanian president, he said on his way in, there are four options, we could have a deal, no deal, second referendum or an election. nigel farage said he would go back in for campaigning for brexit and go back into politics. it will not heal the issueif into politics. it will not heal the issue if we have another referendum, ora issue if we have another referendum, or a general election. theresa may is trying to guide against in her letter, they sound very grand. she has written to the whole uk and talks about this moment of reconciliation. of coming out of brexit, it no longer matters whether you want to leave or remain. abroad

will come together. i think it is wishful thinking. theresa may is coming in, what is she going to say? she needs to keep our eye on the people at home, she has seen and heard for herself, when she was in the house of commons today, how many backbench conservative mps oppose the deal. she will be appealing to people, letters to the nation. there will be appearances around the country. a big thought, though. she knows that this is an inflection but a big process, probably the biggest political economic change we have seen political economic change we have seenin political economic change we have seen in our times. thank you both of you. you have been watching a bbc news special from brussels. you. you have been watching a bbc news specialfrom brussels. plenty more to come, we will bring you all of the reaction from leaders. hello, if you were stuck under the

cloud yesterday, the prospect of something a little brighter today. large amounts of cloud, some showers around. this is yesterday's area of low pressure, bringing rain across the south of the uk. a legacy of cloud, showers affecting sussex and kent. this easterly wind pushes showers on the eastern coast. caldaire midweek. then we begin to see something milder. through sunday afternoon, further showers in eastern and northern eastern coasts. some working westwards, there will be bright and sunny spells, the best of the sunshine in northern scotland. temperature is tempered by a brisk all north—easterly wind. highs of 7—9d. a chilly feel wherever you are. through the evening, further showers, especially in eastern and northern eastern coasts. wintry across the high

grounds of not agricultural chair and scotland. clear skies, across scotland, northern ireland and northern england. a widespread frost as temperatures in the countryside get close to freezing. up to four or five in the centre of town. a chilly start of the day tomorrow. varied amounts of cloud but bright and sunny spells. more than we have seen over the weekend, some of us have been under grey and gloomy skies. showers in east and north eastern coasts. temperatures not much higher than 7—9d but we see changes. this pushes eastwards for a while. you can see a squeeze in the eyes of bars. 0utbreaks can see a squeeze in the eyes of bars. 0utbrea ks of can see a squeeze in the eyes of bars. outbreaks of brain. wendy, a blustery start on tuesday. northern ireland, wales and southwest working eastwards through the day. —— outbreaks of rain. we are likely to see since no, not much over the pennines and oh by the high ground of scotla nd

pennines and oh by the high ground of scotland windy, particularly on western coasts. average speeds but the gusts much higher. temperatures of six or 7 degrees further east but the mild air begins to arrive from the mild air begins to arrive from the west. that is a sign of things to come for the week ahead. turning mild, a risk of gales and heavy rain at times. goodbye. i'm christian fraser — live in brussels as eu leaders gather for a special brexit summit. after 18 months of negotiations, european union leaders are meeting to decide whether to accept the terms of britain's withdrawal from the eu. the jointly agreed withdrawal agreement and declaration on the future relationship will outline the terms of britain's relationship with the eu for years to come — with negotiators now hoping they will be able to move on to the next stage of the brexit talks. we need to build for the next phase

this unprecedented and ambitious partnership. we will remain allies, partnership. we will remain allies, partners and friends. if it's approved, the deal will face a much tougher vote in westminster. theresa may has written an open letter to the british public appealing for support.