deputy prime minister. theresa may, the prime minister, is in strasbourg. we will hear from her shortly. let's hear from strasbourg. we will hear from her shortly. let's hearfrom hilary benn, chairman of the brexit select committee in the uk house of commons. involve questions about the interpretation of the application of eu law, can the secretary of state confirmed for the house tonight that any such questions would have to be referred by the arbitration panel to the court ofjustice and the european union, and that any ruling of the court, despite what he said tonight, would be binding on the arbitration panel on the european union, and crucially, on the united kingdom? i will say a couple of things in response to the right

honourable gentleman. first of all, he is right in this respect, that the treaties themselves made clear that the european court is the final arbiter of the meaning of european law, and we have seen that offence, for example, the ratification of the trade agreement with canada. on the agreement with singapore. but the withdrawal agreement is not part of european law. the withdrawal agreement has the state and a joint instrument now associated with it, have the status of treaties under international law, not european law. and she referred to the question of arbitration... frankly, we would not

wa nt arbitration... frankly, we would not want the eu to have the right to act arbitrarily without regard to some due process against us, so i don't think it is unreasonable for there to bea think it is unreasonable for there to be a process... thank you very much indeed mr speaker. on the 29th of january, this has much indeed mr speaker. on the 29th ofjanuary, this has set much indeed mr speaker. on the 29th of january, this has set the much indeed mr speaker. on the 29th ofjanuary, this has set the barfor the government of replacing the backstop stock on my right honourable friend confirmed the meaningful commitments have been secured to replace the backstop with alternative arrangements? there had been meaningful changes... you are watching bbc news. this is coverage of the statements being made in the house of commons in london to british mps about a meeting taking place in strasbourg this evening. it hasjust finished, we understand. it is between jean—claude junker and theresa may trying to get a final agreement, details of the agreement,

that can reassure mps who rejected it injanuary, that can reassure mps who rejected it in january, by that can reassure mps who rejected it injanuary, by a massive margin of 230 votes, to reverse that any vote tomorrow. our europe editor is in strasbourg tonight. it was clear from the extracts we had in the course of that debate in the house of commons that some mps are not convinced that there is anything new in this. why does the european commission and others hope that there is enough to persuade them to think again? well, there is something new here. we are going to see a new document tonight, and you have had endless days now and again of meetings between the eu and the uk trying to throw something out on the backstop, and that is what the prime minister will present tonight any moment now, and she will say she has got meaningful changes to the backstop. i think when you look at this package, what we understand is going to be in it, looks like a lot of legally binding assurances on the

backstop. the eu fundamentally has stuck to its guns. it has not reopened the withdrawal agreement or change the backstop, the protocol to keep the irish border open on the island of ireland after brexit. it island of ireland after brexit. it is not legally binding additions to say, be the uk and bd uk do not want the backstop, if it is ever triggered, because do not forget it isa triggered, because do not forget it is a guarantee mechanism, if it is ever triggered, neither want this to be everlasting. so, this is not the trap that some people fear it could be back in the uk. the eu underlines that it be back in the uk. the eu underlines thatitis be back in the uk. the eu underlines that it is not advantageous for it in terms of trade either. the two sides are also beefing up the political calculation, that aspirational document of eu, uk post brexit future relations to show that both sides want to go as rapidly as possible to a sophisticated trail deal with the backstop would not be needed. and we are feeling the prime minister also wanted to deliver a unilateral declaration on this backstop, sort of put uk flavour,

saying that from the uk perception, this cannot be a permanent measure. and she is hoping that will persuade as many mps as possible to pass a deal in the house of commons tomorrow. now, because this comes into legally binding a turing cheese, rather than changes, into legally binding a turing cheese, ratherthan changes, no final exit day, no unilateral exit mechanism for the united kingdom. that is why it is notjust in the uk that there are questions, but also in the european union, they want that this deal will really fly through tomorrow. hook up we are just going to pause a moment, because we want to go to nice of johnson, the dup deputy leader who is speaking in the house of commons, because it is a dup who were critical of all this, because they are keyboards for the conservative government. when the house is likely to be updated on those, and clearly all of this will need to be taken together, and analyse very carefully, because we are speaking at the moment without having had sight of the precise tax, and we

will certainly analyse that very, very carefully. i completely understand the right honourable gentleman's wish for detailed analysis. he asked about other matters still under negotiation. i hope that those talks will conclude before the end of exchanges on my statement, if not, then i would expect to be a conclusion of the net. gratis david lidington, the defective deputy prime minister to theresa may, who is at that meeting in strasbourg. we are waiting to see the news conference involving theresa may and junko junker from the european commission, which we are told will start in the next few much, because emitting is finished. terms of this, how much has been a loss of trust and a sense of frustration in the institutions of the european union? because this deal was agreed in november last

year. your micro well, absolutely. there has been a lot of frustration. he had from the ipoh minister today, who said, when everybody was asking, has the eu given in, what kind of package will be see? he said, if you look at the withdrawal agreement, it is already a compromise document. and it is true. for pretty much to yours, both sides have sat together. theresa may came with red lines, the eu with the red lines, and this is the result they came up with. the eu is frustrated that it needs to add extra assurances after signing off on the withdrawal agreement, and that there is it has come back and said, my mps are not happy. i need something else from you. and a lot of behind the scenes attitude in the eu is that they believe the divisions are inside the united kingdom, the divisions are between ha rd kingdom, the divisions are between hard brexiteers, south brexiteers and remainers. between the labour

party, the divisions are between theresa may and members of her own cabinet. and so, i have had if you are purchasing to me, the prime minister is looking to us to sell her domestic problems. we don't have a magic wand, wejust can't her domestic problems. we don't have a magic wand, we just can't do it. that said, the eu wants a deal with the uk. it is important to the eu, and they will say, not at any price. and that is why they have sat down with the uk to try to come up with this package of measurement, but it does not go as far as a large number of the prime minister's critics wa nted of the prime minister's critics wanted on the backstop, and that is why there are a huge question marks, and we will exactly what the prime minister has to see in the press conference, is to further this deal will actually go through tomorrow. if it doesn't, by how many votes? the eu will be watching extremely closely, and has already warned the prime minister that fit doesn't go through, she should not expect any new shiny concessions from the eu when she comes face to face with them at the summit in brussels next

week. at the summit is only a week away, i never said that as a last possible moment, and you can't really go much further than that. but just one really go much further than that. butjust one last point, catchier, that argument over the artist backstop and the trailing across the border, is about getting a permanent relationship between the uk and the remaining 27 countries. how difficult are those trade negotiations likely to be, given what has happened over the last two yea rs ? what has happened over the last two years? our people already starting to worry about that? your micro i mean, these are going to be difficult negotiations, i think, because just think of these last three—year since a referendum, the two years of negotiators, how fraught they have often been. when it comes to the trade deal, it is not the uk talking to the european commission, the one voice representing the eu, you're good to have all 27 eu member states but all

of their own priorities, and those are going to come into play when it comes to the trade agreement. i think the premise is about to speak any moment now, i have been told. so, we will have a listen to our about how she presents us package that she has been able to get from the eu have about the backstop. that she has been able to get from the eu have about the backstoplj will the eu have about the backstop.” will let you go into the press conference. thank you so much for your patience in staying with us. we are going to take some pictures inside the news conference, which is where a reporter is rushing, and work teresa mia junko junker are expected to be. certainly, there may will be here. it looks to me like a commission backdrop. we will see who else turns up. certainly, the flags of the united kingdom and the european commission to be seen there. the point is that all of this revolves around as trying to get the uk parliament to vote in favour of the terms of the withdrawal agreement. there are the options, really, for the uk. withdrawal with this agreement, withdrawal with no

agreement, and the argument is that the ref had been no deal in britain simply books out of the european union on the 29th of march as it is currently scheduled to be the case, not only would there be no deal, but they would be no transitional deal. they withdrawal agreement assumes another 20 months of transitional arrangements to deal with practical stuff, and that could lead to, in the worst case scenario, borders being reactivated between the uk and the european union. so, more than ten subjects of goods entering and leaving the uk via ferries into france and belgium. and to holland and denmark. more difficulties in terms of trade between the uk and ireland, which of course both the inside the eu when the uk is no longer inside it, except they share a land border, which divides northern ireland, which is part of the united kingdom, from the republic of ireland. and that has never happened before, because the uk and ireland joined the european union on the same day in 1970

theory. so, they traded quite happily across the border. you can probably just see the happily across the border. you can probablyjust see the entrance to the right to bear. it looks like we have got journalists the right to bear. it looks like we have gotjournalists already in place, seated. everyone is flashing, the photographers flashing their cameras in the hope of getting the first frame. we were told that the meeting had broken up a few minutes ago and that they were under way, so iam ago and that they were under way, so i am pretty sure we are going to see them pretty soon. a lot of the people coming through that door at the moment are government officials, and officials from the european commission. you go. he was teresa me taking her seat on the plaque from there. following her isjunko junker, president of the european commission, the chief official. let's listen into this news. good evening, ladies and gentlemen,

welcome to thejoint evening, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the joint press conference by prime minister theresa may, presidentjunko junker. the present, you have before.” may, presidentjunko junker. the present, you have before. i remember standing in front of the press almost 30 years ago on the 24th of june 2016, the day after the british people in a referendum decided to leave our union. it was a sad day for the union and a sad day for me personally, but we must respect the decision of the british people, no matter how deeply we regretted. as i said back then, the european union has always allowed a member state to live. ever since 29th of march 2017, when the united kingdom notified its intention to leave, the european union negotiated in the spirit. rm is to ensure that this withdrawal

place in an ordinary way. we want the rights of citizens on both sides of the channel to be protected, and we want to preserve peace on the island of ireland. these are things any responsible politician should ca re any responsible politician should care about. the european union and kingdom have joint responsibility. we have a deal on the table which does exactly do this. the withdrawal agreement that the european union and the government of the united kingdom agreed on has in fact been on the table for 105 days now. the european union is ready, under the ratification process is ongoing. i have no doubt that it can be concluded on time. however, as we all know, the ratification has been more difficult on the uk side. this is why the commission's negotiator

michel barnier and me personally have been working extremely hard over the past months to provide the additional reassurances the prime minister needs to get the deal over the finishing line. before the first meaningful vote in january, together with president tusk, i sent a letter sending out our agreement on the patrol agreement, in particular on the backstop under agreement on the future relationship. since then, the prime minister and myself have met very often, at least at the space of just one month. including in the desert. we task our negotiation teams to explore additional guarantees and qualifications relating to the backstop, alternative relations, and additional changes to the political declaration related to the future relationship that could be helpful

to all of us. michel barnier met four times to all of us. michel barnier met fourtimes in