hello, this is bbc news with ben bland. the headlines... this is bbc news. i'm ben bland. to expand the school, the prime minister something that wouldn't be allowed and her cabinet look for ways the headlines at 3pm: if birds were nesting. to bring may's eu withdrawal the prime minister and senior agreement back to the commons for conservatives look for ways to bring elaine ewert spotted them, tweeted a fourth time after it was defeated may's eu withdrawal agreement back to the commons for a fourth time by 58 votes yesterday. after it was defeated and was amazed by the response. i think what we have to do is make it has made such an impression sure that we deliver on the will of by 58 votes yesterday. because it is such a dramatic visual the people at the referendum. metaphor of what we are doing we have to keep trying, that's what people voted for and i'm the deal which delivers on the to the natural world. sure that's what the prime referendum in a way that works for minister continues to it has been happening across the uk our economy is the best way forward, be determined to deliver. here recently in surrey on a large but recognising some colleagues do palestinian officials say two scale and in warwickshire men have been killed by israeli fire still have concerns about that, we where hedgerows have been covered. the royal society for the protection during protests to mark the first need to work through those. parliament ultimately have to vote anniversary of weekly demonstrations for something. of birds wants them banned. parliament ultimately have on the border of gaza. to vote for something. thousands of palestinian protesters we are excluding birds from nesting take part in protests on the border between gaza and israel to mark habitats at this key side of year. a year since weekly today is the deadline demonstrations began. the countryside should be for public sector bodies with more today is the deadline for public than 250 employees to declare sector bodies with more at birdsong right now the pay difference between their than 250 employees to declare male and female workers the pay difference between their but across our country we have lost male and female workers — 44 million birds in 50 years but thousands haven't yet done so. and when nature is in crisis, the rolling stones but thousands haven't yet done so. we really can't afford to be adding postpone their upcoming tour to those pressures of the us and canada as mickjagger the rolling stones postpone things like these nets. their upcoming tour there are concerns that wildlife may is told he needs medical treatment. be trapped inside the nets like here in north lincolnshire

but developers say the nets now on bbc news, after another momentous week protect birds and animals in british politics and are deployed in a controlled it's time to take stock and responsible manner. with brexitcast, recorded yesterday evening trees with nests can't be chopped down during the spring after another big and summer nesting season, day in westminster. so nets allow building work to continue all year round. so it's friday 29th march 2019. legislation protects nesting birds that date that it has been as it rightly should but developers a near professional obligation are under a lot of pressure to bring for us all to trot out every day forward sites for development of our working lives to start building houses for the last two years. to meet the housing crisis, and as we record it, just gone 7.30, therefore a delay when they can't do we are 3.5 hours away three works between march and august from what was meant to be the big means that they are seeing departure moment and, development put back, well, it isn't. it means we can start on site you can say that again! and build the houses that we need. it's probably the one thing we're sure of, isn't it? a parliamentary petition calling it's not happening yet. and instead, well, there's lot for a ban has reached of questions and lots of attempts at answers and lots of uncertainty. more than 175,000 names, well above the number required to trigger a commons debate. and the good news, it means more brexitcast! back in cambridgeshire, and our favourite sound effect, the council has reacted mr klaxon, or mrs klaxon. to the negative public response so it is chris at westminster. here and order the nets laura at westminster. to be taken down. katya in brussels.

whether they protect or they threaten wildlife, and a half eaten custard these will be removed at easter. tart next to chris. yes, thank you, laura for that. # and a half eaten custard #. i won't sing any more because i got one twitter response saying — "what we know from brexitcast is," england's oldest man has and one of the points was, celebrated his 111th birthday. "katya can't sing." aw. bob weighton from hampshire that's so harsh. was born on the 29th of march 1908. that's so mean! i don't agree. mr weighton said he had requested i'm devastated. devastated. this custard tart is the most not to have a birthday card nutritious thing i've eaten in about the last three weeks. from the queen in order i'm off again on custard tarts. to save public funds. anyway, i've got a new adjective for it was also the birthday of scotland's oldest man you today when it comes to europe. alf smith, from perthshire. i've said so often that the eu he is 109. the men have never met, is frustrated, resentful, irritated. but they have exchanged birthday cards in recent years. they're weary today. bob says he always gets asked what is his secret to living longer. people ask me, i've got no secrets at all. i don't keep any secrets. she stumbles 0ui, oui! 0ui, oui, oui, oui. i've got no idea. no idea. i told weary resignation reigns. yes. oh, dear. somebody once ijust i think they're probably all quite weary.

yeah. i've got no idea. no idea. i told somebody once i just avoid i've got no idea. no idea. i told because of what they perceive to be somebody once ijust avoid dying. the sense of inevitability now it's time about what was going for a look at the weather to happen today? it's partly today, but it's partly, as you were saying, it's the 29th march 2019. good afternoon. it's been another and eu leaders look back at this whole two years of negotiations lovely day across much of england allowed under eu law when a member and wales, there is always a fly in state wants to leave. the ointment though. that is a all the drama. all the really, really hard work weather front sitting across the the negotiating teams have put north of england. we've hit 19 in on the eu and the uk side. degrees in the south, sunshine and showers following in the wake of that in the north. it is getting all the threats, all the cajoling, all the money and political time spent on it, with summits colder. it will feel colder. even and departments and eu governments though we change the clocks tonight and no deal planning. and go forward into spring, it will and what is there to show for it on march 29th 2019? feel more like winter tomorrow. half a custard tart. widespread fast developing across half a custard tart scotland, northern ireland and and a partridge in a pear tree. northern england as well. any and theyjust look today... showers in the south die out, this the divisions in parliament, in government, in cabinet legacy of cloud lift for tomorrow, on screaming display in glorious technicolour, which is leading — is spot or two of drizzle but we'll come onto this delegates guise initially. should later in the podcast — brighten up through the day. briscoe some eu leaders to think,

winds for southern areas tomorrow. "really, do we really want a longer extension of this?" is there any real prospect the uk we've got a brisk wind to go with will unite around the brexit the cloud and colder air. a colder question at any point? feeling day in the south. fairly just before we dive into all of those questions, decentin feeling day in the south. fairly decent in the north. temperature is just about average for the time of let's recap on where we are. we had the vote today and it was on the withdrawal agreement but not the political declaration. year. it was meaningful vote 2.5. yes. and it went down, but not by nearly as much down as the first two. 58 isn't that big a number compared with the other ones, even if it's still quite a big number. it's still a very heavy defeat. for the government, they were able to show today... this is the positive gloss. the government was able to show today that they have made some progress in banging heads together on their own side to get brexiteers to realise this is, in their view, as good as it's going to get for you so get on board. and since the progress of all of this over the many, many,

many, many, many months we've done brexitcast, the idea that iain duncan smith, boris johnson, jacob rees—mogg, all those kinds of people would trot through the lobbies and vote for the prime minister's deal, even half of it... dominic raab. dominic raab, blimey! a few weeks ago, that would have seemed not that likely. they have shown progress. number ten have managed to get through another day and buy themselves a little bit more time. question really here tonight is — is there any life left in that deal at all? or is itjust going to be subsumed into the parliamentary compromise thing we'll see next thing? former minister and very thoughtful mp texted me today and said, "i need to build more brick wall in my office on which to bang my head." there is a feeling in government, it might be crazy to think this and some people in government think it's crazy to have even had another go like this. but they managed to show some sort of progress. except of course it's not really

in their hands any more. but would the speaker allow the government to bring the meaningful vote again? well, i know it wasn't officially a meaningful vote. that's a very good question, but what i would say when it comes to parliament, there are always cunning ways round. i don't think he would allow them to bring it in exactly the same form. but there's chat tonight the government might put their deal as one of the options in the run—off, you know, strictly come brexit, whatever you want to call it, eurovision, when it gets to parliament voting on the options it wants next week. i think, and you might have to check the numbers, i think the pm's deal got more votes... more than the biggest one... ..today than any of the other options last week. if you're a positive minister trying to cling onto something, you might cling onto that. the second thing is, the other doing the rounds, they will try another go but they'll fold the vote into the withdrawal and implementation bill and that will become mv3. but none of this at all is taken for granted. just before we dive into all

of that, i spent quite a bit of time in the gallery. what was it like? it was really extraordinary. and then also chatting to mps privately who were scuttling in and out and all that kind of stuff. clearly, outside, there were campaigners for both sides of the argument outside, but there's a kind of boiling anger that parliament has faffed about and the deal of delivering brexit by today has failed. but what was striking in there, particularly amongst those who had a difficult decision to make, was that sense of anguish, that sense of torment. i was speaking to one mp, a conservative, didn't back the government today and this person said they'd been in tears, that they were a passionate, passionate supporter of brexit, totally get the argument as articulated by someone like dominic raab, who's come to the conclusion that he fears whilst he doesn't like the deal, brexit might lost entirely unless you back it, kind of gets that, understands the risk of that. but ultimately thinks

the deal is a great risk for all of the arguments we heard regularly around getting stuck in the backstop and all of that. and they really care! that human anguish, that human sense of anguish about what to do because neither option is easy. let's have a listen to richard drax, one of those firm brexiteers who hates this deal, hates it. but voted for it in the end, but sounded really torn up about it just after the vote. only one thing the prime minister can do — get us out on the 12th of april, get out country back and deliver what we promised. if we don't, god help us. do you think she should stay in herjob? no. you could drive a double decker bus through that gap, that pause. absolutely. "i feel ashamed of myself that i voted for this thing." if all of those people had fallen in behind it and it went through, blimey, goodness me, what a turnaround that would've been. but the other thing that's been very notable today.

i mean, it's not that unusual for westminster now. but today there were hundreds and hundreds and hundreds — i don't know what the official numbers would be — of people in parliament square, gathered, absolutely furious this isn't happening on time. at one point i was sitting in an mp's office this afternoon, talking to them about what was going to happen next, they were like, "i don't know what's going to happen next. let's phone the chief whip and find out." great, if you can phoned the chief whip and ask him and then tell me, that would be fab! we could hear tommy robinson shouting outside his window. and that's, you know, it's been a very, very fraught day for a lot of people. i was on 5 live just after the result in central lobby and it was one of those great moments, journalistically, where everyone's coming out. normally you go through all these hoops to get interviews and can you come and see me at this time. they're all piling out, they're queuing up to come on the radio. it was a delight. and obviously there was a full spectrum of opinion around the deal

and what should happen and all the rest of it. but the one thing that mps across the piece got was that perception of that giant gulf between the people and parliament. sure. it's complicated because there were people who were former remainers who backed the deal and didn't, and leavers who backed the deal and didn't. people's motivations for voting in different ways could be incredibly broad. really mixed, yeah. but the collective outcome of it all is one where if you're outside looking in, you can very easily conclude that parliament's let you down, the government's let you down. it's not working. and right behind the speaker's chair, we're right in the bowels and the corridors of power, in the corridors. amazing priviledge to be able to go and bustle around in there. i was right in behind the speaker's chair which is right at the way mps go in and out of the chamber. i saw a cabinet minister literally with his fingerjabbing in one of his colleague's face. saying, "this place is going to stop it! we're not going to leave on the 12th. this place is going to stop it

if you don't vote for it! that's your choice!" and then both walked off at speed. it's real anguish and real passion alive because there's lots of people in government, brexiteers in government feel the same way as you've just been mentioning. "this place, parliament, is stuffed full of remainers." that is overdone, but it is absolutely the case there are lots and lots of people in parliament who hate the idea. there was brilliant eye—rolling from tory mps when i watched dominic grieve, who is a massive advocate of another referendum, and we know what his very legitimate views on the whole thing are, absolutely entitled to hold those views. but he stood up in parliament this afternoon and made a speech about compromise and i was in the chamber at that brief moment as well. eye—rolling i think is the very polite way of describing how some of his colleagues were looking to him. because from the prime minister's view, this is a compromise, it's a compromise inside the tory party, it's a compromise between the eu and the uk, it's a compromise between leave and remain because it's a kind of moderately eurosceptic deal. so for the ultras, whether they're

ultra remainers or ultra brexiteers, to be talking about compromise, they are people trying to make this whole work. didn't the dup take everyone by surprise today? rather remaining than... wasn't there that? oh, yeah. nigel dodds told nick watt, our colleague from newsnight, that if the deal stays as it is, he'd rather stay in the eu. yeah, there's that interesting thing over the last couple of days where you've seen this division between at least some in the erg of conservative mps and the dup as to what that absolute bottom line is. and for the dup, passionate advocates of brexit, but there's a higher thing to aspire to, which is that maintenance of the union of northern ireland and great britain versus, for some within the erg, brexit is the absolute bottom line and their vision of brexit. sure, but i wouldn't go too far on assuming this kind of split, that divorce and that slightly strange marriage between the dup and the erg is permanent.

i tried out that theory on one of my contacts who's involved in all of this kind of stuff and they said to me, "yeah, they're getting behind her today so they can stab her in the back." right. there are people who voted for it today who may well not vote for the bill if it comes through. goodness me, we're going to have months to talk about all of this! let's not jump way ahead to that because there was so much in today's vote. i do actually think it's one of those moments for many of the public, in the big picture we were told we were going to leave on this date and parliament hasn't delivered that and the government hasn't delivered that. that's a big like — what? and everything else is noise. to an extent. let's get onto extension because i think the big implication of this is the government is going to have to ask for an extension. of course the eu might say no. but it will be up to them. katya, what do you think the chances are? a lot of people here assume they'll say yes, but there are people in government who are very worried about monsieur macron. they're right to be.

it's really interesting, because i think up until quite recently, pretty much today, the assumption was the eu will say yes because the eu wants to avoid a no—deal brexit. the eu does still want to avoid a no—deal brexit. however, there are a number of countries, and france is first and foremost there, questioning the point of a longer extension. when they look at all the divisions in the uk, they wonder whether there will ever be an answer to the brexit question, or whether a long delay would just end up in a no—deal brexit anyway. and if that's the case, they're saying why notjust do it now? because for macron, that would be far preferable. and he's the one in government cabinet ministers say, that's what they were saying this morning, late last night, "we've got to have another go at getting this vote today because we worry about macron." and, unusually, i had a call from someone i've got to know on the eu side quite late last night saying, "what are they doing? don't they understand that

macron might say no?" i thought that was fascinating. it is. i think, and we know, when the uk asks for another extension in this case, the answer has to be unanimous. so it would be no good 26 eu leaders saying yay and macron saying nay. but what i'm not saying here is that he will say no. what is pretty much for sure, if things carry on and one day is like a bible in brexit—making, whatever. but if we get to the 10th of april and the prime minister askss for a longer extension, the moment she leaves the room — boom. there will be a massive, loud, feisty debate. i would imagine the debate eu leaders had about granting the short extension at the last summit, which took hours, it'll be much feistier this time around because there is such strong feeling about this. for macron as well, don't forget, he's mr europe. he hasn't had a great success

so far, but if you look at where he is in the polls domestically, he at least wants to make a success on the european stage. and having us, i know i've said this before, but having us dragging along as an ongoing eu member, when we already have 8.5 toes out of the door, when there are so many big eu decisions to make in the nearfuture — the european parliamentary elections, but then they have to choose a new president of the european commission, a new president of the european council, and decide the next eu budget. macron‘s nightmare is the uk digs its heels in and tries to push for advantage in whatever and blocks big eu decisions. that's why he's thinking really seriously we're better off out, earlier rather than later. if he does go down that road, then you know how we've got at the moment, say, the 22nd of may as the last date, if you like? if eu leaders say, all right, you're not really going anywhere so we'll give you until may 22nd

to deal with no deal planning and use it for themselves as well, it's thought that macron will not want that. why not? because european elections start on the 23rd. would you want a messy no—deal brexit the day before? no. so that's when you start looking even earlier that he might say 1st of may, for example, would have to be our out date and just give us that window of time to do more no deal planning and the same for the rest of the eu. so i would say we shouldn't take it for granted that the eu willjust say, "yeah, no worries. a longer extension." however, if the prime minister holds another meaningful vote and the numbers get smaller of those reject it or it passes, obviously that's a whole other scenario, if mps manage to unite around another way forward like a customs union, a softer kind of brexit, then i think it would be difficult for eu leaders to say no. i've got to thank the elysee palace at least for giving me the chance to eat the remainder of that custard tart during the duration

of your analysis there. you're not saying i was wanging on again, were you?! no, no. just reporting on the consumption of my... the thing is, it's so complicated. they were nice though, weren't they? my creme anglaise. i know you guys know this... they're portuguese tarts actually. stop making me jealous! i've got a pen and paper and a poxy glass of water. chris, when you went back to those heady days of saying, "what's going to happen?" i don't know! we're back there again. we are. and that's why i'm wanging even more than normal. it's notjust because it's friday and i've hit my own brick wall. but it's also because it's so nuanced. if we say, yes, france says this, then it's like — france is going to say no! it's not as clear cut as that. it's definitely maybe though, isn't it? the government's probably going to have to ask for an extension. they're probably going to get it, but they might be pretty punitive as to conditions attched. and therefore it's not impossible to say we won't leave without a deal on the 12th of march. 0h, april! april, yeah, there you go. that's all we can see

tonight, isn't it? parliament's going to try and force a softer brexit on the government next week. theresa may's probably going to have to ask for an extension. what the eu says might mean we leave without a deal in a fortnite. 0r there's some sort of extension. some kind of extension, and the extension might be a bit grim. and if nobody can agree any of that, it is true, we might be heading to a general election! no deal is no longer a hammer. it's something that's seen as very, very realistic here. it's also making the eu deal with internal hot potatoes they've totally avoided up until now. one is spain getting a move on with the visa, with what could happen with visas so uk citizens can travel in the case of a no—deal brexit without a visa. and the other thing, most importantly, is ireland. internal pressure now on dublin to do better no deal planning when it comes to the border. merkel is heading off to dublin next week and the eu is absolutely insistent the single market be protected in a no deal. dublin is coming under pressure.

and to complete the eurovision, let's end this evening's brexitcast with a message from greece. ah, yes. let me tell you what that word is. it's a word they use on the island where my family comes from in greece. the islands called andros. that word is what you guys do. you talked long into the night, mostly about politics but also will love and anything that gets people really, really riled up. when you have that, you have to have it with copious amounts of something called... if you don't know what thatis, called... if you don't know what that is, i'm very happy to donate if you bottle is for you to have in the studio to help you get through the next days, weeks, nights of all of

this brexit. anyway, take care of yourselves, i love what you do. how do you say thank you so much? thank you. what a lovely way to end our 29th of march memo to non—brexit di. goodbye. goodbye. it has been a fairly decent day so far today. but we have got some cloud around and if you're stuck under it is properly not that pleasant. behind a weather front you can see this cloud, wintry showers, ahead of it we've got plenty of sunshine and we've hit 19 degrees across the south and east. yesterday it wasn't as warm today. you cannot really see the contrast

behind that a band of cloud, that's where we have this chilly air. temperatures are well above where they should be for this time of year. however, it's allabout they should be for this time of year. however, it's all about to change further south into tomorrow. we've got a brisk wind at the moment in the north but with sunshine and wintry showers. a very gentle breeze in the south and it's pretty warm. the warmth and sunshine will continue into the evening. 0vernight in the cloud continues its journey further southwards. they should be enough cloud to prevent frost. after a few showers in the south—east we might have some drizzle but for most of the night is dry and clear and it will be cold. we move the clocks forward into spring, but by the time we get up tomorrow on mothering sunday, it will probably feel more like winter once again with a widespread frost under this high pressure. the fact it is high pressure. the fact it is high pressure means it is mostly great weather tomorrow. there is a week weather tomorrow. there is a week weather front in the south, it will

introduce more cloud and this time across the southern half of england and wales. further nods plenty of sunshine despite the frosty start, temperatures in the sunshine with far fewer showers will recover quite nicely with a light wind. making it feel more pleasant. tomorrow the wind is stronger in the south, really noticeable on english channel coasts. that will add to the chill. already a colder date because of the arctic air, the cloud is over the top, it is still dry for the most part, still bright but it will feel cold and then tomorrow night that frost we will see tonight in the north will become much more widespread. as we go into the new week, it's a very much more u nsettled week, it's a very much more unsettled picture. we go into april, april showers, temperatures below average. it's almost like as we've gone forward into spring at the weather has taken a step back into 00:23:56,802 --> 4294966103:13:29,430 winter. see you later.