you're watching bbc newsroom live — it's11am and these are the main stories this morning: the department of health confirms two cases of coronavirus in the uk in two members of the same family. more than 80 britons on an evacuation flight from wuhan are due to arrive back in the uk at lunchtime. brexit countdown — in just a few hours‘ time the uk will be leaving the european union after 47 years. the prime minister will hold a cabinet meeting in sunderland — the first place to officially back brexit — and will release a video saying brexit is "not an end but a beginning." i'm annita mcveigh live at downing street where the countdown to brexit begins. this evening a clock will be projected onto the walls behind me to mark the countdown to the uk leaving the eu. i martine croxall

live in kettering in northamptonshire. a leave voting area where a brexit party is already under way to mark the uk's departure from the eu. good morning. welcome to bbc newsroom live. two cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in the uk, with two members of the same family in england testing positive. they are being treated at specialist infectious disease centre in newcastle. the chief medical officer professor chris whitty said,

at the moment, 83 britons — and 27 foreign nationals who were trapped in wuhan are on a flight to raf brize norton — they'll spend two weeks in quarantine at a nhs hospital in the north west. the death toll stands at 213, with nearly 10,000 people infected. and last night the world health organization declared the virus a global emergency. 0ur correspondent nicola morrison is here... this is obviously just this is obviouslyjust happening in the last hour and a half, the chief medical officer giving as much information as he can? absolutely, as we know now, the two family members are being treated in newcastle. we don't know who they are, their gender away in the uk they are from. we know a flight came

in last week from wuhan did not have the quarantine measures in place that are now. we are looking at who these people are and where they are from. and we do not know whether they had travelled to wuhan. i suppose the number of cases of human to human transmission outside china are very few. but, there are some? there are but we do not want to cause hysteria. at the moment, the new strain of coronavirus is low. the risk is less than 2%, less than sars and ebola. we do not want to cause hysteria. with the new emergency announcement yesterday from the world health organization, there will be questions as to why that has happened, if so low. i think contributing factors will be the rising figures in china that are quite significant, but also i think there is some concern around countries that have less health

precautions in place, weaker health precautions in place, weaker health precautions in place, weaker health precautions in place. and, the impact human to human contacts could have. i think that is the reason. nicola, thank you so much for joining us. let's talk to dr mark eccleston—turner, a lecturer in global health law at keele university. thank you very much forjoining us. what is your insight into the fact that we now have two confirmed cases in the uk? i think the main takeaway from it is that seeing cases outside of china and seeing cases in the uk is not all that surprising, given international trade and travel. and i think it is somewhat inevitable. but the main message to the general public is that the risk to them is extraordinarily low. and despite these two new cases and the declaration of a public health emergency from the who, the risk to

the general public in the uk is extraordinarily low. the risk to the general public of things like seasonal influenza, circulating at the moment, is far greater than the risk of coronavirus. it's important that message gets through to the general public and that there is no fear mongering around this, around this virus. we heard from the chief medical officer that these two individuals are being treated at a specialist infectious diseases centre in newcastle. what treatment can they be offered? the treatment will be largely around treating the complications which can arise from coronavirus. so pneumonia, we do not know what antivirals work on coronavirus yet. there will be some discussions around that. the main precautions will be around bio containment and infection control. the nhs is incredibly well resourced and experienced at dealing with not

just upper respiratory infections like coronavirus, but strains like coronavirus, our response to sars and mers demonstrated that we were good at responding to these small and isolated cases when they occur. micro—white we heard over the last 48—hour is about the efforts to trace passengers who had come back from wuhan up to a week ago. now authorities have a new challenge, tracing all contacts of these two confirmed cases? yes, this is a process called contact tracing, where you try and track down eve ryo ne where you try and track down everyone and infected person has had contact with to test if they have also become infected but the uk, the public health system, public health england and the nhs are incredibly well experienced at dealing with these contact tracing events and we had the resources and abilities to do that very efficiently and quite

quickly. you were setting out reassu ra nces to quickly. you were setting out reassurances to the public a moment ago. another one the chief medical officer mentioned is that coronavirus mortality rate is 2% compared to sars at 10% and ebola at a staggering 70%? yes, what we know about the cases so far is that those people, the fatality rate is incredibly low and we do not know as much about the transmissibility rate at this new strain of coronavirus. but that seems to be fairly low as well. as i said, the general public are ata well. as i said, the general public are at a greater risk of contracting seasonal influenza and developing complications arising from seasonal influenza than coronavirus at this stage, based on what we know about it so far. turning our attention briefly before we leave the subject to numbers in china, numbers of infections and mortality is going

up. do you have any concerns or do you think the chinese are on top of it? the chinese have demonstrated a very robust response. they are demonstrating they are taking this very seriously. we have seen a lot of things about this new hospital being built and contact tracing. some of the measures china is taking appear to be some of the measures china is taking appearto be an some of the measures china is taking appear to be an overstretch, things like imposing restrictions on 50 million people, a vast majority will not be infected. it is quite an over step. there are measures that could be taken in china to prevent and minimise the spread of coronavirus without having to quarantine 50 million people. there are quite serious human rights concerns when taking steps as big as that. doctor, thank you very much forjoining us this morning. 83 britons and 27 foreign nationals are currently flying back to the uk from wuhan,

the chinese city at the centre of the outbreak. the flight is due to land at raf brize norton at 1.30 this afternoon. the uk passengers will then be taken to arrowe park hospital on the wirral and quarantined for two weeks. mark raw is among those travelling, and shared this footage with us from the airport. we are actually being evacuated right now. my mother here, behind me, and my wife, the chinese authorities have seen fit to allow her to travel. let's speak to caroline davies who is at raf brize norton. just before we do that, ijust want to ta ke just before we do that, ijust want to take a look at the flight plan of the aircraft, because we understand it is over sweden, just passing into norwegian air space as we speak. there, you can see the red dot on the map there in scandinavia, top right corner. we don't know for

certain, but we think it is the flight certain, but we think it is the flight heading for brize norton right now. let's go back and talk to caroline, there waiting to receive these passengers. caroline, what information are you being given? so, we understand, as you can see on the flight we understand, as you can see on the flight tracker that the flight is doing well, it should arrive at about 1pm this afternoon. it isn't they are what the screening process may be when those 83 british nationals arrive off the flight and the 27 foreign nationals, we think there will be a screening process, there will be a screening process, there will be —— they will be taken about 170 miles away to the wirral, where they will be kept at arrow park hospital, and we understand they will be put in vacated staff accommodation, kept separate from the hospital where they have 1a days of quarantine. that number, 83 british nationals, is much lower than what we originally anticipated,

we we re than what we originally anticipated, we were originally told around 150 british nationals, 50 eu nationals. that figure is lower, we are not sure why it is lower. we heard stories about people making a mad dash to the airport, who were having to stop to go through health screenings on the way. other people who were told later on, they found it very difficult to get transport. we understand the foreign office has beenin we understand the foreign office has been in contact with many of the british living in wuhan and living in the province, which is an enormous province, nine times the size of wales. they continue to be in touch with those who were there who were not able to get a flight for whatever reason. and just a quick one on the medical preparations and precautions around the flight. we understand there are doctors on board. and it is worth bearing in mind that there have been human to human transmissions to doctors, and in china a couple of

doctors, and in china a couple of doctors have died from coronavirus in the last few days? we are not certain of how those medical officers have prepared themselves. we know they are on—board, i had three medical officers are on board to monitor these people. at the moment there is no confirmation any of those individuals, 110 of them, if any of them have symptoms of coronavirus. have no idea if any one on—board is at risk but we imagine all precautions would have been taken before they were put board. caroline from raf brize norton, we will come back to you as that plane gets closer. thank you. just before we leave this new story, it is worth mentioning that we will hear from the chief medical officer of england very shortly. right now, our other big story of the morning, brexit. after three and a half years,

and countless discussions and debates, the uk leaves the european union tonight — after 47 years. it officially happens at 11pm here — midnight in brussels. in a video message released later the prime minister will say this is "not an end but a beginning". there will be planned celebrations and protests throughout the day — reflecting the divisions brexit has created. however, the uk is to continue following eu rules and paying into its budget during a transition period lasting until the end of the year. well let's get some more detail now on what will be an historic day as the uk leaves the euopean union. this afternoon the prime minister will hold a meeting of the cabinet in sunderland — the city that was the first to back brexit when results were announced after the 2016 referendum. supporters of the european union are expected to take part in a procession through whitehall at around three o'clock this afternoon to — as they put it — "bid a fond farewell" to the union. and then tonight at around nine o clock, brexit supporters will gather in parliament square

for a rally and celebration. buildings along whitehall will be lit up and union flags will be flown in parliament square. and tonight a clock will be projected on to downing street and begin counting down to the moment the uk leaves the eu. at around 10pm, the prime minister will publish a recorded video message to the nation. and at 11pm, the uk will leave the european union. however, big ben will not chime to mark the moment due to ongoing renovation works. well tonight, the prime minister is expected to try to speak to both sides of the brexit divide in a video message. he'll say "ourjob as the government — myjob — is to bring this country together and take us forward. and the most important thing to say tonight is that this is not an end but a beginning." and he'll add "this is the moment when we begin to unite and level up." well, most eu laws will continue to be in force after 11pm tonight, by which time the uk aims to have reached a permanent free trade

agreement with the european union. speaking earlier today, conservative minister michael gove said the uk wanted a close working relationship with the eu — but, he said — the country voted to be independent and there should be some regulatory divergence from the eu in the future. we wa nt we want trade to be as frictionless as possible. the eu is clear, you can only have fully frictionless trade if you accept all of their rules and laws, and are subordinate to theirjudges and their political structures. we voted to be independent. we want to have as close as possible a relationship with the eu and the approach we want to ta ke with the eu and the approach we want to take is built on the relationship that they have with canada. that means we wanted to have a relationship where ultimately there are no tariffs or quotas on our trade but there will be some regulations that will differ in britain. we want to do things in a way that is better for our economy, meaning when it comes to trading with europe there are some bureaucratic processes there that are not there now. we want to minimise the friction in the interest of our economy. scotland's first minister,

nicola sturgeon, wants scotland to prepare for a second independence referendum now brexit is happening... brexit has put scotland on the road rare “— brexit has put scotland on the road rare —— on the wrong road and the further down that road we go there harder it will be to get on the right one. we need back on the right road as soon as possible. to that end we have informed the scottish parliament this morning that following the passage of the referendum's bill at the end of last year and this week's vote in favour ofa year and this week's vote in favour of a referendum, we will now ask the electoral commission to retest the question, should scotland be an independent country? that question is simple, intelligible and well recognised across the country but parliament made clear it wanted it retested and that is the next practical step we need to take within our powers to prepare for a referendum. lots more to analyse on all of this. annita mcveigh is in

downing street for us. over to you. thank you. welcome to downing street, a pretty low—key morning here so far, that projected clock, countdown to the uk leaving the eu, will be later this evening as you mention. the capitalist is not happening here, that is in sunderland, the first part of the uk where the vote to leave was declared after the eu referendum. it was a little under four years ago that the then resident of number 10 downing st david cameron announced there would be a referendum as to whether the uk wanted to leave or remain the block. those words became symbolic of the divisions and political tribes of the next four years, that division dominated the time of david cameron's successor, theresa may. along came boris johnson, cameron's successor, theresa may. along came borisjohnson, with his assurances that he would get brexit done. by the 29th of march last

year, that deadline had already come and gone. he said he would rather die nadh then missed the 31st of october deadline. that came and went back today, the 31st of january 2020, at 11pm tonight, the uk will be leaving the eu. we will get the thoughts of various people on various sides of this debate for the last four years today here. let's go to morley in west yorkshire. with me now is conservative mp — and brexit supporter andrea jenkyns. good morning to you. tell us how you are marking today? we come in myself, lucy harris, the mep, yorkshire mep, we have organised a big brexit bash, here in yorkshire. i started thinking of the idea before christmas, sorry, someone's

phone is ringing here. that's ok, it's a busy day! so, i came up with the idea, constituents came into the office and asked how we would mark the occasion. we are having this big brexit bash, with 400 people coming. it is quite fun for the family as well. we have live music, and there are also fireworks. my constituency voted to— one to leave. we are in the brexit heartlands in yorkshire, and hearing you describe the last four yes, it has been hellish! we need to mark this occasion, we want it to be a positive event and, like the prime minister said, it is about coming together as a country and moving forward. and indeed, those are the words he has been using and

it will be interesting to hear the exact tone of his speech later today. what is your message to your constituents, those who voted to remain? do you have a message to them today? my messages, look, we live in a democratic country. it has been a difficult four years, we voted to leave as a country. we have seen the general election where borisjohnson got seen the general election where boris johnson got a seen the general election where borisjohnson got a stonking majority on a pledge to leave. we are going to leave. let's put our county, our country first now. let's pull together. i believe this will bea pull together. i believe this will be a golden decade. so many opportunities lie ahead. of course, during theresa may's time as prime minister, she had many difficult moments with the er g, it is fair to say. the group could have been described as a thorn in her side by her backers. will you be a thorn in

the side of borisjohnson if, during his killed this next phase, the transition phase, there's negotiations do not go the way you wa nt negotiations do not go the way you want them to? i was one of the thorns in the side of our former prime minister. it was a tough time and a very tough decision to make, to be in that way. but we were standing upfor to be in that way. but we were standing up for democracy. it's different this time. i've always said in order to deliver brexit you need a prime minister who believes in brexit and seize the opportunities for our country. and does not see it as inheriting a problem. borisjohnson, does not see it as inheriting a problem. boris johnson, he does not see it as inheriting a problem. borisjohnson, he was on the leave campaign and spearheaded it. i was on the leave campaign here in yorkshire and was the coordinator for all constituencies of yorkshire. it will be different this time. boris has done fantastic, all of the doubting thomases have proved them wrong. we leaving today. there's a

lot to get done, though. without a doubt. a lot to get done before now and the end of the year. and it's the rhetoric of the transition, so many areas where people want a nswe rs. many areas where people want answers. the business community, fishermen, people who want to travel in europe. what will happen when they want to travel? i completely ee, they want to travel? i completely agree, but we have finally got the right team and i have confidence in our prime minister that we will deliver and get a good dealfor britain. we are leaving today and i believe by the end of the year we will have a good dealfor believe by the end of the year we will have a good deal for britain. andrea jenkyns, thank you for your time today. let's get perspective now of two guests. when the elections were held

last year and you were returned as an mep, that first session of parliament happened and you were the only mep standing there who was also an mep back in 1979. take us back to your thoughts that day and give us a sense of what you are feeling today. good morning, it's been an extraordinary privilege to be elected with gaps of 41 years in the first parliament. we will remember it very well. it was an extraordinary moment of hope and optimism, meaning that britain had a voice in the affairs of europe because previously, we refused to join the treaty of rome in 1957, mcmillan realised we made a bad mistake and we applied to join. they said no and under ted heath and with president pompidou of france agreeing, britainfinally president pompidou of france agreeing, britain finally had a voice in the decisions of europe and

now we are giving it up. it's a really silly thing to do. and just one more thought from you, if i may, before i speak to and from the you are still officially an mep. you have packed up your office, what will be your thoughts as you leave brussels, i think very soon, in the next hour also? roughly, yes. i packed up my office. my thoughts are immense pride. i have been helping to contribute the uniting of europe. we are all small nations in europe, even the fantasists in westminster must realise we are a small nation now and if we lose scotland we are even smaller. we must work with other europeans to resist the superpowers, russia, china, america and perhaps india, and trying to go it alone with no plan, with no details, we do not have a plan. we are going to get a very bad time as

we discover reality and then i think we discover reality and then i think we are probably coming back. we discover reality and then i think we are probably coming backlj we discover reality and then i think we are probably coming back. i think that illustrates, doesn't it, the clear divisions that still exist. the political tribes we still have asa the political tribes we still have as a result of the brexit referendum. and clywd, the archbishop of canterbury has been saying that people must be united in a common vision for the country, however great their differences in achieving it. do you think that is possible? let me first say hello to bill, i am sorry we are not in the same studio. i would like to have caught up with you. we went in at the same time, and remained good friends throughout. there isn't a lot of division in opinion between bill and myself. i lot of division in opinion between bill and myself. lam lot of division in opinion between bill and myself. i am devastated that we are leaving the eu. we should never be doing so. i sat through three years in the house of commons, of argument over it. and it is the wrong decision. and i still

feel that, and i is the wrong decision. and i still feelthat, and i do is the wrong decision. and i still feel that, and i do hope... is the wrong decision. and i still feelthat, and i do hope... i is the wrong decision. and i still feel that, and i do hope... i agree with bill, i hope we go back there. in fact, that would be one of my aspirations, to make sure that we get back to the european parliament. but you know, i'm so glad i went there first before i went to the house of commons because it broadened my mind. to sit next to the greats in european politics at that time was an experience in itself. i went into the european parliament, elected as an anti memberand aftertwo parliament, elected as an anti member and after two years i changed my mind. i could see the advantages of countries working together, of people working together and we had so people working together and we had so many people working together and we had so many common people working together and we had so many common interests and industry at that time, the steel industry at that time, the steel industry was running down in my european area, as it was in so many parts of europe. so we were able to

share our experiences and see in germany, where 5000 steelmen are losing theirjobs, everyone had anotherjob to go to. in this country, no. there haven't been any plans... what is your message? if i may interrupt, what is your message to people who think like you today? if the uk is to make a success like the prime minister is talking about, people who want it to remain, do they need to get behind his plans? or is thatjust not possible from your perspective? this division, do your perspective? this division, do you think it will continue? we don't know what his plans are. we don't know what his plans are. we don't know how it is going to work out. there are so many unanswered questions, and so it is impossible to give a verdict, except concern about what might happen, what might happen especially in wales. it is going to be a bad move, i'm afraid,

because our economy is going to suffer. our environment is going to suffer. our environment is going to suffer. workers' rights are going to suffer. workers' rights are going to suffer. possibly the health service as well. so i feel very gloomy on this day. i'm not going to give you a bright and breezy approach because ido a bright and breezy approach because i do not think it is realistic. we will have to wait and see. it's a cause for great concern. we must leave it there, as we have some breaking news to get to, with carrie fisher. it's clear there's a huge amount of division over brexit. studio: thank you. we need to go back to the subject of coronavirus. two cases have been confirmed this morning in the uk. we will have more from the chief medical officer in a moment thatjust as from the chief medical officer in a moment that just as i from the chief medical officer in a moment thatjust as i go into that, to let you know that the prime

minister's spokesman has said the national health service is extremely well prepared to deal with coronavirus. let's hear now from the chief medical officer himself, professor chris whitty, who announced the two cases this morning. as i announced earlier on this morning, two members of the same family were identified overnight and they have been transferred to a high consequence infection unit, a secure infectious diseases unit in newcastle. and what sort of treatment will they be getting, how our staff at the hospital protected, how does that work? obviously i won't go into any patient details at all. either in terms of their particular situation, or their biographical details. but i can say this could turn out to be, for any individual who has a disease of this kind, it could well turn out

to bea of this kind, it could well turn out to be a relatively minor disease. we know there is a two percent mortality rate, so 98% of people get better, based on current information. it isn't certain, but there is a high chance that people will get better and a lot of people will get better and a lot of people will end up with a relatively minor disease. some people go on to get more severe disease, we know this from the cases that are being reported from china. they will tend to have respiratory problems and if anybody got respiratory problems, then they would be dealt with as anyone else with a respiratory disease. could you explain in terms of the public in newcastle, patients at the hospital and staff, what sort protective measures there are? the reason these units, and this is a specialist one, exist is exactly to make sure that the staff and the

general public are at no risk from these people who have an infection, and to make sure that the people with the infection can be treated to the highest possible international standard, and that everybody, staff and patients alike and the general public, can be protected. you have not said anything about where they came from. what about tracing people whom they have been in contact with? this is a standard part of public health practice, and public health england are incredibly experienced that doing this. it is about finding, working backwards through all the people that someone might have been in close contact with. i would like to stress that. it is close contact, not just would like to stress that. it is close contact, notjust passing on the street or something of that sort. those are the people we just wa nt to sort. those are the people we just want to make sure that if they had symptoms, we know about it early than we are aware of the risk. how far back does that go? as far as public health england feel is appropriate. i won't go into the

details of individual cases. you have an exercise to trace people who flew in from wuhan to heathrow over a couple of weeks injanuary. how is that process going, and is it possible that these patients can be traced? i will avoid anything that in any sense seeks to identify the individual people, but as you know, direct flights from wuhan have stopped. therefore, the majority of people are beginning to come to the point where actually there are relatively people coming through the system. the tracing is still going on. what might just system. the tracing is still going on. what mightjust explain how you do the tracing. i think that is probably detailfor do the tracing. i think that is probably detail for public health england that i can't go into it.|j know you can't say very much about what is happening on the wirral with the quarantine, but can you give some indication of how these people

will be held, and what you will be looking out for in the medical system in terms of their condition? the first thing to say is that we intend them to be housed in a way thatis intend them to be housed in a way that is pleasant and is in no sense a feeling of punitive situation. that is absolutely not the intention. we wish to make sure they are in one place, near very good infectious disease and other medical services in the event they need it, but what we hope is that all these people will have 14 days isolated from the general public, but not in the sense of solitary confinement. and then they will be able to be released without any symptoms at all. if they develop symptoms, at that point, the nhs, which as i say is very practised in this, will be able to deal with those and use whatever methods are needed to treat them ina whatever methods are needed to treat them in a way that is safe for them and for staff and the public. are

nhs staff coming into contact with them wearing protective equipment? we are trying to make sure that anyone who might come into contact with someone with symptoms is protected, and that is true for any infectious disease. to be clear, we are trying to put the level of protection in an appropriate way so that people who might have symptoms and might be theoretically able to transmit are and might be theoretically able to transmitare in and might be theoretically able to transmit are in a position where they are protected as well. can people see their families? can they come and go a bit? i'm not going to go into the details of how this is happening. ok. two more, very quickly. first, you said that people who have come from china should self isolate if they have symptoms — that isolate if they have symptoms — that isa isolate if they have symptoms — that is a big change. we previously said that anyone who came from wuhan or the immediate surrounding area, which remains the epicentre of this outbreak, should isolate, even if they have no symptoms, for 14 days.

because the rate of transmission in china has gone up, we are saying that people who come from wider mainland china, if they get any symptoms of any sort, however trivial, then they should self isolate and then phoned 111. if people have no symptoms, that is not what we are going on too because we don't think that is proportionate, but if anybody has symptoms, they should self isolate and phone 111. finally, how worried should people be and how worried are you about this virus and what it might do globally and in the uk?|j this virus and what it might do globally and in the uk? i think it's important to remember that the who declared a public health emergency yesterday. that was not because of individual cases coming into or being found in countries like the uk

which have very strong public health systems. but if we had a situation where the outbreak in china, which is now a very substantial one, was not got under control by the chinese authorities and spread more widely in the world, then we would consider there would be a risk to the uk of a significant outbreak here, and on that basis, we were planning. that is the reason why i and the other chief medical officers raised the risk level yesterday from low to moderate, in conjunction with the who statement. this is not planning because we are worried about individual cases but because we are worried that if the chinese authorities, who are making huge efforts, cannot get on top of this in the next few weeks, we may get to a situation where this begins to spread around the world in a major way. for individuals at the moment i do not think that this increases the risk to individual citizens of the

uk. lets here and now directly from our health editor, hugh pym, who was at the department of health and social care, and who was the person asking the questionjust social care, and who was the person asking the question just there. your assessment of what you heard? the briefing was delivered in a calm, considered way, as you would expect from the chief medical officer. a sense that they were prepared for this, they knew that there was a very high likelihood of cases being in the uk. he said he was confident that the nhs could handle this. there were hospitals with specialist facilities to treat patients with infectious diseases, hence the choice of newcastle, which has that specialist facility. but absolutely, again, as you would expect from senior medical people, no confirmation of names or nationalities or gender, for patient

confidentiality reasons. just to say there were two individuals from the same family. at one point in the briefing, it was said that they had entered the country. still, it's not clear whether they are uk nationals who are coming back from somewhere, or whether they were visitors. it has been widely reported though not officially confirmed that these two individuals were staying in yorkshire. again, not clear whether it was where they lived or if they we re it was where they lived or if they were staying with relatives in a hotel. patients were taken over night to this centre in newcastle. can you tell us more about the centre in newcastle because market isa centre in newcastle because market is a secure infectious diseases specialist unit. it was made clear, there are five such units in england, and scotland has one as

well. wales and northern ireland have their own facilities. the royal free hospital, for example, in london, handled ebola cases. very specialist equipment, ways of isolating patients, ensuring staff are protected, very highly trained and successful. the few ebola patients that came to the uk went to the royal free and were well treated. the nhs is prepared and has isolation beds, and is able to treat people with viruses like this. staff have adequate protection and know exactly how to treat such a patient. the other interesting thing that came across from the briefing was that it was said that the mortality rate could be as low as 2% based on initial data from china. he was

prepared to say that even though scientifically it is a bit early. he said with a caveat that we can't be entirely sure, but he was prepared to go along with the idea that it might be 2%. sars was 10% and ebola was 70%. he said that 98% of patients recover from this virus. he said it was almost all elderly patients in china who contracted it and might develop pneumonia, and some have died from that. primarily elderly patients, often with an existing health condition. thank you for that update. we will have lots more on development and of course be at raf brize norton later. right now, back to brexit, on the day the uk leaves the eu. martin is in a pub in kettering, not because it is our friday morning local regular, but because she is there for brexit day. i have never set foot in here before

today, honest! ido i have never set foot in here before today, honest! i do know kettering well. it is a place that voted 61% to leave in the referendum of 2016. for the people who have been waiting for this day, it is a very significant moment, and amongst them is the pop manager, dave cooper, who is the pop manager, dave cooper, who is with us now, known locally as mr brexit, and he has certainly dressed the part. no doubting there is a patriotism here. what are you doing today in the pub? we started with old—fashioned english music, and we are trying to create a bit of a cockney atmosphere. at two o'clock, we have a band, a chas and dave tribute band, and by doing that, we have beef stew, bread and dripping at the bar, and all the proceeds go to help for heroes. what might you have been up early, putting up the balloons and the bunting to create this atmosphere, but nothing really changes today, does it? britain

still has to keep paying into the eu, still has to keep following the rules of the eu, so why, then, is it important for you to mark it in this way? the start of a process, and democracy has stated we will come out of europe. that is what we are celebrating, the start of democracy, it is finally happening three years later. you know how divided the country has been by this referendum, and although 61% in the kettering area voted to leave, that still leaves 39% of people who wanted to remain. what would you say to those people for whom today is a really sad day? i can't really answer for those people. to be honest, i have got remain more likely back in here today celebrating the fact that we are having a party. i know quite few remainers who have stated, ok, it is happening and we will go with it. we don't know where it is going to go

from here, really, nor do the politicians, but it is the start of the process. it is interesting that you say that, because for some people, they think that brexit is done, and you are clear that it isn't, there is a long way to go. there is a trade deal to do with the eu and the other is that the government wants to do with other countries. what would success look like for you in a year's time, or five years time or ten years time? we are great britain. we should set our own... we are great britain. we should set ourown... our we are great britain. we should set our own... our policies, procedures, we should set it ourselves. we have for centuries. we never voted in. you didn't vote into the eu? for some people, it was a vote against something rather than for something. what will you voting for? people have different reasons for voting to leave. i just

have different reasons for voting to leave. ijust wanted have different reasons for voting to leave. i just wanted to have different reasons for voting to leave. ijust wanted to get our rules, policies and procedures back within our own country. if they are wrong, they are wrong, but at least we can argue among politicians and say, you got it wrong. by having a greater european parliament, every country has got its own culture. it doesn't work, in my opinion. dave, very kind of you to host us here today. we appreciate it. we will be speaking to quite a lot of other people in this area, leave supporters and remain supporters, to find out what today means for them. join us throughout the day on bbc news from kettering for that. now it is time for your questions answered on brexit. we are building up to 11 o'clock tonight, the moment the uk leaves the eu. joining me to answer some of the eu. joining me to answer some of the questions you've been sending us

about changes are... we will no longer have free movement at the end of the transition period. in terms of these is, there will be negotiations about how short—term travel will be managed, also in terms of working abroad, it is likely that some type of visa will be needed, but that is up for negotiation. gill, a question from malcolm newton on uk workers who work in the eu. what is being done to safeguard them in terms of travel, taxation and the continued ability to work with as the uk has

introduced this settle status scheme for eu citizens in the uk, other member states are protecting and are obliged under the withdrawal agreement to protect the rights of uk citizens who are already there or who moved there during this year. things should as normal. but there are issues to come up. do we have... how easy is it to go and work in europe after the end of the year? secondly, some of those people might wa nt secondly, some of those people might want to move to another european country. that was something the uk wanted sorted out in phase one. if you are working in germany, you should be able to go and work in the netherlands, but europe said no, thatis netherlands, but europe said no, that is not a phase one issue. so we haven't got any assurance on what is called onward movement yet. those people who are there should stay as is, but they might have to go through some formalities. they might need to apply for settled status in

those eu countries. lance says: when we leave the eu, are we still covered by the eu convention on human rights? the council of europe, a different organisation to the eu, we are still a member and we are still government by the european court of human rights, and there is a question about whether the uk government might want to leave that. but from the eu side, we will be negotiating how we cooperate in areas of criminaljustice and policing cooperation, and the eu have said that the uk's continued membership of that convention and oversight of that court is going to bea oversight of that court is going to be a pre—requisite to allow close co—operation in that area, so it's not quite clear what the current uk government wants to do one. theresa may committed to continuing to be a member, but it is likely to be something that will come up in the conversations, particularly around security issues. will the quality of goods and services be reduced in

trade deals? there is a debate at the moment about what we sign up to. the answer is, not necessarily. it depends on what we agree. we are committed to eu product standards at the moment. it is possible that we agree not necessarily lower quality but different standards in those deals. we had lots of debate about the famous chlorinated chickens from the famous chlorinated chickens from the usa. the americans would say, our chickens are as safe to eat as uk and european chickens. the difference is not the standard but how it is produced. that is likely to be another issue in the trade talks. i would say, to be another issue in the trade talks. iwould say, not to be another issue in the trade talks. i would say, not necessarily, wait to see. it may be harder for the uk to export, and there may be less choice. that's the other possibility if trade becomes more restricted. diana burgess has a personal question: i have been given settled status in the uk, but without any document to prove this, will i experience difficulties in,

say, convincing the nhs i am eligible for free treatment? the way the uk government has decided to apply the scheme is that there is a code that you can share with releva nt code that you can share with relevant government departments, hospitals or when you are applying forjobs, to prove that you do have settled status, so you can access that code through the government website, if you have the relevant documents, that is one of the keyway eu citizens will be able to prove their right to stay here. there was a bit of debate and a lot of people wa nted a bit of debate and a lot of people wanted to have more physical documentation, physical proof, but thatis documentation, physical proof, but that is how the government chose to do it. check on the website and you will find that code you can share. talking about citizens living abroad again but not in the eu, this is some hazlewood, who lives in barbados, and she asked how it affects citizens residing overseas. passports include the eu, so will we

have a stand—alone one? passports include the eu, so will we have a stand-alone one? they will be eligible for british passports as they are now, but we will lose our rights at the end of the year to move under free movement rules into other eu countries, so if samantha is planning on leaving barbados and moving to the south of france or somewhere like that, she will be able to do that now with her british passport. she may not necessarily be able to do that after the end of the year. tom gaffney: will arrangements for transporting pets to the eu change during and after the transition period? it has become top of the conversation during the brexit process, but basically, during transition, the process will continue as now, so you will have to ta ke continue as now, so you will have to take the same steps as you would normally have to do to take your pets to the eu. there is a question about what will happen at the end of transition. this will be something

that presumably will come up in the negotiations with the eu, but the government is already starting to publish guidance online about what you need to do to prepare for january 2021, so i would recommend looking at that to see if there are any looking at that to see if there are a ny ste ps looking at that to see if there are any steps people need to start taking before the end of december to make sure they can continue to take their pets to the eu next year. last question, from david: what will happen to workers' rights after brexit? it will be a matter for the uk government in two respects. one is, does it sign up to any provisions in either the deal with the eu or with anyone else, committing us to something on workers' rights? we don't know yet and the government hasn't said it will do that. it will be a big eu demand in the trade negotiations. they talk about level playing field provisions, and they are worried that we will try to row back on workers' rights and undercut the european social model. we may decide to negotiate something in there as the price of getting better access

to the eu market. in the long term, it will be for our mps in parliament to decide. you heard the chap in the pub in kettering saying that he wanted uk politicians to make these decisions will stop you will have to pay attention to british politics and vote for mp5 you think represent your views. we are out of time, but thank you both. hugely informative. we need to get your number so that all the viewers can get you on speed dial. i understand why you are shaking your head! susanna is in high wycombe for us. iamat high wycombe for us. i am at origin, the largest manufacturer of bespoke aluminium windows and doors in the uk. in this factory, there are materials that are imported in, for example, door handles from germany, but also the

aluminium from spain. then it is all constructed, so you have the folding doors, sliding windows, and then they are exported back to europe but also to the middle east. a lot of the work force, 30%, in fact, are from the eu. this man, who is putting the locks onto this door, is from poland. this whole brexit process has been pretty unsettling. however, origin say they really have tried to turn all the uncertainty into a positive. let's find out how with victoria brocklesby, the chief operating officer and founder. victoria, what have you done was make you say that business has increased. absolutely, there are a lwa ys increased. absolutely, there are always positives and opportunity in challenge. that has been our ethos right through, from when we started. we have done all sorts of things to help and try and reduce that uncertainty in the business from stockpiling material to make sure we don't run out, because supplying to

our customers on time is absolutely imperative. we have been hedging the euro all last year and into this year to euro all last year and into this yearto gain euro all last year and into this year to gain some certainty, because 50% of our materials are bought in from the eu, so it's important that we keep the price stable. also building relationships with our suppliers and making sure they are there to help us every step of the way, and that has been really positive for us and we had a good outcome so far, so let's hope that will help us through the rest of this year, where we are still uncertain in lots of ways. because we don't know what kind of trade deal the uk will strike with the eu. would you have a lot of business with europe, so how are you coping with europe, so how are you coping with that? we do a lot of our exporting to the middle east. in terms of our supply back into the uk, we are buying a lot from europe. we just want to make sure we are maintaining our prices, so negotiating a free trade real during this year will be very important to us. what will happen if you are

forced to trade under wto rules with the eu? we will have increased duties at that point, which we don't wa nt to duties at that point, which we don't want to see. having said that, we already trade on wto terms with the us and the middle east, so we just had the trump duties from the us increasing, and that has had quite an effect on the cost of goods going out to the us. that has been worse for us, ina out to the us. that has been worse for us, in a lot of ways. it will give us the opportunity to negotiate better deals with other countries across the world, so hopefully we can look at negotiating a better deal with the us that will be beneficial for us when we are exporting out there. lets talk about the workers. 30% are from the eu. how many have already acquired settled status, and is it quite an unsettling time for them ? settled status, and is it quite an unsettling time for them? it is, and we realised that very early on. our workforce is our greatest asset.

without them, we cannot do what we need to do as a business. we really just worked with them and supported them through the whole process. we have more of that coming up. there are still a large percentage that don't have settled status here in the uk, so we are providing workshops to work through with the workforce, to help them get their settled status so they can remain in the uk. they do a phenomenaljob and we don't want them to leave. victoria, thanks for talking to us. a lot of victoria's optimism will be shared by some companies. others, as the british chamber of commerce is saying, will say this is a moment of regret. however, they also stress that this is just the end of the beginning, not the beginning of the end. it is really an unsettling time. it will depend, certainly, on what happens as far as this trading relationship to be struck with the european union, what happens over the next 11 months will be key for many businesses up and down the uk.

back to you. thanks so much. more on brexit and coronavirus coming at the top of the hour, but now, a quick look at the weather with simon. a mild start, 10—12dc, but lots of cloud out there, and rain moving south—east across england and wales. that is a typical seed in leicestershi re that is a typical seed in leicestershire at the moment. lots of cloud, really, and you can see that the rain makes progress south and east and breaks up as it reaches the south—east. elsewhere, showers, cloudy, some sunshine in eastern scotland. temperatures will rise to 12-15dc in the scotland. temperatures will rise to 12—15dc in the coming hours. showers across the north—west of scotland, continuing tonight. elsewhere, varying amounts of cloud. temperatures won't fall away too far. 10 celsius in the southeast overnight tonight, chillier than

that in the north—east of scotland. on saturday, rain moving east across the far south of england, more showers in northern areas. by sunday, colder across scotland, further outbreaks of rain moving north and east. over the weekend in general, fairly unsettled, rain at times, still on the mild side, but turning chillierfrom times, still on the mild side, but turning chillier from the times, still on the mild side, but turning chillierfrom the north. goodbye.

you're watching bbc newsroom live — it's midday and these are the main stories this morning: the department of health confirms two cases of coronavirus in the uk in two members of the same family. they have now been transferred to a high consequence infection unit, that's a very secure infectious diseases specialist unit in newcastle. more than 80 britons on an evacuation flight from wuhan are due to arrive back in the uk shortly brexit countdown — tonight the uk leaves the european union after 47 years. the prime minister will hold a cabinet meeting in sunderland — the first place to officially back brexit — and will release a video saying brexit is "not an end but a beginning."

i'm annita mcveigh live at downing street where the countdown to brexit begins. later this evening a clock will be projected onto the walls behind me to mark that countdown to the uk leaving the eu. and i'm martine croxall. live in kettering in northamptonshire where 61% of people voted to leave the eu. in this pub, they are celebrating all things british on brexit day. good afternoon. welcome to bbc newsroom live. i'm carrie gracie. two cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in the uk, with two members of the same family in england testing positive. they are being treated at a specialist infectious disease centre in newcastle. the chief medical officer

professor chris whitty said... a big development in the story. at the moment, 83 britons — and 27 foreign nationals who were trapped in wuhan are on a flight to raf brize norton — they'll spend two weeks in quarantine at a nhs hospital in the north west the death toll stands at 213, with nearly 10,000 people infected. and last night the world health organization declared the virus a global emergency. our health editor hugh pym has been speaking to the chief medical officer professor chris whitty. so, as! so, as i announced earlier on this

morning, there were two cases from the same family, who were identified overnight. and they have now been transferred to a high consequence infection unit, that is a very secure infectious disease specialist unit in newcastle. and what sort of treatment will they be getting, how are staff at the hospital protected, as it were? obviously i'm not going to go into any patient details at all, either in terms of their particular situation or their biographical details. but i can say that this could turn out to be, for any individual who has a disease of this kind, it could well turn out to bea this kind, it could well turn out to be a relatively minor disease because we know there is a 2% mortality rate, 2% of people die meaning 98% of people get better based on current information and it is still not absolutely certain that

that looks right. there is a high chance people get better and lots of people end up with a relatively minor disease. obviously some people go on to get a severe disease. we know this from the cases that are being reported from china. they tend to have respiratory problems and if anyone gets respiratory problems, they will dealt with in the same way as anyone else with a respiratory disease. professor whitty also said an investigation team had been formed to trace anyone who has been in contact with the pair to prevent the illness spreading. he went on to say that anyone who comes to the uk from anywhere in china and shows any symptoms associated with the coronavirus should "self—isolate" for 14 days. but he stressed the risk remained low. the first thing obviously to say is that we intend for them to be housed ina way that we intend for them to be housed in a way which is pleasant and in no

senseis in a way which is pleasant and in no sense is a feeling of a punitive situation, that is not the intention. what we wish to do is to ensure they are in one place near very good services in the event that they are needed but what we hope is that all these people, they have 14 days isolated from the general public, not in the sense of solitary confinement but then they are able to be released without any symptoms at all. if they develop symptoms at that point, the nhs is very practised at this end able be able to deal with those and use whatever methods are needed to treat them so it is safe for them and safe. fun the public. our nhs staff coming into co nta ct the public. our nhs staff coming into contact with them... what we are trying to ensure is anyone who comes into contact with someone with symptoms is protected. that's true for any infectious disease. we are

trying to put in a level of protection in an appropriate wave so those who have symptoms and theoretically they are able to transmit are theoretically they are able to transmitare in theoretically they are able to transmit are in a position where they are protected as well. our health editor hugh pym explained more about the specialist unit where the patients are being treated. it was made clear, there are five such units in england and scotland has won as well. wales and northern ireland have their own facilities. the royal free hospital, for example, in london, handled ebay like cases. very specialist equipment, ways of isolating patients —— ebola cases. making sure that staff are protected, highly trained and it was successful. the few bowler patients who came into the uk went to the royal free hospital. this expertise is in

hospitals in liverpool, and newcastle is one of them. the nhs is prepared and has isolation beds and can treat people with viruses like this. staff having adequate protection and knowing exactly how to treat such a patient. one thing that came across from the briefing that came across from the briefing that was interesting, professor chris whitty said that the death rate, the mortality rate, could be as low as 2%, based on information from china. he was prepared to say that even though scientifically it is early to say that. he said the caveat, we cannot be entirely sure, but he was prepared to go along with the idea it could be 2%. sars was 10% and ebola 70%. he said it was almost all elderly patients in china who contracted it and who then could develop pneumonia and some had died from that. primarily elderly

patients who had an existing health condition. let's talk to paul hunter, he's a professor in medicine at the university of east anglia and joins me now from norwich. good morning. the treatment that these two patients are receiving, can you give us any sense of what that would actually involve? currently there is no specific treatment, no antibiotic that would affect this organism, this virus. essentially people would be monitoring their respiration and general health, and treating pneumonia symptomatically. if their oxygen levels a re pneumonia symptomatically. if their oxygen levels are lower, they would be given oxygen and if there is fluid on the lungs they may be given diuretics to reduce that. ultimately, in the worst cases, they may go on to artificial ventilation.

this is all supportive therapy, not curative therapy. as it was already said, even those with serious illness, you just need to make sure that they stay alive and they will eventually recover. we heard from downing street, the prime minister spokesman said that the nhs is extremely well prepared to deal with coronavirus. we had the same from the chief medical officer. is that your view? it is, we have a strong history in this country in dealing with some theory unpleasant infections which have landed on our shores. ebola was mentioned, we had four cases of sars about 20 years ago. and we've had a number of middle eastern respiratory syndrome cases. mers. in many ways, this new infection does not pose as problematic an infection control

issue as we had in ebola. for most people, because of the way it is spread, isolation in a single room would be perfectly effective as a control measure, providing the nursing and medical staff adhere to the policies on personal protective equipment and where facemasks and, where appropriate, disposable clothing. we are used to dealing with that in the uk. and to the 80 citizens flying back from wuhan as we speak and due to land shortly, the plan to quarantine those passengers for 14 days, do you think thatis passengers for 14 days, do you think that is a proportionate measure?” think it is, actually. it must be said that on one hand, the risk of anyone of those people being infected with the virus is actually

very low. although we have got 8000 or so cases around the world, when you think about wuhan, the population in the city is around ten million and in surrounding areas around 40 million. the chances, even with 8000 potentially infected people globally, the risk for an individual is actually very low. however, when you are bringing back 80 people, their chances increase a little bit. even within that, one has to say, what would happen if we did have one of these people that did have one of these people that did be the cause of a subsequent spread? the impact on the public‘s trust and faith in this word actually suffer quite dramatically, i think, if that was the case. so yes, it is proportionate and

appropriate. thank you for your expertise this morning. talking of that flight, let's look at where it is. it is over the north sea at present. currently the red dot among those yellow aeroplanes, that is the flight coming from wuhan, carrying passengers to raf brize norton. let's go to our reporter there, caroline davies, awaiting their arrival. what can you tell us? as you can see the flight is less than 500 miles away. we anticipate it landing just after 1pm this afternoon. on board, there are 83 british nationals, 27 foreign nationals, a significant number less than we had anticipated. originally we we re than we had anticipated. originally we were told 150 british nationals and 50 eu nationals. why the number is lower, it is not entirely clear although the foreign office have said the number of 150 was their upper expectation of the number that may be on the flight. we understand they are in touch with british

nationals in wuhan. when the flight lands, eu nationals will be taken and flown to spain on that flight. the british families will be taken off, they will go to arrowe park hospital in the wirral, 170 miles north—west of here. they will be keptin north—west of here. they will be kept in quarantine there for 14 days. caroline, thank you. we will come back to you as and when. a reminder of the details. two confirmed cases. they are in a specialist infectious diseases control unit in newcastle. they were believed to have been in a hotel in yorkshire. they were identified, diagnosed, overnight. a look at the flight diagnosed, overnight. a look at the flight tracker. the plane, carrying 83 passengers, british citizens back from wuhan to the uk to spend 14 daysin from wuhan to the uk to spend 14 days in quarantine. that is due to land within the hour. so, more on

that coming and more indeed on all of the main stories on the news channel but right now we say goodbye to our viewers on bbc two. let's turn to the other big story of the after three and a half years, and countless discussions and debates, the uk leaves the european union tonight — after 47 years. it officially happens at 11pm here, — midnight in brussels. in a video message released later the prime minister will say this is "not an end but a beginning". there will be planned celebrations and protests throughout the day — reflecting the divisions brexit has created. however, the uk is to continue following eu rules and paying into its budget during a transition period lasting until the end of the year.

well let's get some more detail now on what will be an historic day as the uk leaves the european union. this afternoon the prime minister will hold a meeting of the cabinet in sunderland — the city that was the first to back brexit when results were announced after the 2016 referendum. supporters of the european union are expected to take part in a procession through whitehall at around three o'clock this afternoon to — as they put it — "bid a fond farewell" to the union. and then tonight at around nine o'clock, brexit supporters will gather in parliament square for a rally and celebration. buildings along whitehall will be lit up and union flags will be flown in parliament square. and tonight a clock will be projected on to downing street and begin counting down to the moment the uk leaves the eu. also at around 10pm, the prime minister will publish a recorded video message to the nation. and at 11pm, the uk will leave the european union. however, big ben will not chime to mark the moment due to ongoing renovation works. well tonight, the prime minister is expected to try to speak to both sides of the brexit divide in a video message.

he'll say... speaking earlier today, conservative minister michael gove said the uk wanted a close working relationship with the eu — but, he said — the country voted to be independent and there should be some regulatory divergence from the eu in the future (tx sot) from the eu in the future. we want trade to be as frictionless as possible. the eu is clear, you can only have fully frictionless trade if you accept all of their rules and laws, and are subordinate to theirjudges and their political structures. we voted to be independent. we want to have as close as possible a relationship with the eu and the approach we want

to take is built on the relationship that they have with canada. that means we want to have a relationship where ultimately there are no tariffs or quotas on our trade but there will be some regulations that will differ in britain. we want to do things in a way that is better for our economy, meaning when it comes to trading with europe there are some bureaucratic processes there that are not there now. so it is going to be more awkward? we want to minimise the friction in the interest of our economy. scotland's first minister, nicola sturgeon, wants scotland to prepare for a second independence referendum now brexit is happening... brexit has put scotland on the wrong road and the further down that road we go, the longer it will take and the harder it will be to get back on the harder it will be to get back on the right one. we need back on the right road as soon as possible. to that end, we have informed the scottish parliament this morning that following the passage of the

referendum's bill at the end of last year and this years vote in favour ofa year and this years vote in favour of a referendum we will now ask the electoral commission to retest the question, should scotland be an independent country? that question is simple, intelligible and well recognised across the country but parliament made clear it wanted it retested and that is the next practical step we need to take within our powers to prepare for a referendum. scotland is not the only place with a wide—ranging of views. annita mcveigh is in downing street for us. welcome back to downing street. interesting, looking at social media coverage of today. we season trending hashtags on social media, we are seeing brexit day, but also a hashtag, saying not my brexit. highlighting the division that continues even though it is the

day that the uk is leaving the european union. in terms of what is happening here today, pretty low—key so far. we know that cabinet meeting is not happening here today but in sunderland, the first part of the uk that declared for brexit in the eu referendum in 2016. the prime minister will be back here later tonight, we are told he will host a reception for cabinet ministers, for officials who were involved in the brexit negotiations, civil servants and people involved in the league campaign in 2016. it will be a uk focused menu with english sparkling wine —— leave campaign. there will be shropshire blue cheese he will be talking via video message. there will not be a lectin moment in downing street. he wants to talk

about levelling up, and unifying the divisions. it's been four years since david cameron announced there would be a referendum but clearly he has a very big task still on his hands, with many people unconvinced that over the next less than 12 months until the end of the year, the transition phase that he and his tea m the transition phase that he and his team can hammer out the details of the future relationship. well, let's get some more thoughts on the view from scotland. in joined by drew hendry of the snp. thank you for speaking to us on bbc news today. a historic day, not a day that the snp ever wanted. listening to your party leader and first minister nicola sturgeon a little earlier, she is saying it is now herjob to lead scotla nd saying it is now herjob to lead scotland down a credible route to

independence. what does that mean? a credible route to independence? todayis credible route to independence? today is a day that is a very sad day in scotland, tinged with a bit ofangerover day in scotland, tinged with a bit of anger over the brexit process we have seen scotland ignored time and time again. what nicola sturgeon was doing this morning, as first minister she was laying out a clear message of hope for the people of scotland about our future as an independent country and the ability to get back on track, to play a part asa to get back on track, to play a part as a progressive and outward —looking nation as an equal partner within the european union. we talked about their testing of the question with the electoral commission, looking at scotland's claim of right and ongoing discussions, reaching out to the public and hearing their views ahead of the referendum when it comes. she made the point that it was very it comes. she made the point that it

was very important that any further independence referendum should be both legal and legitimate, so what is the route to that? it is quite clear, the way to make sure that this result is completely respected and is ironclad, doing it through a process that is seen to be clearly by everyone as a legal and clear process. that is what we are trying to put in place. that includes a consultative referendum perhaps? there are options out there which i do not think have been entirely ruled out but let's be absolutely clear. what nicola sturgeon and others, like myself, are advocating is that we have a properly recognised legal referendum that stands up and everyone scrutiny. that way we can go forward clearly with that. the only thing standing in the way as boris johnson,

developing into an incredibly weak position in continuing to say no to the scottish people. we saw another poll come out yesterday showing a majority for independence and it is time the people of scotland had their choice and if they to —— if this is truly a union of equal nations than scotland and their parliament cannot be ignored and that cannot be sustained. what if boris johnson's that cannot be sustained. what if borisjohnson's government continues to hold that position and says there should not be another independence referendum? if he was not frightened of the result he would be going ahead with allowing a section 30 order so that we can have that cast—iron referendum but he clearly is worried about the result and the more he digs his heels in and says no, the more people see the last 3.5 years of brexit and how scotland has been ignored, seeing that westminster is broken and it does

not work for scotland, that proposal continues to rise. it is becoming something that has unstoppable momentum and i think the people in scotland have seen clearly that their needs and wants for the future are not being represented by this westminster parliament and in no way by this borisjohnson! tory government. drew hendry from the snp, thank you for your time today. that will be something borisjohnson does not want. as the uk enters its transition phase of negotiations with the eu, they will not want a push for independence north of the border in scotland but as you hear from the snp, that is exactly what they are going to do. let's find out a little bit more about how people are marking this day. brexit day, the day the uk leaves the european union after two missed deadlines, it is happening. my colleague martine croxall is in northamptonshire.”

is happening. my colleague martine croxall is in northamptonshire. i am indeed. iam croxall is in northamptonshire. i am indeed. i am in the rising sun pub in kettering, northamptonshire. the rising venue dawn, it has been carefully thought through. for some, todayis carefully thought through. for some, today is momentous but for others it is regrettable. we arejoined by two people here, bernie white has retired and voted to leave the european union but richard hughes ru ns european union but richard hughes runs a roofing business fairly locally and voted to remain. thank you forjoining us. for a lot of people who voted to leave, it has been a long time coming. what does today mean to you? today is the day that st george has killed the dragon of brussels. and what do you think the future holds? in my lifetime, i do not think it would change a lot but hopefully it will change for my

grandchildren. so for you, today is the beginning of a process? hopefully, yes. we will come back to what that might look like in a moment. richard, as a remainer, how difficult a day is this, if remaining in the eu was what you hoped for? hoped for, but a lot of people died for a vote and i voted to remain. the fact we did not win, the country needs from myself, here with the only eu t—shirt on and i still alive, this was t—shirt on and i still alive, this was beginning to get nasty. the divide was getting too great. now i am here, my friend is a brexiteer, we wouldn't fallout over politics. but we have lost. hopefully the

likes of us can talk and get the country going forward however the politicians do it. there was a lot of lying across—the— board, politicians do it. there was a lot of lying across—the—board, and i do not think anybody really knew what they were going to do. but we will see what happens. i was asked earlier, where do you see the country in one year? hopefully a little more fixed and more community spirit. i know you do a lot of work in community outreach, in many different ways. but how important is it going to be? that ordinary people do it for themselves rather than relying on politicians? that is down to the individual, isn't it?” relying on politicians? that is down to the individual, isn't it? i look at this as an international language. we will all smile and break the bubble. and have the nuts to talk to someone and say, how are you? we to talk to someone and say, how are you ? we carry to talk to someone and say, how are you? we carry on from there. if you don't know about someone's culture, ask. i know it has been divisive in

some parties. you have voted for labour all your life, how have they acquitted themselves through this process ? acquitted themselves through this process? they haven't. ifjeremy corbyn wants an enquiry into why they lost the election, it was him. how do you now trust the conservatives, under borisjohnson, to get this done in a way that is how you want brexit delivered?” think borisjohnson how you want brexit delivered?” think boris johnson is how you want brexit delivered?” think borisjohnson is the man. he was a remainer... was very much wanting to leave in the end. he did change his views. he is delivering it. he is delivering a deal theresa may could not get through parliament, she did not have the numbers. i don't know what sort of deal she got but i believe she went

to brussels and they told her what deal she was going to get. she never had any bargaining powers or anything. she was another remainer. her heart was not in it. you are a businessman, you run a roofing business. how will your business be affected by the changing relationship with the eu and the lack of trade deal currently and more widely among the business community that you are aware of? more widely among the business community that you are aware of7m sounds like —— it is a small family business, we have got through two recessions and we are still here. for me, i have employed over the years many different cultures, male and female, and the politics will not bother me. what i think or howl think. my company will not be run by politicians. like i said earlier, it is about now and mending the country

with people. and going forward. i will not get into economics i do not understand but i am sure within one year's time, we will not fall out with these people over in france. i go over there quite a lot. i have family in luxembourg. everything is still very warm. hopefully, we will still very warm. hopefully, we will still all get on. i do not think we will fall out. a quid will be massive but it will be beyond my pay grade in working that out with economics. the healing of divisions begins here. lovely to speak to you both here. we will be here in kettering through the day. gauging what brexit day means to people here, most of them voted to leave. now a look at the weather. pretty overcast skies across the uk right now, but the real story is just how mild it is. temperatures in some spots around 5—7d higher than

we would expect at this time in january. could be 14 or 15 celsius in one or two spots. that is friday afternoon, this is friday evening. showers continue in western parts of scotla nd showers continue in western parts of scotland and the highlands, may be later in the night there could be more rain coming and going, fleeting rain across the temperatures, ten in london, around eight celsius in the north. higher than we would expect during the daytime, let alone the night. tomorrow, ithink during the daytime, let alone the night. tomorrow, i think a blustery day, a very windy day across the north, with showers. again, quite mild but a little colder in scotland, around six celsius. in the south, closer to 10 celsius. you are up—to—date. hello. this is bbc newsroom live,

with me, carrie gracie. the headlines: the department of health confirms two cases of coronavirus in the uk. the two patients are from the same family. they from the same family. have now been transferred 1 high they have now been transferred to a high consequence infection unit. that is a very secure infectious disease unit in newcastle. more than 80 britons on an evacuation flight from wuhan are due to arrive back in the uk at lunchtime. brexit countdown — later tonight the uk will be leaving the european union after 47 years. the prime minister will hold a cabinet meeting in sunderland — the first place to officially back brexit — and will release a video message saying brexit is "not an end but a beginning." let's return to brexit on the day the uk leaves the european union. annita mcveigh is in

downing street for us. welcome back to downing street. it strikes me so far that we are seeing politicians of every persuasion invoking celestial imagery on this brexit day, there is much talk of the sun is setting and rising, new dawns etc, but beyond that rhetoric and imagery, which is inevitable on and imagery, which is inevitable on an historic day like today is, soon we will be asking questions of those politicians as they get down to business in the transition phase, about whether promises can be delivered, whether a deal can be donein delivered, whether a deal can be done in time for the end of the transition period in december this year. joining me now is the vice president of the european parliament mairead mcguinness,

. the president of the european parliament was one of those invoking the celestial imagery, saying the sun will set on 47 years of membership of the eu, and tomorrow marks a new dawn for europe. what of the future of the relationship? how do you think that will involve?” made an early start before dawn, because i was in dublin at 5am this morning with ministers to see the implementation of infrastructure funding from europe. as of the future, we are hoping this infrastructure will not need to be overused, in the sense that we hope that europe and the united kingdom can sit down immediately and begin to negotiate this new relationship. i suppose we keep saying and it sounds like it will be easy, but we are trying to pull away and then repair. we have to listen to the rhetoric, then we have to look at

the practicalities. i think over this weekend, and obviously today is, for me, emotional and historic. idid not is, for me, emotional and historic. i did not think i would be chairing the european parliament at that historic time. i did not want ever to see this day. on the other hand, we understand that uk is leaving, but we hope the uk will want to stay ina but we hope the uk will want to stay in a strong and close relationship with the eu, even around measures like disease control, those big issues where globally we have to act together. while in a sense many will celebrate in the uk, and i wish them well with their celebrations, others will shed tears. we all have to move on now to this next phase. i don't wa nt to on now to this next phase. i don't want to dampen a party, but i think the next phase will perhaps be more difficult than the last three years. we have to condense it into maybe ten or 11 months, and that is a very short amount of time to agree a comprehensive trade agreement. so, yes, a third of the time for the

next phase compared to what was devoted to get to the withdrawal agreement stage. talk us through those practicalities that you mentioned. from europe's perspective, what needs to happen first? before i do, it is important that the withdrawal agreement is more than a paper that has been signed. it has to be implemented, so a lot of the focus from the uk and the eu will be on implementation around citizens‘ rights, the financial issues and the irish protocol. that is of particular sensitivity for me, because i represent a constituency along this invisible border. also for the all ireland economy. when you look at the wider issues for europe, we want to have frictionless trade, but we also want the uk to understand that you cannot have the benefits of eu membership without the responsibility of membership. we are hearing certain politicians in the uk declaring that the united kingdom will move away, will not combine

with eu regulations, and that is worrying, because it depends on the extent of that divergence as to how swiftly a nd extent of that divergence as to how swiftly and how well we can complete a trade agreement. but there will be checks, because it is a third country, even though i find that ha rd to country, even though i find that hard to say. but that is the reality of the situation we face, come 11 o‘clock this evening. at the end of the transition, we hope to move into this new partnership. i think we all have to be aware... ifi canjust interrupt you perhaps there, clearly, the eu still wants something from the relationship with the uk as well in whatever way that relationship evolves. let‘s just ta ke relationship evolves. let‘s just take a look at fishing rights, for example. there are trades and deals to be done, aren‘t there? example. there are trades and deals to be done, aren't there?” example. there are trades and deals to be done, aren't there? i think both parties want something from this arrangement. it isn‘t that we wa nt this arrangement. it isn‘t that we want something and the uk isn‘t looking for something. some of my best meetings are on aeroplanes, and i sat next to a representative of the fishing industry last night, and

we talked at length what it means for the fishing industry across europe and the uk if we fail to reach an agreement. in one sense, we have to talk about fishing rights and trade, and have some agreement around those which looks after the interests as best we cannot both of the parties. so, it‘s not as if you can bring fence one area and say, thatis can bring fence one area and say, that is ours, and we can then do trade separately. really, at this point, it‘s difficult to negotiate over the airwaves. i think the mandate for negotiations from the eu side will be published sooner than anticipated, may be next week, and i dare say the united kingdom will have its own mandate. there will be tough negotiations in rooms, where people who understand trade on both sides will have to hammer out details. headlines are not detailed. i think there will be a lot of detail to be worked through that will —— and there will be political

pressure from some in the uk who wa nt pressure from some in the uk who wantan pressure from some in the uk who want an absolute brexit versus those who want something softer and more manageable. that is a debate i cannot engage in. the best i can do from an irish and european perspective is to say that we are open to having this strong relationship, understanding that the uk is leaving. things will not be the same, but we don‘t want them to be very different. i hope the uk doesn‘t want that either. be very different. i hope the uk doesn't want that either. if i could just ask you finally and briefly, if you would, on trade, one of the most vocal groups you would, on trade, one of the most vocal groups over you would, on trade, one of the most vocal groups over the last four yea rs vocal groups over the last four years in the uk has been the business world, saying that they wa nt business world, saying that they want certainty. in terms of getting a trade deal done by the end of this year, could we be in a position where businesses are only finding out what their new rules will be with potentially a few weeks to go until changes take place? that depends on the negotiations and how they progress, and whether there is a real determination to settle these issues early, or to leave them to

the very last moment. indeed, with the very last moment. indeed, with the withdrawal agreement, we saw that it took three years of tough negotiating and then suddenly things got solved. i hope it doesn‘t happen in this case, because as you reference, for business, there was huge uncertainty. we have been saying to the irish business community that because the withdrawal agreement is done, don‘t think brexit is finished and there is nothing else to worry about. be aware that we still need to conclude aware that we still need to conclude a good relationship but a new partnership, and we do not have any guarantees that we can do that at all, but certainly within that timeframe, although there is a willingness to work hard, and i think, to work as long as necessary. ijust hope think, to work as long as necessary. i just hope it‘s think, to work as long as necessary. ijust hope it‘s not left to the last minute, because that is bad for businesses in the uk and indeed bad for all of us. thank you very much for all of us. thank you very much for your time today. touching there

and what might happen with those trade negotiations in the transition phase, the sort of certainty that businesses are looking for. let‘s explore that more now. susannah streeter is in high wycombe for us. origin how the biggest manufacturer of aluminium windows and doors in the uk. not all of the workers here, some from the eu, have a cheap settle status, which is a worry. also, many of the materials are imported from the eu — aluminium from spain, for example, the door handles from germany — so that is a concern about the future trading relationship. what will it mean? will there be tariffs or not chris mike will there be a free trade agreement by the end of the year or not? and it‘s notjust this manufacturer who is concerned. tell

me, what are the concerns that manufacturers are telling you about? the main ones are about where we will be in 11 months‘ time. tariffs area will be in 11 months‘ time. tariffs are a huge issue in this industry. we operate with margins of about four percent, and tariffs will be a 10% and above, so we are going into the next few months with huge confidence. british manufacturers are the best in the world and we will overcome any obstacle, but the big issue now is, our biggest export market is either the eu countries we trade with under an eu trade agreement, and in 11 months, we don‘t what that relationship will look like or what the arrangements will be. the one thing we can say with certainty is that trade will be a bit harder. until we can plan and prepare for that, it‘s difficult for some of our members. some of your members will be looking at this day as one of celebration, others one of regret. how do you represent all of them when you have talked to government —— when you talk to

government? and the industries are diverse as well. some manufacturers wa nt diverse as well. some manufacturers want one thing, others another. that is one of the challenges, and we embrace it. we represent people making craft beer in a garage up to people making fighter jets, making craft beer in a garage up to people making fighterjets, and that isa people making fighterjets, and that is a fantastic place to be. what is to everyone, no matter what their business or market, we understand the strength of business manufacturer # british manufacturing. it is an important part of the economy, and almost half of our exports come from manufactured goods. people think we area manufactured goods. people think we are a service economy, but we are not. manufacturing is critical. whether your market is domestic or international, people want to know what the trading relationship will be like in the terms, because if you sell exclusively in the uk, you probably buy things from overseas, particularly europe. also, there is concern that whether —— over whether trading agreements with third countries will be honoured after today. there is confusion. what

would you say to those manufacturers and their customers? as always, we would sayjoin a trade association. the critical issue is that our government is already engaging with the eu, and we hope they will do even more. through the transition period, british firms should be able to access free trade agreements negotiated and signed by the eu with countries like south korea and a number of other places. it there is any suggestion they are not able to access those, they should take it up with the government immediately. we expect the eu to act decisively. we are entitled under the withdrawal agreement to use those agreements, and we expect our government to protect manufacturers in doing so. thank you. make uk want to hear from many manufacturer is experiencing problems. at this factory, although quite a few of these doors and sliding windows are exported to the eu, many others are exported to the middle east, and also there is a

factory as well in the united states, so this company really has said that, actually, creating new markets is key, because they are looking at the future in a positive way. susanna, thank you very much for that. back in downing street, let‘s talk a little bit about tone, because it has been a rancorous four yea rs because it has been a rancorous four years almost since david cameron announced that there was going to be that referendum on eu membership, whether to remain or to leave. those two words synonymous with the division, the tribalism that opened up division, the tribalism that opened up not only across the green benches of the house of commons but in families, amongst friends, right around the uk and between the uk and the eu in some respects. with me now to talk about all of that is the whitehall correspondent for the financial times, sebastien payne. thank you for coming along. it has been quite a muted day so far,

hasn‘t it? you were saying just a second ago, that is probably a positive thing. i think so, because if you look, 1317 days since britain voted to leave the eu, and only finally is that referendum result being an actor. the whole nation has been split between remain and leave over that, and that has become our identity. people identify that above anything else. what you have seen so far today is remain supporters saying, we accept that we lost and need to move on. you have seen leave supporters saying, we accept that remain supporters are not as happy today as we are, so let‘s not rub it in people‘s faces all gloat about the result. look at those two things together, that is quite a good thing for our national social fabric, because people have been worried in brexit about the idea that there is no british identity that brings us all together now. i think this muted atmosphere is quite a good thing, but we should remember that today is not about change, despite what the

pm will be saying later about a new dawn. this is about symbolism. we leave the eu today, but fundamentally nothing changes because we have a year of that standstill transition period. how long do you think that muted mood can last? no doubt, that rancour is bound to emerge again as we get into the transition phase and get into what are realistically pretty tricky negotiations on a range of issues? the trade talks will begin in march, and if we are to have a deal by the end of the year, they will have to be wrapped up by october, a fairly intense six months to negotiate a comprehensive trade deal. it is the sort of thing that would normally ta ke sort of thing that would normally take 5—7 years to do. it will deal with financial services, fish, immigration. all these will be difficult things to unwrap and produce something there. i think there will be anger that will emerge. there will probably be a breakdown in those trade talks at some point. but as with the brexit

withdrawal agreement, it is in the interest of both sides to get a deal. fundamentally, ithink interest of both sides to get a deal. fundamentally, i think that is what will happen. the deal might not be the big, beautiful deal boris johnson is talking about, but it will keep the show on the road. the vice president of the european parliament said just a couple of minutes ago, there are no guarantees in this transition phase, but there is from the eu side a willingness to work, to work hard for as long as possible. the uk has said the transition phase will not extend beyond december this year, but do you think that position could change? do you remember a certain prime minister saying we will leave the eu on october the 31st? and that didn‘t happen. political promises can be difficult to keep. it depends on how the talks go. if we got to october and it is obvious a deal is in sightand october and it is obvious a deal is in sight and can be done, and we just need a couple of more months, a bit more time to get this thing done, i think it could be extended. if it looks like the talks are going nowhere and there won‘t be a trade

deal, i think it might not be extended. obviously, the prime minister has a lot of political headroom, an 80 seat majority in the commons, giving him a lot of room to change, manoeuvre, do things differently, so if he does need to extend, he can. and i don‘t think the political blowback will be too great. the key thing is, he wants to move on from all of this now, because from today, i imagine you will not hear the prime minister say that word brexit for a long time. it is banned for the whole civil service after the day, because they are saying it is done, even though we know it is not really done at all. just the first phase of it. sebastien payne, financial correspondent —— correspondent for the financial times, thank you very much. the prime minister will release a video message later. there won‘t be a lectern here, perhaps keeping with that sense of a muted mood we were just talking about, because there is a sense that the government doesn‘t want to appear... it wants to celebrate the day and not appear triumphal about it,

cognisant not appear triumphal about it, cognisa nt of the not appear triumphal about it, cognisant of the fact that so many people are still very very unhappy that this day is happening at all, that this day is happening at all, that the uk is leaving the eu. but it isa that the uk is leaving the eu. but it is a daily rich in symbolism, whatever your political persuasion, no doubt of that. but they will then move no doubt of that. but they will then m ove o nto no doubt of that. but they will then move onto this transition phase of tough negotiations in the weeks and months ahead. more from here throughout the day, but for now, back to you. and at 3.30 this afternoon, we‘ll be answering your questions on brexit. you can tweet via the hashtag bbc your questions or email yourquestions@bbc.co.uk. we did one at 11:30am, and the questions were great, as were the a nswe rs. questions were great, as were the answers. just to bring you some breaking news we have been having on coronavirus while we have been

tackling brexit for a moment there. one thing is that the russians have declared two cases. russia has declared two cases. russia has declared two cases. russia has declared two confirmed cases of coronavirus, and has also announced that it will evacuate its citizens from wuhan. talking of evacuations, let‘s look at the flight tracker for the plane that is travelling as we speakfrom the plane that is travelling as we speak from wuhan to raf brize norton. you can see the line there. it came into uk airspace over the north—east of scotland and is travelling down the country now, expected to arrive at brize norton within the next half hour or so. it may just be a within the next half hour or so. it mayjust be a couple of moments after that. we think it will be about 1:26pm. after that. we think it will be about1:26pm. a after that. we think it will be about 1:26pm. a couple of details we can bring you about the conditions and handling of those 83 british citizens as they arrive. they are, of course, as you will realise by

now, expected to be in quarantine for 14 days. the terms of that are called supported isolation. they will be made as comfortable as possible. kitchens and food will be available, there will be no charge, and families will be able to stay together. should anyone have displayed any symptoms on the flight, displayed any symptoms on the flight, obviously we will know about that in the next hour or so, and they will be taken during that flight they will be taken during that flight to a separate part of the plane. there are medics on board to provide health support, and should they display symptoms, they will be immediately transferred to a suitable nhs hospital. one last thing on coronavirus before we move on again, we understand from suppliers of hand gel and sanitisers that the sale of those has increased due to coronavirus, and some sources have sold out in the uk. we still

don‘t have figures on face masks, but we are checking on that, too. we leave coronavirus now for a few minutes and go back to brexit, because in a little under ten hours, britain is to leave the eu. the cotton will fall on a 47 year chapter of our history. brexit will finally, in the words of boris johnson, get done. but where did it all start, and how have relations with our european counterparts fared over the years because mike graham satchell has been looking back. order, order, order! it will be an in— out referendum. for some, it will mark a liberation, and they will feel the pulse of

sovereignty returning from brussels. for others, it will be a sad end of a great experiment in communal living with europe. we will be a different country and a different people when we wake up tomorrow. france's stated reason for denying britain membership... 1963, and the first time we tried to join the eec, charles de gaulle famously said no. he said no again in 1967. the goal described britain as insular, maritime, commercial and inextricably linked to america. in other words, not really european. was he right? tonight he will be looking down from the valhalla for elder statements. it wasn't always like that. in 1975, that the british public had their first proper say on

whether we should be in or out. what do you think of the common market?” don't think much of it. it isjust a feeling, i think it is purely a motor. a waste of money. margaret thatcher famously campaigned to stay in, withajumper thatcher famously campaigned to stay in, with a jumper that had the flags of the then nine members.” in, with a jumper that had the flags of the then nine members. i think it is vital that everyone should turn out in this referendum and vote yes so that the question is over, once and for all. some hope! but look at the papers. it was the economic benefits of the common market that persuaded many in the end. beethoven‘s nine. persuaded many in the end. beethoven's nine. it was a 2-1 victory to stay in. fast forward 40 yea rs, victory to stay in. fast forward 40 years, and it is the same presenter, but... the british people have spoken, and the answer is, we are out. so, what happened because my quintet he signed us up in 1973, he made it clear what he thought it was

about. a new and a greater united europe. right from the very beginning, the european project had one very beginning, the european project had one very clear objective: to make sure that the horrors of two world wa rs sure that the horrors of two world wars would never be repeated. it‘s as if the brits had never read the opening sentence of the treaty of rome, at which the whole thing was space, which talked of an ever closer union. or if we did, we thought it was cut easy on french waffle. and it was a frenchman who announced the community would become a community. it was all too much for margaret thatcher, who went from saying yes to saying... no, no, no. fleet street turned. economic chaos in the eu brought things to a head. so, now we are leaving, is the debate finally done? the european question will haunt us for a while yet, but one way of helping cope

with it is on monday morning in the pa rla nce with it is on monday morning in the parlance of westminster, we can start concentrating on the things that unite us rather than divide us. i live in hope. —— in the palace of westminster. tonight will be a moment of history, but the end of the psychodrama ? now, it‘s time for a look at the weather with tomasz schafernaker. across the uk, a lot of grey weather, outbreaks of rain, but nothing too prolonged. the rain is mostly fleeting today. the main story is just how very mild it is. in some spots, temperatures could be six or 7 degrees above the average for the time of year. the reason for it is because our weather is mostly coming from the south—west, clouds lifting in from there, dragging in that plume of very mild air all the way from the southern climes,

actually reaching parts of southern scandinavia as well. here are the bits and pieces of rain at the end of the afternoon in the south—east, showers in scotland. temperatures, 30 teen —— 13 celsius in aberdeen and in the south—east. this evening, showers continue in western scotland, quite windy too. in the south, mostly dry. at the central areas of the uk. a little rain coming out of the channel clipping the coast of the south—east in the early hours. a very mild night, 10 celsius in london. that is higher than what we would expect during the daytime, let alone the night. here is saturday‘s weather forecast. a weather front moving into scotland, quite a few isobars, meaning the winds will strengthen. we are talking about 40—50 mile an hour gusts across this swathe of the uk here, so a blustery day from belfast

into carlisle, newcastle, leeds, sheffield pretty windy too, with showers. either side, sheffield pretty windy too, with showers. eitherside, the sheffield pretty windy too, with showers. either side, the better will be better —— the weather will be better. on sunday, a weather front moving across the uk, so some of us will get cloud and rain. once again, the south—westerly wind in the south will mean that temperatures get up to 12—14dc stop a hint of something colder in scotland. sunny in the north, with around six celsius. on monday, stronger winds blowing through, and they will bring some slightly colder weather by the time we get to tuesday. only slightly.

the first cases of the new coronavirus are confirmed in the uk. two members of the same family who‘d been at a yorkshire hotel are now being treated at a hospital in newcastle. they have now been transferred to a high consequence infection unit — that‘s a very secure infectious disease specialist unit — in newcastle. this is the scene live now at raf brize norton where a plane is about to arrive carrying 83 britons who‘ve been evacuated from the chinese city at the centre of the outbreak. we‘ll have the latest from our medical correspondent and we‘ll be live in china. also this lunchtime... ten hours to go till britain leaves the european union after almost half a century — the government says it‘s the dawn of a new era.