hello, you're watching afternoon live — i'm ben brown. today at two. the first confirmed cases in the uk. two members of the same family who'd been at a yorkshire hotel are being treated for coronavirus at a hospital in newcastle. they have now been transferred to a high consequence infection unit. that is a very secure infectious disease specialist unit in newcastle. in the last half an hour, an evacuation flight — carrying more than 80 britons from wuhan, the source of the outbreak — has landed at raf brize norton. nine 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.‘

you know, the most precious gift that britain has given the world is parliamentary democracy. and we are restoring faith and restoring trust in that. played out by the bagpipes. brexit party meps leave the european parliament for the last time. coming up on afternoon live all the sport — chetan. dominic thiem reaches his first australian open final afterfighting back to beat alexander zverev. he'll face novak djokovic on sunday. and helen has the weather. if you're heading out on the roads this afternoon, anotherfairly heading out on the roads this afternoon, another fairly blustery evening. lots of showers to come, rein in the south. we will look at what is and australia in half an hour time.

hello everyone, this is afternoon live. i'm ben brown. the first cases of the new coronavirus have been confirmed in the uk. health officials say two people from the same family who had been staying at a hotel in yorkshire are now being treated in a hospital in newcastle. so far, the virus has killed more than 200 people in china and infected thousands more. meanwhile, a plane has arrived at raf brize norton carrying more than 80 britons who've been evacuated from wuhan — the chinese city at the centre of the outbreak. from there they'll be transferred to a quarantine facility on the wirrall for at least the next 1a days.

we can speak to ben williams who's on that plane at raf brize norton. talk is through your experience of the last 2a hours, how has the fight been and what is happening next? not a lot of time... about 150 kilometres... the staff have been absolutely amazing. it is a very basic flight. not much. what have you been told about what happens to you been told about what happens to you next? at the moment, we are sitting on the plane. we will leave

the plane one by one and families. and then i believe get on a happy coach to the final destination for oui’ coach to the final destination for our extended location. two weeks in isolation, how are you feeling?” think i will be all right as long as ican get think i will be all right as long as i can get some exercise and try and burn off my... what are your feelings about leaving, being evacuated from china, from one hand? where you please, relieved to have got out or do you have mixed feelings? mixed feelings. iwas planning to leave originally on the third but after multiple flights being cancelled, and multiple lockdown is being in place it is

good to be back. but i also miss china as well. what were you doing in china? i was actually completing my marriage and honeymoon. so you we re my marriage and honeymoon. so you were there on honeymoon? yes, and my wedding was there as well. and so have you come back with your new wife? sadly we came to the decision to, her paint very much due to the short notice they gave us for the flight. short notice they gave us for the flight. they literally told us about 9pm. and in1.5 flight. they literally told us about 9pm. and in 1.5 hour stetson paperwork and by the time, it was very much a close call to get to the

meeting point to get on this flight. sadly my wife had nothing prepared. so you have been split up by this evacuation? here, temporarily. and as she chinese national, your wife 01’ as she chinese national, your wife or british national? is that when that happened ? or british national? is that when that happened? chinese national, i believe that is why it happened. it was very much last—minute to that she would be allowed on the flight but by the time they told us, we had nothing arranged. so, you might not see her again for now? yeah, hopefully it is just a few months but to be honest, we have been in a long—distance relationship. for the last two years and so a couple of months is nothing. then, you are

still sitting on the plane. have any of your pack fellow evacuees any other passengers got off yet or are you still sitting on it? we are sitting ducks at the moment. what is the mood of the other people you are with? i think 83 british nationals altogether and some other foreign nationals. what, are people nervous, what is the kind of mood on board? seems quite mellow to be honest. everyone has got used to it. trying their best to keep clean and make sure the well—being of themselves and those around them. it has been quite good. how worried have you been by this coronavirus when you are in china? what were your feelings there? i thought the chinese government was doing a remarkablejob. i chinese government was doing a remarkable job. i think chinese government was doing a remarkablejob. i think most countries would be hard pressed to

do what they achieved in such a short amount of time. and on such a scale. and when you were there, just described the living conditions. where you self isolation in china?” had been in self isolation, enjoying chinese new year, playing games, watching tv. and enjoying some sunshine on the part of the building, that was an experience. and you think generally the chinese government and indeed the british government, do you think they have handled this as well as can be expected? you handled this as well as can be expected ? you don't handled this as well as can be expected? you don't think this is an overreaction? you think this is the way that the authority should have handed this? i think they have done a cracking job. the uk have shown a little bit of green around the girls

but you have got to learn from somewhere. and they will improve it in the future. have you been able to call your wife back in china and tell her that you have landed safely yet? i have messaged her, i will call her after this one call. maybe you better get off the line to assam give her a call. thank you very much indeed for being with us. ben williamson, one of the 83 british nationals who have been evacuated from china —— ben williams. let's speak to caroline davies who is at raf brize norton, where the flight from wuhan landed just a short time ago. 40 a0 minutes or so ago. talk us through a bit more about what will be happening to all of these people on the plane. we know that there are 83 british nationals on board, there

are 27 foreign nationals. what we understand will happen now is that anyone who was an eu national will be flown on to spain, to madrid we believe. but the british families will be taken off, they are the ones who have been evacuated, we understand they will be taken off the plane. we have seen the images on the runway. seem to be two ambulances close by. they have three medics on board, looking after all of those on board. if any of them have felt unwell. we understand they will then be taken to the barrel which is about 170 miles —— the wirral. we saw some coaches coming in here. we understand a part of the road has also been closed off in raf brize norton. we don't know how long they will be on—site here before they will be on—site here before they are taken on the wirral. the places they will spend the next 1a daysin places they will spend the next 1a days in quarantine. but they will make that journey will days in quarantine. but they will make thatjourney will be about 3.5

— four hours. and when they arrive we have given a bit more information about the sort of rooms they can imagine they will be in. apparently they are fully furnished with food, wi-fi, they are fully furnished with food, wi—fi, there will be toys and games for the children who are on board that flight as well. there will be laundry facilities and the possibility of cooking if you want, kitchens available. we understand the families will all be kept together. so families will not be split up within that unit and we understand it is staff accommodation at arrowe park. not directly part of the hospital but part of staff accommodation which is currently empty. they will be staying there for 1a days. empty. they will be staying there for 14 days. we just heard from the foreign secretary dominic ravi has tweeted a foreign office plane has landed after evacuating uk and eu nationals from wuhan. thanks to foreign office staff working round the clock to get them home, safety and security of uk nationals is our priority. we will keep working hard to provide help and support. that's from the foreign secretary, dominic

raab. this has been a pretty frantic effort by the british authorities to try and get these people home but they have not got all of them who are in we hand back. 0nly they have not got all of them who are in we hand back. only 83? we don't know how many british nationals are still in hand. but we do know that the foreign office have said they are in touch with british nationals that are there. it has honestly been, from what we understand and are heaving for people, people who didn't quite manage to make the flight were told very late on that they would be allowed to travel with their families whom eight have chinese passports or dual nationalities. to be able to make it back and we understand permission to allow those individuals to come on this light was given relatively late on. which is the reason white was so difficult. trying to get from your home to the airport in the current situation is very difficult, difficult to get taxi services, no public transport to try and get there. 0nce public transport to try and get there. once you do try and make the

route there, there are various different stops, health checks along the way, before you can even reach the way, before you can even reach the airport. so many people have talked about how we had a shot of time in which they were desperately trying to get transportation to get to the airport in a mad dash to get that plane. we understand the foreign office did also delay the plane by about, nearly 30 asked to try make sure that everyone who wa nted try make sure that everyone who wanted to get on board could get on board but we have heard from families who did try but ultimately said we'rejust families who did try but ultimately said we're just not going to make it in time. they are still in touch with the foreign office, hoping there will be future flight in which they can get out of wuhan but at the moment they are sitting and waiting, often at home, behind closed doors, waiting to hear from them. talk to us waiting to hear from them. talk to us about these two confirmed cases in the uk of coronavirus. what do we know about that? would gather they had been staying in the hotel, they are now being treated in hospital in

newcastle ? are now being treated in hospital in newcastle? yes, we understand that they were staying in a hotel in yorkshire, these cases were identified overnight and they were taking to newcastle for specialist treatment, there are multiple centres around the uk that offer the sort of service. we understand they are two members of the same family and they are receiving treatment. we currently don't have anything confirmed about their identity as yet. so we are still waiting for more information, to know exactly who these individuals are if we are ever told any more information about them. we don't know at the moment how many individuals came into contact with the couple in the last few days and weeks, however long it has been that they have had the virus, they may have exposed themselves to other individuals as well. that will be something the health authorities will be trying to track down, to try and work out their movements and inform other people about whether or not they might be at risk of also having

caught the coronavirus. at the moment, that is done not certain. we are still waiting to hear more information about these individuals but we know they are two members of the same family. many thanks indeed for that. the evacuees will now be moved by bus to that specialist facility in the wirral. we have our medical correspondent fergus walsh says the two cases confirmed in the uk shouldn't cause too much alarm. the risk to individuals from this virus is minuscule. globally it is a real concern because it is a new virus and we don't really know the mortality rate yet. the chief medical officer was saying about 2%

of that is a guesstimate at the moment. in the uk if you are going home on the tube or a bus tonight, you should be thinking about protecting yourself from the usual winter respiratory viruses, like flu that are knocking around, hand hygiene, not touching your mouth, your eyes with your hands, and being polite to others. coughing into the crook of your mouth. we know that this virus can transmit from person—to—person, it has happened a lot in china and there have been six 01’ more countries lot in china and there have been six or more countries where there have been individual cases of person—to—person transmission. the next level here would be if we get sustained person—to—person transmission. 0utside sustained person—to—person transmission. outside of china then we could be in a situation like we had in 2009 with the swine flu global epidemic, but we are a long

way away from that partly because the chinese have done so much, effectively quarantining 50 million people. so the next two weeks will be crucial to see how this plays out. let's show you the scene at raf brize norton where the plane is sitting there waiting until they are taken onto sitting there waiting until they are ta ken onto buses sitting there waiting until they are taken onto buses and taking to the world for two weeks quarantine. we spoke to one of the evacuees as he sat on board just a few minutes ago, ben william's, he was telling us he had just been in china getting married and is now being set up from his new wife who is a chinese national. she was not able to get on the plane, he was. he is facing two weeks of isolation back in the uk in quarantine in the wirral and she is in china. not the ideal way to start a marriage. also, we have been

hearing in the last few minutes from the chinese communist party, the wuhan communist party secretary who says that the city of wuhan which is the source of the outbreak of coronavirus should have taken virus containment measures earlier than it did. that is an admission, really, from the communist leadership in wuhan at least saying they should have taken virus containment measures earlier than they did. we will bring you more on that throughout the afternoon. here on afternoon live. for now we will turn oui’ afternoon live. for now we will turn our attention to brexit. after three and a half years, and countless discussions in under nine hours' time, after a7 years. it officially happens at 11pm here which is 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. the union flag has been raised today over parliament square. not long before it will be lowered in brussels. three and half years after the referendum, the uk will leave the european union at 11 o'clock tonight. for some, the end of our a7 year membership or be a matter of regret. for the government, they say it is about renewal. what the british people voted for twice in the referendum in 2016 and the general election just before last christmas is at last coming to pass. the most precious gift britain has given the world is parliamentary democracy, and we are restoring faith and trust in that.

when i was your age, people were leaving. the prime minister met the next generation last night in downing street. their future will be outside the eu. today, he will hope his cabinet will be on their best behaviour when he takes them to leave voting sunderland, but his message will focus less on the eu and more on how he wants to change the uk. borisjohnson, a leading figure in the leave campaign, now says it is hisjob to bring the country back together, and the official celebrations for brexit day will be relatively muted. there will be a countdown clock projected onto the wall of downing street and the buildings will be lit up in red, white and blue, the colours of the union flag. but that will be about it. he does not want this to be a divisive occasion. what does the former occupants of this place, you know, the one that called the referendum, think now? it is obviously a very big day for our country. obviously i led the campaign to stay

in but i always accepted the result and knew this day would come. after 11pm, what will change, apart from, well, the change? this is a 50p commemorative coin. the uk enters a transition period where we still follow eu rules until the end of the year. the prime minister wants to strike a new trade deal in that time. it is a massive undertaking and it's also very different from a normal trade deal, usually we are trying to build bridges and trying to come together and find an equal ground, in this case we are diverging, to some degree. labour says the country is at a crossroads. and jeremy corbyn is more concerned about the prospect of a deal with the us than reaching agreement with the eu. we need to ensure we maintain good trade relationships with europe, we don't tear up all the conditions of agreements we have received and we don't fall into the arms of free trade deals

with the united states. but there are signs that as britain is leaving the european union, another union, the one between the nations of the uk, is under strain. 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 right one. we need back on the right road as soon as possible. it is no longer in doubt that we are leaving the european union, but the consequences for the uk are less certain. we can speak now to the chief executive of the national federation of fishermen's 0rganisation. thank you very much for being with us. what are your thoughts today and how do you see this transition year going? what does it mean for the british fishing industry?” going? what does it mean for the british fishing industry? i think the uk fishing industry sees this as

an opportunity to leave the common fisheries policy. which has been on this and disadvantages terms since the beginning. the transition period isa the beginning. the transition period is a period of uncertainty but during that period there will be negotiations for a new relationship with the eu on fisheries. 0ur aspiration is for something very similarto aspiration is for something very similar to the current relationship between eu and norway, actually. norway is an independent coastal state, manages its own fisheries, controls access state, manages its own fisheries, c0 ntrols a ccess over state, manages its own fisheries, controls access over who fishes within its waters. and the quota shares are on an even and fair basis. and i think that is the aspiration for the fishing industry aspiration for the fishing industry as we leave the eu. how optimistic are you that the eu would be prepared to accept something like that, something like that

arrangement with norway? the uk governmentjust arrangement with norway? the uk government just yesterday indicated that fishing was amongst one of its five top priorities. there is a certain symbolism associated with fishing that gives a very high political priority at the moment. and it is to do with not repeating the betrayal of 1973. so i am reasonably confident that these are going to be tough negotiations ahead of course. but i am pretty sure that the outcome is going to be better for, a better dealfor the uk fishing industry, because we have a lot of cards in their hands when it comes negotiations, in particular fish, sorry, eu fleets fish about six times as much in uk waters as we fish in eu waters. that gives us quite a bit of leverage. thank you very much for being with us with

your thoughts today. 0ur presenter martine croxall has been at the rising star pub in kettering all day today ahead of celebrations there this evening. all day? i can't believe that.” all day? i can't believe that. i am quite hard of hearing at the moment, thank you and welcome, this part of the country voted 61% in favour of leaving the eu. it is a full house here at the pub today and they are putting on quite a show for those who have turned up. it is a bit of a great british knees up, no shortage of union flags and also, entertainment from a dual called bread and dripping. with me is all graphics, chief executive of northamptonshire chamber of commerce. like me, you know all the words to

these songs? i am not admitting that on—air, but yes i do. these songs? i am not admitting that on-air, but yes i do. today is a difficult day for some people, very welcome day for others. for local businesses in this part of britain, what is the significance of brexiteer? it is a historic day and as you said, there will be some people out there who are very disappointed and other people who celebrate it. i know one business is doing very well today and we are standing there. it is one of those things with businesses, they thrive off confidence and that confidence comes from knowing how to plan the future. and there is still a lot of questions to be answered over the brexit process. obviously, we leave europe at 11pm tonight but then we go into the transition process and thatis go into the transition process and that is where the real detail of what we will be trading under in the future will come from. how well—prepared would future will come from. how well—prepa red would you future will come from. how well—prepared would you say businesses around here, generally speaking, are? it varies. some businesses are very well—prepared, some are not prepared at all. the

difficulty is, what are they preparing for? there is a lot of official advice out there to do with a no—deal brexit. when we get past december this year into january, 2021, there is little or nothing out there because it needs to be negotiated. so it is very hard for businesses to prepare for that. how how adequate has government advice been? asa how adequate has government advice been? as a business membership organisation, for the last week or so we organisation, for the last week or so we have been taken loads of businesses from phone calls, asking how they will export goods. the government advice, business as usual, which we can understand going into the eu countries but people who are exporting to other countries around the world, they have by concerns. they don't have to abide by these rules, the eu and uk governments want to actually work with those foreign territories to make sure it is very easy to keep those in place. but we don't know what they are going to do on the

customs borders, so there is real concern from a lot of businesses how it is going to impact. the other thing about businesses being prepared, there are a lot of businesses out there who haven't looked at their supply chains because they don't import or export so because they don't import or export so they actually don't think it impact on them. if they looked a bit further, one of their major suppliers might be hit by it. but of their sales people might be had by it. it is a huge question but in short, what would you hope for from a deal with the eu by the end of the year if it can be struck that would be most helpful to businesses here? i would not ask for anything specific apart from clarity. a lot of our businesses would say a free—trade agreement with europe, and actually getting a trade agreement with the rest of the world. it is about freedom of movement so people have access to labour. thank you very much. we are going to be here at this pub for the rest of the afternoon. i hope you

willjoin us again. i think i might be required for the congo right now. we will come back to you live for that obviously. world exclusively on bbc news. are you there till closing time? i don't think they will let you stay that long, i will be kicked out. thank you very much, enjoy. have fun. 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. join us tonight on the bbc news channel from 10.35 as we mark the uk's official departure from the eu, and answer your questions about what the change could mean, and you can follow all the live events through the evening at bbc.co.uk/news and on the bbc news app. let's look at the weather now.

not a wash—out but most of us will have some rain. we have the next area of cloud queueing out up in the atla ntic area of cloud queueing out up in the atlantic all tied in with fairly significant areas of low pressure, so really quite windy out there. if you're travelling through this evening it will be a very blustery affair, particularly across the likes of north wales and across the penninesjust likes of north wales and across the pennines just like likes of north wales and across the penninesjust like we saw likes of north wales and across the pennines just like we saw yesterday. relatively mild, looks as if we are heading for one of the mild this january is on record, we have seen barely any frost except for the brief time. certainly, temperatures have been above—average for much of the time but as i say, gusty winds will be a hazard if you are travelling, combined with showers. those showers have been prevalent across the north and west of scotland, in particular, hailand thunder to come here. rather patchy rain across the southern areas for the remainder of the afternoon. really very mild. temperatures 13, 14, really very mild. temperatures 13,

1a, well above where they should be for the same of you. bit dank and drizzly entry underneath the cloud which will clear the way. through the evening and overnight, the showers keep packing in as you can see, to scotland and northern ireland, coming across north—west, just this question, how far north this rain will push into the south of england and possibly south wales, either way, it will be rather mild, again just because we have got so much cloud, shouting the fall in templars and much cloud, shouting the fall in templa rs and the much cloud, shouting the fall in templars and the rain and sun went. what changes tomorrow? well that —— we had this weather system in the north, starting to progress southwards and it is behind the other three have some more typical wintry weather. some chilly air coming in. some wintry showers but even that and a fairer, tends to diminish in intensity as it goes further south. a lot of dry weather around, particular southern areas although here it will feel quite chilly. as we go through tomorrow night and into sunday, we get another area of rain. more definitely pushing across england

and wales were clearing quite readily in the morning. as a second arm of that low pressure weather system pushes not into that cold air, we could well get some wintry air, we could well get some wintry air, in the north. next week is looking like it will start windy, wet it looks very windy potentially on monday but then we are getting a blast of north—westerly wind, temporarily, so some frost overnight. and some drier weather potentially because we see high—pressure building around the middle of the week. it is not looked like it will last very long at this stage. as ever, we will keep people. —— you posted.

sport now on afternoon live with chetan. and we had a battle between two of tennis's rising stars at the australian open. of tennis's rising stars so of tennis's rising stars much has been said, who wi able so much has been said, who will be able to disrupt the hold of the big three? rafa nadal, roger federerand novak djokovic, 55 grand slam titles between them, such has been the domination. but dominic thiem will believe the time is now for him to land his first title. the austrian came from a set down to beat alexander zverev who is 22, getting

closer to reaching a final major for the first time. thiem did earlier. now he's got to get past novak djokovic on sunday. john watson was watching today's action in melbourne: it was a match which pitted two of the next generation in men's tennis against each other. alexander zverev up against each other. alexander zverev up against dominic thiem. it is the 15th of austria who came out on top, a brilliant performance, despite dropping the first set to the german, he came back to take the next two before clawing closing out the match in impressive style. we knew thiem had the pedigree coming into the tournament, having witnessed him play out to grandstand finals in the past, losing to rafa nadal in the french open final but having beat the world number one in the quarterfinals, you just wonder is the tide turning out in men's tennis? thiem open to hold that stranglehold that federal, djokovic and nadal have had at the top of

men's tennis. it will take some effort to come past novak djokovic on sunday, such as his impressive display of late here at melbourne. hoping to achieve what would be in eighth australian open title. that would be a record. we will see how sandy plays out. in the meantime we have the women's final to play out, sofia kenin against garbine muguruza, not the final many predicted. sofia kenin, carrying on those impressive performances from last year into sofia kenin, carrying on those impressive performances from this year was much. and there's news of british success too — jordanne whiley has won the women's wheelchair doubles with yui kamiji, alfie hewett and gordon reid won the men's wheelchair doubles, and jamie murray is through to the mixed doubles final, alongside bethany mattek sands. we're heading into the opening weekend of the six nations... today we've heard from england ahead of their six nations opener

against france in paris on sunday. they've left prop maku vunipola out of the squad although 12 of the starters in that disappointing world cup final defeat to south africa have retained their place in the 15. coach eddie jones has reshuffled his backs — with northampton full back george furbank set to make his international debut. anthony watson's been ruled out so furbank will line up in the back three along with elliot daly and jonny may. joe marler starting at loose—head prop, tom curry at number eight with courtney lawes on the flank. england and former saracen's winger chris ashton thinks it'll be a welcome distraction for saracen's players after their regulation. we will bring you more of that later. the six nations kicking off in cardiff tomorrow afternoon. defending champions wales hosting italy. you can watch that on bbc one. ireland and scotland also start their campaigns on saturday. england have been beaten

in their opening women's t20 tri series match against india in canberra, meaning new coach lisa keightley‘s reign has begun with a loss... chasing 1a8 to win, india captain harmanpreet kaur sealed victory with a six in the final over for a five wicket win. earlier, england skipper heather knight had top scored with 67. their next match is against australia tomorrow. two more events have been cancelled due to fears over the coronavirus; snooker‘s china open, scheduled for the end of march in beijing, and the women's golf tournament in hainan island at the beginning of march, are both off. meanwhile elsewhere, graeme mcdowell has slipped down the leaderboard after a second round of 68 at the saudi international — he's now two shots behind the frenchman victor perez. that's all the sport for now. was that applause at the beginning, for you? i insist on it every time i come on. they were a little late!

they should applaud you at the end as well. let's return to brexit, on the day the uk leaves the european union, annita mcveigh is in downing street for us. good afternoon, ben. later on this evening, the bricks behind me will be lit up by a light show and a clock projected onto the wall that will lead the countdown to the uk leaving the eu. of course, the cabinet is not here today but sitting in sunderland, the first pa rt sitting in sunderland, the first part of the uk to declare for brexit in the eu referendum vote but later on, borisjohnson will be back here, we are told, hosting a reception this evening attended by cabinet ministers and officials who have worked in negotiations, leading figures from the campaign to leave in 2016 and although the prime

minister will be recording a message, that we will see later today, there is no lectern moment outside downing street. although he will be talking about a new dawn and a time for people to come together, a time for people to come together, a levelling up, the new political buzz phrase from the government. there is still a huge amount of division over brexit. of course there is, after four years division over brexit. of course there is, afterfour years of rancour, that is not put to bed because the uk is leaving the eu today. looking at the front page of scotland's daily record newspaper earlier, it has a mock—up of the 50p, the commemorative 50p coin with the headline" short—change". we can cross to portree and speak to the snp westminster leader ian blackford. hello to you. do you feel short—changed today? there of course, we feel immense sadness because we are being taken out of

the eu against our will, scotland voted strongly to remain. if i take you back to our own referendum and independence in 201a, we were told if we stayed in the uk our rights as citizens would be respected. of course, we had a manifesto commitment in the election to the scottish parliament in 2016 that if there was a material change in circumstances like this, then the desire and the right to have a referendum into scottish independence. we want absolutely decisively in the right of the people in scotland to choose their own future and now it is about finding a way back into europe and saying to the people of scotland to do that, we need to have an independence referendum and we need people to recognise that we can secure our economic future and deliver a fairer society. let me

come back to that point in a moment. more broadly around the uk, people may say, and people who voted to leave the winning side of the referendum, they are saying yes, they understand that you are opposed to the idea in the first place but given that the leave side won, you have never given this project a chance and you are not now? that's not the case in scotland, they lost comprehensively. i'm talking about uk more broadly. we were told in 201a that this was about the nations of the united kingdom, that we are an equal partner and our voices to be respected. we sought to compromise over the last 3.5 years about staying in the customs union and we've been ignored. you've had the situation in the last couple of weeks where the parliament in edinburgh, cardiff and belfast all refused to give consent to the withdrawal act. westminster is forcing this through in the teeth of

opposition, notjust from forcing this through in the teeth of opposition, not just from the scottish parliament but also belfast and cardiff as well. almond this week has voted to have a referendum on independence, it's up to the people of england to leave the eu, that's democracy. michael gove earlier was talking about democracy but what westminster is doing is denying the right of the people of scotland, having elected the snp with a manifesto commitment and determination to stay in europe, to allow that to happen. if the rest of the uk want to leave that is their choice but we should not be forced out of europe. when nicola sturgeon says she wants to lead scotland in a credible way towards a referendum, another independence referendum, one thatis another independence referendum, one that is legal and legitimate, what exactly is the path to that if this government here in westminster says no to that? in the end, boris johnson is going to have to listen. you cannot deny democracy. one poll

this week showed that more than 60% of people in scotland believe it is the scottish parliament that should determine the timing of any referendum and a yougov poll showed 73% of scots, a massive figure, want to stay in the eu. i've asked people to stay in the eu. i've asked people to show their support to the snp and i believe we can have that referendum this year. if boris johnson is going to put his head in the sand and deny democracy then we will be fighting this in the scottish election next year. i am asking people across all parties, one of the things we have seen from the yougov poll this week is that a significant number of people who voted no in 201a have changed their mind because they recognise the risk to thejobs in mind because they recognise the risk to the jobs in scotland. when mind because they recognise the risk to thejobs in scotland. when i met with eu ambassadors in london this week, there was a tremendous sense of friendship and support towards us. we need to engage, we are going

to have an assembly with members of parliament and westminster coming together with meps and council leaders to have a constitutional convention to take this forward. borisjohnson, the conservatives have lost every election in scotland since 1955. they are not going to dictate our rights to the people of scotla nd dictate our rights to the people of scotland to determine our own future. ian blackford, thank you for your time today. ian blackford, the s&p's westminster leader. a short while ago a took a little walk past the houses of parliament, the union jack flying there. an event there later this evening where they will be marking leaving the european union. beyond the gates and into downing street, i can see people carrying the flag of the european union. determined to say goodbye in their way as well. as is as evident as ever. back to you, ben.

here are the headlines on afternoon live... the first confirmed cases in the uk: two members of the same family who'd been at a yorkshire hotel are being treated for coronavirus at a hospital in newcastle. touching down, an evacuation flight — carrying more than 80 britons from wuhan — the source of the outbreak — has landed at raf brize norton. just a few hours to go until britain leaves the european union after almost half a century. the government says it is the dawn of a new era. let's take a look at the business angle now of this story... susannah streeter is in high wycombe for us.

hello there. i am at cut origin, a company that manufactures bespoke aluminium windows from its factory here in high wycombe. materials for all of these products come from europe. you have aluminium which comes from spain and actually, the handles come from germany. sebastien putting the finishing touches to these doors. then when finished they go to europe and the middle east. and there growing business in the united states as well. because there is such a strong amount of trade that takes place between this company and european suppliers and customers, it is absolutely key for their to be some clarity about what is ahead and we still do not know yet about what kind of trading relationship there will be between the uk and the eu at the end of the transition period, if there is at all. that is a concern for many

businesses and manufacturers who have come down here to talk to us. steve a nd have come down here to talk to us. steve and sara, tell me about your business and what your concerns are for the coming year. we make plastic products and automotive packaging. one of the issues is getting these rights into the country and finished goods out of the country. they could be delays at customs. and what have you been trying to do to mitigate risks? and there it is difficult, we cannot stop materials coming in. it is too much of a space to occupy. as far as goods coming out of the country, it is down to our customers and us to ship out. i'm not sure of the plan really. and what do you

manufacture, sara ? the plan really. and what do you manufacture, sara? how are you viewing the year ahead ? manufacture, sara? how are you viewing the year ahead? hello, thank you. we make baby caps, open weaning caps that are 100% recyclable for babies and young children. we are one of steve's customers. with the year ahead, the reassuring thing in some way is that as of 11pm on brexit deadline day, nothing will change immediately so that is something positive. we can get on with our daily work next week but what happens next? we don't know. we don't know when, during a transition period, if any deals will be agreed or if the government will use the entire period to negotiate as good a deal as possible. and therefore not need much time —— might leave much time for businesses to be told what to do. there are so many unknowns. what can you do as a company to try

and think, ok, this is the current situation. and there is a lot of uncertainty around. i knew —— can you try and improve your relationship with customers elsewhere in the world? absolutely, we have a growing export business, we have a growing export business, we export to around 30 countries. export is a big part of the business but it is still very hard. maybe raw materials come from the eu? we work closely with steve to look at where these raw materials are coming from and we will not now, as of yet, as to whether it will make more financial sense to get the raw materials from somewhere further away which does not make sense in terms of environmental impact. it is a really complex issue. thank you to both of you. thank you for coming on to talk about all of that today. and your concerns. there are still so

many questions and issues to be resolved here at origin. they are stockpiling in case there is still no trade agreement inside. and steve was telling me he's been doing that at his company and other companies will be doing that as well. origin is looking at expanding its business in the us as well. for now, that's all from me. studio: thank you. we're going to take a tour around the nations now — our scotland correspondent lorna gordon is in holyrood, our ireland correspondent chris page is in strabane, and our wales correspondent tomos morgan is in cardiff bay. lorna, at holyrood, however a feeling, just a few hours to go until brexit is finally upon us?

yes, the first minister nicola sturgeon gave a speech this morning saying she viewed the moment that scotla nd saying she viewed the moment that scotland leaves the eu at 11 o'clock this evening with a real and profound sadness and a renewed sense of determination to keep pushing the case and making the case for independence. she said the uk that scotla nd independence. she said the uk that scotland in 201a voted to be part of c sister exist at 11 o'clock this evening —— ceases to exist. she has set out how she thinks a campaign for a second independence referendum will happen in the next year. she said there are no short cuts to independence but she still wants a referendum but, of course, westminster have said they will not allow that referendum to happen, or give permission for it. she acknowledged it might not happen, in

her words, until after next year's scottish parliamentary election. interesting though, as well, that she did not rule out what is called a consultative independence referendum. one that is not authorised by westminster. but she did concede that would inevitably be tested in the courts and there would be no guarantee if that were to happen that her side would win the battle to have a referendum, so she said that was a risk. she insisted that any ballot must be legitimate and beyond doubt in terms of its legality. she wants it recognise not only in scotland but in the uk and internationally too. some events happening later, there will be a big vigil around the parliament and it's worth noting that the european flag will continue to fly here outside the parliament at holyrood at 11 o'clock this evening. that is the

situation in scotland, and in northern ireland, emma vardy is there now. where i am standing right now is the source of so much argument over the last 3.5 years. the irish border. this geographical line, all but invisible, will become the new frontier between the uk and the new frontier between the uk and the eu at 11 o'clock tonight. it was so the eu at 11 o'clock tonight. it was so difficult, through those 3.5 years, because it was all about how you change the trading relationship between the uk and the rest of europe while keeping this very much the same. it mattered so much because of the history of northern ireland and the conflict over whether northern ireland should stay as part of the uk or become a united ireland. the way this border will continue in future is largely sorted. it will remain open. but it remains to be seen how trading arrangements with northern ireland will work in future. that is where unanswered questions will now live.

now lets unanswered questions will now live. n ow lets ta ke unanswered questions will now live. now lets take you to raf brize norton, where we are seeing the coaches that are leaving with their 83 british nationals who have been evacuated from china. they were on that plane that arrived at around 1:30pm this afternoon from wuhan, the city at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak. that plane brought the 83 evacuees in. they are being driven on a fleet of coaches to the wirral. it is a journey of about 170 miles, we are told. there is an nhs facility where they will be kept in quarantine for 1a days. two weeks of quarantine for their 83 british nationals who have been flown back from china. there were more british nationals out there, but this is who has been brought back for the time being. we were

speaking to one of them. ben williams was saying he went to china to get married and he has had to leave his new wife behind because she is a chinese national. that is the latest, those buses heading towards the wirral and two weeks of isolation for those british nationals. let's go back to break set. we were hearing from our correspondence around the uk. —— brexit. just a few hours before the uk leaves the eu. what are they saying in wales? this morning the first ministerfor wales saying in wales? this morning the first minister for wales delivered a speech in which he said he would continue to battle to make sure that wales does have a seat at the table when those future trade negotiations ta ke when those future trade negotiations take place. saying that even though we are leaving the european union, the identity of wales being european will remain. two key issues for the

first minister, a seat at the table with trade negotiations but also who will hold the purse strings for the uk's prosperity fund, the fund that will replace eu funding that has been so important for wales. wales isa been so important for wales. wales is a huge beneficiary of this due to poverty and deprivation here. westminster will now decide, or could decide, how the money will be spent. politicians want money to remain here so the government here can decide how it is spent because otherwise it just rolls can decide how it is spent because otherwise itjust rolls back devolution. conversely to scotland, the european union flags outside the building where i am today will be coming down at 11pm and will be replaced by the welsh dragon flag. that is the situation here in wales, ben. that is the latest from thomas morgan at cardiff by. and we heard from our correspondence in northern ireland and scotland. 11 o'clock

tonight is when brexit finally happens. time for a look at the weather. helen has the details. thank you. a mixed bag up and down the weather this weekend and indeed this evening. a lot of showers running into scotland and northern ireland with this low—pressure homing in. and it has given some strong and gusty winds across the uk today and some rain. triples of rain in southern areas through the evening. and potentially a pulse coming in. with all of this crowd and went and showers further north, it will not bea showers further north, it will not be a cold night. hail and thunder among showers. those wins, as i have mentioned, just easing a little. and turning direction. as this band moves southwards, we do have a blast of northerly air. a chilly feel, fresher for most. of northerly air. a chilly feel, fresherfor most. some of northerly air. a chilly feel, fresher for most. some dry weather on offer. more rain comes in overnight into england and wales. it clears. in a little drier. it

continues progress north into northern ireland, england and scotland. snow on the hills in the north while further south, it is milder once again. that's the general theme, relatively mild, windy with outbreaks of rain.

hello, you're watching afternoon live. today at 3. the first confirmed cases in the uk. two members of the same family who'd been at a yorkshire hotel are being treated for coronavirus at a hospital in newcastle. they have now been transferred to a high consequence infection unit. that is a very secure infectious disease specialist unit in newcastle. touching down, an evacuation flight — carrying more than 80 britons from wuhan, the source of the outbreak — has landed at raf brize norton. a few 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." you know, the most precious gift that britain has given the world is parliamentary democracy. and we are restoring faith and restoring trust in that. we're finally leaving! played out by the bagpipes. brexit party meps leave the european parliament for the last time. iam i am live in kettering where it is a full house in the rising sun, as customers mark brexiteer with a great british knees up. i like that, full house in the rising sun. very clever. coming up on afternoon live all the sport. dominic thiem reaches his first australian open final — afterfighting back to beat alexander zverev. he'll face novak djokovic on sunday. and the weather with helen.

whether you want to listen or not, i will. we will look at australia because not such great weather here at the moment. hello everyone, this is afternoon live. i'm ben brown. the first cases of the new coronavirus have been confirmed in the uk. health officials say two people from the same family who had been staying at a hotel in yorkshire, are now being treated in a hospital in newcastle. so far the virus has killed more than 200 people in china and infected thousands more. meanwhile more than 80 britons who've been evacuated from wuhan — the chinese city at the centre of the outbreak are being transferred to a quarantine facility on the wirrall for at least the next 1a days. they arrived on a chartered

plane at raf brize norton earleir this afternoon. i spoke to ben williams who was on the flight and will now go into quarantine. he had just got married in china and his chinese national wife remains there. sadly we came to the decision to... her to stay behind due to the very much short notice they gave us for the flight. they literally told us about 9pm. and in 1.5 hours did some paperwork and by the time we got out the door, it was very much a close call to get to the meeting point to get on this flight. sadly my wife had nothing prepared. and it wasn't right for her to enter

the uk with essentially nothing. so, you have been split up by this evacuation? yeah, temporarily. and is she chinese national, your wife or a british national? is that when that happened? is that why that happened? chinese national, i believe that is why it happened. they did tell us very much last—minute they said she would be allowed on the flight but by the time they told us, we had nothing arranged. so, you might not see her again for a while now? yeah, hopefully it is less than a few months but to be honest, we have been in a long—distance relationship, uk to brazilfor the last two years and so a couple of months are nothing. ben, you are still sitting on the plane. have any of your fellow evacuees any other passengers got off yet or are you still sitting on it? we are sitting ducks at the moment.

that was ben williams. let's speak to caroline davies who is at raf brize norton, where the flight from wuhan landed just a short time ago. since it landed we have seen the eva cu ees since it landed we have seen the evacuees being ta ken since it landed we have seen the evacuees being taken by a fleet of coaches off to the world where they will be in quarantine? we counted around seven that came in earlier today, the one was left over. the plane landed just before 1:30pm. people came out of it in twos and threes. we have now seen that they have left here and headed to the world. that is around 170 miles to the north—west of here. where they will be staying in our park hospital, —— arrowe park. there

appeared to be somebody to the driver in ourfull almost appeared to be somebody to the driver in our full almost forensic suit, sitting with them. we have also heard that it is notjust those individuals who will be in quarantine for 1a days. we understand that the military personnel, the medical professionals and other government staff that were helping and were on board with them will also be going into quarantine for 1a days. they will not, however, be going to add apart but a different —— arrowe park but a different —— arrowe park but a different location which is not being revealed at the current time. we know there were three members of ministry of defence staff, the medical personnel who were assisting those 83 british nationals and 27 foreign nationals on board that flight. foreign nationals on board that flight. we were playing a clip of the interview with ben williams, one of the evacuees who were saying he had been spit up from his chinese national life. there was a degree of

chaos and confusion in china about who exactly could get on this evacuation flight? yes, there does seem to be a lot of confusion surrounding who could get on and last minute phone costs are people saying that in fact nationals who had chinese passports orjewel nationality could not take the fight, -- nationality could not take the fight, —— could take the fight. we know that some were able to travel, some with their families who did have chinese passports or dual nationality, but others were told to leighton could not get on, others it seemed struggled to get the paperwork in time we understand they we re paperwork in time we understand they were all given permission late on which is why it was late for them to get on. we understand the british nationals still in wuhan are in touch with the foreign office, many have been talking about whether they wa nt to ta ke have been talking about whether they want to take future flights or not. we don't have any detailed

information about that at a moment. that communication with british nationals still out there is going on. many thanks. we have heard too confirmed cases of coronavirus in the uk. both from the same family being treated at a facility in newcastle. they had been staying at a hotel in yorkshire we are told. our health editor hugh pym has been speaking to the chief medical officer professor chris whitty about the two confirmed cases in the uk. 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? how are staff at the hospital protected, how does it work? 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 what 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 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 as if it is the number. 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. our medical correspondent fergus walsh says the two cases confirmed in the uk shouldn't cause too much alarm in the uk shouldn't cause too much alarm. we shouldn't individually be concerned at all. because the risk to individuals in the uk from this virus is minuscule. globally, this is a real concern because it's a new virus. and we don't really know the mortality rate yet. the chief medical officer was talking about 2%, but that is a guesstimate at the moment. in the uk, if you are going home on the tube or a bus tonight, he should should be thinking about protecting yourself you should should be thinking about protecting yourself from the usual winter respiratory viruses, like flu that are knocking around. so hand hygiene, not touching your mouth, your eyes with your hands, and being polite to others. coughing into the crook

of your mouth. we know that this virus can transmit from person—to—person. that happened a lot in china. and there have been half—dozen or more countries where there have been individual cases of person—to—person transmission. the next level here would be if we get sustained person—to—person transmission, a proper outbreak, outside of china. then we could be into a situation like we had in 2009 with the swine flu outbreak. which becomes a pandemic, a global academic, but we are a long way away from that yet and that is partly because the chinese have done so much, effectively quarantining 50 million people. so, the next two weeks will be crucial to see how this plays out. after three and a half years, and countless discussions

and debates, the uk leaves the european union in under 8 hours' time, after a7 years . hours' time, after a7 years. it officially happens at 11pm here which is 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. our political correspondent iain watson reports(read iain watson reports. the union flag has been raised today over parliament square. not long before it will be lowered in brussels. three and half years after the referendum, the uk will leave the european union at 11 o'clock tonight. for some, the end of our a7 year membership or be a matter of regret. for the government, they say it is about renewal. what the british people voted

for twice in the referendum in 2016 and the general election just before last christmas is at last coming to pass. the most precious gift britain has given the world is parliamentary democracy, and we are restoring faith and trust in that. when i was your age, people were leaving. the prime minister met the next generation last night in downing street. their future will be outside the eu. today, he will hope his cabinet will be on their best behaviour when he takes them to leave voting sunderland, but his message will focus less on the eu and more on how he wants to change the uk. borisjohnson, a leading figure in the leave campaign, now says it is hisjob to bring the country back together, and the official celebrations for brexit day will be relatively muted. there will be a countdown clock projected onto the wall of downing street and the buildings will be lit up in red, white and blue — the colours of the union flag. but that will be about it.

he does not want this to be a divisive occasion. what does the former occupants of this place, occupant of this place, you know, the one that called the referendum, think now? it is obviously a very big day for our country. obviously i led the campaign to stay in, but i always accepted the result and knew this day would come. after 11pm, what will change, apart from, well, the change? this is a 50p commemorative coin. the uk enters a transition period where we still follow eu rules until the end of the year. the prime minister wants to strike a new trade deal in that time. it is a massive undertaking and it's also very different from a normal trade deal, because usually we are trying to build bridges and trying to come together and find an equal ground, in this case we are diverging, to some degree. labour says the country is at a crossroads. and jeremy corbyn is more concerned

about the prospect of a deal with the us than reaching agreement with the eu. we need to ensure that we do maintain good trade relationships with europe, we don't tear up all the conditions of agreements we have received and we don't fall into the arms of free trade deals with the united states. but there are signs that as britain is leaving the european union, another union, the one between the nations of the uk, is under strain. 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 right one. we need back on the right road as soon as possible. it is no longer in doubt that we are leaving the european union, but the consequences for the uk are less certain. today, the cabinet is holding a special meeting in sunderland, our assistant political editor norman smith is there for us now.

sunderland was the first area of the country to come out in favour of brexit. where are they meeting? they are meeting in the national glass centre, glass used to be a huge industry here in sunderland. mr johnson has also been visiting the automotive technology centre at the university of sunderland. nearby, we have the massive nissan car plant at washington and i guess that is symbolic, in a way. because, not just the fact that sunderland was the first count to declare for brexit in the 2016 referendum but because sunderland, like many communities in the north, perhaps will they have had a raw deal from government in recent years will be have not received the attention which many feel people in the south have received. therefore, the message borisjohnson have received. therefore, the message boris johnson wants have received. therefore, the message borisjohnson wants to conveyis message borisjohnson wants to convey is that such communities will now be a priority for the government. and we have seen that in

some of the recent announcements on northern rail, the arguments over hs2, northern rail, the arguments over hsz, the northern rail, the arguments over hs2, the huawei pledged to roll out superfast broadband across the country quickly but i think today may amaze about tone rather than substance entities clear boris johnson wants to convey a message of optimism. that this is a moment where we are notjust turning a corner but almost a moment of national renewal, that we can once again start moving forward, taking chances, new economic opportunities, after three years of pretty tortuous and bitter division. and that i suppose is the other tonal side of this and attempt to bring people together after those better years and to make sure today does not turn into —— bitter years, and this doesn't turn into a moment of

victory for remainers. let's return to brexit on the day the uk leaves the european union. annita mcveigh is in downing street for us. what will be happening there as the clock strikes 11? it has been pretty low— key clock strikes 11? it has been pretty low—key here so far today. it would be because a cabinet as we have heard is sitting in sunderland. but borisjohnson will be back here this evening, we are told he will be hosting a reception inside number ten. that will be attended by cabinet ministers, civil servants, people involved in the brexit negotiations, people involved in campaigning for leave back in 2016 and there will be an english themed menu with a sparkling english wine on the menu. amongst a variety of other items. on the front of downing

street, the bricks, the walls lined me, there will be a light show. the commemoratives light show and a clock projected which will mark the countdown to the uk leaving the european union. although the prime minister might be talking about new dawns and moving forward there is a lot of division to heal if it can be healed. some people are utterly opposed to the idea of brexit even though it is happening. already talking about a future where the uk might once again return to the european union. that division has played out across the last four yea rs played out across the last four years and is still playing out on the streets of westminster just a short distance from where i am standing in downing street, looking after my left and through the gates of downing street are short while ago, i stop people walking past holding the flag of the european union. we can possibly show you some pictures from parliament square,

thatis pictures from parliament square, that is where people who are opposed to all this, he wanted to remain as pa rt to all this, he wanted to remain as part of the eu are gathering now. to express their feelings, their sadness and regret, to say farewell to being a member of the eu for perhaps the last chance these people have been on the streets of westminster throughout the last four yea rs westminster throughout the last four years along the people supporting brexit, making their voices heard and later tonight there will be celebrations for brexit in parliament square. we can cross to our westminster studio and speak to the conservative mp mark francois. good afternoon to you. i believe you will be at the event this evening?” have kindly been invited to several parties this evening so i will be dividing my time. i have decided i'm

not going to get to bentonite because this is a unique occasion, i will stay up and watch the sunrise over a free country. i reflected earlier, there has been a lot of celestial imagery, on the event tonight in parliament square i wonder why you are attending that particular event, some of your collea g u es particular event, some of your colleagues attending parties in their constituencies. this has been like with nigel farage, rather than the conservative party so i wonder why you are going to that particular one and what do you think the tone will be there? i am not going to that one, i am going to some of the other parties, i will not be at the rally. i beg your pardon. it is nigel farage has organised this, it is his event and i think it is fair to say that nigel had never been born we would not be leaving the european union. i have not always agreed with him about everything that i think that is probably a true statement. norman talked about

renewal, i think this is a bit tight for people to put divisions behind them and move on. on thejeremy vine show at lunchtime i heard nigel farage and ken clarke being extremely nice to each other. i was reminded of that biblical phrase, they shall beat their swords into ploughshares they shall beat their swords into ploughsha res and their spears they shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. ithink ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. i think those that wa nt to pruning hooks. i think those that want to celebrate tonight will celebrate and also don't want to will have to and tomorrow morning we can hopefully put behind us these labels of brexiteer and remainer and we can go back to being brits.l labels of brexiteer and remainer and we can go back to being brits. a lot of people would probably agree with you on that and want to get beyond those labels. but it will be difficult, those divisions will perhaps rear their heads again during the transition process. how difficult do you think that's going to be, to get everything that needs to be, to get everything that needs to be, to get everything that needs to be done on trade on fishing, on

the broader economy financial services, security corporation and the list goes on. in a third of the time that it has taken to sort out the withdrawal agreement?” time that it has taken to sort out the withdrawal agreement? i am confident we can do it for three reasons. firstly because what is called the political declaration, both sites have already agreed the desired end state which is a comprehensive free trade agreement. obviously, we need to negotiate the details, but we have both agreed in principle where we want to end up. that must save time. secondly, the prime minister played a blinder and getting them to reopen the withdrawal agreement and drop the dreaded backstop. he did that within three months. so he has got much more time. and thirdly, it is now in the interests of both sides to come to an arrangement, the one thing the eu historically have been really worried about is that we might, in some way, become a singapore of europe and undercut them. they will be keen to try and prevent that. we

have got strong reasons for coming to the table. for those three very good reasons, i do believe it will be possible to sign an equitable agreement within a year. just finally and briefly i spoke to the vice chair of the european charts oh parliament mairead mcguinness who said willingness to work hard and work for as long as necessary to quote her. would you countenance the idea of an extended transition that was what it took and borisjohnson, in these negotiations doesn't lead them in the way that you want, would them in the way that you want, would the members of that year rgb authority in his side, in the way that sometimes members of the er clash with theresa may?” that sometimes members of the er clash with theresa may? i don't believe we will need an extension for the reasons i havejust given. i really do think we need to now move

on, there were very passionate debates about this, if you are talking about the destiny of your country, people are going to get passionate because if you're not going to get passionate about that what will you get passionate about? iam what will you get passionate about? i am passionate about it too, but i think we can move on now. i think we can put those old labels behind us andi can put those old labels behind us and i think the eu have good reasons to negotiate fairly and equitably andi to negotiate fairly and equitably and i am very confident, based on what he did on the withdrawal agreement, that the prime minister can negotiate a good deal and when he does he will have our unwavering support. mark francois, thank you very much. let's talk now to caroline lucas. i notice on your social media you are talking about your great sadness on this day. but your great sadness on this day. but you say it is also a time of new beginnings. what are your hopes beyond today? my hopes are that we end up with a brexit that is not as

ha rd end up with a brexit that is not as hard and abrupt as i fear we might be headed for if borisjohnson gets his way. there have been very nice words about trying to get, bring the country back together, but if the prime minister was serious about that, then he would not, for example, be absolutely willing out the possibility of a transition. or an extension to the transition later this year. the idea that 11 months is going to be enough to get the kind of comprehensive trade deal that we are going to need i think is a fantasy. and this ideological position of trying to look as natural as possible by saying no we won't have any kind of transition risks cutting off our nose to spite our face, risks cutting off our nose to spite ourface, soi risks cutting off our nose to spite ourface, so i hope very much that we can still persuade him before july when he estimated decision that, if necessary, of course we should go for a transition in order to go for the best possible deal for people in this country. what do you wa nt to people in this country. what do you want to see happening first? there isa want to see happening first? there is a little while before the

government gets into the actual detail of trade talks but so many other issues to sort out as i mentioned to mark francois, data security, the wider security, fisheries, green policies which you are very fisheries, green policies which you are very much focused on. what will you do to try to persuade the prime minister that if more time is necessary he should take it?” minister that if more time is necessary he should take it? i will be working across party to make that case and i think we're going to see some of the complexities that are going to need to be sorted out in the coming days and weeks. as you say, we have the agricultural belt coming back to parliament on monday. the environment bill published just a few days ago. if i take the environment bill as an example, the iron vat set irony is that in spite of everything the government has said about giving power back to parliament and so forth, in actual

fa ct, parliament and so forth, in actual fact, power is staying with number ten very clearly. went comes to the watchdog we will need in order to make sure that our environmental policy is at least as strong as it has been under the eu, we will need a much stronger watchdog than he is anticipating. when it comes to the trade deal, it is cool to be a huge irony that members of the european parliament are going to have to farm rights in terms of scrutiny of that trade negotiation than mps in westminster well. basically, all the powers with the prime minister and none of it with parliament. so i think we will have quite a job on our hands to demonstrate that when he talked about taking back control, people assumed i would imagine that some of that control would come to the people's representatives and yet most of it is staying at number ten. thank you very much for your thoughts this afternoon. as i mentioned, events taking place here in westminster today right now in parliament square people who wanted

the uk to remain as part of the european union later will be people celebrating the fact that the uk is leaving and there are lots of events taking place right around the country, let's go to northamptonshire, to one of those and my colleague. thank you very much. welcome to the rising sun pub in kettering where the customers are in full voice as they are entertained by bread and dripping, the party got under way at 10am and it will run all the weight to closing time. with us is the conservative mp for kettering, part of the country that voted 61% in favour of leaving. good to have you here and i am glad to see you have got the dress code in the invitation. tell us what today means for you someone who has long campaigned for britain to leave the european union? finally the day has come where we can get our country

back and i am particularly pleased that people in catering because 61% voted to leave, almost four years ago. and because of the general election, we can finally bring it about. what do you mean, what will a successful brexit look like to you? given that as of today we are still paying it and following all the rules ? we get our sovereignty back. we get back control over money, laws, borders, yes we are in a transition phase, but when we leave that transition phase in december, we can decide the future of our country and iam decide the future of our country and i am really optimistic that we are going to have a very positive decade. let's talk about the next 12 months in a second that 39% of the people here voted to remain. how do you bridge that gap between levers and remainers? there are remains here in the rising sun at the moment. and they are celebrating because they accept the result and

are relieved we finally made this decision and are getting on with it on say he mentioned getting on with it. that requires a trade deal and also with the united states. how do you balance the two given what is required by the us may not be what the eu requires? with regards to the eu we are 100% aligned with all the regulations. both the eu and the uk are signed up to a free—trade agreement with canada. you can literally cut—and—paste 90% of that agreement to have a template for an eu, uk agreement. with the political will on both sizes should not be difficult. thank you very much for joining us today. we will be here again in one hour, getting more reaction from people about brexit. time for a look at the weather.

it looking for the weekend? up it looking for the weekend? up and down. uneventful today, more wind and outbreaks of rain. typical for this time of year. the one change is that it is quite mild. it continues that way with colder air leaving. this evening, gusty winds if you are travelling across the northern half of the uk. yesterday, wind gusts of up to 65 miles an hour causing problems for high sided vehicles in particular. otherwise, fairly uneventful. damp and drizzly conditions in the south, heavier showers in the north—west of scotland, some and thunder as well over ireland and winter arenas. mild, temperatures do not really fall overnight. they fly in the ointment as to how far north this rain will come but it will be overnight for the most part. it should clear in the morning. then, this blast of westerly winds again, not as strong as today, but they are a feature of the weather, bringing

in cloud. this weather front dominates tomorrow, bringing rain across scotland and northern ireland. as it pushes southwards through the day it peters out. more cloud coming into central areas. in the south, it brightens up the turning chilly with a brief north—westerly wind blowing. taking us north—westerly wind blowing. taking us through saturday night. chilly in the north, into sunday morning. more rain moving in turning sleet and snow over the hills. in the south, this pulse of rain coming in tomorrow night. an up—and—down forecast. on the whole, temperatures above—average for this time of year. next week, we have colder weather briefly and more settled. that's because we pick up this blast of north—westerly winds. strong monday into tuesday, and everyone will feel the effects of those winds. temperatures on the thermometer reaching eight or 9 degrees. feeling colder. with this blast of north—westerly winds, high pressure

building up from the atlantic that you do have to blink because it will not last long. then, back into the u nsettled not last long. then, back into the unsettled picture once again. on tuesday, when everything has been so mild, it looks like it will be a milder than average january across the uk. february starts on a mild note but actually, we have that brief spell of chilly weather around the early parts of next week. as ever, more on the website and weather warnings at the moment. this is bbc news — our latest headlines.

the first confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the uk: two members of the same family who'd been at a yorkshire hotel are being treated in hospital. they have now been transferred to a high consequence infection unit, a very high consequence infection unit, a very secure high consequence infection unit, a very secure infectious disease specialist unit in newcastle. touching down, an evacuation flight — carrying more than 80 britons from wuhan — the source of the outbreak — lands at raf brize norton. passengers are being driven to wirral where they'll be quarantined for two weeks. in a few hours — britain leaves the european union after almost half a century — the government says it's ‘the dawn of a new era.‘ the most precious gift that britain has given the world is parliamentary democracy. and we are restoring faith and restoring trust in that.

we are going, we are finally leaving! played out by the bagpipes — brexit party meps leave the european parliament for the last time. and coming up shortly — your questions answered on brexit as the uk prepares to leave the european union. sport now on afternoon live with chetan. let's begin with the australian open? good afternoon. so much has been said about the next generation in men's tennis, who can disrupt the hold of the big three federer, nadal and djokovic. they've got 55 grand slam titles between them — such has been the domination. but dominic thiem, at 26 will believe the time is now for him to land his first major. the austrian came from a set down to beat 22—year—old alexander zverev, who's getting closer to reaching a final of a major.

but it's thiem who did it today — twice beaten in the french open final — now he's got to get past novak djokovic on sunday. john watson was watching today's action in melbourne. it was a match which pitted two of the next generation in men's tennis against one another. alexander zverev against dominic thiem. it is the fifth seed of austria who came out on top, a brilliant performance despite dropping the first set to the german. he came back to take the next two before closing out the match in impressive style. we knew that dominic thiem had the calibre and pedigree coming into the tournament, having witnessed him play out two grand slam finals in the past, losing to rath and adele at the french open but after beating the world number one in the finals, is the tide turning in men's tennis?

dominic thiem hoping to hold the stranglehold that the top three have had in tennis. it will —— there have been impressive displays at melbourne park, and hoping to achieve an eighth australian title, that would be a record. we have the women's final to come on saturday. not the final that many had predicted, and the former french open champion with a wimbledon title to her name as well but sophia cannon with impressive performances from last year, carrying those into this year's tournament. and there's news of british success too — jordanne whiley has won the women's wheelchair doubles with yui kamiji and alfie hewett and gordon reid won the men's wheelchair doubles.

hewitt was emotional at the end lifting that trophy — because he won't be able to defend that title next year due to a change in classifications. hewett — who has perthes disease which affects his hip and femur — has told us that under changes to the rules, his disabilty isn't deemed severe enough and he won't be able to compete from next year. also — jamie murray is through to the mixed doubles final, alongside his partner bethany mattek sands. jamie murray's chasing an eighth and it is the six nations this weekend? today we've heard from england ahead of their six nations opener against france in paris on sunday. they've left prop maku vunipola out of the squad although 12 of the starters in that disappointing world cup final defeat to south africa have retained their place in the 15. coach eddie jones has reshuffled his backs — with northampton full back george furbank set to make his international debut. anthony watson's been ruled out so furbank will line up in the back three along with elliot daly and jonny may.

he is one of the first place players i noticed when i came back from the world cup. very composed. good core skills, good positional sense. world cup. very composed. good core skills, good positionalsense. he showed all of those things under pressure. he thoroughly deserves the opportunity. the six nations kicks off in cardiff tomorrow afternoon — with defending champions wales hosting italy. bbc one is where you can watch from 1:a0. and ireland begin their campaign in dublin against scotland. england have been beaten in their opening women's t20 tri series match against india in canberra, meaning new coach lisa keightley‘s reign has begun with a loss. chasing 1a8 to win, india captain harmanpreet kaur sealed victory with a six in the final over for a five wicket win. earlier, england skipper heather knight had top scored with 67. their next match is against australia tomorrow.

and two more sports events have been cancelled due to fears over the coronavirus — snooker‘s china open, scheduled for the end of march in beijing, and the women's golf tournament in hainan island at the beginning of march, are both off. that's all the sport for now. i'll have more for you in the next hour. now, time for your questions answered. right, well... welcome to this brexit your questions answered, as we build up to 11 o'clock tonight, the moment the uk leaves the european union. joining me to answer some of the questions that you've been sending in about what will change are georgina wright from institute for government. welcome and thank you for being with us. william is asking, will prices from supermarkets be affected by brexit. that's a good question. when

it comes to brexit, not immediately. although the uk will no longer be a member of the eu, it will be part of the single market and customs union so trade flows between the uk and eu and most countries around the world will proceed as normal but it could change on the 1st of january 2021. prices are affected in the kind of trade agreement that the uk strikes with the eu, whether there are ta riffs with the eu, whether there are tariffs and if importers need to pay more for produce. next year or this year, you cannot really know if there is going to be any climate shocks or food shortages and that can shocks or food shortages and that ca n affect shocks or food shortages and that can affect prices in supermarkets but that is not down to brexit. titus is asking, how will brexit affect holders of british overseas territory citizenship passports, will they require a visa to visit the eu? it will also be part of the

single market and customs union, normal rules still are prior. what happens from the 1st of january 2021 largely depends on the outcome of negotiations between the uk and eu, it may be that british citizens are required to have a visa even for short visits to the eu but that is a matter for the negotiation. sam wa nts to matter for the negotiation. sam wants to know whether brexit will affect trade with the usa? we want a trade deal with the united states of america. again, it depends. we know that the uk will still be part of the single market, and have to abide by eu rules but everything depends on what happens between the uk and the eu and what happens between the uk and the us. you have heard from us trade officials but also politicians, saying that you have to be careful about what you agree to with the eu because it could affect chancesin with the eu because it could affect chances in your trade agreement with us. it depends. and we will see the

government faced these choices. david morgan wants to know if he can go to ireland from britain and not need a visa or passport? you will not be needing a visa because you will be covered by the 19a9 ireland act which says that british citizens residing or travelling to ireland and vice versa do not need a visa. that will be fine. that's easy. nick wa nts to that will be fine. that's easy. nick wants to know if free movement will continue after the transition period or if we will need visas? excellent question. it's a matterfor negotiation. the uk and eu have not yet decided whether a visa is required and if one is required, and what kind of stay. whether short—term stay or long—term stay, short—term stay or long—term stay, short business visits. it's up for negotiation and we will see what happens. and will the quality of goods and services be reduced in trade dealformat? not goods and services be reduced in trade deal format? not necessarily. again, it depends on the kinds of

deals —— trade deals. we could be open to different standards. if you look at the americans, they may say that our chlorinated chicken is the same standard of yours but we produce it differently. it depends on the standards the government is willing to accept. and it depends on what kind of agreement will be negotiated in the next 12 months? absolutely, a lot of it depends on the government ambitions. we know this 11 month period of extremely —— this 11 month period of extremely —— this 11 month period of extremely —— this 11 month period where the eu have said a deal could be reached but it will not be as competitive as we hoped. it depends what is in the deal and what they agree to, and whether the uk can strike an agreement with the us, especially given that any substantial agreement would need to be passed by congress and with an upcoming presidential election, that may not be the right time. and diana burgess says that

she has been given settled status but without any document to prove this, will i experience difficulties in convincing the nhs that i am eligible for free treatment? and there when you apply for settled status, the government issues you a code and you can basically take that code when you are applying for a job or going to the hospital. if you do not have that code, go on the government website, so i would urge anyone who is concerned by that to look at the website. do you think there is still a degree of uncertainty among many people? eu citizens living in this country about what the future holds? possibly, but the government has put up possibly, but the government has put up lots of advice. i think there are a lot of questions for british citizens residing in the eu and what happens after the transition period. but the government has put out a campaign. there are over 2 million eu citizens who have now applied for

settled status and if they have any questions, they should definitely visit the website. thank you for answering these questions. let's take a look at the business angle now of this story... susannah streeter is in high wycombe for us. over to you. yes, iam over to you. yes, i am at this origins factory, they are the largest manufacturer of bespoke aluminium windows and doors in the uk behind me. finished products here are going to be exported to countries in europe but also the middle east. they are trying hard to build up other overseas markets, not only in dubai, and the rest of the uae, but also it isa and the rest of the uae, but also it is a factory in the united states as well, and florida, so it does not rely solely on customers in europe.

but it does import raw materials. aluminium comes from spain and all handles from germany. the relationship with the eu is key, still, for this business and there still, for this business and there still remains a lot of unknowns. we do not know what the trade deal will look like at the end of the year if there is one. let's speak to the head of economics at the british trail agriculture chamber of economics. —— the british of economics. —— the british of economics. that expands to other businesses even though we are at a historic point now? what we are hearing from a lot of businesses is what we need to see in the next few months is an end to the politics of brexit and start on the practicalities. over the last year, there are key questions over who they can hire and what happens when goods across borders. key questions have not been answered. to move

forward we need greater clarity. there are some concerns that we are in this transition period and actually, the uk should still be able to trade with other countries who have signed a trade deal with the eu under the same terms. there is concern this will not happen. what could companies do, if they feel they are not being treated fairly? they should shout loudly if they feel that is the case. it is quite clear that the government should be honouring the existing agreement to the implementation period but the difference between what government officials see and those on the ground checking goods so we need support to ensure that theseissues so we need support to ensure that these issues are being risen and they need to take action quickly. you represent firms up and down the uk but they have different standpoints and they are very different companies. how do we ensure their voices are heard when you are trying to lobby government? there are a lot of differences in opinion, brexit is a prime example

but we are clear on a practical level of support from government. and advice as to what happens next. there is debate around customs and migration and other key areas. we need greater clarity on the key questions. although many people and many businesses and ceos would say that at least we have certainty that we are leaving the eu, we can plan that at least but still, they do not know exactly what is going to happen and whether there will be a trade deal. do you think 11 months is enough time? preparing for brexit at the moment is a target. businesses are resilient. they will adapt to different environments but what they need certainty and clarity as to

what will happen in the next few yea rs. what will happen in the next few years. then! as you can hear, the activity on the factory floor has stopped but the 280 employees will be back bright and early on monday morning to fulfil those orders and it will be very noisy once again because they are now exporting not only to europe but the middle east and united states. ben, back to you. earlier today welsh first minister mark drakeford made a speech setting out what he hoped would happen after the uk leaves the european union. afterwards he caught up with our correspondent tomos morgan. we are leaving the european union but wales goes on being a european nation. i was rehearsing with the audience today the very long history of wales is engagement with europe far before the european union. what i wanted to say was, in the future, we need to work even harder to make sure that wales's reputation is

understood in what we stand up for and we have a profile in the world that allows us to go on being a successful nation beyond the european union. today must be a difficult day for you. you have a lwa ys difficult day for you. you have always been against brexit. a majority of assembly members have voted against the brexit withdrawal bill but as a whole, wales voted to leave. what are your thoughts and emotions on this day? it is a very mixed day for a lot of people in wales, even those who voted to leave, i think they have some anxieties as to how the future will unfold. and that is why today i wa nted unfold. and that is why today i wanted to focus on the future. not re—fighting the battles of recent yea rs re—fighting the battles of recent years that have been divisive and difficult. i wanted to say that beyond the european union, done the right way, wales goes on being an outward —looking and welcoming place that can have a successful place in the uk and the world. what can you do command what will you do, if that

does happen. we will keep talking and we will make the case. the new secretary says he wants to work with me closely on these things. i think there is a way through this that we can agree. we need a willing partner on the other side of the table for that to happen. a lot happening today. let's go to our brussels correspondent adam fleming. what is the mood there this afternoon? it is quite weird, it is quite sombre because people are sad about british colleagues leaving, the fact that they will be interacting with them in a com pletely interacting with them in a completely different way when the uk is no longer a member state. and sadness in a geopolitical sense that a big important member state is leaving the eu. is that a problem for the eu as an actor on the world

stage? does it have an impact on the dynamics? a lot of countries relied on the uk to put forward a particular point of view but it is strange. everyone has known this moment has been coming for some time but the policy today is to do it as low— key but the policy today is to do it as low—key as possible, not to make it look like a massive tragedy but not to make it look like the eu has managed to score a win. of course, the technocrats, the officials, they are working on the start of the next phase, trying to establish a permanent, new, future relationship. how do you see the next year in terms of negotiations on a trade deal. how easy or difficult do you think that will be? it is very difficult to sum up in a word or a couple of words. a lot will be happening. it is good to look at the timetable. what is happening in brussels, they will establish the mandate for michel barnier, a wish list on terms and conditions that will be put on the table. that

sta rts will be put on the table. that starts on monday with the publication of a draft and will be discussed by member states. there will be talks with the uk before getting into the substance and the eu will set some rules before it gets into the other subjects. adam fleming with the latest from brussels. the exit deal reached with the eu has secured some, but not all of the rights they've enjoyed. 300,000 uk passport holders live in spain alone. our europe correspondent damian grammaticas is in benidorm... what a blue sky you have got there, you must be having fun! what is the mood of british nationals there as we approached 11 o'clock in the final brexit moment? ben, it is interesting. british people here, some are confused, they do not know

how things will pan out. and some are quite worried. others, interestingly you were saying, they need to secure their rights. they are moving here to spain. if you do so before the end of the year you are so before the end of the year you a re covered by so before the end of the year you are covered by all of the deals so you can continue to live here. sam, you can continue to live here. sam, you have moved out in the last month. and the timing was because of brexit? we originally planned to move six months ago but we decided we needed to get here for today in order to get the paperwork ball rolling. so that we could secure our rights as pre—brexit moving forward. you are going to live your life now in spain? yes, my husband started to get his paperwork started so we've been able to start the process before today's date. and i know a lot of people have been confused about the process. you said you got

an e—mail this morning that helped to calm some of your nerves? yes, me thinking we would need to get everything sorted before today, that was a good way to start the process. i got was a good way to start the process. igota —— was a good way to start the process. igota——i was a good way to start the process. igota ——igotan was a good way to start the process. i got a —— i got an e—mail from the cove na nt, i i got a —— i got an e—mail from the covenant, i receive regular updates from the government website and they explained that we have until the end of december, the transition period, to get the paperwork sorted —— from the government. it relieves the pressure of having to do it but better sooner rather than later! you have to register your residence in a european country then you continue to live there. and working here, do you plan to do that? eventually, we wa nt you plan to do that? eventually, we want to support ourselves until we get a job. on that side of things, we can take our time but we knew that the paperwork would be a pressing issue to get sorted. best of luck with all of your plans. we

hope it works out. that is the key thing, that the rights uk citizens have at the moment, they can still secure those up to the end of the year. anyone who moves after that will be treated differently. damian grammaticas, thank you. blue skies in benidorm, what we would do for those in the uk over the weekend. here is helen with the forecast. hello. another blustery afternoon and evening rush. we are seeing sunshine between the showers in the north and west but the cloud has given rain in some areas and more rain marching in. it will be a damn affair in the south through the remainder of the afternoon and evening with more rain coming in potentially into southern areas. questions over how far north that will come but either way, with showers in the north, all of the cloud once again. chilly air in the north tomorrow. this band of rain weakening as it heads southwards

into showers for most parts. some brightness, when the early rain in the south close way. temperatures full with cold air. it means by the time the rain clears southern areas and pushes northwards, we could have and pushes northwards, we could have a smattering of snow. a cold day in the north on sunday. still mild in the north on sunday. still mild in the south.

hello, you're watching afternoon live, i'm ben brown. today at a. the first confirmed cases in the uk. two members of the same family who'd been at a yorkshire hotel are being treated for coronavirus at a hospital in newcastle. they have now been transferred to a high consequence infection unit. that is a very secure infectious disease specialist unit in newcastle. touching down, an evacuation flight — carrying more than 80 britons from wuhan lands at raf brize norton. passengers are being driven to a quarantine facility in the wirral. a few 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." you know, the most precious gift that britain has given the world is parliamentary democracy. and we are restoring faith and restoring trust in that. played out by the bagpipes, brexit party meps leave the european parliament for the last time. coming up on afternoon live all the sport. dominic thiem reaches his first australian open final — afterfighting back to beat alexander zverev. he'll face novak djokovic on sunday. thanks, and we'll bejoining you for a full update and the weather with helen. another blustery evening commute, it will stay when they for a a lot of

the weekend along with further outbreaks of rain but also a relatively mild start to february. hello, his is afternoon live. i'm ben brown. the first cases of the new coronavirus have been confirmed in the uk. health officials say two people from the same family who had been staying at a hotel in yorkshire, are now being treated in a hospital in newcastle. so far the virus has killed more than 200 people in china and infected thousands more. meanwhile more than 80 britons who've been evacuated from wuhan — the chinese city at the centre of the outbreak — are being transferred to a quarantine facility on the wirrall for at least the next 1a days. they arrived on a chartered plane at raf brize norton

earlier this afternoon. i spoke to ben williams who was on the flight and will now go into quarantine. he had just got married in china and his chinese national wife remains there. sadly we came to the decision to... for her to stay behind due to the very much short notice they gave us for the flight. they literally told us about...9pm. and in 1.5 hours did some paperwork and by the time we got out the door, it was very much a close call to get to the meeting point, to get on this flight. sadly my wife had nothing prepared. and it wasn't right for her to enter the uk with essentially nothing. so, you have been split

up by this evacuation? yeah, temporarily. and is she chinese national, your wife, or a british national? is that why that happened? chinese national, i believe that is why it happened. they did tell us very much last—minute that she would be allowed on the flight, but by the time they told us, we had nothing arranged. so, you might not see her again for a while now? yeah, hopefully it is less than a few months but to be honest, we have been in a long—distance relationship, uk to brazil, for the last two years and so a couple of months are nothing. ben, you are still sitting on the plane. have any of your fellow evacuees, any other passengers got off yet or are you still sitting on it? we are sitting ducks at the moment.

that was ben williams. jo churchill the minister for public health has been talking to the bbc at arrowe park hospital where individuals will be quarantined for two weeks. here's what she had to say. basically, we are in a state of preparedness to welcome the uk nationals back to the uk. they have come from wuhan, which has been at the heart of where the coronavirus has started. and welcoming them back to the uk, but enabling them to be in supported isolation for the next couple of weeks. just until we know that they are all safe and fine, they don't have any signs of a virus and then obviously helping them get back to their homes, in some cases, and finding them accommodation in others.

people using this hospital at arrowe park here in the wirral and staff working here are wondering how this is exactly going to work. how will you ensure that they do stay isolated? as you can see, you have come onto the site, has been working very, very hard under a command structure to make sure that both the facility is ready to work on them, but also in those lines of preparedness, that the right actions have been taken by clinicians to ensure that all staff are safe. it is hugely important, this is about all our safety. so yes, it is about the safety of those coming over from wuhan, but it is actually much broader than that. it is about the safety of the staff here at arrowe park, but also the broader safety of each and every one of us. so, making sure that we are following the right protocols in a measured way, taking the advice of

the chief medical officer, who has regularly been updating everybody, who has also been in contact with world health organization, has been in contact constantly with the other chief medical officers of the other nations in the united kingdom, making sure that liaison he has with them, with the medical director of public health england and the medical director of nhs ei, all of those things aren't locked and the medical director of nhs ei, all of those things are locked together so that we look after everybody‘s health in the the best way that we can. in terms of practicality, the people coming here, presumably will be able to leave this building, will they be treated as one big group, well they socialise, do you know how that will work? families will be together. and individuals will be on their own. the exact specifics, i'm not willing to go into at the moment. making sure everyone is comfortable, everybody has what they require, making sure if people need medications we're seeing to that. making sure children have toys and just an enormous thank you. i have even been told this morning

that people have been ringing the council and saying "can we offer to bring magazines in?" "how can we help?" and actually it is that collective loveliness of this part of the world and british people in general that really makes you proud, because people are definitely thinking of how they can help in the first place. whilst we all must be mindful of taking the correct medical advice and keeping everybody safe. let's speak to caroline davies who is at raf brize norton, where the flight from wuhan landed earlier this afternoon. 83 british nationals on board. quite a long fight for them and talk us through what happened to them after they landed? a very long fight. it left wu ha n

they landed? a very long fight. it left wuhan at 9:a5am and then flew the distance to here, landed just before 1:30pm, local time here. within about an hour, they seem to be on coaches to be taken away arrowe park hospital. what happened in between is not certain. we saw people leaving in small groups, at the bottom of the aircraft steps, there were two ambulances, waiting at the site, we also know that there we re at the site, we also know that there were three medical staff on board, provided by the ministry of defence, to help anyone who might have felt ill, during thejourney. we do now know that they are going on those coaches. a distance of 170 miles, north—west from here to the wirral. where they will stay in arrowe park staff quarters. we heard about the conditions they can expect, there will be games and toys for the children, families well they'll stay together during those 1a days. they

will be in quarantine for that time. thank you very much. the latest from raf brize norton. our medical correspondent fergus walsh says the two cases confirmed in the uk shouldn't cause too much alarm. we shouldn't individually be concerned at all. because the risk to individuals in the uk from this virus is minuscule. globally, this is a real concern because it's a new virus. and we don't really know the mortality rate yet. the chief medical officer was talking about 2%, but that is a guesstimate at the moment. in the uk, if you are going home on the tube or a bus tonight, you should should be thinking about protecting yourself from the usual winter respiratory viruses, like flu that are knocking around. so hand hygiene, not

touching your mouth, your eyes with your hands, and being polite to others. coughing into the crook of your mouth. we know that this virus can transmit from person—to—person. that happened a lot in china. and there have been half—dozen or more countries where there have been individual cases of person—to—person transmission. the next level here would be if we get sustained person—to—person transmission, a proper outbreak, outside of china. then we could be into a situation like we had in 2009 with the swine flu outbreak. which becomes a pandemic, a global academic, but we are a long way away from that yet and that is partly because the chinese have done so much, effectively quarantining 50 million people. so, the next two weeks will be crucial to see how this plays out. after three and a half years, and countless discussions

and debates, the uk leaves the european union in under 7 hours' time, after a7 years. it officially happens at 11pm here which is 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. our political correspondent iain watson reports. the union flag has been raised today over parliament square. not long before it will be lowered in brussels. three and half years after the referendum, the uk will leave the european union at 11 o'clock tonight. for some, the end of our a7 year membership or be a matter of regret. for the government, they say it is about renewal.

what the british people voted for twice in the referendum in 2016 and the general election just before last christmas is at last coming to pass. the most precious gift britain has given the world is parliamentary democracy, and we are restoring faith and restoring trust in that. borisjohnson boris johnson brought his borisjohnson brought his entire cabinet to north west england. he wa nted cabinet to north west england. he wanted to hammer home that the priority is to focus on the uk. borisjohnson, a leading figure in the leave campaign, now says it is hisjob to bring the country back together, and the official celebrations for brexit day will be relatively muted. there will be a countdown clock projected onto the wall of downing street and the buildings

will be lit up in red, white and blue — the colours of the union flag. but that will be about it. he does not want this to be a divisive occasion. what does the former occupant of this place, you know, the one that called the referendum, think now? it is obviously a very big day for our country. obviously i led the campaign to stay in, but i always accepted the result and knew this day would come. after 11pm, what will change, apart from, well, the change? this is a 50p commemorative coin. the uk enters a transition period where we still follow eu rules until the end of the year. the prime minister wants to strike a new trade deal in that time. it is a massive undertaking and it's also very different from a normal trade deal, because usually we are trying to build bridges and trying to come together and find an equal ground, in this case we are diverging, to some degree. labour says the country is at a crossroads. and jeremy corbyn is more concerned

about the prospect of a deal with the us than reaching agreement with the eu. we need to ensure that we do maintain good trade relationships with europe, we don't tear up all the conditions of agreements we have received and we don't fall into the arms of free trade deals with the united states. but there are signs that as britain is leaving the european union, another union, the one between the nations of the uk, is under strain. 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 right one. we need back on the right road as soon as possible. it is no longer in doubt that we are leaving the european union, it is now no longer in doubt that we are leaving the european union, but the consequences for the uk are less certain. to get more on this story we can cross to annita mcvey, who's in downing street.

no big ben bungs ringing tonight but there will be a light show? you can see in our shot the lights have arrived in downing street in the last few minutes for that. it will be projected onto the front of number ten. later on this evening, along with the clock which will mark the countdown to the uk leaving the eu. the prime minister will be back year by then, borisjohnson hosting a reception this evening in downing street, also releasing a video message in which she will talk of a new dawn for the uk. but beyond that, lots of hard work to be done in the transition period, let's talk a bit about that now. we can cross to our westminster studio and speak to the dup's sirjeffery donaldson.

good afternoon. this is not the sort of brexit that you envisaged, is it, when you backed theresa may when she was prime minister? we supported brexit and wanted to see and want to see the united kingdom leaving the european union as one nation. and whilst we have concerns about the withdrawal agreement, we now look to the negotiations that will form the basis of our future relationship with the european union and we are very clear that the prime minister must make it a priority to ensure that any future arrangement does not disrupt the economic or constitutional integrity of the united kingdom and that northern ireland remains fully an integral pa rt ireland remains fully an integral part of the uk. how do you think he will manage to achieve that? because if we look at one aspect of that, the prime minister had said during the prime minister had said during the election campaign that would be no forms or checks or barriers of any kind of goods moving from

northern ireland to gb, but it seems that there will be. i think the question as more of what will happen with goods travelling from gb to northern ireland, because of course, the eu is more interested in the movement of those goods and the potential that they would travel into the eu single market via the irish republic. the prime minister has made clear that northern ireland businesses will continue to have u nfettered businesses will continue to have unfettered access to our biggest market which is of course great britain. that is very important to us. what hopes to you have of an agreement being hammered out in the short time available, 11 months until the end of this year. with basically one third of the time that it took to sort out our agreement. it remains to be seen if an agreement can be reached in that time. it is possible. we will meet

the prime minister to make clear that he must not abandon northern ireland because i think that would send it a very negative message to, not just northern ireland send it a very negative message to, notjust northern ireland but the rest of the uk. the prime minister must honour the commitments he gave during the general election. that the uk will remain together, we will stay together as one nation and that must mean economically as well as politically. do you think that he will honour that? we believe the prime minister will hold to his word and we will hold him to that word. because in the end he is accountable to the people and i don't think that people want to see the united kingdom being split up. it would not be good for any part of the united kingdom if that were to happen. i think if northern ireland were catholics, then that would raise big —— northern ireland was cut loose, it would ask questions about scotland. we want to see the uk

flashing after brexit. we think there are great opportunities and we will continue to have a good relationship with our neighbours in the irish republic, we don't want a ha rd the irish republic, we don't want a hard border on the island of ireland, not thought to be want a border that separates us from a biggest market in great britain. thank you very much for your time. we can cross to salford and speak to tony lloyd, labour's shadow northern ireland secretary. you heard their talking about the prospect of a future where northern ireland is somehow cut loose from the rest of the uk, he says he does not want to heat see that happen. we had heard from the snp that they will push for a credible, legal and legitimate route for another independence referendum. what are your thoughts on this historic day about the future of the union? your thoughts on this historic day about the future of the union7m your thoughts on this historic day about the future of the union? it is historic but of course the decision that boris johnson and

historic but of course the decision that borisjohnson and his government makes about how they will negotiate over the next months and you will be fundamental as to whether we have a job first brexit or, and that means being closely aligned to the eu or whether we race for a trade deal at tantra ahead where we have former british ambassador that president trump will see that a pharmaceutical prices go up see that a pharmaceutical prices go up in line with american costs or mike pompeo telling us that america will want to negotiate on the basis of agricultural, like chlorinated chicken coming into the uk. so we do... do you think it would get that job is first brexit you are talking about, sorry to interrupt, where that be possible with that tension between the uk looking to the eu on one hand and that us and the other?

borisjohnson has one hand and that us and the other? boris johnson has got one hand and that us and the other? borisjohnson has got to make decisions and he has got to recognise that there is an inevitable conflict between staying close to our major trading partners in the eu and that means making sure that we don't have divergence in single market standards. or, we end up single market standards. or, we end up racing across the atlantic but the truth for northern ireland is that if we choose the second course, if we choose divergence, we will see that hard border coming down the irish sea and it will increase the tensions in this union across the whole of the united kingdom. that can't be in anybody‘s interest as we enter brexits to see political challenges which will threaten the whole of the uk. one final thought ifi whole of the uk. one final thought if i may. yourformer labour whole of the uk. one final thought if i may. your former labour party mp colleague saying earlier on today that a country works best when it has a strong government and a strong opposition. she said, at the moment

it has a strong government but not a strong opposition. obviously, labour to elect a new leader soon. what will that new leader, whoever it may be, due to really hold this government to account and how can labour change anything that disagrees with, with borisjohnson having such a strong majority? the majority is a parliament but boris johnson has to account through parliament to the whole of the people in the united kingdom. that means people like his former partners in governance, only a few months back. it means the british people in scotland, wales and in england, boris johnson cannot people in scotland, wales and in england, borisjohnson cannot simply say he can do what he wants. without reference to public opinion, he has got to make sure that the brexit delivered now is one that puts jobs and puts our country first. if not, quite frankly, he will have wasted the opportunity and we can't, as a nation, for that. tony lloyd, thank

you very much for your time as well. people on both sides of this argument really acknowledging the historic nature of the day. some in celebration, some in sadness. there is also a more broad acknowledgement that very quickly the garment will have to move the other rhetoric into the detail —— the government. and deliver on its promises. for the moment, from downing street, back to you. today, the cabinet is holding a special meeting in sunderland, our assistant political editor norman smith is there for us now. they have been meeting. is this sort of symbolic show that boris johnson and his government are really with the people of the north—east on this historic day? is. it is entirely

symbolic. because obviously sunderland was the first county to declare for leave in the 2016 referendum but also part of the broader pitch which he alluded to, to say to voters in communities who perhaps feel they had been a bit forgotten and all the attention and love it affection has a focus on london in the south but they are now going to be a priority for the government. interesting also because sunderland is so close to the nissan plant at washington. we had from michael gove, i think really the first cabinet ministerjust to say publicly that actually, there are going to be checks and there will be regulations and there will be costs for business and any future trade deal. because britain wants a freedom to diverge from eu rules. that matters big time for the automotive industry. which of course matters to a just—in—time delivery system for parts and and components. that is the first and we had an

acknowledgement that actually there is going to be really seriously change for the automotive industry and some of the manufacturers who export to europe. elsewhere the tone has been one of optimism from boris johnson. trying to say that he wants today to be a moment we put behind us divisions in this whims of the past three years in the country begins to pull together and the winds begin to be healed. it strikes you that today is a turning point for borisjohnson because he has been able to thrive as a politician, by being on the campaign trail, making big promises about brexit. now, he has to move into delivery mode. it is no good to carry on making promises full some action got to make things happen. and he hasn't really got any excuses. for things not happening because he won the election. he has a commanding majority, he has an opposition flat on its back. so there is no reason why things can't happen and if they

don't happen, then it seems to me voters are entitled to say, well, you are the one who promised all of this. why hasn't it happened? so it isa this. why hasn't it happened? so it is a big moment for borisjohnson, promising is no longer enough. he has to deliver. enter mike norman, thank you very much. norman smith and sunderland. i'm joined by shanker singham, the ceo of competere and former adviser to the uk trade secretary. how possible is it to deliver that trade deal in a year? the first thing to happen is the eu will have its negotiating mandate in place by probably the end of february and we will be engage with that in march. the most important thing is that the uk government has a good proposal in response. it has good arguments, good evidence, in support of it. we also need to make sure we don't fall into the trap that we shall into in phase one, which was to buy for to

the eu process from the rest of the world process. —— bifurcated. so we need to advance on multiple tracks at the same time. that will require us to put a proper proposal on the table. what is that proposal? what we wa nt table. what is that proposal? what we want and what we would likely to see is what we call a political declaration. when boris johnson see is what we call a political declaration. when borisjohnson took over from as conservative party leader with a new withdrawal agreement, political declaration when more changes to it than previously. what it sets out is a comprehensive advanced free—trade agreement. that is what the uk would want. it is important that the uk put that on the table and say this is the kind of agreement we want. how much of this can you do? the eu will respond with its negotiating mandate and it will be, we conceive of the negotiating mandate of the eu will be unreasonable from a uk

perspective, they will want sequencing of negotiations as they did before. they will say things like you need a level playing field, it is important the uk government pushes back on that incessant no, we —— and says no, this is our vision. at the same time we need to think about our own domestic regulatory system. a lot of people in places where the cabinet has been very, will be relying on a better regular tory environment in the uk, to create jobs, that later allow opportunities for people in all parts of the country. speaking of sunderland, nissan, how difficult is it going to be for all the car industry? that has been a key argument that this will make life much harderfor the car argument that this will make life much harder for the car industry argument that this will make life much harderfor the car industry in this country? it depends on what is in the trade agreement basically. what the government has said quite clearly a nd what the government has said quite clearly and actually quite a long

time now so this should not be a surprise to people, they will be some friction. we are no longer, we haven't been talking sincejuly, frankly of last year, about frictionless trade. we are not seeking frictionless trade. there will be some. and that makes it less attractive for some countries to invest in the uk? there is a spectrum of fiction. on one end is a very single market kind of approach, the other end of the spectrum is a very un—trusted approach. we won't be on that end of the spectrum. we wa nt to be on that end of the spectrum. we want to minimise the friction as much as we can and we do that with a trade agreement and is much regular tory recognition between the parties as “— tory recognition between the parties as —— regular . between between parties. to do a trade deal with the us, japan, join things like that comprehensive and progressive transpacific

partnership. these will grow our economy and you have to do that in order to offset some of the friction that will come from the new arrangement. very briefly because we are running out of time, is a trade deal possible before the end of the year? no one can know that, we don't know how the eu will react to our proposals and we don't know how we will react to theirs. the important thing is that we do not make the same mistake as we did in phase one which was where we were so focused on how long things take that we do not start doing them. we need to get on with it and stopped in proposals together. i am fairly confident that once we start that process, there will be a significant amount of momentum through the year as the negotiation moves forward and we will see where we are as we go forward. thank you. the former adviser to the uk trade secretary. thank you for being with us. with your thoughts on brexit as we approach 11pm when britain leaves

the eu. let's see what the weather will be like at that moment this evening. now it's time for a look at the weather with helen willetts. hello. a blustery afternoon and evening rush. we have seen a little sunshine between showers in the north and west but cloud and rain in some areas, the next area of rain marching in. a damp affair in the south, through into the evening with more rain coming in potentially to southern areas. questions over how far north that will come. cloud and wind will be relatively mild tonight for all of us once again. chilly air through the north tomorrow. this band of rain weakens as it moves southwards. some brightness around once the early rain in the south clears. temperatures full with cold air in the north, chilly in the northern ours and scotland come into play tomorrow. by the time the rain clears southern areas and pushes northwards, there could be a

smattering of snow. a colder day in the north on sunday. still mild in the north on sunday. still mild in the south. this is bbc news — our latest headlines. the first confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the uk: two members of the same family who'd been at a yorkshire hotel

are being treated in hospital. they have now been transferred to a high consequence infection unit, a very secure infectious disease specialist unit in newcastle. touching down, an evacuation flight — carrying more than 80 britons from wuhan — the source of the outbreak — lands at raf brize norton. passengers are being driven to wirral where they'll be quarantined for two weeks. in a few hours — britain leaves the european union after almost half a century — the government says it's ‘the dawn of a new era.‘ the most precious gift that britain has given the world is parliamentary democracy. and we are restoring faith and restoring trust in that. we are going, we are finally leaving!

bagpipes play played out by the bagpipes — brexit party meps leave the european parliament for the last time. sport now on afternoon live with chetan. and we had a battle between two of tennis's rising stars at the australian open. dominic thiem is into his first australian open final after beating germany's alexander zverev who's getting closer to reaching the final of a major but it wasn't to be today — and now it's over to thiem to see if he can win his first grand slam, having lost two french open finals. thiem and zvererv are two of the young players in men's tennis that people are now looking to and asking if they can break that stranglehold of the big three federer, nadal and djokovic who've won 55 grandslams between them. john watson was watching today's semi final in melbourne: it was a match which pitted two of the next generation in men's tennis

against one another. alexander zverev against dominic thiem. it is the fifth seed of austria who came out on top, a brilliant performance despite dropping the first set to the german. he came back to take the next two before closing out the match in impressive style. we knew that dominic thiem had the calibre and pedigree coming into the tournament, having witnessed him play out two grand slam finals in the past, losing to nadal at the french open but after beating the world number one in the finals, is the tide turning in men's tennis? dominic thiem hoping to hold the stranglehold that the top three have had in tennis. federer, novak djokovic and nadal. there have been impressive displays at melbourne park, and hoping to achieve an eighth australian title, that would be a record. we will see how sunday plays out. we have the women's final

to come on saturday. sofia kenin against muguruza. muguruza, a former french open champion and a wimbledon title to her name as well. but sofia kenin with impressive performances from last year, carrying those into this year's tournament. and there's news of british success too — jordanne whiley has won the women's wheelchair doubles with yui kamiji and alfie hewett and gordon reid won the men's wheelchair doubles. hewitt was emotional at the end lifting that trophy — because he won't be able to defend that title next year due to a change in disabilty classifications. also jamie murray is through to the mixed doubles final, alongside his partner bethany mattek sands. jamie murray's chasing an eighth gra nslam doubles title. today we've heard from england ahead of their six nations opener against france in paris on sunday. they've left prop maku vunipola out of the squad although 12 of the starters in that disappointing world cup final defeat to south africa have retained their place in the 15.

coach eddie jones has reshuffled his backs — with northampton full back george furbank set to make his international debut. anthony watson's been ruled out so furbank will line up in the back three along with elliot daly and jonny may. he is one of the first place players i noticed when i came back from the world cup. very composed. good core skills, good positional sense. he showed all of those things under pressure. he thoroughly deserves the opportunity. the six nations kicks off in cardiff tomorrow afternoon — with defending champions wales hosting italy. bbc one is where you can watch from 1:a0. and ireland begin their campaign in dublin against scotland. england have been beaten in their opening women's t20 tri series match against india in canberra, meaning new coach lisa keightley‘s reign has begun with a loss... chasing 1a8 to win, india captain

harmanpreet kaur sealed victory with a six in the final over for a five wicket win. earlier, england skipper heather knight had top scored with 67. their next match is against australia tomorrow. that's all the sport for now. now on afternoon live, let's go nationwide and see what's happening around the country, as the time ticks down to the uk's departure from the eu. today we're joined by south today's sally taylor in gosport, south east today's rob smith in dover and north west tonight's rogerjohnson in lancaster. welcome to all of you.

first though, sally — what's happening in gosport. you join me at the windsor castle, a small watering hole. four minutes ferry ride across the harbour from portsmouth where the navy base is. some of the people behind me have already arrived for this evenings programme. it is, after all, already arrived for this evenings programme. it is, afterall, payday today. with the referendum, this town was one of the most strongly leave areas in the south. now, the majority here have got what they want. so, where else would we be tonight? how do people feel and what happens next? we gauged the mood in the town earlier. chuffed, really pleased. i will celebrate, i've bought champagne! it was not my choice but whatever we have decided we need to stick to. they started to tell us what shaped vegetable we could grow, if we could do this or

tell us what shaped vegetable we couli been , if we coul telietflsoc! tell us what shaped vegetable we couli been, if we coul [e humant! tell us what shaped vegetable we couli been, if we coul [e human that grown up around brexit and that has grown up around brexit and that rare thing. a comedian who is pro—brexit. rare thing. a comedian who is pro-brexit. voting conservative is like buying a james blunt album. you know that millions of other people have done it but you never meet them. that is strange! all it needs for you to be able to satirise something is hypocrisy, hyperbole or hysteria. the humour and the farcical elements come in. no doubt at some point there will be a queue at a port or waitrose will run out of brief. —— brie. other comedians of other political slots are available. another joke, comedians of other political slots are available. anotherjoke, brie walks into a pub, the bum and says,

—— walks into a pub. -- walks into a pub. and rob smith is in dover, a place that deals with a lot of trade, how are things there? it deals with a lot of trade, they have won six of the uk's freight coming through. 10,000 lorries a day. that whole thing about frictionless trade, making sure that lorries can get through dover makes an enormous amount of difference, not only to those who live in the town but the whole of kent. you may have heard this, about operation brock, which is designed to keep things flowing if there are problems with a no—deal brexit. in the last two weeks, that has been taken out so there m20 is now clear

and everyone is hoping against hope that things go smoothly over the next two weeks and when it gets to the point of the final, properly then, at new year's eve at the end of the year. i have been out and about in dover today to speak to people in the town to see how they feel about the fact that brexit day is finally here. are you happy or sad? i is finally here. are you happy or sad? lam is finally here. are you happy or sad? i am happy, is finally here. are you happy or sad? lam happy, very happy. is finally here. are you happy or sad? i am happy, very happy. why? so we can be british, english. that is my feeling. i am we can be british, english. that is py: we can be british, english. that is my feeling. i am unhappy, i want us to stay. i think we should stay in europe. we've been in there a long time and they've done a lot for us and we have done lots for them. i've lived in the republic of ireland and seen all of the improvements over there that being part of europe has made. it is brexit day today. are you happy? i made. it is brexit day today. are you happy? lam happy as made. it is brexit day today. are you happy? i am happy as a made. it is brexit day today. are you happy? lam happy as a bunny. payday! there you go, it goes all

the way from people passionately for it, passionately against it and those who do not care at all! i will be speaking to two mps at the opposite end of the spectrum, natalie elphick, the mp for dover, and the mp for canterbury, rosie duffy. they were campaigning at opposite ends of the spectrum during the referendum. that will be on the programme at 6:30pm. meticulous ballots there. roger is in lancaster, rogerjohnson. all 1a districts in lancaster voted for brexit. we heard from gosport, a pro leaving area. and lancaster too? interestingly, lancaster is the place in the north—west which most closely mirrors the national result. pretty much 52—a8 the way the vote went here. morecambe, down the road,

a good deal more support there and in blackpool, which will also be on the programme tonight, almost seven in ten people voted for brexit. we will be gauging reaction from different people. in morecambe, more positive about the fact that brexit is finally here. in lancaster, less so. more of a programme feeling here. an equal split. i have spoken to three businesses in this part of the world. i spoke to one of them, lancaster university, the impact of stu d e nts lancaster university, the impact of students and recruiting overseas star. they have opened a campus in germany, leipzig, so they have a foothold in europe there. and we have spoken to a brewery that imports wine from france, they have an interesting take on things, and a furniture business, they transport furniture business, they transport furniture across europe. they have a fleet of vans that leave lancaster

every week. both they and the brewery said the most important thing now, we have reached brexit, nothing changes in the morning, but now we have a direction of travel and some degree of certainty. the la st and some degree of certainty. the last thing we want is increasing bureaucracy and administration costs. further paperwork and further delays at borders. an easy example is going to switzerland right now, we could be sat on the border for three or four hours while the paperwork is arranged and cleared. we don't need that for the rest of europe. it would be significantly detrimental to freight. so, europe. it would be significantly detrimentalto freight. so, as europe. it would be significantly detrimental to freight. so, as sam edmondson was saying there are the key, the crucial thing there, is what happens in the next 11 months and the position we find ourselves in injanuary, and the position we find ourselves in in january, vis—a—vis and the position we find ourselves in injanuary, vis—a—vis how we move forward in 2021. live from lancaster tonight, from half past six tonight. studio: thanks very much to all of

our contributors. sally, rob and roger. enjoy your evenings tonight. if you would like to see more on any of those stories, you can access them on bbc iplayer. we go nationwide every week here at a:30pm. some breaking news on the latest on the coronavirus. we were telling you that there have been two confirmed cases in the uk now. two people who we heard were staying at a hotel in yorkshire here, from the same family, they are now being treated ata family, they are now being treated at a hospital in newcastle. a statement just at a hospital in newcastle. a statementjust in from staycity group, they have received confirmation that guests staying in

an apartment in york have tested positive for the coronavirus. we have been advised by public health england that there is a minimal ongoing risk of infection to guests all staff and as such, our york property remains open for business. the statement goes on, in due course, the apartment concerned will undergo a thorough environmental clea n undergo a thorough environmental clean and disinfection by a specialist contractor. we would like to assure our guests that we are following official advice on the matter and the safety on those staying in our properties remains of paramount importance. those two guests are being treated at a hospital in newcastle having been confirmed to have contracted coronavirus. well with just a matter of hours now before the uk leaves the european union, preparations are under way to mark the occasion, whether with celebrations, or perhaps with a sad reflection

on the last three and a half years. our presenter martine croxall is at the rising star pub in kettering... what is the mood there? well, there has been beef on the menu, there has been a great british singalong and bunting galore! celebrating all that is good about the united kingdom today here at the rising sun. i am joined by northamptonshire born russell eaton, he decided, oddly, not to vote at all in the referendum, although you probably have some quite strong views having lived in this part of the world that voted 61% to leave. why didn't you voted 61% to leave. why didn't you vote in the end? the arguments that i could see were... undecided, they we re i could see were... undecided, they were not strong. my belief always was that i wanted to leave. why did

you want to leave? why do you believe britain will be better off outside the eu? there were all sorts of comments, one was that we went into the ec when we were a country under siege. i into the ec when we were a country undersiege. idid into the ec when we were a country under siege. i did not like the bureaucrats in europe. i did not like the stagnation that was going on. in strasbourg and brussels. and my viewpoint then became stronger, that we should leave. surely britain benefited economically and became more prosperous as a consequence of being a member of the eu and having access to that enormous trading bloc? to a degree, but look at the irish prime minister, he is talking about if it was a game of football, europe is 450 million, we are 60 million. we bailed ireland out with

our economy. so who needs us more? then we need them? in the eurozone crisis it was the euro countries that bailed out the countries that got into trouble and not britain. how should boris johnson got into trouble and not britain. how should borisjohnson be negotiating the former trade deal, the next trade deal with the eu, bearing in mind he has to balance the requirements of the united states ? the requirements of the united states? and there it is very interesting. my viewpoint is when we joined the ec, we left the commonwealth. we left our commonwealth. we left our commonwealth countries in limbo. those links can be reconstructed. china is here, and the united states is here. it is a divorce settlement which has to be financially settled. i think the prime minister can do it. you mention to the united states. how concerned are you, though, that it will be difficult to keep europe and the united states happy, and also concerns that some

people have that the nhs is at risk asa people have that the nhs is at risk as a result of a trade deal with the us? i do not think the nhs is at risk. that is looked after. margaret in her speech risk. that is looked after. margaret in herspeech in risk. that is looked after. margaret in her speech in 1995, thatcher, in her speech in 1995, turned around and basically said that we cannot be a european state. because we are intrinsically british. not european. and centralisation in europe did not help. we will wait and see how things turn out. it will be an interesting year! russell eaton, thank you very much forjoining us. we are here for another couple of hours at the rising son. studio: martin, have a lovely evening there. some pictures from brussels now, we can see the union flag which has been flying at the british uk

permanent representation in brussels, to the european union. that is now coming down over those offices. that is the office which has been representing british interests at the european union. you can see that gentleman there, he is busy lowering the union flag. yet another symbol of britain's departure from the european union. just a a few hours to go to that 11 o'clock hour when finally, the uk does leave the eu. there it is, the union flag is gone from that flagpole. the uk permanent representation to the european union in brussels. and one more look at a developing story this afternoon. it could be a key day in president trump's impeachment trial.

the democrats, who want to remove president trump from office, have been holding a news conference. here's their leader, chuck schumer talking about the decision by republican senators to not allow any new evidence to be brought before the senate... so, it is deeply disturbing that on something of such importance to the future of our democracy, a few of my republican colleagues announced tonight that they are against hearing additional evidence. it is clear where the american people stand on the issue. republican senators who decide to go against the will of the people will have to reckon with it. the result of today's vote is still an open question. but i would note that even in senator alexander's statement announcing his opposition to new evidence, he said it was proven that the president did what he was accused of. he came to the wrong conclusion about hearing evidence in this trial. that is clear. but senator alexander, a retiring member, said out loud that i think

most senate republicans believe in private. that yes, the president did withhold military assistance to try to get ukraine to help in his selections and the president did interfere with congressional investigations about misconduct. he said yes, the president conditioned foreign aid at a white house meeting with an ally at war. on the performance of bogus investigations that would help his re—election. alexander rejected 90% of the argument from the presidents council, that the president did nothing wrong. he acknowledged the president did something that the founders feared most. potential corruption of our national elections bya corruption of our national elections by a foreign power. solicited by none other than our own president and to hide that gross misconduct,

the white house exhausted every legal trick in the book to prevent congress from investigating. if my republican colleagues refused to even consider witnesses in documents in this trial, this country is headed towards the greatest cover—up since watergate. that struck schumer with his views on the impeachment progress. me and jane hill will be with you from 5pm with the latest on coronavirus and brexit. time for a look at the latest weather weekend —— weekend weather prospects. this picture has come in from belfast from one of our weather watchers. we do have a lot of clout to come notjust today but through the weekend. for the rest of today, if you are on the roads, gusty winds with this low pressure. there is a particularly strong and gusty theme

in northern england. that is with us through the evening rush. hail and thunder in the north. rain still to come in southern england and wales. slowly meandering away. it takes its time. some rain returning in southern areas for a time. with cloud and with wind and showers in the north, it will not be particularly cold given it is the end of january. but particularly cold given it is the end ofjanuary. but there particularly cold given it is the end of january. but there are questions as to how quickly that rain clears. we have this weather system in the north introducing something a little fresher tomorrow. not necessarily that cold, although it will feel notably chilly in northern scotland. we could expect wintering is over the hills, a lot of rain first thing that as it moves southwards, it breaks up and hopefully in the south we see sunshine initially. these temperatures occur through the morning. in the north, they dip away as we go through the afternoon. this ridge of high pressure on saturday

night but not long before we see the next band of rain marching across england and wales. this detail through the evening. clear and chilly to start with before rain comes in. it will be a wet end to the night. just a touch of frost in the night. just a touch of frost in the north and east of scotland under clear skies. temperatures lifting as we go through the day. you can see we go through the day. you can see we have this weather system coming in. some wintering is over the hills in central scotland in particular. when rain clears, we are back into the milder regime. that stays with us to start the week. although that deep area of low pressure escalates winds further in the north. still some rain in the south. look at the strong north—westerly wind and high pressure as we begin to move into tuesday. it will feel chilly, night—time thrust and at least for some time, more settled weather. goodbye. —— night—time frost.

today at 5: the first confirmed cases of coronavirus in the uk. two members of the same family, who'd been staying at a hotel in york, are being treated at a specialist unit in newcastle. more than 80 british nationals arrive at raf brize norton from wuhan and are now being driven to a quarantine facility on the wirral, where preparations are made for their arrival. it's about the safety of those who are coming overfrom wuhan, but it's actually much broader than that. it's about the safety of the staff here at arrowe park, but also the broader safety of each and every one of us. we'll be live from outside those hospitals, both on the wirral and in newcastle. the other main stories on bbc news at 5: