tell us backbenchers support the dup. tell usa backbenchers support the dup. tell us a bit more about the take from your paper on the extraordinary events that unfolded during the day. unfortunately we missed that important story about meghan markle's dad but we are pretty much up markle's dad but we are pretty much up to speed on the rest of the day's happenings. it was an extraordinary day in dublin. we started off with suggestions from the minister for foreign affairs on a morning news programme that he expected a breakthrough over the course of the day, and it was an early—morning special cabinet meeting called by the taoiseach leo varadkar to brief ministers on the negotiations. halfway through that meeting he was called out to take the phone call from john —— from jean—claude juncker. it revealed the deal had been agreed and the british negotiating team in brussels. at that stage we expected that the deal would be agreed between theresa may orjean—claude would be agreed between theresa may or jean—claude juncker, given that the text had been approved by

but the dup has objected to the plan.e have been very clear, northern ireland must leave the european union on the same terms as the rest of the uk. i'm surprised and disappointed that the british government now appears not to be in a position to conclude what was agreed earlier today. in other news... child and pensioner poverty in britain — researchers say the gains of the past few years are unravelling. the supermarket that's not doing what it says on the tin — the co—op sells food that's past it best before date. good evening and welcome to bbc news. this might have been the day when theresa may and the eu could signal that there was enough progress in brexit talks to start moving on to the next stage. but it wasn't to be. the main obstacle is what to do about the border between northern ireland and the republic. earlier today, it seemed the issue of the border had been resolved. but the dup in belfast objected to any suggestion that northern ireland could be treated differently to the rest of the uk. ireland's prime

particularly the concerns of the dup.es on, in the hope an agreement can be found in time for a leaders‘ summit here in brussels in 10 days‘ time. our political editor laura kuenssberg reports. here to reveal the deal, or was it slipping away? the prime minister didn't exactly look delighted, but after weeks of trying to grip a deal, it seemed it was on. she'd only parked up for lunch, but it turned into a long lunch, and then later and later. by tea—time, look at their faces. it was off for today. we've been negotiating hard and a lot of progress has been made, and on many of the issues there is been a common understanding. it's clear, crucially, that we want to move forward together, but on a couple of issues, some differences do remain, which require further negotiation and consultation, and those will continue, but we will reconvene before the end of the week, and i am also confident we will conclude this positively. it didn't feel very positive this afternoon. despite our best efforts and significant progress, we and

the prime minister and the dup are yet to talk directly today.in total control of her relationships with her friends or rivals. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. tonight, the dup leader, arlene foster, said tonight that the proposal being discussed yesterday in brussels about resolving the irish border question had come as "a big shock." at the heart of the dup's concerns was the prospect of reinforcing ties between the north and the republic and potential new differences emerging within the uk. 0ur ireland correspondent, chris buckler, has been to county antrim to examines the unionists' concerns. from the port at larne harbour, every day trucks and trade make the journey across the irish sea to britain. unionists say the rest of the uk is northern ireland's most important market, not the european union. and in this town, some were concerned by a brexit deal that focussed on interests on this island rather than across these isles. it would mean a united ireland. we need to keep hold of our beliefs and traditions. there's a lot of things s

do you have sympathy for the dup? very much so. they are a key pa rt dup? very much so. getting the support through, they vote for us and they have done a deal and i find it most extraordinary that no one, none of the officials, exchanged a text with them —— the text with them so that they could see what was happening. they believe very strongly in the united kingdom, backing the belfast agreement with a huge majority saying that northern ireland remained in the uk until there should be a border poll, so northern ireland should adhere to the same rules as the whole of the rest of the uk. to be clear, you don't think there should be any distinct or separate dealfor there should be any distinct or separate deal for northern ireland? emphatically not. i did look at the figures on your broadcast yesterday, if you look at the statistical research figures for the sales, 66% of northern ireland sales go to great britain, sorry, stay in northern ireland, 5% only 5% go to the order. this is cultural and agricultural product which could easily be sorted with technology. the head o

may needs the dup at the moment. could that scupper this deal?ause if they pull the plug, it will be a general election. still part of the uk, so that's the way it will work. but these are towns which rely on euros as well as pounds. and they worry that any border could put off visitors and their cash. you see, if they put a hard border, it would more or less destroy towns like newry and enniskillen, the border towns. currently, there appears to be a stark choice of a border on land or sea. to avoid that the whole uk could agrow to follow the eu's rules, but the government are desperate to avoid any commitments ahead of discussing trade and despite talk of technology, it's becoming difficult to see a simple solution. chris buckler, bbc news, newry. the former president of yemen, ali abdullah saleh, has been killed just days after abandoning an alliance with a rebel group at the centre of the country's civil war. the current crisis started 2015, when houthi rebels, believed to be backed by iran, took control of parts of the country. a coalition le

which is what the dup don't want. the dup made their displeasure with that perfectly. language, because they broke off to have that conversation, which seems amazing, or they hadn't bought it through and what it meant for the regular and economic direction of the country, but clearly you could see jean—claude juncker was also disappointed. i think theresa may isn't going to want to come back having thrown that way... we were all geed up and ready. they said it wasn't just that. all geed up and ready. they said it wasn'tjust that. whether all geed up and ready. they said it wasn't just that. whether that all geed up and ready. they said it wasn'tjust that. whether that is just trying to lessen some of the impact of what looks like a bit of a hash remains to be seen. they're all sorts of problems. we've seen today, tea m scotla nd sorts of problems. we've seen today, team scotland saying if you can have a soft brexit border with northern ireland, we will have one of those as well. thus the london mayor saying we will have a bit of that as well. you have of those concerns

the mirror touches on jeremy corbyn, highlighting the grubby dup deal, and the dup threatening to throwd behind the dup and the prime minister has taken flight and

the dup, a group that is meant to be on her side.this contradiction in place with this contradiction in place with no clear way back to really find an answer. perhaps the broader difficulty that this issue really highlights is what the uk really wants in terms of the future relationship. do we want a situation where we are still mirroring the eu, where we are still mirroring the eu, where we are still mirroring the eu, where we are still highly aligned to use that jargon? or do we want what others around the cabinet table want, something much looser where we can strike out on our own? that question has not been satisfyorily resolved over northern ireland but arguably the bigger problem is that it hasn't been resolved for the whole country either and theresa may has only got a few days to make some progress. thank you. the former president of yemen, ali abdullah saleh, has been killed just days after abandoning an alliance with a rebel group at the centre of the country's civil war. the current crisis started in 2015, when houthi rebe

this was derailed by the dup.re given the impression that it was a question of dotting the eyes and a crossing of the tees, that the ducks are in a road. that was the news from downing street. i think they were pretty confident but the row so many moving parts that to just fail... shouldn't use the word failure because jean—claude juncker, in that use the word failure because jean—claudejuncker, in that awkward announcement, said it was not a failure. they are almost there. there is this negotiation that needs to be done between arlene foster, the leader of the dup in northern ireland and theresa may to get some kind of resolution about how hard or soft the sport is there to be between northern ireland and the rest of ireland. what will the meeting be like this one?” rest of ireland. what will the meeting be like this one? i think it will be interesting... you are being very diplomatic. i am quite positive about this. i voted to remain at we are where we are and we are almost getting there. there are two sides — t

due to the £1 billion deal that the dup... we due to the £1 billion deal that the dup. ..ne of these scottish tories costs scotland £265 million. can we please transfer them? i would like to say to the honourable gentleman it is time when he stood up to ask a question a look thatis he stood up to ask a question a look that is facts. it is my scottish conservative colleagues who have ensured that in the budget we were able to take steps in relation to the vat status of police for scotla nd the vat status of police for scotland and the fire services in scotland. he obviously macro hadn't noticed but i am happy to repeat that as a result of this budget £2 billion extra will come to scotland. in 2010, the conservative led government set out to reform the school curriculum to give our children the skills they need to succeed. that is the prime minister agree that yesterday's reading results are a vindication of our reforms and our amazing teachers' effort, which will allow our children to forge a truly global britain? i thank my honourable friend because she has raised a very i

but the dup has objected to the plan.ion to conclude what was agreed earlier today. child and pensioner poverty in britain — researchers say the gains of the past few years are unravelling. the supermarket that's not doing what it says on the tin — the co—op sells food that's past it best before date.

but the dup has already restated its position.l that, we knew we could not sign up to anything that was in that text that would allow a border to develop in the irish sea. needless to say this all came up in parliament today. here's the opposition. mr speaker, what an embarrassment. it is one thing to go to brussels and fall out with those on the other side of the negotiating table, it is quite another to go to brussels and fall out with those supposedly on your own side of the negotiating table. we recognise that as we exit we must respect the integrity of the eu single market and the customs union but we are equally clear we must respect the integrity of the united kingdom. and there was criticism from the prime minister's party too — who said she should say this to the eu. you need to change this process, and to back off. otherwise we get on with other arrangements. that was in westminster. in dublin, the irish prime minister had to face his own parliament. remember he thought there was a done deal — only to find out theresa ma

fromve a strong statement eileen foster of the dup. we were expecting also to hear irish issue and we haven't heard yet. perhaps it was the irish border that ultimately proved more difficult. mark: thank you, nejra cehic in brussels. the lunch that took place over three and a half hours, we will bring that to you on bloomberg television. we saw a big move in the pound on that tpc group toward that talks will not conclude with a positive outcome today. sterling is down by .1%. the mood today has been that tat positive because of the u.s. tax bill progress that we saw over the weekend but also because michel mep earlier. to juncker said and theresa may said there are going to be ongoing discussions this week. so many charts to show you. 6086.s it's a bitcoin chart. there are so many to show you. market making in bitcoin is proving to be no easy task. average three dollars 40 during weekday trading in october and november. that's twice the figure for one dollar 70 for gold over the same period. for all the talk of improving u.s. growth ta

entered the dup.s between northern ireland and the rest of the uk is totally u na cce pta ble. it might mean no border between northern ireland and the republic, but instead you would need checks between northern ireland and great britain. why? well there is our old friend the chlorine washed chicken. say the uk did its much discussed deal with the us and accepted deploring chicken, banned by the eu. to keep that pesky poultry out would require a border check either between great britain and northern ireland or northern ireland and the republic. but that is unacceptable either to the dup or the irish. so could the uk align itself entirely with eu rules in certain key areas? no borders, but then we couldn't agreed to buy us chicken. that could scupper our great plans for other trade deals. there is another problem. regulatory alignment is not necessarily enough to avoid any physical borders. for that you might need a customs union or agreeing the same set of external tariffs for goods arriving from non

the cabinet's been briefed this morning after discussions stalled when the dup said it would not accepthe proposed deal for the irish border. but in the commons this lunchtime, the brexit secretary, david davis, says he's still optimistic. as was made clear yesterday, all parties remain confident of reaching a positive conclusion in the course of the week. mr speaker, what an embarrassment. the last 24 hours have given a new meaning to the phrase coalition of chaos. we'll be live in westminster and belfast for all the latest. also this lunchtime: a warning for parents, sex offenders are exploiting the growing number of children using of live online streaming services. fresh hope for millions of people with type 2 diabetes — we'll have the results of a new trial that doctors are calling a watershed moment. mass evacuations in california — thousands of people flee their homes north of los angeles as a fast—moving wildfire rips through the area. a glimmer of hope for england at last in the ashes as they go into the final day needing 178 runs to win the second test. and in sport, we'll find

reporter: have you won over the dup, yet, prime minister?to convince those she thought we re plan to convince those she thought were on her side this. afternoon in the commons, facing questions about what went wrong. on monday, as she thought she was coming here to make a statement, it was vetoed by the leader of the dup, the tail really is wagging the dog here. the prime minister insisting that talks were moving forward. we are at the point of progressing on to the next stage. nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. so the final settlement won‘t be agreed until we have actually got the whole of the deal agreed. but i have to say to the right honourable gentleman, he asked me questions about hard borders. half the labour party wants it stay in the single market. half want to leave, the only hard border around is right down the middle of the labour party. on the cusp of an agreement on monday to try to settle the separation from the eu so talks can turn to future trade, the deal was scuppered by the democratic unionists, who pulled the

she does notjust have problems with the irish and the dup who took 2a hours to ta ke irish and the dupo take a call from the prime minister. she has got the eu a p pa re ntly minister. she has got the eu apparently bewildered over this and real problems, mutterings from the cabinet, but city is trying to stiffen her spine and the other group who have come out tonight, 20 mps saying don't walk away without a deal —— brexiteers trying. this is all tightrope stuff. the front page of the times as philip hammond's comments that britain could be paying £40 billion even if the trade talks fail, and you get the inside page and his colleague, david davis, not looking too happy. no! the picture tells a thousand words as they say also to hark back to philip hammond, what he is guilty of is being too honest. the problem for him recently has been that he speaks his mind and tell it as it is and thatis his mind and tell it as it is and that is difficult in politics! sometimes you wonder how he has got this far by being so honest. david davis was in front of the commons brexit, he first thing this mo

it is a question of the tories persuading the dup that it isn't worth the candle.ing to talk about the possibility that a brexit deal might not be possible at all. on the bbc, we have discussed this possibility many many times, the possibility of no deal, which all sides have said could come to pass but most have said they would rather you didn't. john is very critical of brexit and says, can we tearup very critical of brexit and says, can we tear up the article 50 letter. he says, if the uk wanted to change its mind, that it's possible, but there has been known sign from the uk government that that will happen. liam is asking what is the dup statement mean, well, it means they have a significant amount of leverage and that is because theresa may and the conservatives have an agreement with the dup and without that deal it would be almost impossible for the conservatives to get legislation through the house of commons and so the dup has a lot of sway which is why any plan for northern ireland and the irish border that theresa may proposes evidently is going to need

talks going on through the night with the dup.n edging towards an agreement which the dup, which the irish republic, which the european commission, and the british government seem to be happy with in terms of pushing on with those brexit negotiations. stay with those brexit negotiations. stay with us. much more still to come. hello there. 0ur our focus is 0urfocus is turning our focus is turning to snow and ice rather than stormy winds. we had gusts of 90 mph. there was travel disruption as well. the centre of storm carolyn leaving scotland and heading out towards scandinavia. around the back of that deep area of low pressure it is very windy for a time. we are drawing down some much colder air right the way across the country. that means there will be some more snow showers around. we have seen quite a bit of snow because parts of northern ireland and the snow and ice risk continues into friday. any disruption you can keep up—to—date on bbc local radio. so not unusual across northern scotland. there will be more blizzards likely

so the dup to their supporters have stood up dup to their supporters have stood upfor dup to their supportersthe only one of the fighters supported brexit at the referendum. other parties, the irish nationalists, who want to stay in the single market, said the dup did not act in the best interest of northern ireland and that the government should stand up to them. as far as government should stand up to them. as farasa government should stand up to them. as far as a way forward goes, the government have to find words to satisfy the irish government that there will not be any border post. if they want to keep the dup on board they have to find something to convince them that there will not be any checks between northern ireland and the rest of the uk. it will be a very difficult negotiating task. yes. we will watch it here. after you. sorry. in about ten minutes, we will discuss the breakdown over brexit talks and what it means for theresa may and the future... if we knew that, that would be great, wouldn't it? yes. within the last few minutes, it's been announced that train fares are set to r

more on what the dup are saying.ially disruptive weather on the cards over the next a8 hours. a warning has been issued by the met office so do be prepared. we could winds. see itmabbi-oug—i-r-jsg m'prhwi'nds: bandof rain see itmabbi-oug—i-r-jsg m'prhwi'nds: band of rain tracks i way see itmabbi-oug—i-r-jsg m'prhwi'nds: é eastwards tracks i way see itmabbi-oug—i-r-jsg m'prhwi'nds: é eastwards across i way see itmabbi-oug—i-r-jsg m'prhwi'nds: é eastwards across much y see itmabbi-oug—i-r-jsg m'prhwi'nds: é eastwards across much of the south eastwards across much of the country. it is going to be a mild start to thursday morning but a very windy one wherever you are. a spell of heavy rain but then the wind really picking up over esfiggimi if; and central into

‘s government insiders blame a misunderstanding, the dup prepare to play hardball. hours? also on the programme, a warning that sex offenders are using live online streaming platforms to groom children with almost 200 suspects arrested in one week alone.

well the dup say it is.ned in the good friday agreement and important to that agreement and that was overlooked during the eu referendum. and vote leave and the ministers who were part of that and now part of the government have a great deal of responsibility around that. if i were theresa may, and yes it is difficult but much of that is of her own making, i would look to reach out. she's only talking to one party in northern ireland and should be talking to all the parties in northern ireland. she's only reaching out to that one party when she should be reaching out to the labour party, the liberal democrats, the snp. everyone is willing to make compromises in this difficult situation and in parliament of minorities there is the opportunity to reach out to other political parties the way there often is not when you have a majority but it requires a cultural change at westminster. and with devolved administrations, no one party has overall majority and we need a change of culture in westminster. thank very m

what did you see that now the dup... the dup does not have any veto.es have a veto, they are uncomfortable with that veto because they keep trying to say it is not veto, it is the eu. it is clear the eu have given a veto to the irish republic, they are flexing their muscles and using their position to try to gain winds were them. i don't argue with their desire to advance their interests, but they are doing so in a reckless way that is putting at risk years of good angle irish relations. —— anglo irish. there is a tone of aggression from the irish republic with the current administration. they are the ones in danger of bringing about problems with the use of a veto, not us. problems with the use of a veto, not us. the text that you received yesterday morning, did the government change it? the government have been clear about the red lines. we talk to them and we have been clear to them and then clear to us. but as i have said previously, what matters is the text, the words that are used in text and an international treaties and agreements. it is vitall

the dup said the plans aimed to stop a ha rd dup said the plans aimed to stop a hard border were note. jeremy corbyn attacked what he said was a coalition of chaos. after monday's shambles, is the prime minister now able to end the confusion and clearly outline what the outline's position is now with regard to the irish border?” the outline's position is now with regard to the irish border? i am happy to outline the position with the border on northern ireland. it is exactly the position i took in florence and have taken consistently in the negotiation we can assure the reason no hard border between northern ireland and the republic of ireland. we will do that while we respect the constitutional integrity of the united kingdom. while we respect the internal market and protect the internal market the united kingdom. those labour members who shout, how? that is the whole point of the second phase of the negotiations. because we will deliver this. we aim to deliver this is part of our overall trade deal between the united kingdom and the european union. jeremy corbyn turned to comments

the prime minister and the dup are yet to talk directly today.trol of her relationships with her friends or rivals. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. the dup leader, arlene foster, said tonight that the proposal being discussed yesterday in brussels — about resolving the irish border question — had come as a big shock. at the heart of the dup‘s concerns was the prospect of reinforcing ties between the north and the republic and potential new differences emerging within the uk. our ireland correspondent, chris buckler, has been to county antrim to examines the unionists' concerns. from the port at larne harbour, every day trucks and trade make the journey across the irish sea to britain. unionists say the rest of the uk is northern ireland's most important market, not the european union. and in this town, some were concerned by a brexit deal that focussed on interests on this island rather than across these isles. focussed on interests on this island rather than across these islesm would mean a united ireland. we need to keep hold of our be

dup don't like.t a much brighter prospect than we were earlier this week. it is good news, in terms of the relationship between the uk and ireland. it doesn't solve all the questions by any means, but good news elsewhere in terms of the protection of irish citizens rights. they would be counted citizens of the european union, more clarity than we do expect. in a moment a summary of the business news this hour. but first, the headlines on bbc newsroom live. a breakthrough over brexit as the prime minister strikes a last this minute deal with the eu, to move talks on to the bbc understands britain will have to pay between 35 when it leaves the eu. in other news, nearly nearly 200,000 residents have been evacuated from their homes in california as wildfires continue to rage. in the business news: shortlived excitement — the pound jumps on news of the brexit breakthrough and then falls back. and businesses say more clarity is needed on what this means for them — and we'll be talking about this more in a

if the dup we re scenes what is happening. if the dup were not aware.if theresa may had to come out of that lunch at the time to have the conversations, if the dup had to then make their own statement, basically, telling us all that they are not satisfied with the talks. to be fair they have looked ha pless talks. to be fair they have looked hapless at times. but this is unchartered territory. we have never had to deal with something as big as this for a long time. on both sides, it is easy for the eu to be intransigent. so what you have to remember, this is a deal to get a deal. we are not anywhere yet! we are read being deals and deadlines, people thinking it is sorted but it isa people thinking it is sorted but it is a deal tojust people thinking it is sorted but it is a deal to just start talking about trade. exactly. what was interesting, yesterday when the eu said that they we re yesterday when the eu said that they were working until sunday, the working week goes up until sunday so that this means this could go up to the wire. eurocrats working a

did the dup do the right thing, mrjones?ake sure that whatever arrangements are put in place are satisfactory to them. why do you think mrs may thought it would be acceptable to stay in the single market and customs union in all but name in northern ireland? again, i'm not the person to ask because the people to ask other people who are advising mrs may.- you think that was a good idea? clearly there should have been clarity. of course but the principle of what was being suggested, do you back that? no, ithink it's extremely difficult to see how you can have wholly separate arrangements for northern ireland as against the rest of the uk, but nevertheless of course northern ireland has always been a very special case and special arrangements have for some time been made over the border. therefore you can understand the snp saying if there's going to be a distinct and unique dealfor there's going to be a distinct and unique deal for northern there's going to be a distinct and unique dealfor northern ireland as opposed to a uk

the dup and the irish government and at the moment they want very different things.g a compromise, people have spoken time and again that involving a uk wide deal but as far as trade negotiations are concerned that is something theresa may desperately wa nts to something theresa may desperately wants to avoid and relationships meanwhile between belfast and dublin continued to deteriorate and we had the dup today saying leo varadkar is playing a dangerous game by even suggesting that these talks could potentially just hold off suggesting that these talks could potentiallyjust hold off until the new year. if nothing happens next week at the summit. they say that is a dangerous game. and leo varadkar has been also saying be aware that the dup does not speak for everyone in northern ireland, there are other parties there and of course there is this point, sinn fein now starting to raise the issue of this time and again and tonight they are having the first of a number of rallies, talking about what was ireland needs in this. so you have a political situation that is beco

, because what is needed is that the dup back what's going on.f they don't get that, theresa may will not go ahead with that trip and the latest we understand is that the talks to try to finalise all of these are expected to go on until these are expected to go on until the early hours of the morning. the foreign secretary, borisjohnson, says he will travel to iran in the next few days to urge the release on humanitarian grounds of dual nationals who are being held there. they include the british iranian mother nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe, who has been imprisoned since last april on charges of trying to overthrow the regime, which she denies. her husband, who's been campaigning for her release, has welcomed the news. he's been speaking to our correspondent caroline hawley. this was nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe, with her daughter, gabriella, just a week before her arrest. she has been behind bars now for 19 months, held first in solitary confinement and now in a communal cell, accused of spying. on sunday she has been told she will be back in court to

gave the dup a veto over brexit.inister had a deal, only to take this off the table after a call with the dup. is this a prime minister who is in office but not in power? what... what we are doing is working for a deal that will work for the whole of the united kingdom. there are particular circumstances for northern ireland because it is the one part of the united kingdom that shares a land border with the country that will be remaining in the european union. but as we look ahead, and during the negotiations, as the honourable gentleman will know, we are consulting and talking with all parts of the united kingdom, with the welsh government and the scottish government and we want to ensure that we get the right deal for the uk and that's the deal that i've set out, we'll be leaving the european union, we will be leaving the single market, we will be leaving the customs union, but we will ensure that we get that good trade deal. let's mull over all things brexit. i'm joined by liz kendall, the snp ki rsty i'm joined b

to deal done with the dup keep the prime minister in office gave the dup a veto over brexit. it is embarrassing it was briefed monday morning, that the prime minister had a deal, only to take it after a call with the dup. is this a prime minister that is in office, but not in power? working for the whole of the united kingdom. the one part of the united kingdom that shares a border with the country that will be remaining in the european union. as we look ahead during the negotiation, as the honorable gentleman will know, we are consulting and talking. we are all part of the united kingdom, the welsh government and scottish government. we want to get the right deal for the u.k. the deal i will set out, we will leave the european union, the customs market, the single market, but get a good deal for the future. >> mr. speaker, the clock is ticking and we need a deal that keeps us in the single market and customs union. otherwise you will devastate our economy and cost jobs. will the prime minister -- anything less will be a failure of leadership. say, youi have to continue to ba

if there is no deal, that would mean no dup.there is no deal, we don't know what kind of regulatory line the eu would decide as a whole they wanted to implement. this is something david davis was alluding to when there was the whole confusion over what alignment meant. he was talking about some of this alignment being for the u.k., but i guess that is a can of worms that someone on the hard brexit side would not be happy with. manus: one or two other breaking lines, the great brexit discussion, sorry to interrupt. the south african retailer dropped by nearly 45%. it is under pressure, some management changes. it looks to be under a little more pressure at the start of trade today. anna: more lines about talking about alignment is up to the u.k. to design that. do you think this question of alignment, this is going to become very much part of the overall trade agreement that will be forged between now or after transition is forged? maybe between parallel between now and march of 2019? what will you be looking for to make this a g

the dup refused a series of interview requests.ecause the then dup education minister, peter weir, wouldn't give clearance for it to be published. the dup refused a series of interview requests. reporter: ijust wanted to ask you... but when we caught up with the party's former minister at a constituency event, he denied shelving the report. you will find different communities will find themselves under levels of pressure at school, and i think that's something which need to combated across the board. do you think unionists could be doing more to make sure that lgbt pupils feel welcome? i'm not quite sure why you're particularly saying unionists in that regard. we have spoken to some and they're upset because of same—sex marriage, they're upset because of comments that have been made by unionist politicians, dup politicians in the past. well, i think that people should always try and be sensitive in their comments. obviously from my own party point of view, in terms of same—sex marriage, we've a particular definition that we believe

even with a good solution that people like, it has to nail it down for the dup and for dublin.ying they don't want a ha rd seems to be saying they don't want a hard border, dup on their website and their twitter feed make hard border, dup on their website and their twitterfeed make it hard border, dup on their website and their twitter feed make it clear no hard border, nobody wants one but no hard border, nobody wants one but no one has a solution to this problem. like i said, crowd sourced it. i've got a multitude of degrees, i can't figure it out. —— crowd source. send it to myself and @borisjohnson please! it's an interesting point you make, the speed of technological change, is there a way that could be ready to function? it doesn't look like it is here yet. if i can put a positive spin on this, at least everybody is pushing in the same direction, which is they don't want a hard border between north and south. that is the good news. we will see how that pans out. a critical few days ahead for theresa may on brexit issues. possibly a critical few days for rex tillerson as w

there is the dup leader who is about to make a statement.orning emanating from the european union exit talks, in particular on the border between the united kingdom and the republic of ireland. we wanted to make a statement in relation to our position. we have been very clear northern ireland must leave the european union on the same terms as the rest of the united kingdom. we will not accept any form of regulatory divergences which separates northern ireland economically or politically from the re st of economically or politically from the rest of the uk. the economic and constitutional integrity of the united kingdom must not be compromised in any way. her majesty is government understands the position of this party. the prime minister has told the house of commons there will be no border in the irish sea. the prime minister has been clearer the uk is leaving the european union as a whole. and the european union as a whole. and the territorial and economic integrity of the uk will be maintained. we want to ensure the common travel area is

the prime minister and dup are yet to talk directly today.with friends or rivals. 0ur ireland correspondent chris buckler is in stormont now. this border issue is turning out to be hugely complex, what are the prospects of the solution? everybody has the same goal, nobody wants a ha rd has the same goal, nobody wants a hard border, customs posts, but how you achieve that they cannot agree and the irish government are determined they had a deal that saw no regulatory differences between the two parts, northern ireland and the two parts, northern ireland and the republic, but the dup say they will not accept differences between northern ireland and the rest of the uk. 0ne northern ireland and the rest of the uk. one solution has been put forward by ruth davidson, for the whole of the uk to stick to some rules and regulations the eu will have. some within government are against that because it could tie their hands in the trade talks they are desperately trying to get to. meanwhile this has left relationships between belfast and dublin antagonis

the prime minister and dup are yet to talk directly today. lord trimble, former first minister of northern ireland and one of the architects of the good friday agreement. i asked him why the language in yesterday's document outlining a deal on the border, had been so important? the irish government behaved yesterday and as i understood today as if what was being discussed was something that was going to have the regulatory arrangements common to northern ireland, republic of ireland into the future and that is not the position of the british government as i understand it. i understand this regulatory alignment is only going to apply to existing cooperative arrangements and not any future ones and does not have general application. a hugely different position. and it is that difference that causes the problem because the irish brief, the journalists who came away with the briefing saying that this was going to apply generally and that caused huge difficulties for the dup. some people would say this is pretty great stuff, regulatory alignment,

so potentially you do have political problems there and given the conservatives are relying on the dupt westminster, that could be a significant one. chris buckler, thank you, from dublin. adam fleming is in brussels. we heard in your earlier report that this is potentially a big moment in brussels. does this mean that going forward , brussels. does this mean that going forward, it unlocks the door and trade talks will begin? it certainly feels like that today in brussels but the eu does not run on feelings. it runs on documents with lots of words in them. we will have to wait and see this joint document which will be published at some point after lunch by both sides which will show all the commitments they have made in the first phase of brexit talks, for example, what wording have they actually agreed to solve, for now, the irish border issue? the wording will really matter. we understand that in something like paragraph a5, what is in the preceding 44 paragraphs that could go down well or badly back home in westminster for the buy minister. quickly, the action will move from the eur

the prime minister and the dup are yet to talk directly today.tionships with friends or rivals. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. our political correspondent eleanor garnier is at westminster for us this evening. the obvious place to start is iain duncan smith's intervention. do you get the impression that brexiteers, particularly tory ones, think the dup has created an opportunity to push the government towards a more laps, rather less conciliatory position? i think among the brexiteers there is a growing sense of running out of patience. to put it one way. they say, look, we have already given the eu a whole load more money, talked about the role of the european court ofjustice when it comes to citizens rights during that transition period, that period when things will stay pretty much as they are for now, so the government, businesses and others can get used to life outside the eu. brexiteers like iain duncan smith say, this is all a like iain duncan smith say, this is alla game, we like iain duncan smith say, this is all a game, we nee

mrs may was on the phone to the dup leader today. but still no sign of agreement.r threat. ireland's leader wants a promise of free trade and no hard north/south border. and he would veto the start of trade talks at next week's eu summit to get it. if it is not possible to move to phase two next week because of the problems that have arisen, then we can pick it up of course in the new year. the prime minister spoke to him on the phone today, too. still no sign of another meeting in brussels this week. the president of the european commission, jean—claude juncker‘s spokesman went so far today as to say his boss wanted to prevent mrs may's government from collapsing. so, how clear is britain's future after brexit? not at all, according to the brexit secretary today. david davis only handed over files on business and brexit reluctantly. mps accepted he had met the demands of the commons, but today he also told them no estimates of the cost to business had been done. it would be a game changer but guesswork was pointless. look at the chairman's face. so, there isn't on

the government have been trying to get the dup onside.ay is trying to get the negotiations put forward. the d'you cup the dup not saying much but it looks like the prime minister could be travelling to brussels tomorrow, we know that donald tusk is making a statement and we could get the break through. the dup were unhappy with the idea that northern ireland would end up with regulations similar to the european union, while the rest of the uk had something different. what has changed ? the uk had something different. what has changed? that's the main question. what form of words, what precise language has gone into this d raft precise language has gone into this draft agreement that is then to be circulated to eu leaders. remember this is all about getting brexit talks on to trade to the second phase. but it centres around the issue of what happens around the irish border. ireland are clear that they want to see northern ireland remain in and it yep regulations, in tandem with ireland after brexit. that will be britain's frontier with the

sinn fein came within one seat of drawing level with the dup after a bitterly divisive campaign.w weeks later, the death of sinn fein‘s martin mcguinness, northern ireland's former deputy first minister. martin mcguinness was a freedom fighter! even now, there's still no sign of a breakthrough so that power—sharing can be restored at stormont. saving for a rainy day, chancellor? back in london, philip hammond gave the first of his two budgets this year. theresa may was really looking forward to it, as the chancellor said it would prepare britain for brexit. it provides a strong and stable platform for those negotiations. strong and stable — the phrase we'd all get bored of. on the 22nd of march, a terrorist ploughed through pedestrians on westminster bridge, killing four and injuring 50. he then stabbed to death a policeman just outside the houses of parliament. he was later shot dead. the first three months of the year in westminster and beyond had already provided plenty to fill the airwaves and the newspapers. and then, a surprise announcement no—one saw coming. i have just ch

speaker the deal done with , the dup to keep the prime minister in office gave the dup a veto over brexit. it is embarrassing it was being briefed on monday morning that the prime minister had a deal, only to take it off the table after a call with the dup. is that a prime minister who is in office but not in power? [jeers] prime minister: what we are doing is working for the whole of the united kingdom. particular circumstances in northern ireland because it is the one part of the united kingdom that shares a land border with a country that will be remaining in the european union. but as we look ahead during the negotiation, as the honorable gentleman will know, we are consulting and talking. with all parts of the united kingdom the welsh government and , scottish government. we want to ensure that we get the right deal for the united ,ingdom, a deal that i set out we will be leaving the european union the customs market, the , single market, but get a good trade deal for the future. >> young blackbird! the clock is ticking and we need >> mr. speakerthe clock is ticking and we need a dea

they were so taken aback by the dup phone call she received while in brusselsjust a few by the dup phoneed while in brussels just a few days before and the people in the room describe it in such awestruck tones, like "we saw her as if her government was going to crumble around her" you know, they were taken around her" you know, they were ta ken by around her" you know, they were taken by that. the fact sheet could turn that around by, let's face it, we will hear about ireland later, keating became down the road, but the fact that we have got past phase one “— the fact that we have got past phase one —— keating became down the road. the fact we have a real sight of relief —— kicking the can down the road. you know, iwas relief —— kicking the can down the road. you know, i was still calling people yesterday on a sunday and i am amazed they take my calls on sunday. i was marching in the countryside on the phone talking about, i was saying "attitude towards the uk, negative" no, are sort of feeling buoyed by what happened. interesting in the press co nfe re nce happened. interesting in the

but a dup source of more caution, instead saying they are still working.ut perhaps fuelling this speculation, donald tusk, the president of the european council, he will be making a statement later this morning giving an update on brexit negotiations. so nothing confirmed yet but things appear to be moving in the right direction. thank you very much, sarah. yes, brexit negotiations running 24/7 at the moment. thanks forjoining us. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. a judge in argentina has asked for the arrest of the former president, cristina fernandez de kirchner. he said she had deliberately hidden evidence of iranian involvement, in the deadly bombing of a jewish cultural centre in buenos aires more than two decades ago. the polish prime minister, beata sidwa, has resigned, despite easily surviving an opposition no—confidence motion. she'd lost the support of her party leader and it's understood that the finance minister, mateusz morawiecki, has been nominated to take over. russia says it's mission accomplished in its fight

here, it appears the dup got wind that there may have been some hardness re— occurring there in terms the agreement that the british prime minister was achieving with the eu and they have put their foot down. this illustrates how collocated this process is, isn't it? all the various different elements that have to be considered and agreed upon before you can move forward. i remember when this entire process began and article 50 was triggered, we we re began and article 50 was triggered, we were talking about the timeframe and whether that was really realistic given the public had a process that it is. you are right about the complex nature of it and it is all boiling down. there will be other issues as well. this particular one is interesting, she is caught between the dup and northern ireland, propping up the british government with their vote in parliament, the primus of southern ireland as saying that they have an agreement that they do not wa nt have an agreement that they do not want a hard water. the key here is the conservative party for the prime minister because they want to

she needs the support of the dup and then get the eu side on board as well. a tall order.om westminster. and we'll find out how this story — and many others — are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10:1i0pm this evening in the papers. our guestsjoining me tonight are michael booker, deputy editor of the daily express and lainy malkani, journalist and author. the foreign secretary, borisjohnson, says he's to visit the iranian capital, tehran, very shortly. he will urge the release on humanitarian grounds of dual nationals including nazanin zaghari ratcliffe, the british—iranian woman who has been held there since april last year on charges of trying to overthrow the regime — which she denies. our diplomatic correspondent, james robbins, has been giving us the latest. borisjohnson boris johnson announced his borisjohnson announced his imminent visit himself that he made clear it was planned and that the urging of release is not the sole purpose of the visit. he said he would be raising other issues. in this case, it is right, borisjohnson had to apologise to parliament for