affected after revealing he voted remain in the eu referendum. his spokeswoman said the way he cast his ballot had no impact on his ability to deal fairly with all mp5. labour's deputy leader, tom watson, says the party's leadership is "settled for this parliament". he played down reports that mr corybn has been encouraged to improve his popularity ratings and that the party is vetting potential leadership successors. german police have evacuated hundreds of passengers at hamburg airport after an unknown substance caused breathing problems amongst passengers. now on bbc news — it's time for politics europe. hello and welcome to politics europe. theresa may's timetable for brexit talks looks to be intact after mps in westminster overwhelmingly vote to trigger article 50. with the start of brexit talks just weeks away, who will the uk government be negotiating with? we report from brussels on the eu's brexit negotiators. the eu's trade commissioner warns donald trump against protectionist measures and promises to push for fair trade. we take a look

we take a look at how the eu is responding to president trump. we should have new legislation for robots? why not? and, should we be worried about the rise of the robots? why members of the european parliament are demanding new regulations to protect humans from artificial intelligence. so, all that to come and more in the next half—hour. first, our guide to the latest from europe in just 60 seconds. mps overwhelmingly agreed to let the government begin the uk's departure from the eu as they voted for the brexit bill. the ayes to the right, 494. the noes to the left, 122. romania's prime minister insisted he won't resign, despite mass protest calling for him and his cabinet to step down over a now abandoned corruption measure with many saying they have lost trust in their leaders. following a surge in fighting in eastern ukraine between government forces and russian—backed separatists, eu foreign ministers condemned the attacks on civilians. 23 of the 28 member states are breaching air—quality standards, according to the european commission. it r

and we intend relaunching the eu. t the end of march in rome for the 60th anniversary of the rome treaty. with the aim of celebrating the results so far. but also to look at the mission of the eu in the next ten yea rs mission of the eu in the next ten years in detail. and taking into account the fact it may be necessary to have different levels of integration, which is apparent since a little time. and as mrs may said, we will continue to foster good co—operation between our two countries, and in the days ahead, not only thinking of the uk and eu negotiation, but also for the period that we are living in italy. finally, we seem a little bit of growth. —— we see growth. u nfortu nately not growth. —— we see growth. unfortunately not as strong as we would like it to be. but i want to reiterate here that we continue with the reforms and the application of these reforms. so the italian government shows continuity with what has been done in the last two or three years. and we wish to ensure stability for what needs to be d

let me deal with the question. euratom and eure a common framework including european court of justice, rolled framework including european court ofjustice, rolled forward the equation and decision—making of the council. making them uniquely legally joined. council. making them uniquely legallyjoined. triggering article 50 also entails giving notice to leave euratom, the nuclear industry isa leave euratom, the nuclear industry is a key strategic importance to the uk and we have been clear that this does not affect our intention to maintain close and effective arrangements relating to civil and nuclear cooperation safeguards and safety with europe and the rest of the world. and now mr speaker let me move on to the role of parliament. my move on to the role of parliament. my right honourable friend, the prime ministers set out our plans for a withdrawal in the speech at lancaster house. she has confirmed that parliament will have its say on the final deal we achieve with the european union by putting that deal toa european union by

that's where the eu's position is today. ese prime minister and i'm quoting to you the german finance minister. if you want to play quotes, i can quote you francois hollande, who has consistently said the uk is going to pay a very high price. francois hollande will not be in the elysee when we do the negotiations. but look, you're quite right, there is a range of different views. but from the spanish foreign minister through to michel barnier, the chief negotiator, who has said, for example, on the vexed issue of uk financial services, he has pointed out, hey, hold on a minute here, given that britain puts £1 trillion worth of finance into european companies, actually, if we turn around and have a rational, vindictive being the differential approach to these negotiations... yes, it may hurt britain. we ought to stop talking about beggar thy neighbour protectionism and start looking for the win—win. and the point i was making about wolfgang schauble, and i think the same can be said for angela merkel, and michel barnier, is th

the eu.s will allow parliament to send the bill on forfurther amending and scrutiny, before it becomes law. our assistant political editor, norman smith, is at westminster with the latest. what are we going to find out? probably very little. i think most people expect it to simply flesh out what theresa may already set out in the speech she made the other day at lancaster house. it will be seen as, if you like, a concession to those conservative mps and potential rebels who will be demanding sheep produce a formal government white paper. they will now get that. —— she produce. the question now is whether the bandwagon has become virtually unstoppable, at least here. last night's vote with a thumping majority of 384, which suggests theresa may is on cruise control at the westminster end of things. it may be different in brussels. let me mull that over with a prominent leave campaigner. do you think the westminster end, to reza may is now unstoppable? dashed to reza may. let's rewind. there was

the eu 522922" is at fog'but the eu 522922" is at the but the eu 522922" is at the butt of it was mmas it was with brexit, are ._2up2- with austerity ——2 % they .2.2 see a 533 $2,212.12; 52-4313 53; ifléfjsiii changing rapidly society that is changing rapidly and and efi’i’i society that is changing rapidly and and whatever % corn -assion was com-assion was ma be a few the compassion was maybe a few years ago, towards syria, there is compassion fatigue even in previously liberal countries. you see a problem of absorption, countries resisting, how to absorb massive changes in their pluralistic society. i think to pick up what mina was saying when we looks at 2017, i think be prepared for the unexpected and i don't know what that is, but when you have bans on muslims, citizens from seven dominant muslim nations from the united states, that is a propaganda victory for anti—western, anti—america muslim force, that mean there's is potentially something or, or there are many things brewing that could unsettle us in terrible ways. we saw the luef attack this week which fortunately was thwart

the eu mustcity on never be seen as an alternative. ther it must be complemented and integrated in the overall state. that, there has always been a very important role. strength of989, the moving overare now to have revealed and programs. in other areas, there are military corporations, and social security, we are protecting our borders, there is a lot of initiatives that are also feeding into european initiatives. there is one central issue that i would like to address. see that the initiative in the conflict between the russia and that russia nation and report, i can not yet that we have all the points of the mixed -- makes agreement. that is inhing porter, we are going to continue to keep it safe, because the people are very insecure, they are very afraid. the makes agreement leaves me to nato. the importance of nato i feel, highlightedmarks a -- it is related to the annexation of crimea, and the conflict in the ukraine where russia is supporting this effort. that is something that saddens and worries me. what is that matter when it

ambassador to the eu. good morning. to ask you about -- >> running a program for nonexecutive erectors. reporter: current job -- guy: there has been some speculation that you may be the next u.s. ambassador to the eu. can you give us clarity? >> as i is set i've obviously talked to the president, been interviewed by the transition team for that job. other than that there is nothing to report. one way tour nomination. one does not get a nomination. currently waiting for the confirmation of secretary of state rec -- wrecks tillerson which just happened. deputies,vestors, under secretaries in the state department will be named. these decisions will be forthcoming. sometimes the new u.s. administration sometimes does not understand the eu. what are your thoughts? reporter: sometimes the eu doesn't understand the eu. a fairly bureaucratic organization that is very difficult to explain internally and externally. it takes time to understand what the eu is. history, where it has been, where it is going. its current state, its a

sanctions from the eu in the u.s. have weighed on the russian economy since the annexation of crimea. many see the trump presidency is a chance to build bridges. russia's export focused industries are hoping that they will -- >> donald trump has built a snowman in his honor. but in truth, he is scared the frosty relationship with the u.s. could be about to end. his cheese business is thriving because of the ban russia imposed on fresh fruit imports. if there is talk of lifting the sanctions, we will appeal to vladimir putin as a result. we might protest in favor of keeping them. that then left the sanctions but raise taxes on foreign producers. russia introduced the band in response to the sanctions imposed by western nations including the u.s. after putin and next crimea -- annexed crimea. >> there are people and sections of the russian economy that benefit from sanctions. >> farmers making a good living, the prospect of once again having to compete with chief imports have left them feeling pretty cheesed off. >> to

the 2008 eu amendment act made clear that the term eu as used in legislation includes uratum. nisations as the eu. so asa the same organisations as the eu. so as a matter of eu law, as well as uk law, the treaties are uniquely joined. triggering article 50 also entails giving notice to leave uratum. while our future relationship will be a matter for the negotiations, the prime minister has been clear this is a priority area. our nuclear industry remains of strategic importance and leaving does not affect our aim of seeking to maintain effective arrangements for civil nuclear cooperation—a—guards and trade with europe and our international partners. sub section 2 of clause 2 makes clear that the power to trigger article 50 may be conferred on the prime minister regardless of any restrictions in other legislation including the european communities act of 1972. so this bill is the legal means by which to give the prime minister power to commence withdrawal negotiations and nothing more. my lords, this bill is nothing more. my lords, this bill is not the place to try to shape the t

instead, it makes a simple plea to the eu. ip with one of the world's great trading nations? joining me now to discuss this is the italian deputy foreign minister mario giro. thank you for talking to us. when you sit down as the 27, without us, what do you talk about, what is the mood in the room, what do you think? do they say it will be easy or difficult? will we be a pushover? for both. and it's a failure. we are all responsible. and we have to act quickly and with fairness. quickly also, because i know it's very complicated and we don't know exactly how to handle it. it's the first time. there is the example of greenland, but years and years ago, that was a little thing. the uk is a big thing. i say that we need to be quick because the financial markets left us no time. it's in everybody‘s interest that it is quick and smooth. you've had a quick glance at the white paper. you heard theresa may's speech and you know the british position. what do you think is not going to be deliverable, or will it all be deliverable? everyth

controlling embrace from the eu. e uk and the rights of uk nationals living in the eu. protecting and enhancing existing workers‘ rights. ensuring free trade with european markets whilst forging a new strategic partnership with the european union, including a bold and amount bigs free trade agreement, a mutual beneficial new customs agreement. forging free trade agreements with count aacross the word. ensuring the uk remains the best place for science and innovation. cooperating in the fight against crime and terrorism. finally, delivering a smooth and orderly exit from the eu. these 12 objectives amount to one goal, a new, positive and constructive partnership between britain and the eu that works in our mutual interest. all of them are key. but let me highlight some of the specific issues in the white paper. it reiterates our firm view that it is in the uk‘s interest for the eu to succeed politically and economically. that cannot be said too firmly. we want the eu to succeed politically and economically. so, we appr

it's really hard to imagine the eu falling apart. s it? to go back to your question, let's imagine marine le pen becomes france's next president. she is very astute because she's not going to hold a referendum about belonging to the european union, because the french feel too much european to vote, to go for that. but what she will do is a referendum on the euro, and she's likely to win it. it's very unpopular in france? unpopular enough to tilt it to 51%. that would be the end. if it was on the euro in a number of european countries with greece being a possible example, germany, who knows? it's a false referendum because it is a kind of brexit referendum in the sense that if you have widespread discontent and people can think they can blame economic malaise on the euro and that will fix it, then of course they will vote against it. but that won't fix it. then you have to have politicians brave enough to say that, but that's rare. where does this leave britain? you could say that, in voting for brexit, the british have decided they wi

just now the moods almost amicable. euboat ride together today but hard negotiations to come will decide how far britain stays aboard with europe's future or whether the uk is left to chart its own course alone. john pienaar, bbc news, valetta. a bbc news investigation has revealed how sheffield city council failed to stop an employee, a predatory sex offender, from abusing his victims in council offices over two decades. roger dodds has been sentenced today to 16 years in prison. the council was first told about the allegations against dodds back in 1981 but didn't inform the police. years later, following further allegations, they allowed him to take early retirement with an enhanced pension. michael buchanan has the story. cheering 1980, olympic gold for seb coe. celebrating in the athlete's parents‘ front room — a sexual predator. at this very time, roger dodds was abusing young men at sheffield city council. today, the court heard, he used his friendship with seb coe to lure a boy to sheffield and abuse him. after esc

there are those who see the ills of the eu as being greater than the merits of the eu. d peace at the heart of europe for over 70 years, should not be ignored or taken for granted. i think one of the issues has been complacency, whether it is in europe that we may disagree but there is peace. that is a hard one and the eu has been instrumental this. sometimes it is hard to believe that the eu has won the nobel peace prize. i think what happens in the us affects liberal democracies round the world. we will see this push for illiberal force, nationalism with an ugly side rather than patriotism coming up. that will affect europe and how it goes forth. so elections are a... but what happens after elections, we saw the brexit referendum here and there were huge divisions in society. nobody has worked out saying, how do we still live together and how will brexit work for britain's identity going forward? the same is true for europe, having to think, what is the eu like if you have the uk out of it and if you have large numbers of people going out to vote as being against immig

we don't have to do things because the eu says that's how it has got to be done. ect can give us the best policy or the country that we want to be. of course, douglas would say that, i don't see this as a dark cell. the point is we'll never know. but putting aside the emotion, let's say we leave and the prime minister has made it very clear that if we don't get a deal, we will leave without a deal and fall back on wto obligations. we can erect no trade defences to any country. we're opening for dumping of chinese steel and any imports from anywhere around the country. that's not stretching ourlimbs in the the country. that's not stretching our limbs in the sunlight, that's a practical decision that my constituents who voted to leave expect me to have a point of view on and more importantly those who are tasked with carrying this out to get it right. the one thing we have heard in there and we saw some stirring speeches from members who have never seen i have never seen stirring speeches from members who have never seen i have never seen so animated before, all righ

also in the programme: brexit — round one. as euather in malta — its prime minister calls for a "fair deal" for britain — but warns it will pay a price for leaving. and following the announcement that snapchat will be listing on the us stock market, today we want to know — would you buy shares in a company with a limited track record of turning a profit? in fact, it has not made a profit. the value of facebook has tripled since it went public in 2012, but will snapchat be a similar success? do you snapchat? in the last few hours the social networking company has filed documents to float its shares on the new york stock exchange. it's likely to be the biggest ipo in the technology world since facebook floated in 2012. for those of you who don't use it — it's kind of the opposite of facebook — instead of making a permanent record of your life it lets you send picture messages that then disappear. here are some figures. according to the company — 158 million people use snapchat every day to send picture messages oi’ snaps. that's nothi

just now the moods almost amicable. euders took a boat ride together today but hard negotiations to come will decide how far britain stays aboard with europe's future or whether the uk is left to chart its own course alone. john pienaar, bbc news, valetta. damian grammaticas is in valetta. european leaders making sure they stand shoulder to shoulder over there in malta? yes, absolutely. interestingly, i was told by a source in there while the talks are going on that they had rarely seen so going on that they had rarely seen so much unity amongst the eu countries in recent months. today they actually did all of them reach a significant agreement on trying to stop the migrant flows across the mediterranean from libya, just as they've done from turkey, it's controversial because it means trying to get libya to keep migrants in libya, but the source said there was no argument at all, even the difficult countries in the past like hungary and poland raised no objections. in fact, they said that this was a time for unity, not for

the eu and the us. not a good way to go.hey feel they have to have it tough talk with donald trump. i think it is the opposite. i think they should be more engaging. the eu and the us have so much in common in terms of export and import. they are on the same page. donald trump is trying to fight people dumping. that is what countries and america want. they have to tone down the tough talk. they should be more engaged. they both need each other. it is interesting. much of the tough talking is coming from peter, the head of the new organisation of donald trump, the national trade council, talking about the weakness of the europe, how that benefits germany and angela merkel. none of this bodes well for the transatlantic trade and investment partnership, ttip,, which 0bama was talking about with the eu. you do not hear much about ttip. it is more about the tpp and now nafta. they are fighting for market share. if you are looking at good competition for the us, especially with auto, it is germany. so they are trying to push thing

it would not be fair towards the members of the eu and our taxpayers. others have sent a different message. even mr barnier, who is with all due re5pect more important to the negotiations than you because he is negotiating on behalf... he is negotiating on behalf... he is negotiating and we have to approve his negotiations. he is a negotiator and according to a leak the guardian got hold of, he told meps that there needed to be a special relationship between big finance and the city of london. that has been denied two time5 london. that has been denied two times by mr barnier. in the nature of politics he had to deny it because it was an authorised to lick. i was in that meeting and he never said it was a conference of committee chairs of the european parliament. he never said that. be a55ured parliament. he never said that. be assured of one thing, cherry picking, we shall not allow. when the german car industry pleads with the german car industry pleads with the german car industry pleads with the german government and says, be real, i'm quoting the h

migration is a major faultline within the eu. ean countries want our their partners far from these shores to resettle a share of the migrants, and many are reluctant. experts warn that alternative solutions, like paying african countries to take migrants back or trying to stop people from leaving libya, will be difficult and dangerous. i think the focus right now is to try and slow down or shut down the flow of people coming from libya. i don't think that's an achievable goal. i think if europe manages to shut down or blockade libya, there would be a displacement effect to neighbouring countries, and we would see boats departing from other areas. the people of malta are notjust worried about migration, of course. the island has close historic ties to the uk, and in places looks more british than britain itself. so might it be usefulfor the uk to know it has such a close ally among the 27 eu remainer states, when the time comes to cut a deal on brexit? there are ties, which are notjust historical, notjust cultural, but also emotion

you think the formulation of the eu simply doesn't work. it cannot survive. made an interesting point about the importance of nationstates. what donald trump is, avowedly a self—confessed american nationalists, "america first" is his message and that message, which is a nationalists message, is echoed across europe in different nationstates where politicians are winning with a nationalist message. it is not echoed. it is the opposite. it was first born in europe. nationalism has been born in europe. nationalism has not been born outside europe. more than that, i think it is a tricky thing which is happening. that is that an american president is bidding on more nationalism in europe. you know what nationalism in europe means? that's not nationalism based on values, it's nationalism in europe based on ethnicity. and what nationalism has done in the last 100 years in europe, we all know it! 20 million victims, all of this is based on nationalism. so an american president thinking, "0h, european unity is not necessary, let's go back to national identity, ideas of

but what could happen is that those in the eu who wa nt to happen is that those in the eu who want toffer our support deal to tempt parliament into voting the deal down, so there was no deal at all. why is he so worried about the house of commons? why is he scared? i'm supporting government, offering this house a vote, and the government can't deny the house they vote. but it's important for those who want to go further and press the government for more this approach should understand... it could be deeply damaging to the united kingdom negotiating position. let's return now to our correspondent who's inside the house of commons. the confusion is that the government says it won't this seek further negotiations with the eu the government votes down its brexit deal. they are pushing for a meaningful vote, so they don't want to be rubber—stamping a deal that has been signed off by teresa may and the eu parliament, they want the option to send it back to the negotiating table. the labourfront bench welcomed it, that since then, on more discussion, mps are not as happy. what do you make of

malta holds the rotating presidency of the eu. prime minister, joseph muscat, has been clear britain can't have its cake and eat it too. he has told the european parliament this. "we want a fair deal for the united kingdom." but and it's a big but "that deal necessarily needs to be inferior to membership." there is also huge time pressure. assuming britain formally gives its two—year leaving notice next month, known as "triggering article 50" of the lisbon treaty, mr muscat says they must agree a brexit deal by october. that's so it has time to be ratified by member states and the european parliament before the uk is formally out. then there's the small matter of this, the uk's bill for quitting the eu. as much as 60 billion euros is what britain will owe, according to some in europe, taking into account its share of budget commitments, pensions, spending on uk—based projects etc. that's likely to be the subject of a lot of wrangling. juergen stark is a former board member of the european central bank. he told the bbc‘s andrew walk

it was the second reading of the eu notification of withdrawal bill. lly that means a general discussion on the principles of the bill. but as the bill is short and narrow in scope, the debate ranged over wider territory — the pros and cons of brexit, possible amendments to the bill and the role of the house of lords. the government is determined to trigger article 50 by the 31st of march in order to deliver on the decision of the british people, the bill before us is a procedural part of that withdrawal process. i welcome the constructive tone we have heard from the opposition that they will not seek to frustrate this process while of course undertaking the scrutiny role we are here to perform. we will not be threatened into not fulfilling our normal constitutional role. and neither will we be goaded into acting irresponsibly. we have to have a serious and responsible debate. and in doing so, if we ask the house of commons to look again at an issue, it is not a constitutional outrage but a constitutional responsibility. there is a world of difference b

the prime minister's in malta for an eu summit. e'll brief foreign leaders about her recent meeting with president trump. iran says it is unmoved by threats from washington, and that it will never initiate a war. after the us president accused iran of "playing with fire". in the next hour, vegetable rationing. supermarkets are rationing the sale of more vegetables to cope with a shortage brought about by bad weather in spain. broker layer and iceberg lettuce are affected. —— broccoli. and re—building bridges: tadcaster‘s bridge is about to re—open, more than a year after it collapsed in the floods of christmas 2015. and this is the live shot right now. and this is the live shot right now. and the bridge is about to be reopened in the next few minutes. it has been a long wait for the people of tadcaster. and that bridge having been closed the winding the town and causing huge inconvenience for many months. —— dividing the town. it is a beautiful, sunny day, there, with people waiting in expectation for the bridge to reopen. the bridg

he says that the labour party respects the outcome of the eu referendum and thatis the outcome of the that is why he has asked all labour mps to vote for this bill. we know that three shadow cabinet members resigned last week over the very same issue, all saying it was an extremely tough call. clive lewis had been trying to decide for some time. there was speculation this evening when he was voting with the birds during those amendments we had in the last 90 minutes or so, there was speculation he might not resign after all. in the minutes before the final votes in the house of commons, news has come through the clive lewis has decided to resign as shadow business secretary. he will have to return to the backbenches. the question forjeremy corbyn is who will replace clive lewis, and the other three shadow cabinet members, and what will happen to clive in the future? how long will he be forced to stay on the backbenches. will it be a long—term punishment or could we see him back in the shadow cabinet in the next couple of months? who knows? that is one of the many subplots of what is g

leave the eu. courses in england. until this year, trainee nurses were eligible for an nhs grant to cover fees and living costs but now, like other undergraduates, they will have to take out a loan. the number of nursing applicants in england has fallen by 23% since 2016, according to ucas figures. there were over 43,000 applicants in 2016 compared to over 33,000 this year and that means 9,990 fewer people will study nursing compared to last year. the chief executive of ucas, mary curnock cook, said the overall fall could lead to unprecedented choice for applicants later in the year. gillian hargreaves, bbc news. in a moment a summary of the business news this hour but first, the headlines on bbc news: a deal to end the dispute on southern rail has been reached. it was announced a short time ago at the tuc. the government sets out its strategy for leaving the european union as it publishes its white paper. the bank of england forecasts better growth for the economy over the next two years but warns

sol we have a duty to eu nationals at the same time. ld be completely wrong in terms of negotiating, in terms of our negotiating position, to declare your unilaterally, that all eu nationals up to a certain date can continue to live here without any fear or favour. sir hugo swire, defending the prime minister's arguments on eu nationals. you're listening to monday in parliament. coming up: a change in headgear sets the commons aflutter. but first: rarely on the committee corridor do you hear quite such contrasting opinions as those presented to the work and pensions committee. the subject was the "gig" economy, where workers get paid for each job they do, rather than being fully employed or on a contract. one set of witnesses was full of praise for cab and courier firms. the other full of despair. at exactly the same companies. the "contents" went first. working as a career? i was a full—time tennis coach and i was finding it tough. i wanted another job to mix in with my coaching. the courierjob job to mix in with my coaching. the courie

it is interesting looking back, in the old days it was the anti—eu conservatives who were the anti—euo the public. the leaflet said it was the public‘s choice and the government would do what the public said they wanted us to do. they were clear. it is our job to get on and deliver that. having worked with the prime minister when i was at the home office, you couldn't have a better person leading your team. if i was in negotiation, i'd rather she was on my team than the other side. mark, harper, thank you. we expect voting on those amendments about 6.00 and the substantive vote on the european union bill at around 8.00pm this evening. evening evening. some beautful pictures to show you of one of the most stunning free shows on earth. tens of thousands of starlings are performing a nightly ritual, or murmuration. their synchronised flying creates an amazing aerial ballet. the friends of the lake district has organised a number of viewing events before the season ends later this month, as dave guest reports. it's an aerial ballet with a cast of thousands, a mass of starlings flying in m

more people support the eu because it is important nowadays. onsider france as a global country as well. we are a permanent member of the security council. so we consider ourselves also as a global country. what is the system in france? the same as the american system or what happens?” in france? the same as the american system or what happens? i am not a political appointee. i am system or what happens? i am not a political appointee. iam here system or what happens? i am not a political appointee. i am here for as long as they would like me to stay. it is a very interesting period. people watching will be very interested in your perception is. you have been in the post for three yea rs ? you have been in the post for three years? two and a half. do you think things have changed because of the brexit vote, but what are your impressions of life in the uk after two and a half years in this job?|j can't say my life has changed. 0f course, iam can't say my life has changed. 0f course, i am very busy. it is very interesting and pleasant to live your

second day, a bill which would allow the prime minister to formally start the process of leaving the eugovernment is expected to win a vote on the legislation when it is held tonight at 7pm, despite opposition from some labour rebels plus the liberal democrats and the snp. we have been hearing more impassioned debates this afternoon as we did yesterday. let's hear a segment of it from the former chancellor, george osborne. truth is that while britain is seeking the maximum possible access to the single market for goods and for services, and while we hope that the fact that we have a trade deficit and a very important financial centre will count in our favour, the government has chosen andi favour, the government has chosen and i respect this decision, not to make the economy the priority in this negotiation. they have prioritised immigration control and that was a clear message from the referendum campaign and they've also prioritised removing european court ofjusticejurisdiction prioritised removing european court ofjustice jurisdiction from the united kingdom and in that sense asserti

just how ugly is britain's divorce from the eu going to be, and how damaging for the unhappy couple? as british mps debate the formal triggering of the exit process, my guest is an eu politician who'll be at the heart of the complex negotiations over a brexit deal. belgium's former prime minister and current mep guy verhofstadt, has warned britain to expect no favours as it heads for the exit. but how confrontational is he prepared to be? guy verhofstadt, welcome to hardtalk. yes. i want to talk about brexit with you, but i don't want to start with the detail, i want to start with the context. when the british public voted for brexit onjune 23rd 2016, barack obama was president of the united states. now the white house is occupied by donald trump. to what extent do you think this fundamental shift in global politics — the most important power in the world, after all — how important is that as a changed context for brexit? i think it gives an opportunity from the european side to show and to work on more unity. because let's be honest, what trump has said since now in a few days and w

pick for ambassador to the eu. is hostile. they are quoting him saying he helped bring down the soviet union. a sense the united states is hostile to the eu. you will hear about that and for the french president to keep up to speed of what is happening in paris and talking about migrants and refugees. that is a common concern across the mediterranean here. common concern in europe and the white house. >> full agenda for them and for you, nic. thank you. >> you heard nic saying they are following the breaking news from paris. attack on the armed officer at the louvre museum. cnn's melissa bell is live in paris with what with we know right now. it looks like a second arrest. what can you tell us? what is happening? >> reporter: christine, that second arrest has now been confirmed by police. although they explain until the investigation gets under way and the j they look at this, they have to look at the first man. what happened at the louvre here, christine, you see the huge number of police vans made it to the scene.

so if you take away the eu nurses, it will be mayhem. it will be chaos. ican crayfish invading the capital's waterways. it was recognised that these american crayfish, that they thought were immune to the crayfish plague, carried it. and that will kill any non—american crayfish within two to three weeks. president trump's travel orders against seven muslim majority countries have put religious discrimination right at the top of the news agenda. now discrimination can come in many forms, both blatant and subtle. and inside out has been investigating whether an under representation of british muslims in top professional roles is as a result of discrimination in the jobs market. we've conducted our own exclusive research, and caroline wyatt has the story. i'm in betweenjobs at the moment. it's quite clear that it's not my qualifications or skill set that is the issue. it is my religion. in their minds they have a link between islam and terrorism. maybe that's playing a role behind why they look at a muslim name and think that this is somebody i don't want to

the european council. of course we want to be concerned about eu nationals here but we also want to be concerned about the ish nationals that are living in other eu member states. and there is a reciprocity here. the government already proposed this in the council, saying, look, you know, can we get this agreed? and a couple of member states, france and germany, said, no, we have to leave it for the start of the negotiations. so a unilateral move from the uk side to say, well, actually, we'lljust grant this, without any converse agreement for uk citizens, risks the whole thing being forgotten about and shoved away and uncertainty continuing for uk citizens. whereas if we say nothing about it, if we leave it for the start of the negotiations, then i very much suspect it will be the first thing agreed and everybody will be happy but a pre—emptive move on this could disadvantage those of our own uk citizens who are in other european countries. that's not what the groups representing brits in other eu countries believe. they believe it's important to kick—start the process, to have a catalyst by the uk governm

it was the second reading of the eu notification of withdrawal bill. y, that means a general discussion on the principles of the bill. but as the bill is short and narrow in scope, the debate ranged over wider territory — the pros and cons of brexit, possible amendments to the bill and the role of the house of lords. the government is determined to trigger article 50 by the 31st of march in order to deliver on the decision of the british people. the bill before us is a procedural part of that withdrawal process. i welcome the constructive tone we have heard from the opposition that they will not seek to frustrate this process while of course undertaking the scrutiny role we are here to perform. we will not be threatened into not fulfilling our normal constitutional role. and neither will we be goaded into acting irresponsibly. we have to have a serious and responsible debate. in doing so, if we ask the house of commons to look again at an issue, it is not a constitutional outrage, but a constitutional responsibility. there's a world of difference betwee

offering to help the eu in future just as she'd helped the cause of nato. we got the 100% commitment to nato because nato has been so crucial in protecting the security, notjust of the uk but also of europe and will do so in the future. but as we look to our negotiations what i want to build with the eu is a strong partnership. we want a strong continuing eu and a strong partnership because we're not leaving europe, we're leaving the eu. the prime minister's flying visit here is just part of her mission to hold on to britain's global clout after brexit. theresa may's hope by showing she can deal with donald trump and get results, she'll get a better brexit dealfrom eu leaders who may look to her to help fight europe's corner with the new president. but like so much of theresa may's plan for brexit, it won't be easy. theresa may's welcome was warm enough at this informal summit, though she could be forgiven a few nerves, not everyone was interested in new ways to connect with president trump. we've got twitter for that, one leader said. and president holland

we are not looking at either we trade with the eu or everybody else. not a substitute, is it? nobody has said it is a substitute. your department released a press release at the beginning of the year, "securing over 60 billion of foreign investment." the financial times went through the lists that you had here. in fact, most of those had already been secured long before the referendum. fake news? it's the continuity of what ukti is doing. and it was an antidote to the idea that people are not going to be investing in the united kingdom. we will be chairing the uk-qatar investment conference in march. do you regret the title to your press release? i don't regret it at all. i think the more good news we give to the public the better, and did counter some of the black propaganda working to undermine the referendum. liam fox. the former uk ambassador to the eu, sir ivan rogers, has told mps that brussels could issue a brexit bill of up to 60 billion euros. sir ivan made the headlines in december after the bbc reported his private remarks to the prime minist

leaders from the eu meeting for the first time since president trump took office. 27 eu leaders taking part in summit. how are they responding and what is on the agenda? we have diplomatic editor nic robertson live at the meetings in malta. what are we likely to hear, nic? >> reporter: miguel, good morning. big change of position after the united nations security council about russia. that is bringing in a stronger position on russia. theresa may meeting last week in washington with donald trump will be here and explaining to european leaders. the meetings she had. she will come with the message they need to pay more into nato. they need to pay up. this is important to president trump. they will be here talking about migration. malta is on the path of tens of thousands of migrants coming from north africa into europe. that obviously is a key concern for president trump as well. you know, one of the big narratives here is going to be that president trump, the eu feels is hostile to the european union. a letter written from the european parliament from the main political parties from the

just now the moods almost amicable. eu decide how far britain stays aboard with europe's future, or whether the uk will chart its own course alone. stay with us on bbc world news — still to come: worsening fighting in eastern ukraine between government forces and russian backed rebels — we meet the civilians trapped in the middle. a royal marine commando from northern ireland has pleaded guilty to hoarding explosives and making bombs. 31—year—old ciaran maxwell was arrested last year after police found two arms dumps in county antrim. unknown to the marines, while serving he had also been preparing for acts of terrorism, including compiling a list of targets, to be used by dissident republicans. a bbc news investigation has revealed how sheffield city council failed to stop an employee, a predatory sex offender, from abusing his victims in council offices over two decades. roger dodds has been sentenced to 16 years in prison. the council was first told about the allegations against dodds back in 1981, but didn't inform the

that that we are leaving institutions of the eu. we will have with the other 27 member states. that is why we have as a nation to get our objectives and process right as we get our objectives and process right as we start this great negotiation. i have to say the government's handling of this thus far has not shown sufficient respect for parliament, notwithstanding the number of times the secretary of state has come to the spat box. how long have they said they would give us long have they said they would give usa long have they said they would give us a running commentary. and if you ask for clarity you are not backing the uk team. that wasn't the right way to approach it. one labour mp suggested the iain duncan smith that there haven't been enough information published about this bill. over the past 40 years if anybody in this house doesn't have enough information to make a decision about this i wonder where they've been in the last 40 years, all the years they spent here. of coui’se we all the years they spent here. of course we h

very quickly, the daily telegraph. saving universities eu funding. rsity wa nt to funding. what does oxford university want to do? they have been charmed by the french to open a campus extension in paris and other universities have been approached, like warwick university. extremely high class areas of learning. they will lose their eu funding during the brexit negotiations and whether they do or not, they are worried that they might. students from

nobody of the three institutions of the eu will accept that. of the union, out the single market, out the customs union, out the european court ofjustice and then saying, "but that is an eu programme that interests me and that is a sector that interests me." that will not happen, sorry. because then she has to take also the obligations, and the payments were linked to these advantages. you can never create a status outside the european union which is more advantageous than to be a member of the european union. it would not be fair towards the members of the european union and to our taxpayers. you want to believe there can be no cherry picking, but others have sent a different message. even mr barnier, who is, with all due respect, probably more important to the negotiations than you... that's true. ..because he is negotiating on behalf of the commission. he is negotiating and we have to approve his negotiations. exactly. you're an observer and he's a negotiator. according to a leak that the guardian newspaper got hold of, he told meps that ther

the us administration as a threat to the eu. other 28? nothing for me. you miss a chance! with regard to the agreement between italy and libya i don't think it is a silver bullet. it is not a case where one decision will solve everything. it must be taken in the context of the decisions we took in valletta 15 months ago or so, which are being implemented, which we want to see implemented faster and in the next few days we have a meeting of senior officials that will proceed with the implementation of those decisions. 0bviously with the implementation of those decisions. obviously the agreement will help a lot, because there are a number of new elements which, until now, were missing. the libyan authorities are asking for assistance in monitoring their borders, not only maritime borders but also land borders. they are asking for assistance in managing the camps were refugees, potential refugees and migrants are kept. and there is a direct engagement with there is a direct engagement with the tribes especially in the deep south of