why is the eu preparing to buy a military grade laser? come and more in the next half an hour while. joining me for all of it, polly toynbee of the guardian, and camilla tominey of the express. welcome to both. here is oui’ express. welcome to both. here is our guide to the latest from europe injust 60 our guide to the latest from europe in just 60 seconds. there has been some uncharacteristically warm weather across europe this week, but a stressful things were not quite so sunny for martin summer, top civil servant folla a2 jean—claude juncker. european parliament called for a reassessment of ‘s nomination process. the windrush fiasco in the uk read some meps to raise concerns about the registration of eu citizens after brexit. certainly after the windrush scandal in britain, are we going to be sure the same is not happening to our european citizens? there are more questions for politicians in malta, as 18 international news organisations came together to launch a project. it seeks to continue the work of an investigative journalist who

today i am in the headquarters of the eu's executive body — the commission — the engine room of the euw smoothly is that engine running? for all of the focus on brexit, perhaps the bigger challenge to eu unity comes from a growing fault line between east and west within the european club. well, today, my guest is czechjustice commissioner vera jourova. how is the commission coping with an increasingly fractious europe? commissioner vera jourova, welcome to hardtalk. thank you for having me here. do you accept that there is a potentially dangerous fault line between the vision of what the european union can be and should be, that is being developed in paris and in germany, and the vision that we hear and see coming from poland, from hungary, and from your own country, the czech republic? hmm. it might be potentially dangerous if we do not listen to each other. because the west and east have different historical development, different background — the people have different fears and different ideas. and that is why i think that the lack of communication between west and east might be the

let's talk about norway and the eu. sion on it because you are not in the european union, but you are in the european economic area, which gives you full access to the single market and customs union. it comes at a price because you have to pay into the eu and you have to abide by roughly three quarters of eu rules and regulations. a fundamental part of your economy is governed from brussels. do you, in the progress party, think that is a sustainable status quo for norway? well, the progress party is in favour of the ea agreements, but we're against us moving towards being a member of the eu. well, the progress party is in favour of the ea agreements, but we're against us moving towards being a member of the eu. we've had two referendums in norway and, both times, the majority of the population said no tojoining the eu, but i think the ea agreement has very broad support in norway because we are — the european market is the most important market to norway. but isn't it fundamentally antidemocratic? because many of the ru

on day one after exit from the eu. welsh continuity bills would frustrate this objective. if the continuity bills were to become law, they would impacts not just on the government and the legislators, but on widespread understanding and confidence and, uk law after exit. to the right clarity, the matter had been referred to the supreme court. i do however, remain hopeful that the ongoing negotiations between the devolved administrations will result in an agreement. it is clear that this would be the best outcome for all involved. and should an acceptable agreement be reached, and should the scottish and welsh governments, see—through drawled the references. i think the attorney general for his answer. these combined challenges are unprecedented in the 20 year history of devolution. patch by the scottish parliament. does he appreciate that this would be widely seen as an attack on the scottish parliament and the democratic? and finally, how much is this going to cost? and who is going to meet the legal costs? mr speaker

the difference is that i think the eu 26, in this case, and the heads of the eu institutions, are 150%ey say the eu have to be happy with this arrangement. they take the good friday agreement very seriously, and that is a very real concern. for spain, it is kind of more of a national pride issue, and it is seen as such. it is used by the spanish prime minister for domestic reasons, and if he were to use this, and to put into peril an agreement that the eu very much wants, notjust the uk, then you can expect the weight of the 26 to come bearing down on rajoy, i think. but the interesting thing is that we have had a lot of political heat around the irish border question, and yet, up to now, the gibraltar question, yes, different, has not really forced its way into the discussion. it nearly did, though, didn't it? i think a lot of brexit, it is economic arguments. when it comes to fishing, it is people's livelihoods. of course, i am not belittling that. what i mean is that when it comes to the irish border situation, people remember the troubles. it is about peace. it is about violence. a

what about in the eu. are they united? >> up until now, the 27 of the eu have been united. e is a prospect this might change as we get into the nitty-gritty of how a trade to a deal might work, how security cooperation might work, but at the point the eu is proud publicly and privately that they have kept together. >> we will hear more from you a little later in the program. now, let's take a look at some other news in brief. nine months on from the grenfell tower fire, just 62 out of 204 households have been found permanent homes. 71 people died from the fire up that tour through the west london tower in june. the housing secretary said some of those made homeless were still living in hotels. >> this is totally unacceptable. the suffering that these families have already in do word -- endured is unimaginable. living for this long in hotels can only make the process of grieving and recovery even harder. what has been lacking is the that should have been delivered both by the state's office and local authorities. >> a memorial service was held march the second, marking one ye

you would rather remain in the eu than be a member of the customs union outside the eu? y country in that situation partially is turkey and the hate it. they only agreed to do it as a step towards membership. why are we asking for a worse deal than norway has, switzerland has, because people wanted to be a bad deal because they see it as a way of reversing it. if parliament took a different view and said we would rather be in the customs union, manufacturers and people like that are keen. if parliament took a different view would you respect parliament's right to determine basically the negotiating position and change theresa may's brexit or should the government somehow overrule parliament or threaten confidence vote and all sorts of things that may or may not work? should the government do that to thwart the will of parliament? these are uncharted legal territories as we saw with the gina miller court case the degree to which parliament can mandate a crown decision is being tested as we go back i find it extraordinary to find labour mps who were always against what jere

the eu withdrawal bill which puts all you law into uk law to stop —— the eu withdrawal bill which putsto stop a legislative black hole opening up pass through the comments before christmas, and so it was up to the upper house for peers to begin their detailed green of the plans. at end of january, they held a two—day debate on the principles of the bill. the duty of the house is very clear. and that duty, i submit, is to assert our rights to scrutinise, to amend and if need be, to reject unacceptable parts of this bill. the more we argue here, the weaker we make the government's negotiating position. should we not be implementing the people's vote, unelected as we are, pulling together and present in a united front. it all means improve the bill before us it all means improve the bill before us but let us not frustrate it. the government can expect no letter in our efforts to make this bill somehow against all odds work in the interest of the british people. as we leave europe. as we leave europe — an act of extraordinary political self harm that our grandchildren and their children wi

is set to leave the eu in less than a year. s a deal, meaning there would be a transitional leaving untilr the end of 2020. u.k. will be able to negotiate with trade deals or eu citizens moving to the u.k. will enjoy the same rights as those arrive before brexit. agreement is still no on to how there will be a hard border between northern ireland and the irish. it will remain in the eu's policies until the end of 2020. a concession which led to the leader of the u.k. independence party facing a rather unusual -- into throwing dead the pond. >> the fishing is one of possible anger. this is not what we were promised. know they will not do it again when it comes to the final deal? >> there is disappointment and communities. i know as someone whose father was a fish merchant and grandparents went to see to fish. i understand how fishing communities feel about the situation and share their disappointment. way i can say it is like the fishing communities in scotland or the u.k. they will never be trusted again. what a fisherman can ex

what does that tell us about the eu's reaction to this and also the uk positive relationship with the went out of its way not to congratulate president putin on his re—election. the european commission published a letter on twitter that he sent to the kremlin saying congratulations, president putin, and he defended that by saying angela merkel of germany had done the same thing. and yet at the same time, via bilateral conversations going on one—on—one between the uk and members of the eu and others, the british government has managed to secure that other countries would see the expulsion of russian diplomats as well as those in the uk have expelled from london. they can point to how that can work after brexit regardless of our membership of the eu. we can't talk about russia without talking about jeremy corbyn‘s response to this. from the general election, the labour party seemed to be marching together in one step in moving forward. his response to the russian crisis seems to have completely reopened all the divisions in his party. it felt like the kind of prying open of the paint ca

and the eu and the ypg, which is not. that legal distinction separates the two groups and was part of the basis on which the u.s. was able to cooperate with the ypg. there are clearly close connections between the groups. you have movement of fighters between the groups. you have ypg forces in syria that have pictures of the leader of the pkk, which the turks arrested with u.s. cia help in syria. so there's clearly connections between those groups. and i think in response to your question, the u.s. has not been as sensitive as it should have been to some of the legitimate security concerns that the turks have. the turks have also suffered more deaths over the years at the hands of pkk terrorist attacks than they have by some of these other isis related groups. there's also been very mixed messaging coming out of the administration on this. the obama administration had been clear to the turks that the ypg would be able to clear isis forces and then would move east of the euphrates which is one of erdogan's red lines from t

million of seafood to the eu each year so that's a big loss for the industry.pan, may follow in the footsteps of the eu and punish taiwanese fishing exports. cindy sue, joining us from taipei, thank you for that update. this week the bbc is looking at stories about ways that people connect in an increasingly polarised world. the series is called crossing divides. today we go to indonesia, where at the end of the last century, hundreds of children took up arms in the maluku islands. the conflict was divided along religious lines, pitting christians against muslims. thousands were killed and half a million displaced. this is the story of two child militants who used to be enemies, but who are now working together to try and keep the fragile peace. the patchwork of christian and muslim communities on the island set about destroying each other and businesses and properties were put to the torch. while malaria is well—known as one of the world's deadliest diseases, most commonly spread by mosquitoes, in malaysia they are battling a very particular strain. the parasi

mps call on the government to keep the uk in a customs union with the eu. ker reckons one cabinet minister has nailed the perfect parliamentary answer. that exchange should be ca ptu red answer. that exchange should be captured in a reusable bottle and prefera bly stored captured in a reusable bottle and preferably stored in one of our great easy and. at first, the home secretary amber rudd has faced repeated calls from labour to resign over targets to remove eagle —— illegal migrants from the uk. when she and the appeared in front of the home committee, she said that no such targets existed. labour put down an urgent question, asking her to come to the commons to explain. amber rudd said she was omitted to tackling illegal immigration.” amber rudd said she was omitted to tackling illegal immigration. i have ever agreed that there should be specific removal targets and i would never support a policy that puts targets ahead of people. the immigration arm of the home office has been using local targets for intel performance management. these we re intel perfor

essentially, there are more rounds of talks, but four, before a key summit of the eu injune. is is bbc news at 5 — the headlines: commonwealth leaders meeting in windsor today agree that prince charles will, one day, succeed the queen as head of the organisation. goon but not forgotten — after nearly 22 years in charge, arsene wenger will step down as arsenal manager at the end of the season. the clear up in salisbury continues, as government scientists warn the decontamination of nine hot spots could take months. specman just to explain, normally at this time on a friday you would expect the film review with mark kermode. we haven't forgotten about it, it is coming. however, we are waiting for a news conference from the heads of the commonwealth. the film review is coming up at 8.1i5 tonight. you can see it as usual and it will run as usual over the weekend as well. not running in this slot because we are waiting for that news c0 nfe re nce to slot because we are waiting for that news conference to get under way. it is the formal end of the commonwealth meeting. it hasn't qui

it is about how we leave the eu. i'll be asking two peers what that row and those defeats mean for the government's eu withdrawal bill. also on this programme: as the home secretary apologises for the treatment of the windrush generation, one mp blames the rhetoric of the far right. if you lay down with dogs, you get fleas. and that is what has happened with this far—right rhetoric in this country. and there's a defiant response from one mp in the face of anti—semitic abuse. we will not be bullied out of political engagement. we are going nowhere. we stand and we'll keep fighting until the evils of anti—semitism have been removed from our society. but first, on wednesday, there was a setback for ministers when the government suffered two defeats on the eu withdrawal bill. it stops a legislative black hole opening up after brexit by moving eu law into uk law. the bill has already taken up hundreds of hours of debating time in the lords as peers have pored over its details. but the first votes on wednesday brought the f

moving on to the independent. meps fearfor eu citizens after the windrush scandal.esting they should highlight this, it was something i was talking to oliver cormack about this yesterday, looking at the windrush scandal and amber rudd hoping to draw a line under this by offering all the help and citizenship to those who were not granted that in the uk. but this is the angle that we we re the uk. but this is the angle that we were discussing yesterday. what does this mean for eu citizens after brexit? by the harsh that, the eu negotiator says it is causing anxiety. many people who have lived and worked 50 years still don't know what will happen when we leave the eu, how the citizenship will be dealt with. the eu saying can we agree basic things, if you are a family you have to make one applications, application. they have called in the home office to explain it. the anxiety connected with windrush, you can agree on something and then 40, 50 years later you are told it is not how we explained it told it is not how we explained it to you and you don't have your citizen

the eu is still and will remain a very significant marketplace for us. ply interconnected and this will remain the case for the future. that is why the prime minister has set out the government's intention to negotiate the broadest and deepest possible economic partnership, covering more sectors and cooperating more fully than any free trade agreement anywhere in the world. at the end of that debate mps agreed without a vote that the government should try to negotiate for the uk to stay in a customs union with the eu. but that decision is not binding on the government. but there was a brexit breakthrough of sorts in the week. the westminster government managed to reach a deal with the administration in wales over the devolution of powers after brexit. here is our wales political correspondent, david cornick, to explain. this row has been about what happens to european powers in areas like farm subsidies and food labelling once britain leaves the eu. the welsh government said those powers, as they affect wales, should automatically go from brussels to card

and according to the telegraph, michel barnier has suspended internal talks on the future eu uk tradeand theresa may. strong language, martin. eu annihilates the plan. yes, annihilation, demolition, you would not think this is the daily telegraph, given their pro—brexit starts. —— stamps. —— starts. clearly there is a bit of ha rd ball starts. clearly there is a bit of hardball here, and the uk government cannot lose its nerve. the danger is, if you go to hard you end up getting no deal, nobody really wants there to be no deal. to go back to wto terms, and especially in northern ireland, no one wants there to bea northern ireland, no one wants there to be a hard border with the south, that would be horrendously difficult for internal trade within ireland and would be difficult for many people. this is a surprising development. we all assumed eventually a compromise would be found and that they would be a way to clear the hurdles, but suddenly the government is facing the possibility that that isn't there. you suspect this is a game of bluff

reporter: the core of the eu? llow, myakia will government, when i am prime minister, we will follow pro-european course in the future. we would like to sit behind the table when there will be discussion about the future of european union and our priority is to be more in the core of the european union. hungary, victor just one another election. the parliament said sanctions should be taken against hungary, possibly, removing voting rights in the eu. do you agree? peter: hungary is our neighbor country. i have to say, we should not comment what is going on there. -- wee if we are speaking speak a lot in brussels about the rule of law and that we need to respect democracy -- in hungary, there were democratic elections last weekend. there is the decision of the hungarian people there and we have to respect the result. reporter: you don't think we should link the eu budget with the rule of law? peter: maybe we should connect the budget also with -- not only rule of law. there are also other criteria and other conditio

and there will be more votes in the lords on the eu withdrawal bill over the next week.committee corridor the brexit secretary was being questioned about the possibility of the uk staying in some kind of customs union. which allows free trade between member states. amber rudd — who wasn't having the best week — ran into controversy when, at a lunch with journalists, she failed to confirm that the uk would be leaving the eu customs union — which is the official government policy. in a tweet later she said she should have been clearer — and of course britain would leave the customs union. the brexit secretary was asked if the commons didn't agree to that? you have emphatically rejected remaining in the customs union, but when the trade bill returns to the house committee house will vote on whether it wishes to adopt a different policy. ie to remain in the customs union. if they carried, you're going to have to change your policy, aren't you? i'm not going to enter into hypotheticals about what the house may or may not do. i expect the government policy to be upheld. but if

, it's the only eu land border with the uk.'s so important to the republic of ireland is because of the economic factors that come with it. it is a case that it is issues of identity which caused the troubles in northern ireland, which makes this border so sensitive. and it is as you mentioned earlier the good friday agreement which brought some kind of resolution to that. but the good friday agreement‘s 20th anniversary coming up in a couple of days, it's an ongoing process. it was not a single event in time. and if you don't keep it going, things will slip back. if you put physical infrastructure on the border, even if it's technological infrastructure as the british government has suggested, a customs post, it will a target. that is what happens. and i've said it before i think on this programme, tell me what happens when you put a small camera on top of a very large pole, and it's a no—brainer. the technical solution that the brexit secretary david davis has talked about as far as the irish government is concerned is a non—

has left the eu? at to me is very clear is that we are committed to europe and we will continue to be very much committed to europe and the euro and eurozone. the big question here is of course how do we move forward? how do we continue with reforms? how do we make sure we repair the roof while the sun is shining? on the one hand, there is the big task of member states getting their own house in order. next to that we have a couple of challenges such as the banking that we have to face together. i think we have to do both of these things. that is of crucial importance. what is also of crucial importance, and that is the key thing the prime minister and i have been stressing, is that it's an inclusive process. all member states should take part in. we are very motivated to take a role in that. mark: finance minister, thank you very much for joining us today. that is the finance minister of the netherlands. vonnie: still ahead, deutsche bank up 1.5% now amid a broader rally. still trouble ahead the poten

today's arrival, the eu's chief negotiator, meeting the irish prime minister.depends on britain coming up with new ideas for the border. we recognise that in order for that to be achieved, the united kingdom's approach to the negotiations will need to change in some way. but this isn't about punishing the uk, said mr barnier, in response to criticism from the dup. there is no spirit of revenge. no spirit of punishment. i profoundly regret brexit, for many reasons. and i have been never aggressive. the british government believes a free—trade deal with the eu would mean there would be no need for customs checks on the irish border after brexit. but michel barnier‘s preferred fallback, of keeping northern ireland in the customs union while the rest of the uk leaves, continues to provoke unionists. i don't think he does understand the wider unionist culture of northern ireland. he's hearing a very strong message from the republic of ireland's government. he's hearing it from sinn fein. we have tried to get him to understand the unionist position for the people of

the eu has so far rejected the uk's proposals for the irish border.r. their message, that the british garment has to come up with new ideas. we all believe that the best outcome, both for our wider trading concerns and specifically for the border, would be a very close relationship between the uk and the eu after that leaves. but we recognise in order for that to and the eu after that leaves. but we recognise in orderfor that to be achieved, the united kingdom's approach to negotiations will need to change in some way. refusing to budge over the border isn't about punishing the uk, said mr barnier, in response to criticism from northern ireland's unionist party, the dup. there is no spirit of revenge , no the dup. there is no spirit of revenge, no spirit of punishment. let me repeat that i profoundly regret the brexit, for many reasons, andl regret the brexit, for many reasons, and i am never aggressive. the uk hopes to agree a close trading partnership with the eu, which it believes it would mean there would believes it would mean there would be no n

the eu's chief negotiator, michel barnier, doesn't think so. ng—term relationship with the eu could only begin if there was more clarity. there are doubts in parliament too. peers are picking over the government's plans and voting against them. will conservative mps join in? no conservative comes in to vote against their party leader but this is a very important issue and i think whether we get it right — and i hope the discussions that the cabinet are having make sure we don't create problems with a hard border in ireland orfor british manufacturers — i hope we will support, but i think there are more discussions to be had before we can say how any vote is going to go. today's row reflects a broader argument in the conservative party about how close the uk will stay to the eu after brexit. theresa may has set out her plans but parliament will have its say too, and any suggestion the government is backsliding and preparing to stay in the customs union infuriates brexiteers. what i think we all need to do as politicians is to remember what the vo

but montenegro wants to become part of the eu. are these really eu values? the small balkan country lies between croatia and albania, on the adriatic sea. this long-standing tradition has been on the rise again in rural areas. it's a patriarchal society, and a man without a son isn't considered a real man. >> it's a matter of tradition. we montenegrins are a people of warriors, who had to defend themselves against the turks. the families needed a lot of men to protect them. >> in montenegro, the greatest joy is having a son, so he can carry on the name and be an heir to his father. reporter: more sons equal more prestige. amela's village is mainly muslim, but the practice is just as common in christian orthodox areas. there's enormous pressure on women. it's considered normal. amela would rather not say whether she has had an abortion. amela: i know dozens of women who test the sex of the embryo at the start of their pregnancy. and if the third or fourth child is another girl, they have an abortion, sometimes up to five times. reporter: a few years ago, amela

this is the eu's chief negotiator for the eu making tell us more.aking crystal clear that whilst three quarters they are pretty much in agreement on what the brexit deal or the withdrawal agreement of both the uk and the european parliament have to ratify by march next year, the last 2596 ratify by march next year, the last 25% come because of the series i55ues 25% come because of the series issues involved, 5aid 25% come because of the series issues involved, said could be problematic and risks failure, he said. the chief problem being the border between the republic of ireland. this is what he had to say earlier today. translation: for the moment, we are preparing the orderly withdrawal of the uk with 25% not agreed, and that includes serious issues, especially the question of ireland. the other issue today is that some newspapers have been reporting that there are problems between the british and european side when it comes to the northern ireland border specifically, and the bbc understands the eu have said they've ruled out line by line the two

the eu is ready to sweeten the customs union.hey said that they would have a dialogue with the u.k. to make sure that it is concerns are heard, while they negotiate trade dales the it -- deals still. they would have no vote and would be forced to accept whatever they feel -- whatever the eu negotiates. why is this palatable right now? >> turkey is always seen as a bit of a bum deal. the fact that the eu could be working towards something like -- i know you don't like this, but we can offer you something better. shaftthink that we will you. it's an opening gambit. if you see that in the comment -- context of the debate in the u.k. right now, it's the ultimate redline that's going to fall down. you can perhaps see the two sides coming closer. wenie: we had that -- mark: have that house of lords vote, but waiting for the common vote today, the suggestion was that if the commons backs up what the lord's say, they would comply or not? >> there's another vote coming up and we expect another defeat for may. it would be the sixth. it wou

means leaving the single market and customs union because they are elements of eu membership. frictionless trade at the borders. parliament does not yet seem convinced the government plans the brexit will work in practice, with crucial votes maybe next month, theresa may still has some explaining to do. protesters have attempted to storm the merseyside hospital where the terminally ill toddler alfie evans is being treated. they were reacting to an announcement by the european court of human rights that it would not be intervening to prevent his life support being withdrawn. around 200 demonstrators gathered outside the hospital chanting "save alfie evans". the sole surviving suspect in the 2015 islamist attacks in paris which left 162 people dead has been sentenced to 20 years in prison over the gun battle with police that led to his arrest in belgium. salah abdeslam was convicted after being found guilty of the attempted murder of police officers in the brussels shoot out. abdeslam is currently in custody in france where it is expected he will stand trial in 2020 for his role

calls from senior brexit—supporting ministers to ditch herfavoured option for a customs deal with the eumes reports that fund managers have cut the rate at which they are hiring in london by as much as half since the uk voted to leave the eu. the ‘i' carries a survey of 220,000 people in the uk, which suggests the majority want free trade and open migration with europe. an investigation by the daily express reports knives are being sold to children as young as m despite a nationwide ban. and the sun carries the story that inmates at high down prison have performed their own version of les miserables, for the public.. the public had to pay, but i suppose it fills a gap in their long day in jailandi it fills a gap in their long day in jailand i think it fills a gap in their long day in jail and i think it is a fantastic idea. no review of the production. the costumes looked good. we will be looking at the sun and other papers, let us start with the telegraph. heat is on and at mo farah is on fire. i loved the marathon, i watch it every year and every year i cry a bit. do you get emotional?

is the eu united? we gain that from this bill. >> they have been united, i think there's a prospect that might change when we get to the nitty-gritty of a trade deal, but at the moment it's very proud that up to now they've managed to keep themselves together. >> thank you. we will hear more from you little bit later in the program. now, let's take a look at some other news. just 62 out of 204 households have found permanent homes. seventy-one people died when it went through the west london fire. some of those made homeless were still living in hotels. >> this is totally unacceptable. they are suffering and it's unimaginable. living for this long in hotels can only make the process of grieving and recovery even harder. they've been absolutely lucky. >> a memorial service was held on march the 22nd marking one year since the westminster terror attack that left five dead and dozens injured. the extremists drove into pedestrians on the bridge before going to the parliament. another onguard was stabbed an

and not a set of reasons, not a worked out account of the eu budget and the making of eu law and so on. but an attitude. attitudes are things which are very easy to manipulate and to nudge. after all, the nobel prize was won last autumn by an economist who introduced this idea of nudging. little nudges, influence, drip feed of negative news about something would eventually form or help to form attitudes or shape attitudes in ways that will in practice result in vogt one way rather than another. we have to remember, it's a terribly significant point, that in any yes no, either/or kind of vote, clinton/trump or in/out, yes/no kind of vote like a presidential election, referendum, you've got two blocs of voters who have pretty much made up their minds how they'll cast their vote and they're probably going to tune out of the campaign because they're not interested really. but it's the people in between, the people who haven't made up their minds, the people who are persuadable. the people who can still be influenced. and if you can get enough of them to move you can swing the vote the w

the eu's chief negotiator, michel barnier, has warned that the brexit talks are at risk until there'snd and northern ireland. he was speaking during a visit to ireland, when he rejected criticism from the democratic unionist party that he had taken an aggressive stance. 0ur ireland correspondent emma vardy has the latest. for businesses north and south of the irish border, brexit brings uncertainty. in future, some goods may become more expensive to import or could be subject to new checks. until an agreement has been reached, it is difficult to plan ahead. we keep trading, but our suppliers in england, they are all anxious to know how this will pan out, because they are going to potentially lose us, too, as customers. so, nobody knows, we need to find out and find out soon, because this is real and this is happening to real people and real families and real businesses. today, michel barnier came to meet business leaders and the irish prime minister. the eu has rejected the uk's current proposals for avoiding a hard border and says britain must come up with an alternative for a withdr