a spokesperson for the uk customs authority told the bbc we will continue to work closely...n the business news this morning. on business insider — tesla's revenue has hit a critical milestone. 0n wsj: new york 0pens investigation into apple facetime bug. we were talking about that these weak. and why the apology tour has not fixed facebook. interesting to see how it is being discussed. he has been on to for over one year. and of course, get in touch with us tojoin the and of course, get in touch with us to join the conversation. we want to hear from you. positive sentiment continuing in asia. japan has 20 minutes to go. i will see you soon. police could soon be able to impose curfews and limit the social media use of individuals to crack down on knife crime. that's according to plans announced by the home secretary, sajid javid. dominic casciani reports. police rushing to a young man ‘s eight. this was the scene on tuesday. neither they nor paramedics could save the 17—year—old, stabbed to death in the streets. his father said his wonderful son had gone out on his bicycle an

a spokesperson for the uk customs authority told the bbc... act as the uk's back garden. the supply chain is so efficient that the retailers do not require high levels of stock. that's all been done here at source. the moment the retailers cannot have the product the same day or the next day delivered or required to have stocks. a number of british supermarkets have warned they do not have the capacity to stockpile fresh food. and his dutch vegetables will become even more vital in march when uk produce is out of season. just a reminder. if you're finding any of the language around brexit confusing you can use our online jargon busting guide to check the most used terms and phrases. all you need to do is go to bbc.co.uk/brexit or the bbc news app — and click on brexit jargon explained. and we're looking at the state of readiness for brexit all day here on the bbc news channel. later today at 3.30 — we'll be putting your questions to our experts. get in touch using the hashtag bbc ask this. you can also text on 61124 and email askthis@bbc.co.uk

uk from the netherlands each year. dutch growers have created a digital system, which they say will prevent goods from getting stuck at customsnna holligan reports. fresh dutch onions ordered this morning — they will be arriving in the uk tonight. birmingham, manchester, liverpool, bradford, derby — trucks are being loaded same day they'll reach the market. if that process is going to be impacted, it will mean that, one, the speed of which we can deliver goods is going to lower. we will not have access to markets. secondly, the freshness of the product and, in the end, of course, the price. the uk is the netherlands second—most important export market. dutch producers want to ensure brexit does not disrupt this just—in time supplying chain. an hour away, they want to keep the traffic moving as well. they are looking at a green lanes concept, a digital pre—clearance system, suggested by dutch growers to fast—track perishable products at the ports, which would in theory allow customs procedures to be conducted before the trucks enter the terminal and uk customs officials could check the lorries loads remotely before they disemb

a spokesperson for the uk customs authority told the bbc...hain is so efficient that the retailers do not require high levels of stock. that's all been done here at source. the moment the retailers cannot have the product the same day or the next day they are required to have stocks. a number of british supermarkets have warned they do not have the capacity to stockpile fresh food. and these dutch vegetables will become even more vital in march when uk produce is out of season. the eu believes the risk of the uk leaving without a brexit deal has increased in recent days. planning for that outcome is being stepped up, with the european commission publishing the last in its package of contingency measures. belgium is one of the countries that would be hardest hit if there's no deal. their fishermen are particularly at risk, because more than half of their catch comes from british waters. adam fleming reports from the belgian coast. back to its home port in belgium after nine days at sea, sea currently shared among eu countries. the crew have bee

a spokesperson for the uk customs authority told the bbc...ient that the retailers do not require high levels of stock. that‘s all been done here at source. the moment the retailers cannot have the product the same day or the next day deliberately or required to have stocks. a number of british supermarkets have warned they do not have the capacity to stockpile fresh food. and his dutch vegetables will become even more vital in march when uk produce is out of season. the eu believes the risk of the uk leaving without a brexit deal has increased in recent days. planning for that outcome is being stepped up, with the european commission publishing the last in its package of contingency measures. belgium is one of the countries that would be hardest hit if there‘s no deal. particularly its fishermen, because more than half of their catch comes from british waters. adam fleming reports from the belgian coast. back to its home port in belgium after nine days at sea, sea currently shared among eu countries. the crew have been catching garnet and cut

that existing customs free trade zone has essentially enabled the netherlands to act as the uk's backpermarkets have warned that they do not have the capacity to stockpile fresh food. emma simpson has been to spain to find out how the industry is affected there. meet the team, they have been sending tomatoes set british supermarkets for over 50 years. you can already smell how the tomatoes will be. this is the start of a long journey for the tomatoes. we grow a lot of tomatoes so it is a big amount. 60 million? and a third of them end up on our dining tables. it isa them end up on our dining tables. it is a well oiled machine but have at this trade flow after brexit. out the truth is with no deal, we will have more costs to the chain. that could be at least another 10% from extra staff to process custom forms to potential terrorists. we cannot absorb any more. —— tariffs. we will have to decide to do something else. if you want information, you can go to our bbc website. the trial of "el chapo" is coming to an end in new york. to give him his real name — this is joaquin guzman. he's c

one, for example, is what you call a customs arrangement, but really a customs union. the ukwith the eu. but with the uk, you say, getting a say in all future trade negotiations. what on earth makes you think that would be acceptable? that's part of the negotiations that we'd have with our european partners. i understand you'd seek it but what i'm asking you is why, for one second, you'd think that would be acceptable? under article 8, there is the ability for the eu to ensure that there is, with a third country, to have that arrangement. with what we have seen... well, i'm looking at a statement here from the eu commission. "trade outside the eu is an exclusive responsability of the eu. that means that eu institutions make make laws on trade matters, negotiate and conclude international trade agreements. that is, it is an internal matter for the member states of the eu. the commission negotiates those trade deals. there is an arrangement under article 8 where you can, with third countries, have a relationship where you can have a say. turkey has the same relationship. we don

really a customs union. the uk in the customs union with the eu. , getting a say in all future trade negotiations, what on earth thinks that it makes you think that would be acceptable? that's part of the negotiations would have with our european partners. a year -- i understand you would seek at whitey think that would be acceptable? there is the ability for the eu to ensure that there is with a third country, to have that arrangement. with what we have seen...” country, to have that arrangement. with what we have seen... i am looking at a statement from the eu commission. it is an exclusive response ability of the eu and that meant the eu institutions make lords of the shrek make laws and conclude international trade agreement. ———— make laws. you can with third countries have a relationship we haase. turkey has it. we won't want the same as turkey but it's the subject of negotiation. the point we have been making time and time again with theresa may is that she has had two years with theresa may is that she has had two yea rs in with theresa may

one idea, backed by labour, would be for the uk to enter a permanent customs union with the eu. n goods moving between the eu and the uk, and no customs checks. it would go some way towards solving problems on the irish border, but — in terms of the prime minister's red lines — it would also mean the uk would not be able to do its own comprehensive independent trade deals around the world. a lot of trade policy would still be done at eu level. the other main economic relationship the uk has with the eu is the single market — and staying in that would mean all the uk rules and regulations that govern the economy would remain the same as the eu's. that would make things easier for businesses that deal with europe. but — again a red line issue for the prime minister — membership of the single market means that freedom of movement of people would continue. the trouble with all these ideas, at the moment, is that there doesn't seem to be a majority in the house of commons for any of them. that's why a growing number of mps argue that we will have to extend the article 50 negotiating p

well, we find that we have a very good uk—based customer service, excellent, we have a very good uk—basedd we talked it through and people are comfortable and... and your shoes are made in spain, aren't they? they are made in spain, yes, and it is where i have been working all my life. i know you are a bit concerned about brexit, but not too much. well, i think like everybody, really, every business, there are challenges ahead. i feel like really, every business, there are challenges ahead. ifeel like i have got my supply chain sorted, i feel like everybody is in the same situation, really. we need certainty and once we have that, then we can plough ahead, really. lisa, thanks for coming in, it has been absolutely fascinating, lisa, founder of sole bliss shoes. global drinks firm diageo has reported strong results. the company also says it's ready for any kind of brexit. but ceo ivan menezes told the bbc that a no—deal brexit will bring challenges. we operate and manufacture guinness and bailey's on the island of ireland, both sides, north and south. we have about 13,000 truck crossings a

it means the uk staying under eu's customs rules. northern ireland closer still. brussels says, until there is a trade deal, but how long is that? some believe years and that is a big problem in the commons. mrs may needs a majority to win here. 320 mps or more, and she looks well short. why? there is only 317 tory mps and the party is split. the tory brexiteers want clear of eu rules quickly, even if that means no deal. some want a hard expiry date on the backstop, other pro—european tories say "why leave the eu just to follow its rules with no say in writing them?" and of course, the dup who prop up her government fear different treatment for northern ireland will weaken the union. as for labour they are split too on brexit but nearly all want to defeat mrs may's or her deal or both. if she wins, triumph and onto brexit day on march 29. if she loses, and that's the betting, there will be a number of votes and the bigger the defeat the weaker her position, the decisive battle of brexit begins in earnest. in the commons and behind—the—scenes. while theresa may pre

when we have a deal scenario, the uk will impose customs duty on suit and medicines and so on. and we have 40% of goods coming from the eu to the uk and so we will px to 80. in addition, we will have to deal with additional red tape. # extra duty. that will have a cost. as you had just shown, there is warehouse piece and someone has to that so there will be viennese costs being passed on to the supermarket chains. how long will the la there pricing strategy to maintain their places and we will the upgrade places? i hear it the price rise mate be imminent. so consumers might feel we have to spend more. can you give is an example, if we used a tin of beans for example, 40p at the moment are much could it rise by? take for example, imported from italy, we do not duty on it for the moment but when we leave there would be an end position of 18% so if you take 40p, the vat retweet be iop more. that is just one tinge. so take i million tins we consume every decent impact could be quite severe. and it would hurt people in their pockets. let me bring increase on this, what is the wto ?

customs union. but that is what is. it was extended . the ~ it is 52» it is a whole of the uk. ves you an indication that if the government we re indication that if the government were to sign up to a customs union to satisfy labour, there would be the dup and the erg who would walk away. if you have questions the christian and rob watson, send them our way. i can see christian and rob watson, send them our way. i can see one christian and rob watson, send them our way. i can see one of you are saying, can you explain the backstop in simple terms. i have tried to ta ke in simple terms. i have tried to take it on in the last few minutes. it isa take it on in the last few minutes. it is a stipulation in the withdrawal agreement which says if there is new trade deal between the uk and the eu by next year, the uk will remain within the eu's customs union and it is designed to ensure there is no hard border between northern ireland, which is within the uk, and the republic of ireland. i hope that helps. there is a great jargon buster on the bbc news website which takes you through al

one trend that keeps cropping up as a customs union, the uk is still in it but what doesn't do. world is a common charge known as a tariff. take cars. the charge is 10% of the value, it's a way of protecting eu goods from cheaperforeign way of protecting eu goods from cheaper foreign imports. once way of protecting eu goods from cheaperforeign imports. once the common tariff is paid goods can move freely around the eu without any more checks or charges. that's one of the main reasons why big japanese car firms like nissan set up of the main reasons why big japanese carfirms like nissan set up car pla nts carfirms like nissan set up car plants in the uk. guaranteed smooth accessed to the whole of the eu market. obviously if you are in the customs union you've got to play by its rules. most importantly one country the uk, for example, cannot strike its own trade deals with other countries around the world. the eu negotiates trade deals for all its members. why? occurs if the uk was able to set tariffs for imported cars at save 5% rather than 10%, of those cars would be sent to the

a spokesperson for the uk customs authority told the bbc: we will continue to work closely with industry in big markets like china, and you‘ve had some new regulations which have held up production. but what is stark about today‘s figures is that in 2015, investment in the uk car industry was £2.5 billion and it has fallen every year since then. last year was just under £600 million, as you say, a fall of nearly 80%. it can be lumpy, car investment, but those are stark figures. and that is about the jobs of the future. the smmt admit that there are other issues, but they say that lack of investment, a very sharp fall in is brexit—related. they say a no—deal brexit is the biggest threat to the competitiveness of the uk car industry in a generation, and are desperate. they‘ve sounded some of the shrillest warnings about the danger that could do to these very sensitive, pan—european supply chains. they want to see that taken off the table and they say that this is notjust what people are saying, these numbers on investment are what people are actually doing. the inquests into the deaths of

the suggestion has been that the idea of the customs union and the uk sticking in the customs union mightms to be split. today certainly we have people coming out of the woodwork clearly floating the idea of telling theresa may not to take anything of the table now by people like liam fox, a staunch brexiteer, saying that could not be the case because then you could have independent trade policy. trouble sometimes in the tory party. boat the mess in the commons, there may be the ability to get that through whereas no deal, philip hammond is stressing that could be taken off the table, that suggest there is no way that could get through parliament. the front page of the male. —— daily mail. they are in a - position, about that. the jeremy question about that. the jeremy corbyn not to talk to corbyn decided not to talk to theresa may when all the other party leaders and representatives at westminster have, that is... here in a difficult position. it is almost as if theresa may is playing pass the parcel and the parcel was born. she tried to hand it tojeremy corbyn who said no thanks. from o

what has been proposed for the future idea that the uk has is that they want a very tight relationship with the eu that has some features of a customsess to year up, but then they want to have the freedom to go ahead and negotiate say a different terrace on imports of auto parts from japan than the one that germany has —— a different tarrif. it is not clear that this is a valuable thing to have particularly, but that is where the current straight strategy lights. my are we in this position caligula we are only a few weeks to go until we are due to leave the european union, when charlie it is obvious how tricky and complex trade deals are to strike? there's two different things. one is the question of why didn't we agree on withdrawal agreement and the second issue is why is it so hard for a country like the uk to go ahead and negotiate a new free—trade deal with new ceiling oi’ new free—trade deal with new ceiling or with the us or with japan. —— with new zealand or with the us or japan. a lot of the stuff you want any trade agreement or deep integration between two economies. so you go in and you look at domestic regulation in the

customs arrangement with the eu would "not be delivering brexit". the prime minister is being urged by some in her party to keep the uk in a customs union with eu. 0urwatson is at westminster. how easy is it going to be to ensure the cabinet remains united on this? the short answer is, not easy at all. even this lunchtime, theresa may is meeting small groups of her top team to try to plot a way forward will stop it is a measure of the difficult situation she is in. ultimately, her problem is this, she can't keep all of her party happy all of the time. it is quite clear that if she does not rule out no deal with the eu at some stage, there will be cabinet level resignations. if on the other hand, to get a deal, she adopts something like labour's policy of a permanent customs union with the eu, a different set of ministers are prepared to resign and certainly, earlier today, the international trade secretary liam fox made it very clear he was not keen on the idea. i don't believe we could have an independent trade policy if we stayed in a customs union. the reason for that is in a customs union with the european union, we would have to apply european

uk's economy. it also means customs checks on all eu goods entering uk ports, and vice versa.ngestion around the port of dover, so the uk has been trying to figure out a plan of action. this was a test conducted by the government today, involving 89 lorries, to see if a disused airfield could act as a holding bay for trucks headed for dover, just under 20 miles away. the test went fine, but hauliers complained it was too little too late, and pointed out that over 10,000 trucks use the channel ports every day. other no deal preparations include plans to run extra ferry services through the port of ramsgate — that's to lighten the burden on dover. also seaborne freight has been given a £13.8 million contract to run a freight service between ramsgate and 0stend in belgium if there's no deal — this remember is a company with no ships. that's one concern. here's another. over the weekend a local councillor in ramsgate said the port can't handle it — "there is terrific concern that we can not possibly be ready. there isn't the width or the breadth of the berths that is needed to car

that would keep the uk under eu customs rules and northern ireland closer, to avoid stops and checksorder. that's if there's no final trade deal ready, after any brexit transition. after any brexit transition time. mps want mrs may to agree an alternative, but brussels says there isn't one. back home, of course, brexiteers and the dup say checks could happen away from the border. trade could be tracked with new systems, new technology. getting round the backstop might, just, might, unlock a deal but brussels says the technology doesn't exist. and even if the eu gave ground, and there's no sign of that, reopening the brexit divorce deal could open up new problems. spain could renew its claims on gibraltar. france might veto any new deal. the eu is clear it would shift position, if mrs may went for a brexit closer to europe, staying under eu customs rules, say, but that's not a true brexit, according to mrs may. and, anyway, just imagine the reaction of brexiteers back at westminster. mrs may will be back in the commons, in around a fortnight. and it could be tough. if she can't win co

renegotiate the irish backstop, this controversial part of the withdrawal agreement, which locks the uk's into a customseu following the transition agreement if a deal does not get done, so back to where we started. there is a glimmer of hope for those on the other side of the fence in the house of commons for a no deal brexit. the biggest progress this evening is we now get talks between the labor leader jeremy corbyn and theresa may. jeremy corbyn said that will happen because the house of commons has decided a no deal brexit is not a realistic prospect. the eu is making it clear that it will not renegotiate the .rish backstop >> i know they voted down the amendment that would have it then that article if the, but is there any potential the eu would be open to ask ending the more wiggleget room? >> the u.k. does not want to see that happen. , it will force minds to be focused in the house of commons. in peace will have to make up their minds whether they -- mp's will have to make up their minds whether they want a deal. approach may 29, that could work in theresa may's favor. she does not want to exte

that would keep the uk under eu customs rules and northern ireland closer, to avoid stops and checkss if there's no final trade deal ready, after any brexit transition time. mps want mrs may to agree an alternative, but brussels says there isn't one. back home, of course, brexiteers and the dup say checks could happen away from the border. trade could be tracked with new systems, new technology. getting round the backstop might, just might, unlock a deal but brussels says the technology doesn't exist. and even if the eu gave ground, and there's no sign of that, reopening the brexit divorce deal could open up new problems. spain could renew its claims on gibraltar. france might veto any new deal. the eu is clear it would shift position, if mrs may went for a brexit closer to europe, staying under eu customs rules, say, but that's not a true brexit, according to mrs may. and, anyway, just imagine the reaction of brexiteers back at westminster. mrs may will be back in the commons in around a fortnight and it could be tough. if she can't win concessions from the eu, brexiteers are still

customs arrangement with the eu would "not be delivering brexit". the prime minister is being urged by some in her party to keep the uk in a customs union with eu.he uk should be leaving the customs union and single market when we leave the european union at the end of march this year. in the current climate when the prime minister saw her brexit steel so roundly rejected by mp5 in the house of commons, it is significant to have him restating that position and making very clear that position and making very clear that the conservative party and the government is bound by its manifesto commitments. they were to leave the customs union and the single market when the uk leads the european union at the end of march this year. this morning when i spoke to the international trade secretary liam fox he made it clear that is still his position and that to leave the customs union is the only way to really deliver on brexit. customs union is the only way to really deliver on brexitlj customs union is the only way to really deliver on brexit. i do believe we could have an independent trade policy if we stayed in a customs union. the reason for that is in c

uk's economy. leaving the eu customs union risks having to check all goods entering the uk from the eu — depending at the haulage industry. at the moment we have frictionless free—flowing trade with europe, complex supply chains perfected over many decades and some businesses now see delays and disruptions at our ports especially in the south of england as inevitable. if we have a so—called harsh brexit and we come out of the customs union that will give us some severe indigestion over a period of months, possibly longer. what do you make of how the government is handling all of this? i think we've been badly let down by this generation of politicians. leaving the eu will also end freedom of movement between the uk and the eu. a new immigration policy will be in place. jeremy stern from bbc south today went to a fruit farm headquartered in berkshire, to look at the issue of eu workers. should migrants be allowed to come to the uk to work? if so, how many, and where from? should they have to be highly skilled, what should count as highly skilled? these questions continue to divide opinion. we were

the so—called backstop plan says the uk could stay inside eu customs rules and northern ireland coulds, avoiding a hardboard if no final trade deal is ready by the end of 2021 and maybe longer. brexiteers fear being stuck under eu rules for yea rs. fear being stuck under eu rules for years. the democratic unionists demand the same rules for the whole of the uk. ireland's prime minister insists deal or no deal, staying under eu rules is the only way to avoid a hardboard. we would have to negotiate on customs regulations that meant full alignment, so there would be no hardboard. the warning to westminster was clear. if the brexit deadlock is not broken, it is not just a threat to britain brexit deadlock is not broken, it is notjust a threat to britain and the economy, it threatens the border free relationship that helped underpin peace on the island of ireland. a no—deal brexit is already a chilling thought to some, and ministers are split. thejustice secretary wa nts ministers are split. thejustice secretary wants mrs may to rule out leaving with no deal, and amber rudd wa nts tory lea

it means the uk staying under eu's customs rules. northern ireland closer still. there is a trade deal, but how long is that? some believe years and that is a big problem in the commons. mrs may needs a majority to win here. 320 mps or more, and she looks well short. why? there is only 317 tory mps, and the party is split. the tory brexiteers want clear of eu rules quickly, even if that means no deal. some want a hard expiry date on the backstop, other pro—european tories say "why leave the eu just to follow its rules with no say in writing them?" and of course, the dup who prop up her government fear different treatment for northern ireland will weaken the union. as for labour they are split too on brexit but nearly all want to defeat mrs may's or her deal or both. if she wins, triumph, and on to brexit day on march 29. if she loses, and that's the betting, there will be a number of votes and the bigger the defeat the weaker her position, the decisive battle of brexit begins in earnest. in the commons and behind—the—scenes. while theresa may prepares to try again

virgin's chief executive, vowed "to bring virgin atlantic service excellence to flybe's customers". the uk's a meagre 0.3%, less than the 0.4% in the three months to october according to the office for national statistics. manufacturing sector did particulalrly badly — as bad as it was just after the financial crisis. construction did better. 0utput actually rose. more on that shortly. prosecutors injapan have indicted former nissan chairman carlos ghosn with two fresh charges involving financial crimes. mr ghosn, who has been detained since november, was charged with aggravated breach of trust and understating his income. the uk construction sector grew by 2.1% during september to november 2018 compared with the previous three months. the sector is doing well despite the obvious economic uncertainty and the risks of a slowing economy in the event of no deal scenario. and the federation of master builders has urged the government to not take the rise for granted, saying say its plans for its plans for migration controls could have a serious impact on its workforce. let's talk to sarah mcmona

it brings the uk staying under the customs rules and northern ireland still, temporary until there ishow long is that? some believe years, and that is a big problem in the commons. mrs may needs a majority to win here, 320 mps or more, and she looks well short. why? there is only 317 tory mps and the party is split. the tory mps and the party is split. the tory brexiteers want clear of eu rules quickly, even if that means no deal. some want a hard expiry date on the backstop. other pro—european tories say, why leave the eu just to follow its rules with no say in writing them? follow its rules with no say in writing them ? and follow its rules with no say in writing them? and of course, the dup, who prop up her government, fear different treatment for northern ireland will weaken the union. as for labour they are also split on brexit but nearly all want to defeat mrs may, or how deal, or both. if she wins, triumph and onto brexit day on march 29. if she loses and that‘s the betting, though there will be a number of votes and the bigger the defeat, the weaker her position and the decisi

interestingly, the institute undertakes something called the uk customer satisfaction index, and we measureck choice, how that actually feels. if it is online, how easy the organisation is to do business with. it is notjust about that meeting and greeting, it is the whole end—to—end experience. at this time of year, often you have returns. how does that feel? do i trust this brand? we look at five key areas. our professional people are, how easy the business is to do business with, is the product experience, if there is a problem, how easy is it to resolve? all of those things increasingly matter as an overall experience. as well as if i have got that trust, do i believe in this brand and this experience i am having? if 2019 is to be the year where retail makes a come back, what specifically do retailers need to do? i think they really need to focus on what they are here to do and to serve the customer. that isn'tjust about and to serve the customer. that isn't just about providing the and to serve the customer. that isn'tjust about providing the best price, that is about being value for mo

issue. >> may of 2018, the only frictionless model for the future relationship with the uk would be norway, a customs union, this would illuminate the need for the backstop and would also illuminate the need to extend article 50. if the promised or wants to do away with the backstop and leave the eu on 29 march without the need for an extension why doesn't she pivots of the norway plus option today? >> that is not the case. the way to provide frictionless trade between the european union and the uk. the question of the extent of that frictionless trade will be the second stage negotiation. >> closed question. >> question 11. >> i'm pleased to say to my honorable friend thanks to the economic record there are 97,000 small businesses since 2010, national living wage, over 170,000 people a pay raise and employment in west midland has risen by 252,000 since 2010. i can also say we will continue to invest 430 million pounds as part of the local enterprise partnership. >> that is great news for west midland. it shows firm economic policy but will my right honorable friend welcome a new birmingham airport m

we will have the backstop and it puts northern ireland and the uk in the customs territory with the eut of it in terms of a complex term. anand does his best to give as a definition but it is inevitably complicated. definitely, my only experience the backstop was in cricket and i don‘t think that applies to the eu! cricket and rounders! the terms are a bit dense for, like, everyday folk. your reflections ? for, like, everyday folk. your reflections? i agree completely with jamie, idid reflections? i agree completely with jamie, i did not know about the backstop, i had not heard of it before. i guess the essence of all of this is that the whole conversation about brexit is about constitutional change, the politics that goes on under the bonnet. when we ta ke that goes on under the bonnet. when we take ourcarto that goes on under the bonnet. when we take our car to the garage, we just wanted to go, we are not that fussed about what is going on under the bonnet and yet brexit is a conversation under the bonnet of politics. absolutely and the reason the backstop matters and everybody is ta

the so—called backstop plan says the uk could stay inside eu customs rules, and northern ireland closer trade deal is ready by the end of 2021 and maybe longer. brexiteers fear being stuck under eu rules for years. the democratic unionists demand the same treatment for the whole uk. we saw during the troubles that you couldn't close of every road you couldn't close off every road across the irish border. so if the eu think they can do what the british army couldn't do in a0 years, and they can do it in a couple of months, good luck to them. but i think that this is a lot of bluff. but in dublin, ireland's leader insisted staying under eu rules was the only way to avoid a hard border. we'd have to negotiate an agreement on customs and regulations that meant full alignment, so there would be no hard border. the warning to westminster was clear. if the brexit deadlock isn't broken, it's notjust a threat to britain and the british economy. it threatens the border—free relationship that has helped underpin peace on the island of ireland. will the prime minister rule out no deal? a no—deal br

the so—called backstop plan says the uk could stay inside eu customs rules, and northern ireland closerhard border, if no final trade deal is ready by the end of 2021, and maybe longer. brexiteers fear being stuck under eu rules for years. the democratic unionists demand the same treatment for the whole uk. we saw during the troubles that you couldn't close off every road across the irish border. so if the eu think they can do what the british army couldn't do in a0 years, and they can do it in a couple of months, good luck to them. but i think that this is a lot of bluff. but in dublin, ireland's leader insisted staying under eu rules was the only way to avoid a hard border. we'd have to negotiate an agreement on customs and regulations, that meant full alignment, so there'd be no hard border. the warning to westminster was clear. if the brexit deadlock isn't broken, it's notjust a threat to britain and the british economy. it threatens the border—free relationship that has helped underpin peace on the island of ireland. thejustice secretary wants mrs may to rule out leaving with no de

it's important as the uk manufacturer that we give european customers confidence that they will the productnow lots of your workers are putting in extra shifts, are you having to make that heavy investment? we are incurring costs, it's about time, we are building extra through february and march which we will ship mid—march, we will see a drop in demand through april because we will have been satisfying demand early. yes, it will impact on labour costs and also the ability to manage results. that's just and also the ability to manage results. that'sjust in the short term. we know not all companies have that margin to invest and get things ready for export - three quarters manufacturers - us concerns customs agreement, european about customs agreement, european trade agreements, wantjust put pressure on the company could threaten them, it's the eie’eiie’ieieefiw . . the in g:f:f.:;,, . . the in an::f:f.:;,, . . the in an 5:2: worthrw f f across the uk in an industry worth 275 - - across the uk in an industry worth 275 —— billion pounds. 275 yen pounds. —— billion pounds. the business live has

because it . , . , union. because it would , . , union. because it would not . , customs union because it would not allow - ukde allow the uk to have its own trade policy, rejecting the idea of another referendum, because that would be to divide the wishes of voters in the first referendum, knocks down the suggestion of delay oi’ knocks down the suggestion of delay or extending article 50 and gives every indication that she has no desire whatsoever to talk to jeremy corbyn, the leader of the opposition, about some sort of cross— party opposition, about some sort of cross—party deal. however, if mrs may is a little mood to compromise, no—one else seems particularly inclined to give ground either, and we are in this version of the basher street kids when some almighty punch up street kids when some almighty punch up which, in a way is a odd, because politics is often described as the art of compromise and here in the very centre of politics in this country, at the moment there seems almost no real willingness to compromise by anyone. norman, thank you very much, norman smith. the german chancellor, angela merke

between the eu and uk by the end of the transition period, by the end of 2020, then the uk will stay in the eu's customsil there is a trade deal. brexiteers hate that because the uk wouldn't be able to leave of its own acccord — and they worry the country may never leave. one of the more bizarre elements of the amendment parliament passed last night was that it doesn't actually say what it wants in place of the backstop. here's nick robinson, after his interview with brexit secretary stephen barclay on the today programme, he asked five times. here's the clip. again, mr barclay, what is the alternative to the backstop? well, that is what we are exploring in terms of as i say the use of technology, the use of... you are exploring? theresa may is going to go to brussels exploring something, you don't have an alternative backstop? no, i mean we have seen in the language from the european commission in recent days themselves with a recognition on their side, the comments of the taoiseach, there is no desire on either side to have a hard border. there is a common ground in terms of a desire to address this.

a key point of the deal with how to remove the uk from the european customs union while still having an open border between ireland and northern ireland. members of parliament not said what changes they will propose comment. uk is set to leave the european union at the end of march. >>> measles outbreak process and extreme house arrest on the west coast. the reason public health officials worry that the outbreak won't be going away soon. >>> from starbucks, to the white house. the seattle coffee chain former ceo considers a run for the presidency but not under a major party. >>> it is getting more crowded for your commute this morning. if you are just about to hit the road we will let you know what is like on 24, 680 at a lot of east bay roads, and the south bay. >>> a lot of cloud cover today still on the mild side. not as warm and sunday when it was in the 70s but big changes are on the way. when you shop with us, you know how to score. but did you know you could be saving even more? with the tjx rewards credit card - every time you shop at our stores, you earn 5% back in reward tjx

they say there's no get—out clause, to allow the uk to leave the new customs relationship it sets up.the government wants to tweak the backstop to get it through parliament. but the eu insists that renegotiation is not on the menu, so they are looking for a compromise before time runs out. the eu says the backstop has to be part of the withdrawal agreement which needs to be ratified before brexit is due to happen on march 29th. and without a backstop, there'd be no brexit deal at all. winter is not usually the time of year we associate with getting out in the garden, but there's growing evidence that pruning and digging could be one of the best ways to shake off the winter blues too. tim muffett has more. lots of people think that a garden closes down at winter, but, actually, it's very much alive. we've got birch trees, we've got some prunus trees, we've also got dogwoods, and we've got lots of bulbs — snowdrops. we've got some cyclamens as well, and we have crocuses and lots of different types of grasses as well. the winter garden in wakehurst, west sussex. 33,000 plants, thriving a

explain to the house, if it were the case there was a cross—party agreement, on the terms of an eu— uk customsawal agreement and political declaration to go forward, so we could exit on the 29th of march? there is the customs union point and the single market point, and others in terms of rights, protections, workplace rights, environmental rights and so on. obviously, at some stage, if we are to leave other than with out a deal, there has to be a consensus in this house for something. that is why wasting the last 30 days has been so reg retta ble, last 30 days has been so regrettable, because that is where we need to get to. what i will say is this: at no point has anyone reached out across his house at all. even after the snap election. i actually personally thought that at some stage somebody might give me a ring and say, well, what would be the main features that we could at least begin, is it worth having a discussion about? but the second point is this... their second point gives meat to this. we have put amendments down time and time again along these lines. time and time again, the gov

that would keep the uk under eu customs rules, and northern ireland closer to avoid stops and checkspen away from the border, trade could be tracked with new systems, new technology, getting around the backstop might just might unlock ideal. but brussels says the technology doesn‘t exist. and even if the eu gave ground, and there‘s no sign of that, reopening the brexit divorce deal could open up new problems. spain could renew its claims on gibraltar. france might veto any new deal. the eu is clear, it would shift position if mrs may went for a brexit closer to europe. staying under eu customs rules say, but that‘s not a true brexit according to mrs may, and anyway, just imagine that reaction of brexiters back at westminster. mrs may will be back in the commons in around a fortnight, and it could be tough. if she can‘t win concessions from the eu, brexiters are still threatening to vote down her deal. 0ther critics on all sides could well try again to take control of brexit. force her to delay brexit day on march the 29th, and next time unhappy ministers might resign and join the reb

aside about it is the customs paperwork, say you had 86,000 irish traders who trade with the uk and 65,000larations going up from about 1.5 million to around 100 million, a huge extra burden on business, added cost which means they can't invest in other areas that make make their business more profitable. it is the uncertainty of no deal planning, we all hope that would still be avoided but still the plans need to be put in place. barclays have announced they are implementing their no deal plans. we have a number of members of the british—irish chamber of commerce looking to implement their no deal plans. this is extra cost and time, extra focus on something thatis and time, extra focus on something that is not productive for business, which will not help their profits, it will just help which will not help their profits, it willjust help and survive. the base when you look at the withdrawal agreement negotiated by mrs may, the one rejected in the commons, what we re one rejected in the commons, what were the main drawbacks? you clearly had reservations anyway? the british—irish chamber of

customs union with the eu. that would mean there would be no tariffs or taxes on goods moving between the eu and the uk, and no the world. a lot of trade policy would still be done at eu level. the other main economic relationship the uk has with the is the single market — and staying in that would mean all the uk rules and regulations that govern the economy would remain the same as the eu's. that would make things easier for businesses that deal with europe. but — again a red line issue for the prime minister — that freedom of movement of people would continue. the trouble with all these ideas, at the moment, is that there doesn't seem to be a majority in the house of commons for any of them. that's why a growing number of mps argue that we will have to extend the article 50 negotiating period, which runs out on march 29th, in order to find a sensible solution. some people would like to use that time to hold an election or another referendum, others to finalise a deal they still hope can be agreed in the next few weeks. but extending article 50 needs the agreement of all 27 other eu countries, and requires a

they say there is no get out clause to allow the uk to leave the new customs relationship it sets up. only designed to be temporary. the government wants to tweak the backstop to get it through parliament, but the eu insists that renegotiation is not on the menu, so they are looking for a compromise before time runs out. the eu says the backstop has to be part of the withdrawal agreement, which needs to be ratified before brexit is due to happen on the 29th of march. and without a backstop, there would be no brexit deal at all. in the last few minutes, the irish deputy prime minister has been speaking. here his what he had to say. we in ireland are essentially being asked, as is the eu, to replace legal certainty, having negotiated that over two years around british red lines, and to replace it with the hope of something that has yet to be proven. and in fact, something that has yet to be proven. and infact, it something that has yet to be proven. and in fact, it is worse than that, because these hopes have already been tested in the negotiations, and have come up short. we have less

to move its european headquarters from the uk to the netherlands to avoid disruptions caused by brexit. the company says the move would help it avoid customsm the eu. it is the latest japanese company to flag a move to the continent in response to brexit. yesterday, uk appliance maker dyson announced it was moving its headquarters to singapore, from malmesbury in wiltshire, although it said it had nothing to do with brexit. sales on the high street were down 2%, but in a familiar tale, the firm's travel and airport shops continued to do well. laith khalaf, who is a senior analyst at wealth managers hargreaves landsown, explained why sony has taken the decision. if you look at what sony is doing, it is more symbolic than substantial. it is moving headquarters but its operations and jobs in the uk are going to remain but that symbolism does matter at the moment because we are at a crucial stage in the brexit process and there is lots of political pressure at westminster and this news does not do anything to allay that. this comes on the day that spanish—owned bank santander said its closing 140 branches, putting 1,270 jobs at risk. the bank

the government said the uk wants to pull out of the single market and customs union so that means wehe crosses the border several times a day sometimes. so what this backstop does is says if we cannot find a solution that would maintain the border infrastructure in those checks, less visible and if we cannot find some way of allowing the checks to go further, this backstop would mean the whole of the uk would remain part of the customs union and continue to have some roles that are the same as the eu but northern island that would have more roles than the rest because there are more trade with the rent really make rest of ireland. —— make more trade with the rest of. but some people hard brexit is no deal and other people hard brexit is having a deal but not being in the customs union. these are being in the customs union. these a re two being in the customs union. these are two terms that unlike some of the others you will discuss today, there is no formal definition and we kinda make it up as we go along. also bear in mind many brexiteers do not like the notion of hard brexit they

they say there is no get out clause to allow the uk to leave the new customs relationship it sets up.t wants to tweak the backstop to get it through parliament, but the eu insists that renegotiation is not on the menu, so they are looking for a compromise before time runs out. the eu says the backstop has to be part of the withdrawal agreement, which needs to be ratified before brexit is due to happen on the 29th of march. and without a backstop, there would be no brexit deal at all. with just under two months to go til the uk is due to leave the eu, tomorrow we'll have a day of special coverage looking at the state of readiness for brexit and what preparations are being made both here and across europe. we'll be joining forces with radio 5 live in a special programme at 11.30 tomorrow, putting your questions about how you can get ready for brexit to our experts. get in touch using the hashtag #bbcaskthis. you can also text on 61124 and email askthis@bbc.co.uk back to the studio now. thank you, looking forward to that at 11.35. emma barnett and i arejoining forces across the radio and

the arrangement is unpopular among the brexiteers as it could keep the uk in a permanent customs unionno way can be found to keep the border free of infrastructure. today, we got the eu response in full. they have stolen theresa may's favourite line — "nothing has changed". jean—claude juncker, european commission president, again insisted that the deal on the table remains the only option and the withdrawal agreement signed by the prime minister in november will not be reopened. though withdrawal agreement remains the best and only deal possible. the european union said so in november, we said so in december, we said after the first meaningful vote in the house of commons injanuary. the debates and votes in the house of commons yesterday do not change that. commons yesterday do not change that. with me now is our uk political correspondent, rob watson. short con junkers said short conjunkers said today, so—called alternative arrangements we re so—called alternative arrangements were discussed during the negotiation, the concept is not a plan, notan negotiation, the concept is not a pl