so i continue to believe we need to leave the european union with a deal as soon as the european union with a deal as soon as possible. and of course this house has voted repeatedly to avoid ano house has voted repeatedly to avoid a no deal. yet despite the efforts of members on all sides we have not yet been able to vote for a deal. so ahead of the council i wrote to president tusk to seek a short extension to the article 50 period to the end ofjune. critically i also requested that any extension should be determinable so that whenever this house agrees a deal and ratifies the withdrawal agreement we can get on and leave. and i did this not merely to avoid a further delay to the ratification of the withdrawal agreement but specifically to retain our ability to leave the eu without having to hold european parliamentary elections on the 23rd of may. mr speaker, the discussions of the council were difficult and unsurprisingly many of our european partners share the deep frustration that i know so many of us feel in this house over the current impasse. there was a range of views about the

the uk and the european union have agreed to delay brexit until october 31. speaking after hours of talks at an emergency summit in brussels, the president of the european council, donald tusk, described the extension as ‘flexible‘. he urged the uk not to waste any more time, and said the course of action was entirely in its hands. britain will remain a full member state of the eu for now, with the option of cancelling brexit altogether. my colleague christian fraser is in brussels. he outlined what exactly, the extension is for. well, in the words of donald tusk, it needs to be used wisely. i don't think there's much confidence at the moment in the political process in westminster but at least theresa may has set out a process this evening. she spoke to the leaders forjust over an hour, a better performance, we're told, than the one she put on in march at the eu summit here in brussels. but still, plenty of questions for the 27 other european leaders, in fact they were locked in discussions for some nine hours. and largely, that was because there was a d

union by the first ofjune and not taking part in those european elections. again, trying to put some pressure on our own backbenchers. our intransigent backbenchers who refused to back the deal because of the opposition to the irish backstop that is contained within it. what you see in the deal that has been agreed tonight, or what you don't see, more accurately, are the more onerous conditions the french side were trying to impose on the united kingdom. they had talked about stripping away voting rights from the uk, not allowing the uk to have a commissioner, if they stay in until october the 31st, not to be taking any decisions over the eu reform programme. but donald tusk and jean claude juncker when they appeared for their press conference, were adamant that while the uk remains the member of the european union, that all the conditions it is expected to abide by are pertained to the uk side but also all the voting rights and benefits of eu membership, they remain too. they were asked a question about whether it had been a difficult night because the fren

tonight the european council decided to grant the european union an extension on article 50. until the 31st of october. this means an additional six months for the uk. during this time, the call will be entirely in the u.k.'s time, the call will be entirely in the u. k.'s hands. time, the call will be entirely in the u.k.'s hands. it can still ratify the argument in which case the extension will be terminated. it can also reconsider the whole brexit strategy. that might lead to changes in the political declaration but not in the political declaration but not in the withdrawal agreement. until the end of this period, the uk will also have the possibility to revoke article 50 and cancel brexit altogether. the uk will continue its cooperation as a full member state with all its rights and is a close friend and trusted a lie in the future. let me finish with a message to our british friends. this extension is as flexible as i expected and a little bit shorter than i expected. but it's still enough. to find the best possible solution, please do not waste this time. we'll be back i

union from of each of the european union from of each of these leaders are thinking about their own political motivations for them for emmanuel macron come he is not performing very well in the polls at home. the other hat that he has come is the fender of europe. he has come is the fender of europe. he has that hat on today. that may be a closed door meeting but he knows all of this is leaking out the press. we are talking about him. that is what he wants. the question is, how long will he keep going until three or fourin will he keep going until three or four in the morning and then say, fine, or will the others 26 come around to his way of thinking and then the question is, if all of them say you are right, we will go for the 30th of june, say you are right, we will go for the 30th ofjune, as he saying 30th ofjune and no more? because that will really put them in a quandary and they want to agree to so easily. what angela merkel to try to get away from is this rolling crisis every month. that is trying to get away. she wanted to be long enough to resource and calm. that is right.

that is just uk out of the european union. that isjust something uk out of the european union. that is just something they are prepared to live with. what should voters make of your choice to share a platform with stephen yaxley—lennon, who likes to be known as tommy robinson, for a lot of people his views on race, immigration and islam are repellent? tommy robinson, if you... why don't you ask him his real points of view. we had a rally last week, which was basically sponsored by tommy robinson and his news service. we would not have been able to hold that otherwise because we could not have spent the money to pay for it. you make these accusations, which i am rather tired. have you not read his tweets? it is not causing —— calling him names, it is describing some of the things he says on the platforms that he had times as shared with you and also looking at the way he uses social media. he is offensive. he has never said anything racist. i would not be with him on a platform if he had. he talks about islamic ideology and that is fair enough to have a critique of an ideo

we've put forward our proposals, which are to ensure there is a customs union with the european union, that there is access to those markets, and above all, there's protections of our standards of consumer, environmental and of course, workers‘s rights. and we'll ensure that those are there, on the table, so that there is no danger of crashing out. but at westminster, most mps lean towards a so—called softer brexit, potentially closer to the eu than that on offer by mrs may. conservative brexiteers are angry, and the thought of building bridges withjeremy corbyn, or trying to, has gone down badly, especially with one who's a likely contender for mrs may's job. the result will almost certainly be, if corbyn gets his way, that we remain in the customs union, so that we can't control our trade policy, the huge areas of lawmaking we can't control, and brexit is becoming soft to the point of disintegration. senior mps, who've been pushing for compromise, have welcomed the possibility of brexit by consensus, but weren't taking it on trust. after 2.75 years, she's now said she wants to r

all 27 member states of the european union have to agree too. france's president has declared that, although the eu is willing to help theresa may, it can't be held hostage to britain's political crisis. here is our europe editor katya adler. here in brussels, eu decision—makers listened very carefully to the prime minister's statement this afternoon, and they want to be glass—half—full about it, although there is a certain dose of scepticism in there. they like her intention to look for compromise and for national unity around brexit, but then those that i speak to say they have seen very little evidence of it so far, either in government or in parliament. the french foreign minister this evening said, "let me know if anything changes". so the mood has lightened slightly. but eu demands on the uk have not changed at all. basically, the uk has up until next week — remember, the eu leaders‘ brexit summit on 10 april, to either get the withdrawal agreement passed through parliament, or leave the eu without a deal, or ask for a longer bre

and the correct functioning of the european union. the withdrawal agreement has always been a compromise. a balanced compromise which has enabled both parties to partially obtain what they wanted but not everything they wanted. it is with that kind of compromise that the european union has been built from the beginning. it is that kind of compromise that has enabled the european project to move on and it is that kind of compromise that we need now. a great pa rt compromise that we need now. a great part of the debate in the house of commons has been about the future relationship between the eu and the uk. the eu is prepared to add a certain degree of flexibility to the political declaration in order to open the door to a close partnership between the eu and the uk in the future. we are open to a whole canopy of different options. it could be a free trade agreement, it could be a free trade agreement, it could be a customs union or a european economic area. we have been open since the beginning. we see this in the political declaration

union, and continue oui’ in the european union, and continue ourfight to in the european union, and continue our fight to change the european union from within. and i honestly think the fact that the argument about leaving is now just think the fact that the argument about leaving is nowjust focusing on the local democratic deficit, democratic betrayal. nobody is looking any more about the benefits of leaving the european union, far from it. it is most people who have accepted that there are no benefits, and it has now become an end in itself. this is about the so—called democratic betrayal. i think it is a perversion of the discussion. it is not very grown—up. be better off in 01’ not very grown—up. be better off in or out? i think we are absolutely better of n, and we start with that argument again, revoke article 50 and start talking about it like sensible runners. you may well have months or perhaps a year to make that argument. thank you very much for being with us on bbc news this afternoon. let's get more now on the news that the developer persimmon has announced an i

union but we also believe in the people's mother anybody and remaining to the european union as the very best via available to our country. it's a unique idea and so we will stand very clearly on the back of a v—belt, reform and remain. the prospect of the uk fighting eu elections three years after the 2016 referendum has left a number of tory mps furious. here's mark francois in the commons this morning with a question for the attorney general. i hope it's not a be sent to point out like yesterday's european consult was a humiliation for id payment is there. at a time when everyone is crying out for more coppers, and at schooljets are under tremendous genuine pressure, how does it make sense to spend £100 million of british taxpayer money and making 73 members to the european parliament to sarah for a maximum of five months? and a little earlier the labour mp and chair of the brexit committee hilary benn described what he hoped labour would campaign for if they have to fight the european elections. i think we have got to be clear as a party, that we are working to try and geta p

theresa may has already asked the european union for an extension. —— two delay brexit. to run until the end ofjune and as a result, that means that the uk, if she gets her way, take part in eu elections, but will not have those meps actually sit if the european union agrees to that timeframe of the lay. speculation is that at that meeting taken the lay. speculation is that at that meeting ta ken place the lay. speculation is that at that meeting taken place between eu leaders on thursday, perhaps delay might be granted but that delay will be longer than theresa may actually envisage. but at the moment, it is clear that parliament has approved legislation to force the prime minister to the lay brexit to avoid a minister to the lay brexit to avoid 3110 minister to the lay brexit to avoid a no deal exit on april the 12th. u nless a no deal exit on april the 12th. unless a deal as agreed or unless the eu does allow some kind of delay then the automatic default and lot will be that there will be paid no—deal brexit on april the 12th. but that cannot take place now unilater

theresa may tells mps she wants britain to leave the european union as soon as possible — after the eu delays the uk's departure until the end of october. celebrations in sudan as 30 years of its dictator's rule come to an end. jack shepherd — the man who killed a woman in a speedboat crash — is jailed for an extra six months for fleeing the country. there are privacy concerns as it emerges that amazon listens in to what some users say to their alexa voice assistants. and at half past eleven, we'll be taking an in—depth look at the papers with our reviewers jason beattie, the daily mirror's head of politics and kate proctor, political reporter for the evening standard — stay with us for that. good evening and welcome. seven years after taking refuge at the ecuadorian embassy in london, julian assange, the founder of wikileaks has been arrested by the metropolitan police. he took refuge originally to avoid extradition to sweden over charges of sexual assault, charges that have since been dropped. he's been found guilty today at westminster magistrates court ofjumping bail in 201

m leaves us leaving the european union in ten days because that is the legal default position is not what you said that last time as we approached 29 march and it didn't happen. the difference now is i believe the eu won't extend article 50 any further because they extend beyond 12 april and they have to have european elections in the uk, that would very likely, particularly in the current climate, deliver very large numbers of very eurosceptic mps to the european parliament, which completely ripped up all of their plans. so i believe they won't extend article 50. by the way, importantly, we can stop it anyway. we have a veto. if the prime minister says don't extend it, it isn't extended. we don't need to do that. we are ten days away. let's do what 70 million people wanted and just leave. say that doesn't happen and say the government presents a choice of perhaps bringing fair deal back to parliament, meanwhile other mps are saying if the deal isn't passed we will try and further delay brexit. what will you do if you feel you are with that choice? well, mps trying to sabotage brexit

the uk was due to leave the european union on friday without having reached any agreement but now has until october 31st to find a deal that will get through parliament in london. theresa may has told mps brexit remains her priority, but many within her own party have accused her of "surrender", and called on her to resign. here's our political editor laura kuenssberg. the fury isn't so fast any more. our eu exit has slowed right down. the prime minister didn't get her way. so she was back explaining to parliament today, we might not leave the european union for another six months. statement, the prime minister. her hope still to make it happen earlier, but not many on these benches think it could be done. i deeply regret that we have not been able to secure agreement in this house for a deal that would allow us to leave in a smooth and orderly way. i know that this whole debate is putting members on all sides of the house under immense pressure. for brexit to happen anytime soon, the prime minister needs labour to compromise, but there is still hostility between the two. the second e

our top stories: just 10 days before the uk is due to leave the european union, the cabinet will meet on tuesday, trying to work out what to do next. frustration in europe. in dramatic terms, the brexit coordinator for the european parliament says the uk has one more chance to break the deadlock or leave without any agreement. the us supreme court rules a convicted murderer on death row in missouri has no right to a "painless death". the child victims of the war in yemen, now in its fifth year. we have a special report on the medical services on the brink of collapse. british members of parliament have again failed to agree on any alternative proposals to the government's brexit strategy. they voted on four motions. all were rejected. the british prime minister will hold a lengthy meeting of her cabinet later on tuesday, trying to find a way forward. it won't be easy as mps across the house of commons, and within her own conservative party, are still seriously divided. the uk is set to leave the european union in ten days, quite possibly without any agreement. caroline rigby reports.

nor will they be able to influence the european unions custom union. before we go to buy down that line of analysis, remember that there is no deal quite yet. here is nicholas from the bbc news night programme saying the parties have agreed to get on thursday. once the european council has concluded. that means no agreement for labour but talks are not collapsing. let's get the views of laura kuenssberg. these costs party talks are genuine and serious. but the problems that confront them are extremely serious too. —— cross party talks. in the big picture, the policy proposals from both sides of brexit are potentially not that far parts. the political distance is still enormous. that is really not much trust on either side. one of the really interesting things in the last 48 hours, i have had people on both sides asking me and other journalists do they think they are serious? they do not know each other. there is no common cause. i think at this point, it is hard to see how they actually are able to reach a deal. that does not mean they are not tryi

the uk is set to leave the european union in ten days, quite possibly without any agreement. caroline rigby reports. the ayes were 273, the noes were 276, so the noes have it. another day but still the same outcome. so the noes have it. as option after option was put to the house, each one was rejected. so the noes have it. once again mps failed to unite around a single solution. we are capable of delivering responsible government... it was veteran conservative, ken clarke's proposal for a customs union that came closest, losing byjust three votes but, although parliament chose to take control of brexit, mps remain unable to speak with one voice. what we are all asking ourselves in this deadlock is what compromise would each and every member be prepared to accept in the national interest. on a point of order, mr speaker. and after his motion to stay in the single market was defeated, the former tory minister, nick boles, made this dramatic announcement before walking out of the chamber. my party refuses to compromise. i regret, therefore, to announce that i can no longer sit

it's going to cause a real diplomatic spats and i think cuba will be looking to the european union and canada to back it in this argument. it's quite possible there could be more coming down the pipe for the trump administration. the president has made it clear here is no friend to cuba, unlike previous occupant of the white house. absolutely right. we— the white house. absolutely right. we — the trump administration and specificallyjohn bolton we — the trump administration and specifically john bolton has discussed these three countries venezuela, cuba and one other, is literally use the references of a 19th—century us foreign policy, the munro doctrine, which too many latin americans simply means washington's backyard. latin america is washington's backyard. a huge rejection of that. mister bolton says the munro doctrine was alive and well. thank thank you very much. the ousted president of sudan, omar al—bashir, has been moved to a high security prison, according to members of his family. months of protests against deteriorating conditions in the country culminated in him

it requires prime minister theresa may to ask the other 27 member states of the european union to agree another delay to britain's departure. brexit is currently due to happen in just 4 days.

the european union, but more difficult to strike trade deals with other countries. and single market membership — again, easier trade, but less control of immigration. but some mps are still pressing for no deal, and others say that any deal should be put to a new referendum. and that is the option favoured by labour's deputy leader. we need to move beyond brexit, and it seems to me the only way we can do that now is with a people's vote. a people's vote is the solution, not an option. theresa may faces some tough choices this week. there is no question of her cancelling brexit, or as it's known in the jargon, revoking article 50. but some other options favoured by mps, a customs union, for example, also run counter to the conservative manifesto. if she goes along with that, she could lose some of her top team around her cabinet table. 0r she could take a different option and call a general election. a senior conservative has said that pragmatic preparations are under way for a possible election, but that prospect has horrified many in the party, and a former occu

relationships as teresa may quite often said, not that we leave the european union but we remain europeans, we have a lot of common ground, for example in the economic area but also an corporation in defence and security issues. and foreign policy, there's lots of common ground there. we wish to bring this to their fully, so we do hope the intensive discussions that are unveiling in london, will lead to a situation by next week, when we have the special council meeting, where the prime minister will have something to table two as on the basis of which we can continue to talk. we want to stand together as 27 and for the very last hour, i can say this for the german side, we will do everything in order to prevent a no—deal brexit and britain crashing out of the european union, but we have to do it together with britain and with their position that they will present to us. let's get more now on that initial report by ethiopian investigators out earlier today. its concluded the pilots of the ethiopian airlines flight which crashed last month, killing all 157 people on board, followed all the

so she was back explaining to parliament today, we might not leave the european union for another six months. statement, the prime minister. her hope still to make it happen earlier, but not many on these benches think it could be done. i deeply regret that we have not been able to secure agreement in this house for a deal that would allow us to leave in a smooth and orderly way. i know that this whole debate is putting members on all sides of the house under immense pressure. for brexit to happen anytime soon, the prime minister needs labour to compromise, but there is still hostility between the two. the second extension in the space of a fortnight represents not only a diplomatic failure but is another milestone in the government's mishandling of the entire brexit process. the delay is toxic for some tories. perseverance is a virtue, but sheer obstinacy is not. so, prime minister... hear, hear! eurosceptics know a thing or two about being stubborn as well. does my right honourable friend the prime minister appreciate the anger that her abject surrender last night has generated acro

is asking the european union for another extension to the brexit process. the prime minister came to brussels hoping to persuade herfellow leaders that another extension was justified and necessary. i'm working to ensure that we can leave the european union within the timescale that the government wants to see. i want us to be able to leave the european union in a smooth and orderly way as soon as possible, and that's what i'm going to be working for. but the decision rests with the other 27 — and there are reports of divisons among them about the ideal duration of any extension. i believe the consensus here in brussels and across the european union will be to give the united kingdom a little bit more time for the cross—party talks that are happening to conclude. also, on tonight's programme... it's being described as a "significant milestone in human understanding of the universe." this, the first ever image of a black hole. jack shepherd, convicted over a speedboat death on the thames and who jumped bail, is now back in the uk, after extradition from

provided we are leaving the european union, then it is important we compromise. that is what this is about and it is through gritted teeth. charlie rowley, poisoned in last year's suspected russian chemical attack in salisbury, meets russia's ambassador in london to question him about who was responsible. commemorations take place in rwanda to mark 25 years since the genocide in which about a tenth of the population was killed. a new boat race record — olympic champion james cracknell will become the oldest person ever to row in the annual oxford v cambridge clash this afternoon. kensington palace reveals that prince william has just finished a three—week stint secretly working with the uk's intelligence agencies. and fears of a major military confrontation in libya just one of the stories discussed in dateline london with carrie gracie, coming up in half an hour here on bbc news. good morning. the government has defended the decision to seek labour's help in delivering brexit, warning that it could "slip through our fingers" u nless could "slip through our f

the prime minister has asked the european union for a further delay to brexit untiljune 30. but she said preparations to take part in the elections for the european parliament at the end of may would continue in case there was no agreement. some european leaders say they're reluctant to approve the request and say britain needs to clarify its intentions ahead of an emergency eu summit next wednesday. meanwhile, after days of discussions between the government and labour to break the brexit deadlock, labour has tonight said it's disappointed at what they describe as a lack of real change or compromise. the shadow brexit secretary sir keir starmer has said that the government are not offering changes to the withdrawal agreement or the political declaration. but downing street has responded, insisting it would be prepared to make changes to secure a cross party agreement, and that they were prepared to continue talks over the weekend. our deputy political editorjohn pienaar looks back at the day's events. it is a race against time, brexit. just not enough time. the pm's deputy

union ina narrowly, to leave the european union in a bid to take back control of our political system. but, tonight, whatever theresa may says, the ultimate decision is with the european union. whatever, however much of the failure of our political process is down to the prime minister as process is down to the prime ministeras an process is down to the prime minister as an individual or whether responsibility for this mess is shared right across parliament, and, of course, our viewers will have different views about who exactly is to blame, it is absolutely clear at the moment what happens next to her and what happens next at home is not in british hands tonight. we will see where we are later. we will talk to you later on, thank you both, laura and cathy. that's all from brussels for now, as theresa may continues her talks with eu leaders. we'll be back here for bbc news at ten, when we'll have the latest on the emergency summit, and whether the uk has been offered another delay to brexit. but for now, back to reeta in the studio. thank you very much. jack shepherd, who spent ten mo

the four options they considered were a customs union with the european union proposed by ken clarke, common market 2.0, which would have meant being part of the eu single market, proposed by the conservative mp nick boles, who told his fellow conservatives, you are not compromising, and resigned the tory whip. clearly very close to being in tears as he announced that. also rejected, the idea of a second referendum, although it was close, 280 said yes, 292 said no. and then the idea of forcing parliament to choose between no deal and revoking article 50, that was resoundingly defeated. 191 in favour, 292 not in favour. those of you watching on bbc world news, thanks for being with us. world news, thanks for being with us. we will have more on brexit in the coming hours. and those watching on the bbc news channel, we are going to continue talking about this. if you'rejustjoining us, parliament has said no to all of the four options in front of them this evening. let's bring christian back in from westminster. so we now turn to the process that begins in earnest this evening and into to

with the european union was lost by just two votes, but union with the european union was lost byjust two votes, but it was lost. so up until now there are only majorities against things. that is not how we will manage to organise an orderly withdrawal of the united kingdom. if we are to avoid a no—deal brexit, there is only one deal forward, no—deal brexit, there is only one dealforward, namely no—deal brexit, there is only one deal forward, namely to vote on a deal. to be frank with you, if the united kingdom wishes to leave the european union in an orderly fashion there is only one treaty available, this one. we negotiated it with the uk and on the vast number of subjects involved we managed to find legal responses to all the uncertainties arising from brexit. as things stand now, the option of no deal looks very likely. i had to be very sincere with you. we have prepared for no deal. it is not the option i would have gone for, you do need a negotiator unknown deal, do you?! you need a negotiator unknown deal, do you ?! you need need a negotiator unknown deal, do you?! you ne

union with no deal. we meet nigerian sculptor nkwocha ernest, whose art is helping clean up the streets of lagos. hello. in one of hong kong's most politically—charged trials in years, a judge has found 9 democracy activists each guilty of at least one count of causing public nuisance, carrying a maximum punishment of 7 years jail. among the group are 3 campaigners who founded the pro—democracy occupy central movement in 2013, which a year laterjoined with the so—called umbrella movement and brought parts of the city to a standstill for months. shortly we will go to stephen the donnell and ageing, but not quite yet. we will be back to that in just a second. as i say, that news just m, a second. as i say, that news just in, ajudge a second. as i say, that news just in, a judge has found nine democracy activists guilty in hong kong on different counts of causing public new “— different counts of causing public new —— movements, related to the umbrella movement and the occupy central. israeli

we, andl kingdom and the european union. we, and i can say this for germany and we agree completely with ireland, wa nt we agree completely with ireland, want good and constructive relations. theresa may said that we leave the european union but we remain europeans. we have a lot of common ground for example in the economic area but also in defence and security issues in foreign policy. there is a lot of common ground there and we wish to bring this to bear fully. so, we do hope that the intensive discussions that are ongoing in london will lead to a situation by next wednesday where we will have a special council meeting where a minister theresa may will have to us on the basis of which we can continue to talk. we want to stand together as 27 until the very la st stand together as 27 until the very last hour. i can say this for the german side, we will do everything in orderto german side, we will do everything in order to prevent a no—deal brexit, britain crashing out of the european union, but we have to do this togethe

specifically, provided we are leaving the european union, then it is important that we compromise. that is what this is about, and it is through gritted teeth but nevertheless, the most important thing is to actually leave the eu. andrea leadsom, there. meanwhile, shadow business secretary rebecca long bailey, one of the labour team in the cross—party talks, said further negotiations were planned but added it was "disappointing" there not been any movement on the government's red lines. we are only waiting for the government to come back to us now to say whether they are prepared to move on any of their red lines. as i say, we had great discussions and we went into a lot of technical detail, but so far we have not seen anything from government that would suggest they are prepared to change any part of the deal going forward. obviously, that is disappointing because we know the prime minister committed to compromise and indeed, we have committed to the same but we have not seen any real compromise yet. also speaking this morning, london mayor sadiq khan has told the bbc he was in

i would think that the european union would want to have an extension. i would think that they would want to avoid no deal. on the other hand, the other side of it is that they will also want to avoid the uk fighting european elections, which is something that i am also extremely keen to avoid. talks with labour will continue in the coming days. so far the party says that the government has not accepted its main demand, a customs union, but it isn't giving up hope of a breakthrough. at the moment we are not seeing any element of compromise from the government and we are hopeful that will change. over the coming days and certainly will consider any proposals they put towards us if they can go to the objective that we are trying to achieve. all the while though, the legal default remains. if no extension is agreed, we could leave on friday with no deal. some want the idea of invoking article 50, stopping the brexit process to be left on the table. that will be disappointing and it will be as a result of the crisis that the government has caused, u nfortu n

i've put the case forward for a customs union with the european union, for market access and particularly for protection of rights for consumers, the environment and those at work and those have to be dynamic and guaranteed in the future. so far we haven't had those undertakings. but last week it was no change. it seems they are willing to move on the political declaration now, is that not progress? i've noticed they are prepared to reconsider parts of the poetical declaration and that, of course, is interesting but they haven't said in what way —— political declaration. they haven't said in what way, a political declaration will be and our discussions tomorrow but i have asked the shadow cabinet to attend the talks and tomorrow our team will be there as we had a team there last week and the shadow cabinet at a special meeting today, a very congenial meeting. i reported on the talks, full support for the process we are doing and we are obviously looking for movement because we do not want to see a crashing out of the eu with no deal because of the problems that would create four suppl

our priority shall be the good functioning of the european union and the single market. the european union cannot sustainably be the hostage to the political crisis in the united kingdom. as things stand, the united kingdom will leave the european union on the 12th of april without a deal. however, there is still time for the prime minister to come to the european council with proposals that are credible and have a clear pathway to success. i think we need to be open to any proposals that she may bring forward to us. obviously i'd like to speak about what we can do to assist the prime minister to secure ratification of the withdrawal agreement, including the protocol in ireland and the backstop, recognising that the withdrawal agreement cannot be reopened. but if the united kingdom changes its red lines, we could make changes to the future declaration on the future relationship. also we need to consider how we may respond to any request for a long extension, taking into account that that will involve the uk participating in the european elections. we want to avoid a roll

she truly believes in the european union as a peace project and worries about the potential effects a no—deal brexit on the island of ireland and the return of violence there. she has to dublin tomorrow to try to tackle the conundrum of how to keep that border openin conundrum of how to keep that border open in the case of a new deal brexit and still impose the checks and controls the eu wants to protect the single market. it needs to get sorted said jean claude juncker and said no—deal brexit is very likely and fed deal or no deal, the eu would be chasing the uk to the brexit bill, the £39 billion and also do it‘s debt over the irish border although that is all for the future. right now, at most other eu leadersjust want future. right now, at most other eu leaders just want mps to unite around the brexit agreement they negotiated with the prime minister. as we wait for mps to get back into the chamber and for that vote results, let‘s look at otherness because the of defence has launched and investigation into a video, showing soldiers from the parachute regiment, using a pos

members of the european parliament are the only direct elected persons on the european union level. and that is why i‘m... play around the european elections. we have to protect the democratic value. i would like to work with the british members and the european parliament, but if they would like to lead in the first two months, three months, or in the summer months, three months, or in the summer break it will make no sense. when we need extension, they can then also influence work in the european parliament and if there is a solution within the uk, how to organise the brexit? or to organise a referendum or anything other. it isa a referendum or anything other. it is a decision by the uk. if they have a decision to do what it is based on this decision. but we have to ta ke based on this decision. but we have to take it seriously. we have to go to take it seriously. we have to go to the european elections, we have to the european elections, we have to organised electoral campaigns and you know it‘s not clear if the brits we re you know it‘s not clear if the brits were going or

just 3 days before the uk is officially due to leave the european union, there are signs the eu may be favouring a long extension to the brexit process — longer than the brief extension the british prime minister has been seeking. if so, it's likely to cause further problems for theresa may at home, particularly in her own party. she spent tuesday visiting germany's chancellor and france's president, and meets all 27 eu leaders for a summit on wednesday. our political editor laura kuenssberg reports. no—one could accuse the prime minister of not covering the ground, but clocking up the miles isn't the same is convincing your audience. theresa may landed in berlin first, to plead for more time. but the normal red carpet was rather lonely today. the prime minister had to wait for a welcome, before the two leaders headed back outside for the usual snaps and smiles. the mission, though — notjust to ask for a delay, but to give the answer why. we want to understand what the uk need this extension for. there's a real effort to try to bring structure to brexit. you know, we've had extra

the first reaction is, we are not leaving the european union tomorrow at 11pm, few. most people were not ready. there are three groups, the big companies who have been planning for this for years, the pharmaceutical companies, the big banks, it was unthinkable they wouldn't be ready. there is a second group, small businesses, he didn't know what to do and they have done very little, and alarmingly high proportion of them according to hrm c. and there are the other businesses who heeded the government warnings and spent a lot of time looking into customs declarations and that kind of thing, spend real money on stockpiling some parts, some supplies. and they are thinking, now what? do i try and get that valuable money back into the business by running down those inventories or do i say, i am still going for an uncertain outcome so i have to keep spending that money on keeping these levels high? that is the dilemma. two more thoughts, if we do get to october, it is going into christmas season and always a gamble how much stock to buy for the christmas period? gamble how

with the european union, nick bowles, who wants a common market 2.0, a brexit deal to a public vote, and the fourth one is to give parliament a final vote to avoid a no deal and revoke article 50 asa avoid a no deal and revoke article 50 as a last resort. those are the four options that will be subject to indicative votes in the house of commons later. as the commons tries to come up with a consensus view of how brexit should happen. those votes will be at around eight o'clock. we will not get the results until maybe ten o'clock. let's go to oui’ until maybe ten o'clock. let's go to our chief political correspondent. talk to us about what this means and what is the betting really on any of these getting majority support in these getting majority support in the commons? a lot of speculation that ken clarke's customs union may just get through. he was the closest last time without one. you can see what the speaker has done. those motions about no deal, he has not selected those, his explanation is not only have they been defeated and defeated pretty heavily, but his point is in law,

the european union says he can count on its strong support to fight corruption. from ukraine's capital kiev, here's our correspondentjonah fisher. this was the first time volodymyr zelensky was told he'd become president. it was three years ago and the first episode of his television show. servant of the people. last night, action became fact and the music from the tv show last night, fiction became fact and the music from the tv show was played as volodymyr zelensky was told for the second time. this time for real, that he was ukraine's next president. translation: to all former soviet countries, look at us. everything is possible. across town, the president poroshenko conceded while muttering darkly that the kremlin would be celebrating the comedian‘s when. that the kremlin would be celebrating the comedian‘s win. ukraine could be quickly returned to the russia orbit. relations with russia will now be the key issue for the soon to be president zelensky. can we expect any change in ukraine's relationship with russia? the population is pretty decided upon tow

union with no deal. lost and found. a clip of the beatles performing on the bbc more than 50 years ago surfaces in mexico. hello to you. ajudge in the us has halted the trump administration's policy of forcing some asylum seekers into mexico to wait out their deportation cases. the department of homeland security was planning to expand the programme, it began injanuary. our correspondent chris buckler is in washington. give us more on the background here, could you? yeah, the trump administration is facing real problems at the border, at the moment they are facing a spike of migrants trying to cross into the united states, particularly from central america and to deal with thatis central america and to deal with that is proving more and more difficult for the trump administration, so what they have been trying to do is introduce a new policy that doesn't seem migrants released into the us, but instead tries to return them back over the border to mexico while they wait to have the immigration hearing, and

we don't need to ask an extension, we should just leave the european union. that is what 17.4 million people voted for and that is what the polls show, that is what overwhelmingly members of the conservative party voted for. some say even a long delay will not push them into backing the prime minister of the s deal. push them into backing the prime minister of the 5 deal. the terms of the withdrawal agreement are so crushing, such a humiliating defeat, we would be better staying in the european union for a year longer if necessary. finding compromise here won't be easy. and while the government may say it once a delay, yes, no, or how long, that is a conversation that will happen in brussels. let's now talk to our political correspondent. what are the implications of this at westminster, this letter from the prime minister asking for another brexit delay?” don't think anybody will be surprised because parliament has consistently made it clear they don't want to know deal brexit. the prime minister said this week she would not countenance that. and so there

the great advantage of a customs union is that you negotiate with all of your european partners as one, so if you are trying to do a deal with any large countries or group of countries, you have a huge market size to negotiate with, and that is the currency of trade negotiations. the policy side of it is the outside of the eu but as members of the customs union, we would be part of the negotiations, but we wouldn't have been setting the policy to start with. that's right. britain has a very clear choice. it can do it all on its own, and switzerland has done that in switzerland has some 200 treaties with the european union which regulate all of the things that need to be regulated, and it has taken it more than a0 yea rs and it has taken it more than a0 years to negotiate those deals. and britain if it wants to do like switzerland and do its deals, it will take decades to do that. whichever way you go, international trade requires rules of the road, everybody has got to agree the same rules. so what britain now has to work out is that it is going to accept european rules as they are, an

in ten days from now we are due to leave the european union which is why people voted for. at the end of the day, the people are sovereign, not members of parliament. we do not elect their people, they obey us and if they gave us an order to leave so for gods let's just leave. if they gave us an order to leave so for gods let'sjust leave. whatever their position, it is clear many people both in the uk and abroad are losing patience with westminster‘s inability to move forward. the european government brexit co—ordinator said... on tuesday, theresa may's deeply divided cabinet will meet to debate their next move but time does not stand still for anyone so, despite this apparent political paralysis, the clock continues to tick down towards an ideal brexit on april 12. ——a towards an ideal brexit on april 12. —— a no—deal brexit. earlier, our uk political correspondent rob watson gave his thoughts on the likelyhood that theresa may might bring her deal back before parliament for a fourth time and what that deal might look like. there wouldn't be any change in the

now, ithink, the government thinks, we absolutely must leave the european union, we must leave the european union, we must deliver brexit. that means we need to get a deal over the line, and that is why we have been looking for new ways, new approach to find an agreement in parliament, and that means an agreement in parliament, and that mea ns cross— party an agreement in parliament, and that means cross—party talks. an agreement in parliament, and that means cross-party talks. us secretary of state mike pompeo has called for an immediate halt to the fighting in libya between rebel forces and those of the internationally recognised government. more than 20 people are reported to have died in the clashes over the last four days and the un has called for an urgent truce, but libya has been torn by violence and instability since colonel gadhafi was deposed and killed in 2011. dozens of dishes operate there, linked either to the un backed government under the prime minister, which has struggled to assert control, or the rebel libyan national army, as it is called, led by general. since thur

i want us to be able to leave the european union any smooth and orderly way as soon as possible. the prime minister hasjust orderly way as soon as possible. the prime minister has just left the room. it is not yet clear what the response will be from the other 27 eu leaders. benjamin netanyahu secures a fifth term as israel's prime minister, after his main rival benny gantz concedes. also on the programme.....